Thank You, 2015. You Were F*cking Swell.

So. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. The last day of 2015.

Confession: 2015 was the best year of my life. Hands down. Yes, I've had some amazing things happen to me in previous years, but as a whole, this one takes the crown. 

I presented at my first academic conference.

Mad Max: Fury Road became my new favorite movie ever.

I traveled alone for the first time. Destination: Washington, D.C. 

I went to my first Supernatural fan convention.

Me. In a hotel bathroom. Wearing my con badge. 

I MET JENSEN ACKLES. AND I HUGGED HIM.

The rest of the cast was A+++, of course, BUT JENSEN ACKLES Y'ALL.

In case you've forgotten what he looks like.
Which, by the way, is punishable by exile to a world without pizza. 

I recorded episodes for two of my friends' podcasts. Friend 1: The Walking Dead episode. Friend 2: Archie comics episode. 

Mockingjay Pt. 2 closed the series in spectacular (and emotional) fashion.

I signed with my agent!!!!

The spark I was missing to fix my manuscript is back in full force. 

Lastly, I celebrated my 29th birthday by returning to Las Vegas. 

Where I met One Direction.

Okay, okay. I met Wax One Direction. 

That still counts.

With Wax Niall.
*cuddles*

So here's the deal. 2016 is right around the corner. I'm not totally ready to say goodbye to the best year of my life, but I'm ready to welcome better things. I'm ready to fight for my happiness again. Because that's what 2015 taught me. If I want something bad enough, I have to work for it, and if I work for it, sometimes, maybe, I can get it. 

2016, you don't stand a chance against me, kid.

Happy New Year!! :) 

Happy Galentine's Day!! Or, Leslie Knope Knows How To Party.

So. It is officially Galentine's Day.

What's that? You don't know what Galentine's Day is?

*tries not to judge you*

Here. Let Leslie Knope explain:

Basically.

Now if you'll excuse me, I must go shower all my lady friends with cyber hugs and chocolate.

Happy Galentine's Day! :D

In Which I Say Goodbye To 2014

So. 2014. 

Intense year, I must admit. 

Terrible things happened. To me. To friends.

Great things also happened. 

I graduated from my Master's program. 

I got a new job one month later. 

I rescued and adopted another stray puppy (my very first boy!). 

I rescued yet another stray puppy and found it a forever home on Thanksgiving Day (yep, a boy, too) (I think stray puppies are just texting each other about how kind I am to them, so now they're all like, HOUSE PARTY LET'S GO).

After months of struggling, I have fallen back in love with my WIP. It is a mad, consuming love. I vow to work my butt off even harder on this project. I must. 

So yeah. 2014 was both terrible and great. I made a lot of mistakes, but I have no regrets.

2015 might be terrible. It might be great. It might be terrible and great, too.

I just hope it's weird enough to remember, and that it comes with candy. :) 

Happy New Year, folks!!

That Time My Father Loved The Divergent Movie

So. After a week of the film hitting theaters, I finally saw Divergent. As a fan of the book series, I was expecting to enjoy it. I did. A lot.

My family went with me to the theater. 

Including my dad.

And he loved it.

Dad: "The movie was awesome. I loved it."

Me: 

Dad: "No, really. I loved it."

Me:

Dad: "For real."

Me:

 

 

Dad: *asks me questions about the plot* *seems genuinely interested in my answers*

Me:

 

So now you know. 

This Is What Happens When You Rescue An Abandoned Puppy Someone Left In The Fields Next To Your House

Freya, the six-week-old terror of doom

You keep her. You fall in love with her. You take pictures when she's napping.

Good times.

Tumblr What? Or, How Benedict Cumberbatch Feels About Fan Fiction

Yet another reason why I'm not revising right now.

*watches ALL the clips*

In Which I Confess My Solo Dance Parties While Writing

So. Writing. Hard, isn't it? 

I find it impossible to write for more than an hour at a time. Sometimes, if I'm REALLY pumped up, I go on for longer stretches. But this is rare, folks. Like, is-that-a-Yeti-with-a-chimichanga? rare. My creative juices sound the alarm and slam those breaks like nobody's business. I feel exhausted and bored. 

Which is why I have solo dance parties.

I put on songs that drive me to brink of dancing madness, then run headfirst to said madness. 

Note: I am a terrible dancer. But I do it anyway. 

It's my excuse to have fun and laugh at my ineptitude for a few minutes. It's also a great way to recharge those creative juices. Dance parties make me happy. Therefore, after the dance party is over, I will still be happy. This helps me get back to writing with a smile on my face and, hopefully, a believable way to end that pesky scene or chapter. 

Just don't ask me to record myself dancing. You don't deserve that kind of torture. 

How do you recharge those creative juices after a writing session? Do you throw solo dance parties, too? Or do you prefer something less embarrassing? 

Blog Chain: Wuthering Heights With DRAGONS

It's blog chain time! For this round, the awesome Margie asks:

Pick a book or story and imagine it in a new genre. For example, what would Oliver Twist be like if it was a sci-fi novel. Would Fagin have been a robot? Do you prefer you new creation or the original?

Let me just say I am in love with this topic.

So in love, in fact, that my brain broke and I couldn't figure out how to answer it.

But I have found my answer at last. And it is this...

meets this...

the dragon Kilgharrah from Merlin

I think Wuthering Heights re-envisioned as a high fantasy with DRAGONS would be bossypants. Heathcliff wouldn't be some gypsy dude, but a DRAGONMASTER. And this would be a SECRET. Because in the country of Wuthering Heights, DRAGONS are the ENEMY. They are the uber-smart and terrifying beasts who threaten humankind. They must be slain at all costs. So when Heathcliff hides his DRAGON from the judgmental, posh family who's taken him in as their own, he forms an unexpected bond with the one person who understands him: Cathy.

Why? Because Cathy is a SECRET DRAGONOLOGIST. She's researched all there is to know about DRAGONS and she's convinced they're not the enemy, but she's never seen one in real life. So Heathcliff introduces her to his DRAGON. They all get along. Cathy and Heathcliff fall in love. But they can't be together because Heathcliff hates her family and what she's bound to become if she remains with them and drama drama drama.

I'd totally read that.

As long as the DRAGON gets to roast Mr. Lockwood.

Because obviously.

A huge thanks to Margie for the topic! Make sure you check out Cole's post, and stay tuned for Margie's tomorrow!

How To Get Nothing Done: The MERLIN Edition

So. This post is about a week late, but I have reasons. They involve feelings. Lots of them.

Anyway. I returned from my vacation trip to Vegas on January 8th. Not only did I suffer a bit of an injury in Vegas, I made the mistake of mixing my jet lag with fast food on the way home (don't do this, folks!). I was so sick and messed up that I settled for doing nothing. Then I remembered a show I'd heard about a week before my trip. I'd found out about a MASSIVE spoiler for its series finale and was all, "Oh. Well, that was... intense." For a minute, I thought Twitter and Tumblr were going to break from all the VENTING. There was me discovering the show for the first time and all these fans going ballistic over an ending five years in the making!

So I decided to give the show a shot once I returned from Vegas. 

Which show?

 

BBC's MERLIN

This is pretty much what went through my mind: "Arthurian legend told from Merlin's perspective as a young warlock who's destined to protect an arrogant Prince Arthur against his will? Cool!"

Then I did some digging and discovered this:

 

GILES IS KING UTHER. HE IS KING UTHER AND HE IS GILES AT THE SAME TIME. I AM SOLD BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY.

Naturally, I watched the first episode on Netflix. I told myself to try just one episode. After that, I could either stick with it or abandon it forever.

I finished all five seasons in 2 weeks.

I am still in the mourning period. It's going to take a while to accept the fact that the show is over and that I was stupid enough to not know about it before. *shakes fist* I have been avoiding this post because I'm afraid my feelings will overpower me and I will cry ugly, ugly tears. But alas, gush I must. Merlin is a wonderful gem of a show, folks. Forbidden magic, destiny vs free will, complicated family issues, dragons, romance, bromance (oh, the bromance...)--some of my fave things ever all put together in one story. 

Also:

I like me some Sir Percival.

So yeah. Merlin. Watch it. Feel the feelings. Thank me later. :)

The Power Of Yummy. Or, Why I Bake

So. Baking. I've been pretty obsessed with it for the past year. It started in high school, I think. Or maybe in middle school? *taps head* Yeah. Maybe middle school. The thing is, I only baked two batches of chocolate chip cookies when I was younger, then gave up baking. It was only a thousand years later that I took it up again.

Here are a few examples of Things I Bake:

chocolate fudge cupcakes

(those are white chocolate chips on top. *drools* oh, and some cupcakes have chocolate frosting while others have cream cheese frosting--choosing is for the WEAK)

strawberry cake

 

lemon cake

ultimate oreo brownies

(using this awesometastic recipe. it includes reese's peanut butter cups and cookie dough!)

There are a million things I've yet to bake, but they're forthcoming (I promise to blog and upload pics of my future yummies once I bake them!). So. Why do I bake? Because I love to eat, and dessert is my favorite dish. Obvi.

I also bake because it gives me a sense of purpose. Like writing, baking makes me feel like I'm doing something of worth. I'm feeding myself and others, yes, but I'm creating something that wasn't there before, too. 99.9% of pastry chefs would mock my decorating skills. Because obviously. But I pay more attention to what's inside the yummy. At least for now in my beginner stage. Someday, I'll learn to master all aspects of the baking process and benefit from my hard work. I'm okay with sucking at presentation and knocking people out with the power of yummy. 

It is the best power in the universe, after all.

Now tell me: do you bake? If so, what's your favorite dish?

Five Things I Wish For YOU This New Year

So. The New Year is upon us. UPON US, I tell you.

This got me thinking about Things I Wish For Myself. But hey, those are for me. If I told you what they were, you'd get bored. Not because they are Boring Things. Because they are A Lot Of OMG How Many Things Are On This Caterpillar's List. 

Which is why I've decided to share what I wish for YOU this New Year. 

Oh, yes. There are five Things I want you to have. 

Here they are:

Happiness

Whichever the source, I want it to give you the kind of happiness that leaves you so full that you don't fit in any chairs ever made. I want you to smile from all the gooey goodness in your soul. I want you to laugh at funny and beautiful things all the time. Because you should.

Good books

If you read this blog, you're probably a writer. Or an avid reader of books. Or a hardcore Jensen Ackles fan. I cannot blame you for any of these. I can, however, wish for you to find books that leave you stupid. Which means you cannot fathom how someone possesses such brilliance and is able to put it into words. It is this brilliance you wish to emulate, but you'll feel content knowing that you can never achieve it because you have a brilliance all your own. And your brilliance is worth respecting.

Magic

Not Harry Potter magic (although that would be BOSSYPANTS). Magic that sneaks up on you. Magic that comes from the unplanned, the unexpected. Awesome things that have yet to be discovered. I want YOU to be the first to discover them and enjoy them and make them yours. Then you can tell me all about it with a smug smile on your face.

Candy

What? I just really like candy. You should, too.

I don't need to explain this one, do I?

So there you go. Five things just for YOU.

You're welcome.

Happy New Year, everyone!!!

I Blame One Direction--My December So Far In Pictures

So. December's here. YAAAAAAY. I know it's only been a few days into this month, BUT I am so. Freaking. Stoked. And to demonstrate why, I've chosen to show y'all in a picture essay of sorts.

I am currently working on this:

Draft 2 of le WIP. Which is EXCITING and AWESOME and NOT SO MUCH all at the same time.

I bought my first ever Blu-Ray film:

I still prefer regular DVDs, though. BUT THE SPECIAL FEATURES. I couldn't resist. 

I've been planning for my January trip here:

This will be my first time going to Vegas (!!!!!!!). And my mom's going with me (O_O). 

I've also been listening to a lot of this:

and this:

I... I don't know what to tell you. It just... happened. One day, I was minding my own business and BAM. One of their songs came on the radio and I was like, "OMG CRAPPY SONG IS CRAPPY." Then I heard it again and was like, "OMG CRAPPY SONG IS SORT OF OKAY." Then I was like, "OMG CRAPPY SONG IS PERFECT FOR DANCING AND DOING BOY BAND GESTURES TO RANDOM STRANGERS ON THE STREET." 

I have been singing One Direction for weeks now. I have also been choreographing a few of their songs in my head. One day, folks, I will be in a boy band and I will be the Harry Styles of said boy band. Just. You. Wait.

I don't care if I've traumatized you My apologies if I've traumatized any of you. This is a hard reality to swallow, I know. But it is my truth, and only now as I speak can I be free at last. 

One Direction makes me do ALL the boy band dance moves, and it has made all the difference in my writing. Maybe. I think. Sort of.

Happy Friday!!

An Open Letter To Breaking Dawn Part 2

Dear Breaking Dawn Part 2,

I saw you this past Friday. As usual, my excitement level was mild. I went in knowing exactly what was going to happen, as I've read all the books. There was nothing about you that was going to surprise me. Yes, film critics and Stephenie Meyer herself had said there was a twist ending. But I was all HAHAHAHA YOUR TWIST DOESN'T SCARE ME. Besides, half-vampire baby getting ripped from Bella's womb? How can you possibly top THAT?

I had seen the trailer, of course, and I knew they'd added a fight sequence to make the movie more exciting than the book (where your characters spend A LOT of time talking about possibly fighting). Not even this was enough to give me goosebumps. "It doesn't matter that they've added a fight sequence," I said. "It'll just be a whole bunch of vampires hitting each other. Then they'll be all benevolent and call it quits because what is the use of war when we can talk it out."

 

Then you did it, Breaking Dawn Part 2. You surprised me. 

AND YOU MADE ME SCREAM AND OMG I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER WHAT I DID BECAUSE I JUST COULDN'T HANDLE ALL THE FEELS.

The theater was full of teen girls, Breaking Dawn Part 2. Do you have any idea what kind of badass ability teen girls possess? They can shriek really, really, really, really, really loudly when they're pissed off. Or sad. Or both. I am not a teen girl, but my gift has traveled with me into adulthood. Much to my father's dismay (yes, my father saw the movie with me. I know--I can't believe it, either).

What I'm trying to say is this: I almost suffered heart failure. The world almost lost one of its most deranged inhabitants. You, Breaking Dawn Part 2, gave me the joy of belonging to an audience with so. Much. Passion. The twist was... perfect. The ending was... sweet. And fitting. I didn't cry, obvi. I don't cry over anything other than Harry Potter, The Walking Dead, and when Frodo totally bails on Sam to get played by Gollum in The Return of the King. But I did feel the years in the franchise. I felt each and every movie, each and every book. And this might sound weird, but I wasn't as happy for Bella finally finding her place in the world. 

I was happiest for someone else.

This dude tried to kill himself once. This dude spent a bazillion years hating himself, his existence, and feeling empty. But on that last page, in that last scene, this dude's a man. A dead one, but still. 

Purpose, Breaking Dawn Part 2. You were all about giving your characters purpose. So thanks for that. And thanks for making me scream at the movies again (hadn't done that in a while). 

Kind regards,

The Sort Of Fan You Almost Killed.

 

It's Here! The Announcement Is FINALLY Here!

Remember when I teased y'all about an announcement Operation Awesome was making today? Well, the wait is over!! I have officially released our super secret news over at the OA blog!!

*shimmies*

So be a dear and go check out what I've been hiding :)

And have a great Monday!

Announcement!!! Well, Sort Of...

So. Next Monday. You should be online. 

Why?

Because we over at Operation Awesome have an ANNOUNCEMENT. And it is a SUPER BADASS one. I wish I could tell you rightthissecond what we have to share, but nope. I have been instructed to keep my trap shut until then. Impossible, you say? ALMOST. Which is why I'm teasing you with this post :)

But trust me. The wait will be worth it. Oh, yes it will. 

*shakes with anticipation* 

So yeah. Next Monday. See you then!

Have an awesome weekend!!

Robert Pattinson's Post-breakup Hair Heals ALL THE THINGS

Confession: I am sick.

I am less sick than last Friday, when I went to Chili's with The Fam to celebrate my little brother's birthday. I honestly felt like I was going to THROW UP my lunch. And pass out. At the same time. 

But nope, I did not throw up or pass out. Instead, I spent Labor Day weekend in bed, dazed and confused and watching episodes of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo ("YOU'D BETTER REDNECKOGNIZE!!!"). Today, I feel a lot better, but I'm still stuffy and a bit dazed/confused/weak.

Then I remembered something I saw a few weeks back. Something that made me go, "WHOA, I can't take all that pretty."

 

Robert Pattinson's Post-breakup Hair

LOOK AT THAT SHINYNESS. AND THAT SHAPE. THAT. SHAPE. AND THE WAY IT DOESN'T MOVE EVER AT ALL. AND THAT ICE CREAM AT THE BOTTOM. *makes grabby hands*

Folks, I am healed. I have enough energy to stand up, dance a combination of the Samba and the hokey pokey while yelling "YOU'D BETTER REDNECKOGNIZE!!!" in fluent Mandarin. Why? Because Robert Pattinson's Post-breakup Hair is my new medicine. It is pretty, shiny, and BLONDISH BROWN. I mean, seriously. 

You know you want that hair for yourself. Admit it.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a dance routine I must finish choreographing.

**Editor's note: the author of this blog post, Amparo Ortiz, is currently suffering from a mind-crippling illness. As such, this blog post is nothing more than an embarrassing episode of dementia. Please understand her during this difficult time.

Chemistry: The Adorable Edition

Confession: I am OBSESSED with Once Upon A Time. No joke.

For those of you who don't know, it's a TV show on ABC. And it is awesome.

Anyway. I won't dwell on all the reasons why I think it's awesome, BUT I must point out something that's been on my mind since the show's third episode. You see, there are these two characters who are destined to be together: Snow White and Prince Charming. 

On the show, they look like this:

So. That's them as their true fairy tale selves. This is them in the real world setting, where they're both victims of an evil curse that's wiped their memories:

In the real world, they have NO IDEA they're Snow White and Charming. At all. That's not the saddest part, though--David (Charming in the real world) is in a coma when we first meet him. Mary (Snow) reads to him in her spare time, even though she doesn't know him. Her big heart keeps her coming back to the hospital, spending time with someone who's never had any family members visit. He's alone, and she doesn't want him to feel lonely.

When David wakes from his comatose state, things get reeeeally interesting. I knew he'd wake up eventually. I also knew that he'd be grateful to Mary for how she treats him, and that he'd want to get to know her. I also also knew there would be STUFF that keeps them apart. The romantic tension quota is HIGH, my friends. Oh, so high...

Which leads me to why I wrote this post about two people who are in love on a TV show: the chemistry between Snow/Mary and Charming/David is adorable. It's not the ohmyGodIwantyousobadletsmakeout chemistry. It's not the I-have-always-loved-you-and-now-you-are-mine-forever chemistry. It's just... beautifully awkward. In the fairy tale world, they're enemies who later work together to get out of a bind, and fall in love. In the real world, they're strangers who share a deep connection, but they're so not equipped to handle that connection. They both struggle with accepting why they're drawn to each other, and neither feels comfortable with the idea of being a couple just because there's something between them. STUFF needs to be dealt with first. It's all that STUFF that adds fuel to the awkward fire. They're even adorable when they argue. 

What does this offensively long post have to do with writing, you ask?

Think of your main character and the love interest. Hopefully, you've created enough tension, romantic  or otherwise. Now look at them again and ask yourself: what do they admire about each other? The minute you have your answer, ask yourself another question: how can I make my characters feel uncomfortable about the traits they initially admired in each other? Snow cannot stand the fact that Charming's such an honorable guy, and yet that's one of the reasons why she loves him. Charming cannot stand the fact that Snow does whatever she wants, even if it means risking her life, and yet that's why he loves her. Denial is what makes their relationship awkward to me. Sweet, funny, and beautifully awkward. 

So. Once Upon A Time. Watch it, swoon, and learn something :)

Now tell me: any other fake couples you think are adorable/awkward/awesome??

  

Blog Chain: Childhood Memory

For this blog chain round, Jonathon Arnston asks:

Imagine the home where you grew up, and start drawing a floor plan. As you draw, memories will surface. Grab onto one of those memories and tell us a story.

Le story:

My puppy is missing. She's been here for less than a week, and she's already sick of me. 

Great.

"Ruby?" I scan through the jungle-ish backyard, seeing nothing but green. And a bit of brown, but that's a stump--when we first moved here, this huge coconut tree towered over the whole house. Dad had the good sense to cut it down, though. Whenever a coconut fell, I'd gasp so loud, you'd think the Backstreet Boys had arrived at my doorstep. Shirtless. But there are no shirtless Backstreet Boys and no Ruby here today. Just green and a bit of brown. 

I walk back inside the house. My dog isn't on her throne, the red velvet recliner Mom bought for those of the human variety. She's not hiding behind the home theater speakers, either. Or in front of the big floor fan, which blows her hair out as if she's racing through a hurricane.

Someone is shouting in my parents' bedroom. I walk down the hall, ignoring the Vin Diesel poster taped on my door, and head into the room at the end. The TV is turned on. Cartoons are arguing about something. My little brother lies on my parents' bed, totally out cold. He holds on to the bed sheets as he snores. 

And sleeping right beside him, paws up and on the sheets, is Ruby.

I sigh. "You've got to be kidding me..."

So. There you have it, folks. One of the most traumatizing memories of my life. I am still going to therapy because of it. 

Thanks to Jon for an awesome topic! Make sure you check out Christine's entry over at her blog!

Two Things On A Monday: Ryan Gosling and Robbie P's Identity Crisis

So. It has been a WHILE since I've blogged, you guys. A. While.

In order to fix that, I have decided to share two memes with you. Because that's how I show my love, of course. With memes.

Le memes:

Ryan Gosling Reads Young Adult is one of my absolute favorite things in the universe. If you're feeling down, or mad about the cold you thought you'd gotten rid of (*points at self*), this page is for you.

Someday he'll figure it out, folks. He will wake up, look at himself in the mirror and say, "OMG, you're that murdered wizard/sparkly vampire dude AT THE SAME TIME." 

He will faint from the excitement seconds later. 

*pulls out camcorder* 

*waits*

So yeah. I'm back to bloggy land. Which means there are more memes to come, and more randomness than should be legal. 

How have the holidays treated you so far, blogging buddies??? I've missed you!!!

Trick-or-Treaters You Should Stay Away From...

Happy Halloween, folks! Hope you're stocked up on candy and spooky reads today! 

Me? Well, I'm... scared.

You see, trick-or-treaters will knock on my door tonight. And although I love giving people unhealthy foods, I may just keep all my lollipops to myself when these dudes come around.

Here's my Halloween Survival Guide: Trick-or-Treaters You Should Stay Away From:

Muscles? HA! Nobody cares, dude. Nobody cares. If he shows up half-naked to your doorstep, he should not be trusted, people. Plus, nobody cares about muscles.

*stares at muscles*

Do not take his hand. Ever. No matter how deep and reassuring his voice is when he says he'll save your life. Dudes that do this might kidnap the heck out of you, okay? Say no to the hand.

Why do I insist on staying away from all this pretty?

Oh, come on. You know the truth about pretty, don't you?

STAY AWAY FROM THE PRETTY!!

Now if you'll excuse me, I must go chain myself to the wall before The Pretty ring my doorbell.

*flees*

Are you prepared for The Pretty today? What survival tips work best for you?