Not a Post

Just letting you all know that the blog is undergoing a makeover, so expect things to look rough for the next few days/weeks. Hopefully I'll have the new template figured out and be back to posting regular-ishly before too long.

Cool Stuff

1.) Finals are over.



2.) A blog post I wrote, “6 Amazing Antiheroines” is up at The Fangirl Initiative. TFI is a site full of articles about tons of different fandoms, and I’m so happy that I got a chance to contribute. You can find out more about TFI here and read my post here.

3.) This cover for Wide Sargasso Sea:




I’m a little more than halfway through and the language is just as gorgeous. The story ain’t bad, either, even though it promises to be depressing.

4.) I discovered this podcast thanks to Tess. Lore is a cool mashup of history, folklore, and true crime. My favorite episodes so far have been “All the Lovely Ladies” and “On the Farm”.

I promise I’ll put together an actual post before the end of winter break. Maybe. For now I’m enjoying not feeling guilty about not doing homework and looking forward to Christmas.

Happy Things

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Stealing a page from Olivia’s book today.

   1./ The first frost.

   2./ Gray days.

   3./ Buckets of extra-buttery movie theater popcorn.

   4./ Heading home after a day of classes.

   5./ “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys  and “Forever Young" by Bob Dylan.

   6./ Picking up books at the library.

   7./ Rain. (Rainy days in October can be beautiful. Alternatively, they can be miserable—but the ones around here have mostly been beautiful.)

   8./ Friday night movies with friends.

   9./ Knitting. (Yep, still working on that scarf. Note to self: next time, use bigger needles.)
   10./ Fresh apple cider. 

   11./ Alphabear. (Thanks for the recommendation, Joni!)

In other news: this semester has been tough, and I’ve got to admit that I’m glad it’s winding down. I have a couple of ideas/newsworthy stuff for future posts—hopefully those will be going up soon. And I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween! 

Taking Stock: May 2016

Reading: Going Postal, possibly my favorite Terry Pratchett book of all time; The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, and a bunch of comics. I’m finally dipping into Marvel and loving it, especially Daredevil. Also Jeffrey Brown’s Star Wars books, which are too cute to pass up.

Eating: Curry shrimp for Mother’s Day.

Drinking: Homemade lemonade.

Binging: Law & Order: SVU and New Girl.

Missing: The beach. The boardwalk. Dune fries.

Loving: Mermaids, pretty journals, and superhero aesthetic boards on Pinterest.

Cooing: Over the Lego Batman trailers, which I somehow missed until now. Clearly this movie will be a work of art.

Craving: Violet lemonade. Rose lemonade. Any kind of lemonade.

Making: Eggs-in-a-basket. They’re delicious and I’m a little obsessed with finding the perfect flipping technique, since I obviously have nothing better to do than make sure my eggs are set but not too set.

Reorganizing: My desk. It’s the one spot in my bedroom that I clean on anything like a regular basis.

Searching: For a job. It’s about as fun and stress-free as you’d expect.

Listening: “Walkabout” by The Augustines, “Release” by Pearl Jam.

Picture credits: X, X, X

The Power of Words Tag

Loads of love go to Abbie for nominating me. Nothing makes me happier than just the right combination of words, so this should be lots of fun!

Guidelines:

~ Thank the person who nominated you and give a link to their blog.

~ Answer the original 6 text-themed questions.

~ Add a typography/word-related question of your own for those you tagged to answer.

~ Tag 6+ bloggers and let them know.

~ Include these rules in your post.

1. What is your favorite letter of the alphabet?

A, since it’s both the first letter of the alphabet and the first letter of my name. Also S, because it’s in a lot of pretty words like sea, siren, and stardust. H for home, P for pink.

2. What are three words you love?

I covered some of them in this post, so here are three more: mountains, wolf, slipper.

3. What are three words you hate?

Exegesis, orifice, dribbling. Any long, complicated word used in place of a shorter, simpler word.

4. If you were to create a word, what would it be, and what would it describe?

I’m honestly not sure. They’re so many neat words out there that I have a hard time thinking of something new. My brain’s drawing one huge blank.

5. What are your three favorite punctuation marks?

I’d never thought of this until now! Commas, semicolons, and question marks: , ; ?

6. What are three of your favorite fonts?

I like Coffee Break, Times New Roman, and whatever the heck font they use on the covers of the Artemis Fowl books.

7. Abbie’s question: If you could change the way one word sounded, which would it be and how would it sound?

Again, I’m coming up blank. I did mispronounce a ton of words when I was younger, though: wiolin instead of violin, doity instead of dirty, Herminoin instead of Hermione. I guess I’m all out of alternate sounds.

Okay, I nominate Alyssa, Christina, Joni, Kelsey, Rachana, and Lydia. My question is:

Do you know of a word that looks better than it sounds?

No pressure, but I’d love to see your answers!

Picture credit: X

Writing Updates + Lemonade Recipe

So far, May has been pretty uneventful but productive, which makes me happy. I’m deep in the midst of first-drafting--in some ways my favorite part of writing and in other ways my least favorite, since every story is so MESSY and convoluted. But things are moving along steadily(ish) for the first time in ages, so I can’t complain too much.

At the moment I’m working on two stories, one short and one (hopefully) book-length. Book-Length Story is about ghosts, psychopomps, and the West Virginia Panhandle, and is so far a complete mess but one I’m really enjoying working on. There’s something a bit magical about writing two characters who have chemistry--not romantic chemistry, but the ability to hold interesting conversations and work off each other. I’m always a little surprised when that happens; it’s not something you can force.

Short Story is about mermaids, Peter Pan, and Neverland. Mostly mermaids. My twin sister and I used to get into arguments about the best spots in Neverland. I always wanted to live in the Mermaids’ Lagoon, and she always wanted to live with the Indians. The seed of this story has been in my head for a very long time, and I was actually trying to write something else when it more or less forced its way onto the page. Like Book-Length Story, it needs work, but for now I’m having a ton of fun watching the first draft come together.

Okay, on to the recipe!

This week, one of my other sisters (I have three) taught me how to make lemonade out of fresh-squeezed lemons. This recipe only makes one serving, but it’s easy to double and delicious. Plus there’s nothing more summery than lemonade.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp water

1 lemon

Boil the water and sugar to make a simple syrup. Squeeze the juice of one lemon into a tall glass already filled with ice. Pour in the simple syrup, fill the glass with cold water, and mix well.

And those are the most interesting things I’ve done this month. How have your summers been going?

Watercolor garland from Angie Makes.  
Picture credit: X 

After the End

Or, finals are over and I have no idea what to do with myself. This is the first weekend in months that I don’t have homework I could/should be doing. It’s a bizarre feeling. I’ve been trying to catch up on reading, which helps--I just finished Secrets of the Dragon Tomb by Patrick Samphire. It’s a middle-grade Regency steampunk set on Mars, and exactly as much fun as it sounds. Very Diana Wynne Jones-esque, which is one of the highest compliments I can give to a book.

During summer, I always promise myself that I’ll read a bunch of books and write a bunch of stories before deciding that I’d much rather binge watch Supernatural for three months straight. So, yeah, I’m not expecting to be super-productive this time around, but I am hoping to keep up with writing and blogging. Maybe cook something. This morning I had avocado on toast, which is probably the closest I’ve come to cooking anything all semester. Still, it was delicious.

I’ve also resolved to not start a project unless it’s something I honestly want to write. I have a habit of starting projects more out of a compulsion to just write something than because I love (or even like) the idea itself. Sometimes it works, but mostly I end up with a bunch of soulless, half-finished drafts. Obviously I don’t have to be wildly in love with an idea from the get-go, but there needs to be a spark of something--a sentence, a mood, a character--for me to work with.

And, yep, still working on the scarf. IT WILL NEVER BE DONE.

All pictures belong to their original owners.

Taking Stock: April 2016

Surviving: Finals. Somehow.

Writing: Much more regularly. I’m not turning out any masterpieces here, but just producing a bit of something more or less every day has been wonderful.

Reading: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, Secrets of the Dragon Tomb by Patrick Samphire, Under the Jolly Roger by L.A. Meyer.

Watching: Law & Order: SVU. Police procedurals are my kryptonite, and Law & Order is especially addictive. Movie-wise, I saw The Judge (good) and This Is Where I Leave You (very good).

Feeling: Sad that the semester’s ending and I’ll have three months with no assigned reading or papers. I never thought I would be, but I am.

Noticing: Pots full of flowers on doorsteps in the town where I go to college.

Appreciating: Warmer weather. It’s finally started to feel like spring.

Drinking: Way too much soda and not enough tea.

Eating: Homemade Napoleon Cake. It was delicious!

Admiring: The “Batman Through the Years” mug at my college bookshop which I won’t buy because it’s a waste of money...but it’s Batman. On a mug.

Listening: To “Someday” by Steve Earle, “Home” by American Authors, and “If I Had a Heart” by Fever Ray.

Launching: The Comics Cafe, a new blog for reviewing and/or gushing over comics! It’s still very much under construction, but you can take a look here.

Picture sources: X, X, X

Updates: January 2016

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I just finished Because of Mr. Terupt and it might be one of the most adorable middle-grade books ever.

We’ve been snowed in for most of the week and I’m dying to get to the library.

Finally found the perfect hot chocolate recipe!

Daredevil’s second season come out in March and I can’t wait.

I bought a new journal. This is the painting that’s on the cover:

The Reader by Jean-Honore Fragonard

Edited a short story and did some journaling; besides that I haven’t managed to get much writing done (yet).

As much as I love snow (looking at it, not shoveling it) I’m starting to miss spring.

After I post this I’m planning on reading, then (hopefully) writing.

Plans for February:

Stay on top of studying.

Finish Gwinna by Barbara Helen Berger (it’s an old favorite) and Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy (it’s adorable).

Knit more of my never-ending scarf.

Write more.

The Tag of Happiness

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Most of my Friday college classes got cancelled thanks to snow, so I’ve been holed up in my bedroom doing homework, drinking hot cocoa, and pretending I’m in Narnia.

Mega thanks to Adelyn for the tag!

Books: The Magician’s Land by Lev Grossman, The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley, Entwined by Heather Dixon, Li’l Gotham by Dustin Nguyen, Her Own Song by Ellen Howard

Words: Sea, cream, fathoms, ephemera, green, shore, voyager

Movies: The Lord of the Rings, Treasure Planet, The Emperor’s New Groove, Rain Man, The Force Awakens

Scents: snow, marker ink, old books, fresh sheets, french fries (plus anything that’s frying), salt air

Songs: "New Life" (Thomas Bergersen), "Thunderstruck" (AC/DC), the main theme from Call the Midwife, the main themes from all my favorite TV shows, "Beyond the Sea" (Bobby Darin), "Joy to the World" (Three Dog Night), "I Melt With You" (Nouvelle Vague cover)

Miscellany: Journaling, tea cups, pink nail polish, seashells, Harley Quinn (her incarnation in Batman: The Animated Series, specifically), talking with friends, snow days

Tagging: Olivia, Kelsey, Joni, &  whoever wants to join in!

Away From My Desk

   I’ll admit it: even though I’m not officially doing NaNoWriMo, I’ve been using it as an excuse to take a break from blogging, and I’m not ashamed. Not even a little bit. But I thought that, since there’s such a huge focus on writing this month, now might be the right time to take a break and post about some of the non-writing-related things I’ve been doing.

Knitting:

   I’m a slow knitter. And by that, I mean I’m a lazy knitter: I started a scarf back in October (or maybe in September) and it’s not even half-done yet. I love doing something that’s craftier and more outside my head, though, and it’s been wonderful to have a hobby that’s not related to writing in some way. What’s even more wonderful is watching season 11 of Supernatural while knitting a Harry Potter-themed scarf. (Pottermore sorted me into Gryffindor, so obviously my scarf is red and gold.)

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Watching sitcoms:

   One of my greatest ambitions in life is to write a book that’s as much like a sitcom as possible. For now, I just binge watch my favorites. At the moment they’re Malcolm in the Middle and Grounded for Life. I also adore Parks and Rec.

Discovering new artists:

   On Pinterest and Tumblr, as usual. I’ll have to cook up some new Artist Spotlight posts soon; there’s almost too much great work to share. Behold:

Alice B. Preston

John Austen

Discovering a new kind of lemonade:

    Rose lemonade! The brand I tried wasn’t very sweet at all, but still fizzy and delicious. Pair that with a strawberries n’ cream cupcake and I was set for the rest of the afternoon.

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Browsing bookstores:

   I have a confession to make—I’m one of those horrible people who will choose Amazon over my local independent bookstore almost every time. Mostly because I love being able to track down just about any book with a search engine.

   But I also love browsing, and since there’s a bookstore near the college where my younger sister takes a physics class, we decided to check it out. We ended up staying there at least an hour, and I even bought two books—How to Be a Heroine for me, and Jellicoe Road as an early Christmas present for her. The store also had shelves full of gorgeous moleskin notebooks and enough secondhand books to take up the whole upper floor. I’ll definitely be going back—probably to do Christmas shopping.

                                            

Pumpkins & Candy Apples: The Sweater Weather Tag

   Autumn is my favorite season and October is my favorite month, so I couldn’t be happier that Kelsey nominated me for the Sweater Weather Tag. Thanks a lot! (And before you read any further, go check out her blog; she’s a lovely person and a talented artist to boot.)

Favorite candle scent:

Green tea nectarine. Also, anything to do with food (pumpkin pie, hazelnut) or flowers (primrose).

Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate?

Depends on my mood. If I want to feel cozy and/or artistic, I’ll go for tea. If I’m barely awake or need something icy and covered in whipped cream, it’s coffee (Frappuccinos are the best). When it’s snowing, my first choice is always hot chocolate.

What’s the best fall memory you have?

One Halloween, my sisters and I decided to make caramel apples together. It was almost a disaster--the white chocolate refused to melt right and ended up mostly on the floor, and the caramel began to melt off the apples—but everything tasted delicious in the end, which was all we were really hoping for.

Best fragrance for fall:

Whatever’s handy; I’m not picky about perfumes. The best fall smell is burning wood and leaves.

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Favorite Thanksgiving food:

Stuffing covered in gravy. Mashed potatoes covered in gravy. Gravy covered in more gravy.

What is autumn weather like where you live?

Anything from very mild to extremely cold, depending on the day. We don’t usually get snow before November, though, and the changing leaves are always gorgeous.

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Most worn sweater:

A big blue one with sleeves that I can never keep rolled up.

Football games or jumping in leaf piles?

Jumping in leaf piles.

Skinny jeans or leggings?

Skinny jeans, believe it or not. I think they’re pretty comfortable.

Combat boots or Uggs?

Combat boots. Any kind of boots, really.

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Is Pumpkin Spice worth the hype?

I’m not too crazy about pumpkin spice, to be honest. I do love pumpkin pie and pumpkin rolls.

Favorite fall TV show:

Supernatural is perfect any time of the year, but it’s super fun to watch during fall, especially the older, scarier episodes. Any Halloween-themed episode from any Disney Channel TV show.

What song really gets you into the fall spirit?

Anything from The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack.

What do you want to be for Halloween?

I don’t dress up much anymore, but if I could get all my friends together I’d make sure we all dressed up as either hunters from Supernatural (which is easy—all you really need is a lot of plaid) or characters from Treasure Planet.

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Hats or scarves?

Scarves! My hair’s too thick for hats to fit on my head.

What’s your #1 favorite thing about fall?

The chilly, spooky atmosphere. Candy apples. Ghost stories. Pumpkins. I always seem to get a rush of new story ideas in the fall, which is wonderful. My absolute favorite thing, though, would have to be that sweet spot in late September and early October when the weather’s not too hot or too cold. I live for those days.

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   If you want to join in, consider yourself tagged! I’ll also nominate Aimee and Jo. Don’t do it if you don’t want to, but I’d love to see your answers!