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Lauren Appelbaum worked in tech for a decade after earning her Informatics degree. Then her career took a plot twist.

Now a full-time author, Appelbaum, ’13, recently released her second novel, “An Introvert’s Guide to Life and Love.” The book’s protagonist is a remote worker who rarely leaves her apartment until her grandmother dies and she inherits a house in Florida, a chain of events that turns her life upside down.

Appelbaum, who lives in Seattle, worked in customer support and as a technical writer and editor, all while devoting her downtime to writing. She landed a publisher for her debut novel, “Rachel Weiss’s Group Chat,” in 2024. That book, a romantic comedy that draws inspiration from Jane Austen’s classic “Pride and Prejudice,” also centers on a woman who works in tech. 

Appelbaum’s work experience continues to give her inspiration. “I got some of those professional skills in writing and editing, but I also got some material to write about, which I definitely use in both of my novels,” she said.

You can find her books in stores and online. She said it’s a thrill to walk into bookstores and see her work on the shelves. 

“It’s great. It's kind of crazy,” she said. “I’ll go into a bookstore with my daughter to get a different book, and then she’ll be like, ‘Hey, Mommy, there’s your book.’ ”