Please welcome Helen Wan, author of The Partner Track.
About Helen Wan:
HELEN WAN was Associate General Counsel at the Time Inc. division of Time Warner Inc. Before that, she practiced corporate law and media law at law firms in New York. Born in California and raised near Washington, D.C., Wan is a graduate of Amherst College and the University of Virginia School of Law. Her essays and reviews of fiction have been published in The Washington Post and elsewhere. She lives in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, with her husband and son.
Connect with Helen:
Would You Rather... Helen Wan
1. Chips, chocolate or cheese?
Yes, please.
2. Bridget Jones, Becky Bloomwood or Carrie Bradshaw?
I enjoy all three, but I’d say Bridget is the most lovably imperfect.
3. Wine, beer or vodka?
A glass of wine, ideally with dinner dishes loaded, toddler asleep, feet up, and nothing (at least nothing pressing) left on that day’s agenda.
4. Camping or spa vacation?
Oh my goodness, definitely spa. When you’re finally getting a few precious days off, why live worse than you normally do?
5. Water or mountains?
Water. The sound of it is so peaceful and reassuring.
6. Zombies or vampires?
Definitely vampires. Zombies are so vapid. I prefer the brooding intellect of the vampire set.
7. Dogs or cats?
I love all animals, but am partial to Labradors and we’ll probably end up getting a Lab pup for our toddler son at some point (but don’t let him read this and hold me to it).
8. Coke or Pepsi?
? Diet Coke. Lots of it. It got me through many late nights of writing my novel.
9. Coffee or tea?
Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon. Caffeine and I are really close chums.
10. Dine out or take away?
Over the past year and a half, take-away. (See above re: having a toddler.)
11. High heels, sneakers or flip flops?
Lately, more flip-flops, since I recently left my legal career in order to work full time on finishing my second novel. I draw the line at sneakers as my day-to-day, just-walking-around shoes.
12. Physical Book or ebook?
Oh, definitely still printed-and-bound books. Nerdily, I just love the smell of a new paperback. It’s intoxicating. In my opinion the printed book is still the best content delivery technology ever invented.
13. Paperback or Hardcover?
Paperback! I bring at least three with me on flights. The last time I went through airport security, the TSA guy laughed at me. He actually made fun of how many paperback novels I had in my carry-on. “Um, you’ve heard of those Kindle things, right?”
14. Pen or pencil?
Pencil. I’m not perfect. I make mistakes.
15. Mad Men, Downton Abbey or Breaking Bad?
Oh, they are all so good! But I actually just watched three episodes of Downton back to back just this past Saturday, so I have to pick that.
16. Drama or comedy?
Sometimes there really isn’t a discernible difference. A good story that makes me feel and wonder and think is a good story, period.
17. Twilight or Hunger Games?
Hunger Games. That Katniss Everdeen kicks ass, doesn’t let anyone get in her way, and doesn’t spend a lot of time worrying about what anyone thinks of her whom she doesn’t respect. I think we need to see more strong female leads like this in our stories.
18. Lipstick, lipgloss or chapstick?
NARS lipstick in Afghan Red. It’s been my go-to shade forever. I’m kind of boring that way.
19. Facebook or Twitter?
Facebook for catching up with old classmates and cute baby pictures. Twitter for news and articles.
20. Plot your entire novel or fly by the seat of your pants?
Ha. Definitely flew by the seat of my pants! That’s why it only took me twelve years to complete my first book. Having a full-time law job probably didn’t help, either. But I’ve promised my agent this second novel won’t take so long. I’m having a lot of fun with it! This one isn’t a direct sequel to THE PARTNER TRACK, but it does tackle similar themes, like women’s complicated relationship with ambition, and also features strong, smart women who are finding ways to redefine their own success.
The Partner Track
Ingrid Yung’s life is full of firsts. A first-generation Chinese American, the first lawyer in her family, she’s about to collect the holy grail of "firsts" and become the first minority woman to make partner at the venerable old law firm Parsons Valentine & Hunt.
Ingrid has perfected the art of "passing" and seamlessly blends into the old-boy corporate culture. She gamely banters in the corporate cafeteria, plays in the firm softball league, and earnestly racks up her billable hours. But when an offensive incident at the summer outing threatens the firm’s reputation, Ingrid’s outsider status is suddenly thrown into sharp relief. Scrambling to do damage control, Parsons Valentine announces a new Diversity and Inclusion Initiative, commanding Ingrid to spearhead the effort. Only she’s about to close an enormous transaction that was to be her final step in securing partnership.
For the first time, Ingrid must question her place in the firm. Pitted against her colleagues, including her golden-boy boyfriend, Ingrid begins to wonder whether the prestige of partnership is worth breaching her ethics. But can she risk throwing away the American dream that is finally within her reach?
Ingrid has perfected the art of "passing" and seamlessly blends into the old-boy corporate culture. She gamely banters in the corporate cafeteria, plays in the firm softball league, and earnestly racks up her billable hours. But when an offensive incident at the summer outing threatens the firm’s reputation, Ingrid’s outsider status is suddenly thrown into sharp relief. Scrambling to do damage control, Parsons Valentine announces a new Diversity and Inclusion Initiative, commanding Ingrid to spearhead the effort. Only she’s about to close an enormous transaction that was to be her final step in securing partnership.
For the first time, Ingrid must question her place in the firm. Pitted against her colleagues, including her golden-boy boyfriend, Ingrid begins to wonder whether the prestige of partnership is worth breaching her ethics. But can she risk throwing away the American dream that is finally within her reach?
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