Character Guest Post: How to get the most out of New York by Alex Carlson

This morning I have something a little different for you, a guest post by Alex Carlson, one of the characters in Jill Knapp-Zitron's debut novel Chase.

Hey everyone, 

I’ve been living in New York for a little over a year now, I moved up here after I finished college in my home town of Durham, North Carolina. Let’s just say things are a lot different up here! So I have put together a little list for you about how to get the most out of living in the greatest city on earth, New York City. 

1. Go out as much as possible: Back home, I hardly ever went out. But from the moment the ink dried on my lease, I decided to kick it into high gear and make the most of what this city has to offer. So what does that mean for you? It means never stay in on a weekend. I don’t care if you’re bar hopping in the west village, or brunching on the upper east side, get your butt out of the apartment and do something. Don’t like Halloween? You do now. Haven’t acquired a taste for scotch yet? Hit up The Brandy Library downtown and get on that. What are you waiting for?

2. Work your ass off: Three words folks; money, money, money! You know the old expression, you can’t take it with you? Forget that. Work as hard as you can and make as much money as possible so no one can ever get one up on you. I plan on making huge bucks once I get out of grad school. I’m going to have to, NYU isn’t cheap! So the next time someone asks you what your favorite position is, remember that Lauren Conrad said it best, CEO! (Personally, mine’s fetal, but don’t tell anyone that.)

3. Work on your personal brand: Who are you? What are your likes, dislikes? What kind of family do you come from? Who cares? Doesn’t matter! You are whoever you want to be. Are you from a poor family? Doesn’t matter. Do you go home and cry yourself to sleep listening to the Goo Goo dolls? No one has to know. Here in New York, it’s all about image. My friend Amalia is always on my case for talking like this, but she just doesn’t understand. She’s always whining about being true to yourself. Not me. I plan on being a millionaire by 30. And if I’m not, I’ll make people think I am. Anyway, have you checked out my Reddit posts yet?

4. Acquire an unreasonable hatred for New Jersey: Bridge and tunnel crowd? Nope, not for you. You’re a New Yorker now, own it. The only reason you should be in Jersey is if you’re at a Giants Game. If you want to go to the beach, line up for the jitney and drag yourself up to the Hamptons. No Jersey shore for you, buddy. Why do you hate New Jersey? No real reason, you just do.

Blurb

The question that 23-year old Amalia Hastings wants the answer to is: What happens to men when they move to Manhattan?

Life in the city gives Amalia a ride she is not expecting. As she tries to find her way on the little island that never sleeps, she discovers she has a harder time navigating through life then she does the streets of Greenwich Village and finds herself truly lost in the complex world of men, graduate school, money, family, and friendship.

She thought she had everything she wanted - a new apartment in Manhattan, a first-rate education at NYU, a group of trusted friends and Nicholas, a boyfriend who she once believed was her soul-mate. But somehow, it isn't enough.

Stumbling through her relationships, Amalia encounters Michael. An attractive classmate who quickly moves from being one of her close friends, to an inconsistent friend-with-benefits. After all, the only thing consistent about New York is its beauty.

After getting terribly lost searching for love in all the wrong places, Amalia finds herself torn between the possibility of a relationship, and an adventure she's been planning all along. She eventually realizes that solely chasing love closes her off to all of the other good things life has to offer. Now she must decide - what is worth the chase?

Bio

Jill Knapp-Zitron, a native New Yorker, is a former adjunct professor of Psychology at her Alma Mater Kean University. A regular contributor to the Huffington Post, Knapp-Zitron reports on entertainment, relationships and the differences between city and suburban lifestyles. She received a Masters in Psychology from the New School For Social Research in Manhattan, and taught professional figure skating for over a decade. She currently lives in the south with her two adorable doggies.

You can connect with Jill via: 

Personal: http://www.jillknappzitron.com  
Twitter: @JL_Knapp  
Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7263734.Jill_Knapp_Zitron
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/098960800X
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00F3NBRJM  
Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jill-knapp