Noelle Vonham Paling

ABOUT ME

 

By day, I am a lawyer by trade. However, if you are familiar with the field, then I'm sure you know that it is anything but satisfying to a creative mind, and so by night, I write. A lover of all things written, spoken and harmonized, my home has always been found in words. I live in Columbia, SC and my work is in Charlotte, NC. Hello to my fellow light rail commuters! My chihuahua, Lady, is ridiculously friendly for her breed, and so if you ever see us out and about at the pet stores, be sure to say, "Hi!" Most of my spare time is spent hanging out with friends and family and updating my stories.
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My debut novel, Amended Hearts, arose out of my frustration with one simple question: "What's it like to date outside your race?" I would explain that "It's like dating a human." Their race or culture never made them any less inclined to watch the American football game, or the rest of the world's football game, rather than going to a museum or antiquing with me.

 

For some reason, the questioner would look at me with skepticism, as though I held some magic formula to dating Klingons and Werewolves, and so I wrote a story to explain. In the book, the central character, Aaliyah, has to pick between two good men, Gabriel and Lucas. They happen to be from different backgrounds, but they all have a great deal in common. She must choose to follow her newest crush to Gabriel, or amend her heart for her best friend, Lucas. What about you? Are you Team Gabriel or Team Lucas?