10 Things

• I’m left handed. I happily subscribe to the stereotype that southpaws are more creative – and unhappily accept that we may die sooner – I’m unfortunately a horrible klutz.
• I’ve never been on a sailboat. Ironic, considering that I hail from the “sailing capital of the world,” Annapolis.
• I hope to author a romance novel someday. I blame my mother, for giving me The Flame and the Flower at age 15. Nora Roberts, Lisa Kleypas, Mary Balough and Christina Skye are favorite authors.
• My dog writes a blog. He’s not a very good typer, so I help him author DeaconDoesDC.
  
• Las Vegas is my favorite U.S. city to visit on vacation. The Hamptons are a close second.
• My favorite sport is horse racing. I once aspired to take Andrew Beyer’s job. Attending the Kentucky Derby and visiting Saratoga race track are both on my “bucket list.”
• I was named after McLean, Virginia. My mother lived there in her early 20′s and loved the name.
• I have a younger sister, Hailey. She also writes and attends Wake Forest University, my alma mater. Should you wonder, she was named after my mother’s favorite character on All My Children, played by Kelly Ripa.
• Despite working in new media, I read a print newspaper every morning. I like the tactile sensation. 
• My favorite book is Gone with the Wind. I wrote my college entrance essay on Scarlett O’Hara.