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malindalo · 7 years

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Recommended Reads: First quarter of 2017

Here’s a roundup of several books I’ve read and enjoyed so far in 2017.

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

I stayed up till 2 am in the morning to finish We Are Okay. This is a beautiful book inside and out because it deals frankly with grief and pain as well as the illuminating joy of first love — in this case, between two girls. Books about grief aren’t my usual go-to but this one took hold of me and didn’t let go. It was so clear, like its winter setting. It spoke so eloquently about depression, dealing with loss, complicated friendship-love-relationships. It had great sentences.

The main characters are fully realized queer girls, but We Are Okay isn’t primarily about coming out, unless it’s about coming out of grief. Also I particularly loved every detail of the San Francisco/Northern California flashbacks. So well done and genuine. I loved being there again. So, in conclusion, read the book! It’s precise and grounded and real.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

When Trevor Noah became the new host of The Daily Show, I watched, but initially wasn’t drawn in. I missed Jon Stewart and I didn’t really connect with Trevor right away. So I wouldn’t have picked up his memoir had it not been recommended to me by editor Cheryl Klein when we were in Phoenix at the Desert Nights, Rising Stars writers conference in February.

She told me that the book does interesting things with memoir, interspersing his personal experiences with shorter passages delving into the history and culture of South Africa. When I started reading the book, I was hooked right away. Trevor Noah has a wonderfully engaging and funny voice, and he does a great job introducing us to his homeland.

His memoir is about growing up biracial in South Africa during and after apartheid, and it’s about his complex yet deeply loving relationship with his mother. The stories he tells are eye-opening and fascinating. It was illuminating, moving, and funny. But not in funny haha way — funny in a real, heartfelt, finding-humor-in-tragedy way. And now I am much more interested in The Daily Show, which I honestly think is finally finding its groove with its new host.

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown

This is a sweet and sexy young adult romance about Joanna Gordon, a lesbian Christian teen (yes, really!) who moves from big-city Atlanta to small-town Rome, Georgia, with her evangelical radio host dad and his new wife. He asks her to lay low on her gay pride while they adjust to small-town life and the in-laws. Jo reluctantly agrees (there are reasons that become a big part of the book), and she finds it increasingly difficult to keep her promise when she (surprise!) falls for a beautiful girl in her church group.

This is first and foremost a romantic comedy. It is adorable and full of oh-no-they-didn’t, will-they-or-won’t-they shenanigans. It’s also about being Christian and queer at the same time, something that I’ve read very little about but really appreciated. Best of all (for me), Jo has a best friend, Dana, who is also an out queer girl. Their friendship is hilariously real, and it both infuriated me and made me laugh because I recognized it.

If you’re in need of a rom-com about a queer girl in a small Southern town, pick up Georgia Peaches! It’s perfect for spring.

More Briefly...

This year I’ve also enjoyed In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan, which is book 4 in the Memoirs of Lady Trent series, about dragon naturalist-cum-adventuress Lady Trent. These books are like Amelia Peabody set in an alternate Victorian world with dragons, and they’re basically candy to me. The fifth and final volume of Lady Trent’s memoirs, Within the Sanctuary of Wings, has just been released and I can’t wait to read it!

If you’re looking for page-turning thrillers about clones murdering each other in space (and who isn’t?), then I suggest you pick up Mur Lafferty’s Six Wakes. It’s escapist fun with lots of brain candy about clones and identity and humanness, and makes you think of 3D printers in a totally new light.

Finally, I inhaled The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly, his most recent Harry Bosch novel, over the course of a weekend. This is the nineteenth (!) Bosch novel that Connelly has written, and by now these books are well-oiled machines. They don't necessarily surprise, but the pacing is page-turningly steady and the details are always fascinating to me. They're also really good for travel because they're easy to sink into and escape what's around you.

If you'd like to see what I'm reading more often, follow me on instagram, where I often post pics in-progress. Happy reading, everyone!

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sueboohscorner · 7 years

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#JaneTheVirgin: Jane the Brokenhearted Chapter Fifty Four

Chapter Fifty Four

Look, I feel some kinda way and I knew it was going to happen. You’ll recall in my midseason finale/spoiler alert post, I told you this was coming to pass. I hate being right.

(If you haven’t seen the eppy yet, 1) why are you reading a recap and 2) don’t read ahead unless you want the spoiler spoiled.) (Go away.) (Stop playing.)

First of all, this episode was tight. It was Jane in peak form, firing on all cylinders, every single character involved. It was written by showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman and directed by Melonie Mayron (Professor Donaldson). At the top of the show, the Narrator takes us back to young Michael instead of young Jane. Young Michael is dressed for Halloween in a cop outfit that’s adorably too big for him. In a nice bit of foreshadowing, Michael wants with all his heart to go trick-or-treating, but he’s sick and his mom won’t let him go. In the present, Jane and Michael are looking through old photographs and come across a pic from that long ago Halloween. Michael swears he remembers that moment perfectly, but Jane explains something called “flashbulb memory,” memories that seem so vivid and clear because of the intensity of the emotion attached to them, not because of our accurate recollection. (She read that in the New Yorker, here’s the article: http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/idea-happened-memory-recollection) (I wish I could figure out how to hyperlink). Michael says, “Nah, I remember everything.”

The phone rings and Jane is offered her dream job, assistant to a publishing wunderkind. (What happened to the other lady? Last I remember, Jane and Michael (sob) wowed the assistant at a bar singing Bruno Mars karaoke, right?). Rogelio stops by with a different kind of picture: a still from his nude scene (Rogelio’s genitalia is a gift that keeps on giving). Ro invites Jane to the screening and she agrees to come as long as he tells her when to look away in order to avoid having the image her padre’s cadre seared on the inside of her eyelids.

Unlike the last time when Catalina (may she never return) told Jane to wing her interview, Jane is hella prepared. And when Jane is prepared, she does the darn thing. She’s given a memoir to read and her prospects ($40K and benefits) look amazing. Jane goes to pick up Mateo from Abuela’s where Xiomara is watching him. Xo wants some quid pro quo and asks Jane to come to dinner with Alba, Bruce, and Scary Tess. Jane agrees. When Xo asks Jane for feminine protection, Jane realizes she’s late. And she’s been having a lot of sex. A lot of sex. With Michael. La amor de su vida. (Why, Jennie Snyder Urman, why?!)

Michael comes home happy (he’s so happy this episode; he’s like a dog that doesn’t know he’s about to be put down) and Jane is making pasta. She tells him she might be pregnant, and she’s worried about their timeline and Mateo—but the look on Michael’s face assures her that a little Cordero would make Michael the happiest man on the planet. Jane takes one of Xo’s old pregnancy tests (what is she stockpiling them?) but the test is expired, and the result is unreadable. I loved that there was this kind of lingering hope that they might have a baby, even though I knew Michael was doomed. Doomed, I say!

Rogelio has been trying to come up with a matchmaker reality show for Darci. Darci wants him to co-star, but Ro is all about that indie life. He invites Darci to walk down la alfombra roja to the screening of his movie. At the screening, Ro’s big reveal has been edited out of the movie. (“They cut my penis!”). He storms outside and Darci tries to console him. As a bystander secretly records Ro’s freakout on cellphone, Ro says “penis” about a hundred times and he also hurts Darci, telling her she just wants to be Bethany Frankel while he wants to be a serious actor. Not the move, Ro.

At the Tess dinner, Tess is being a shady little heffa, but Jane wins her over by telling her that she and Michael live near a popular coffee shop Tess likes (okay….). Back at the apartment, Jane tells Michael she got her period, and she’s not pregnant (seriously, she had to tell him that last part. I’m like, Mike, you’re a cop!) They agree they’re disappointed, and Michael says they’ve got all the time in the world because he’s doomed! Doomed, I say! There’s a knock at the door and it Tess, drunk as a skunk in a trunk! Jane takes her to Xo’s, where Tess escapes on a bike, only to be captured by Abuela, who tells her to get in the car ahora mismo! Xo calls Bruce, who wants to lock Tess up forever, but Xo offers some sage advice that saves Tess’s butt, which Tess overhears, opening the door to a civil relationship between Tess and Xo.

Oh! The other people—you know, the ones who survived Jennie Snyder Urman’s death scythe. Scott told Petra he and Anezka are married, and he has gazillion copies of the will’s addendum (I love Anezka’s forever bangs, lol). Rafael tells Luisa (remember her?) he’s not a real Solano and she assures him he will always be her brother and she’ll always have his back. Rafael finds out he’s going to have to do some jail time for cooking the books after his dad-not-dad died. Petra freaks because she hasn’t bonded with the twins, but she eases into motherhood and tells Raf to go ahead to jail if that’s what he wants (maybe he’ll see Petra’s mother, Magda in the co-ed prison yard!). Luisa introduces her new girlfriend, Eileen (come on!), to Rafael and Rafael is like, “I’ma need some bloodwork, proof of plastic surgery, and MRI, a bone scan” whatever it takes to prove Eileen is NOT Sin Rostro.

Of course, Eileen IS Sin Rostro (does she even have cartilage left?) and she has a look alike go take all the tests for her. Meanwhile, Jane delivered Ro’s naked pictures instead of the memoir summary and analysis to the publisher and torpedoed her chances at getting her dream job. Ro shrink-wraps a bus and wins Darci back.

The Date. God, this was beautiful writing. Jane and Michael go to the amusement park they went to when they first started dating. The scene alternates between the shy pair feeling their way around commitment to the married couple dreaming of forever. They play carnival games and take photo booth pictures. Jane looks at Michael and they both smile, knowing they’re going to ride the Ferris wheel, where they became a couple (yes, I thought it was the night of Jane’s 21st birthday, too, but you remember they added that Sam in the beginning of season 3). As the wheel goes round the past folds in on the present and you just know Michael is doomed. Doomed, I say! Chile, I thought the Ferris wheel was gonna break and send him hurling to his death there were so many omens! That didn’t happen; instead, Michael remembers some minor detail from an investigation that proves the memoir wasn’t entirely true and will allow Jane to march back to the publisher’s office, find out it was all a test and get the job. Because Michael is Jane’s safe place to land, always guiding her, supporting her, loving her. Sigh.

Jane gives Michael the cutest lunch box to take to the LSATs. She tells him she loves him, she’s proud of him. Michael goes to take the test. When he finishes and lines up to hand his test in, he collapses and dies. When Jane receives the call that Michael has died from some complication from his gunshot wound, she drops the phone and lets out a scream that better be on Gina Rodriguez’ Emmy reel, because it was life! Rafael comes in and wraps his arms around her (they are never, ever getting back together, so forget it #TeamRafael!). There’s a hint that Jane goes through some dark times and we’re about to jump ahead three years (no more Mr. Sweetface?!), but we’ve reached the end of part two.

So, basically, this is a reboot of the entire show. They’re jumping ahead three years, so anything can happen for the rest of the season. Raf’s going to jail. Sin Rostro’s back. Jane’s going to a wedding ( I bet it’s Alba’s!) and she has a funky new haircut. But as a member of #TeamMichael, my heart will always be a little broken when I don’t see Brett Dier’s goofy-sweet face mooning at Jane. (I hope he comes back as a Patrick Swayze in Ghost like spirit! Jennie Snyder Urman told The Hollywood Reporter they will do Michael flashbacks! Yay!)

A+ eppy. Can’t wait until next week.

Tell me what you think of Michael's death in the comments section!

Kellybelle

#Jane The Virgin #janethevirgin #Gina Rodriguez #Andrea Navedo #Jaime Camil #Justin Baldoni #Brett Dier #Ivonne Coll #Yael Grobglas #yara martinez #Justina Machado

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storyteller-things · 6 years

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Hello Sandy!

It’s nice to meet you! Tell us a bit about you where are you from and other than writing what else do you enjoy?

Hi there! My name is Sandy Kegel, mom of five bright children, dispersed across America. I live in New Berlin, Wisconsin—born and raised here in Southeast WI. I am a person of varied hobbies. I enjoy the outdoors, so I try to do as much in this beautiful state as I can. If I can’t find what I’m looking for in Wisconsin, there’s a whole world to explore. So I’ve hiked some Fourteeners in Colorado, (and smaller hills elsewhere). I’ve been kayaking for the last several years, and took my first three—day overnight adventure on the flooded and rapidly-flowing Wisconsin River last summer. Paddle-Boarding is a new sport I recently tried, and love it. I enjoy traveling to see breathtaking scenery and the amazing beauty of God’s creation. I’m thankful for color…I enjoy gardening and creating a panorama of color in my yard, and I’m also a starving artist. So I get my hands in paint and other mediums to make beautiful things, whether on canvas or out of cement, or bits and pieces of leftovers.

How did you start writing? What was your inspiration to create?

I was writing stories since a young girl in elementary school. A Highschool teacher encouraged me to keep writing. I’ve felt a book inside of me since I was very young. But it lay dormant for many years while I raised my kids and other experiences invaded that space. When my kids were grown, several of them suggested that I write my story down, and then a group of friends mentioned the same thing. I decided that was confirmation, so I started by taking a class, “Creative Writing for Publication.” That got me moving in the right direction!

Who is your favorite author, is there anyone out there that inspires you?

So many authors inspire me. I don’t have a favorite. I do enjoy reading memoirs that are full of conflict and hardship and victory. This is why I’m writing mine. I appreciate Erik Larson’s books, because he weaves a piece of history in by creating a moving narrative about an event or people, written as a novel.

I like the way Laura Hillenbrand writes, the author of Seabisquit and Unbroken. I’ve read Jeanette Walls books. Her book, The Glass Castle inspired me to begin mine. I enjoy many children’s book authors, and some of the YL series that have become movies. I’ve read Sue Monk Kidd’s works, and my husband has hooked me on several books (he reads historical fiction), a favorite being, “A Gentleman in Moscow.”

What genre do you enjoy reading? What’s your favorite book and why?

I do love true stories. They usually inspire me. I enjoy stories about incredible odds and people overcoming the hardships of life or the depravity of mankind on mankind, and surviving those terrible acts of man. I love the strength of the human spirit. So I also enjoy survival stories and war-themed stories. I delight in a touch of romance thrown into a good survival story too. I like character development stories, and twists in character, which is why I enjoyed reading Jane Austin’s books. The bad guy becomes good, the charming man is really the evil one! She is a very talented author.

How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

I don’t think publishing my children’s book changed my process of writing. But writing a memoir is very different than writing a children’s book.

Have you ever thought about writing in a different genre? If you could, what genre would you like to dabble in?

I’d like to try a fictional story. At this point I don’t have a plot, but as an author, I’m always devising pieces of story in my head, or characters from people I observe in real life.

What has been your most proud moment as an author?

I truly value the discussion and feedback from kids after I do a reading in a school or classroom. It shows me that the students are engaged, and they are attentive, and bright. My children’s book, Sammy and Goliath, is a story about bullying, so the children really listen and come up with solutions and different scenarios to my story. Getting my first books in the mail was a highlight, and selling a bunch at a school was a reward.

Was there ever a time you wanted to pick up your laptop, and then launch it out the window with frustration?

Many times. I lost 12,000 words once, and tried in vain to dig them out of my hard drive—no luck. I even went to the Apple store. The Geniuses couldn’t help me! I was very depressed for a week or two.

Are you a “plotter” or a fly by the seat of your pants “pantster” as a writer?

Both.

Am I the only one who gets hung up on commas? Do they make you go blah! when you’re writing?

I use, commas, too, much!

What three tips would you give any aspiring writer?

Don’t compare. The more you write, the better you get.

Join a writing group and take critiques with grace.

Read a lot.

What are you working on now? What will you release next?

I’ve been working on my memoir, a slow process. I hope to get it in the hands of Beta readers this early fall, and some editor friends after that. Then send out query letters.

So… where can we get your books?

Sammy and Goliath can be found on Amazon on this link: https://www.amazon.com/s?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Sammy+and+Goliath

Or on my webpage at: www.sandykegel.com

It’s also at a few local bookstores, “The Little Read Bookstore” in Wauwatosa, WI, Martha Merrell’s Bookstore at 231 W. Main Str., Waukesha WI.

It is in Elmbrook Church’s bookstore located in Brookfield, WI and some are on the shelf at Barns and Noble, Mayfair Mall.

How would you define what being a successful writer means?

A successful writer is one who has a story inside that has to be told, its got to come outside of oneself and onto a page. A successful writer begins with the first word and then keeps adding. A sentence at a time. Maybe some paragraphs, and then a few pages, and keeps going. But in the writing there is also a lot of re-working, like a good piece of art, and cutting away, which can be hard. And letting others in. That can be hard because we expose a great deal of who we are in our words, no matter if its a work of fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. Some people value my art, and others don’t like the style—the same with writing. I think success is about who we become in the writing.

Does a big ego help or hurt writers?

A big ego hurts in any profession. Humility is the way to go.

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

Even in my memoir, I do a lot of research. I had to remember parts of a sailboat to describe two traumatic trips I took (One on a six-month adventure down the Mississippi River, another on the North Sea in my father’s vessel, in hurricane gale-force winds!) I had other research on this book as well.

Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?

I do. I delight in good reviews; thankfully on Sammy and Goliath, I haven’t read any bad ones!

What was your hardest scene to write?

In my memoir, I have very hard psychologically and verbally abusive scenes I had to capture, and it was like reliving them. I also wrote about my failure(s), and one, in particular, was hard to read in my writing class.

What’s your writing schedule like?

Not enough time! I have a sporadic work schedule, so write whenever. Often other things take over, even when I have determined to sit for a large chunk of time and only write. Typically, I write in the afternoons up until dinner time.

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

Everyone in my writing class is a close friend. They have all helped me write better dialogue, find grammar errors, I’ve discovered what danglers are, and recognize when I’ve written one now! Taking a writing class with the same group of people for several years now has been the most beneficial. I’m so glad to call these people my friends. There is a lot of talented writers out there who aren’t published, and should be!

How do you go from an idea for a book to the birth of the story? Is the process the same for every book you write? How long does it take you to write a book?

The process is not the same for me, and I suspect my next book will be entirely different from my first children’s book, and this current memoir. I don’t write in the same genre. But my process starts in the thoughts, as everyone’s I presume. I make a mental outline. For children’s stories, I write out the basic idea first, in a very rough draft. I keep a zillion notes, writing them down on anything, a piece of paper, a receipt (if I’m driving and that’s what I find in my purse at the stop light), a tablet, notes on my phone—I have piles. For my memoir, I have a sort of timeline, but I have some flashbacks or some pieces out of sequence as I go through a memory. I think every book will have differences in my approach.

How have your family and friends accepted your career as a writer? Are they supportive?

Yes, they are the very people who encouraged me to write.

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?

Real. My children’s book has some realness, based on things I’d heard, and another children’s story (in the works) is an authentic story with a fictional twist at the end.

What was the inspiration for your latest work of fiction?

The bullying story started with a discussion with a friend, and I researched news stories. Another children’s story which is not written yet (except in rough draft), is the inspiration from a friend as well.

Where would you like to travel to and why?

I enjoy traveling all over. In the next month, I’m traveling to a refugee camp on a Greek Island to help restore some dignity and worth to refugee women and children. They’ve had trauma not only during fleeing Isis from Syria, but abuse in the camps as well. I’m going with a team. This will have its rewards of a different nature than my traveling for leisure.

This past month, my husband and I spent time in Colorado partly visiting family, and for the adventure that Colorado offers. We both enjoy mountain hiking, and enjoying the outdoors as much as possible. We’ve visited Florida in the blaaaah long winter months, and both have been to Mexico several times, as well as on Mission trips to exotic places. My last mission trip was on a boat in the Amazon, visiting a jungle tribe, and in parts of Brazil and Peru along the river. I love traveling, and like discovering new places. There are so many unbelievable and beautiful places on this planet. There are so many experiences waiting at each new place!

Tell us about how you develop your characters?

I don’t have a lot to contribute to this answer. I’ve written one children’s book, and the characters in my memoir are all real people. Their characters are developed, or developing as life happens!

What would you like readers to know?

I’d like my readers to know that my motivation for writing is to add something to a person. I want my children ’s stories to be entertaining and/or a lesson in life that adds character to my readers.

I’m writing my memoir because I believe its a story that has to be told on a number of levels;

One is strictly entertainment—it’s a story with exciting, but often harrowing adventure, it has elements of a love story, yet one with complicated elements and many twists and twisted beliefs. The spiritual aspect is one I think many people will relate to…one of trust, betrayal, abuse, shame—from the spouse as well as the church.

It is a story that shows how one can come up from the ashes and find redemption personally, spiritually and psychologically. I want other people to know that not all churches are alike, and that if they struggle with Christianity, its ok, but don’t give up. The REAL Jesus is alive in many churches and many people. He’s good, and He’s loving.

I believe many people get their view and understanding of spiritual things, particularly Christianity through ignorant and damaging counsel from church leaders, and from their terrible experiences with people who represent the Christian faith falsely. There is Hope. And there IS a happy ending!

***Watch for my memoir—coming soon!

And read my bio at Wisconsin Writer’s Association:

https://wiwrite.org/sandy-kegel/

Interview with Children’s Author – Sandy Kegel Hello Sandy! It's nice to meet you! Tell us a bit about you where are you from and other than writing what else do you enjoy?

#Blogging #blogs #business #education #marketing #reading #stories #Work

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thehollowworldofficial · 6 years

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Elise’s Pitch Wars Welcome!

Hello! My name is Elise Longden, and I’m writing this little introduction because I have written a manuscript and I’m planning to submit it to Pitch Wars, the mentoring programme!

Whilst this little blog is where I record my thoughts about my writing, I’ve never really introduced myself - mostly because I believed I would never let anyone see it. However, the Pitch Wars form has room for a website, and I would rather link this blog as opposed to my Twitter (which is inactive) or my Instagram (which is just full of cosplay and dog photos).

To clarify, I have written a book called “The Hollow World”.

Okay so, here’s some stuff about me:

Submission related stuff that potential mentors may be interested in:

In 2017 I won the UK National Flash Fiction Competition run by the University of Chester and was published in an anthology that had also once featured Margaret Atwood (SQUEE!). My piece entitled “Flotsam” can be found here:

http://www.chester.ac.uk/sites/files/chester/Longden%20Elise%20-%20Flotsam%20FINAL.pdf

I got an A* A-Level grade (It’s not to big myself up...just in case anyone not British doesn’t know what that means!!!!) in Creative Writing, and my coursework, which was 70% of my grade, was the first 30,000 words of my Pitch Wars manuscript.

The idea for “The Hollow World” came to me in a Film Studies class at college. After trying /(and failing) to come up for an idea to base a project around, my teacher gave me an exercise to generate some ideas. She took a few traits typical of Hollywood films, and told me to flip them on their head. Thus, “The Hollow World”, or at least a basis for it, was born, and three (ish) years later, I still can’t get it out of my head.

Basically the idea of Ashe came from my bizarre urge to see a tiny little girl violently killing things in a film. I thought I was being super original, but the film Logan beat me to it. I can’t even be mad, because Dafne Keen is so incredible?!

The reason why I’m submitting to Pitch Wars, is because I need help. That’s the bottom line. I have edited my manucript the best I can, but I need someone who can take what I’ve written and look at it from a fresh, and new perspective. I am new to the idea of getting my manucript published (though I have always dreamed I would), and navigating the crazy world of publishing and agents and general make-your-writing-an-actual-book stuff....is scary. And I really, really, need your help. I need someone who is honest who can tell me what needs to be done. I’ve done the best I can, and now I need someone who is better than me.

I draw, so here’s some pictures of the characters from the “The Hollow World”, that may hopefully pique your interest:

ASHE

MAGPIE

NADIA

CASSIDY

SOME FACES

SOME MORE FACES

Whilst these were drawn about a year ago and aren’t my best work, I’m hoping they entice potential mentors, just a ‘lil bit more! :)

Some general stuff about me:

I am a pretty happy and positive person, who loves to work hard. If I have a task or idea inside my head, I will hyperfixate on it until it’s done. For example...this manuscript was unfinished (by about 20,000 words) on the 1st of August. It was my first draft that I hadn’t read through, it was unformatted, it was riddled with errors and inconsistancies, but after meeting the lovely Tomi Adeyemi and talking to her about Pitch Wars, I decided to enter. So I took my jumbled mess, I put my butt into gear, and I spent day after day writing, writing, writing, until I felt happy enought to submit it. I also had to learn what I query letter was, because I am a publishing term noob. My point is, I am willing to push myself, and go all out at 110% percent, if that somehow helps me achieve what I want to achieve.

I am 19 and I live in the UK (specifically near Liverpool).

I cosplay as well! I’ve been Rey, Leia, and a generic Jedi from Star Wars, Margaery Tyrell and Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones, Pirate King Elizabeth Swann from Pirates of the Caribbean, and I spend 70% of my time in my 13th Doctor costume.

I love Hamilton, and can rap all of it. I love musicals in general tbh.

I have an unhealthy obsession with Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes.

Have I mentioned that the 13th Doctor is the best thing ever to happen to me?

I have a dinosaur hat that I wear whenever I’m sad, because it’s pretty impossible to be sad with a giant T-Rex on your head. And by “hat” I mean this thing:

Pretty majestic, right?

ANYWAY

I’m ace/aro, which is why my book features no romance.

I love my dog Rocky more than anything. He looks like this:

As well as a mentor who can teach me writer-y things, I’m also looking for a friend, so here’s some stuff I like:

TV Shows:

Merlin (the love of my life, tbh, and it broke my heart), DOCTOR WHO (especially the 13th Doctor, even though she hasn’t aired yet), Hannibal, Orphan Black, Sense 8, iZombie, TOP GEAR (Yes, the car show. I’m obsessed), Game of Thrones, Parks and Recreation, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Jessica Jones/any Netflix Marvel show, the 100 (early seasons because Lexa), RuPauls Drag Race, Queer Eye, Brooklyn 99, Stranger Things, Sherlock, Agent Carter...I’ve watched a lot okay?

Movies:

My ultimate favourite movie of all time is What We Do in the Shadows. Even if you’re not going to choose me as a mentee, then please what this dumb film. I love it. I LOVE IT. It’s dark comedy genius, and a real gem.

Other favourite films are: Wonder Woman, Ghostbusters (2017 version), Ocean’s 8 (will Cate Blanchett adopt me as her ace/aro child?), Marvel Films (particulary Thor: Ragnarok), Star Wars Films, Kingsman Films, John Wick Films, Pirates of the Carribbean Films, Harry Potter Films,Mad Max: Fury Road, Peter Pan Goes Wrong (if you pick me I’ll force you to watch it at some point, sorry), Disney Films (Mulan, Up!, and Hercules are my faves).

Books:

Some that don’t need an explanation: Harry Potter, A Song of Ice and Fire, His Dark Materials, Lord of the Rings. Anything by Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood, or Stephen King.

My favourite series, and arguably my “Harry Potter” is the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy. I’ve met Derek multiple times, and his books are just hilarious, soul-destorying, and MAGIC. I love them.

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers - Seriously, this Sci-Fi book is one of the most striking books I’ve ever read, mostly because it surprised me with it’s tender story, honest representations of real people, and general WOW-ness. I love it, and its flashbacks heavily influenced my own manuscript. You know when you love a book so much that you wish you could eat it? This is that book for me.

Moriarty by Antony Horowitz. My favourite villain of all time in a book that blew my mind? Yes please.

The Girl in 6E by A.R.Torre. I picked up this book for a quid in the supermarket, and it utterly suprised me. It’s about a sex-worker murder-obsessed cam girl who is asked to act out something on camera that’s a little too disturbing, so she tracks down the man who asked her in order to save a little girl from a vile act. Think Maestra meets The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. It’s not the most sophisticated reading with all of the bizarre sexual stuff, but the wit and exasperation of the main character makes up for it. I love anything that surprises me, and this book was something I'd never seen before.

Anything (memoir or fiction) by Carrie Fisher. As a Star Wars nerd I knew I would love her work, but when I read them I was blown away by how poignant, poetic, and wonderous Carrie Fisher’s writing is. She seems to find the perfect balance between humour and emotion, and reading them was a genuine joy. Each funny sentence makes me laugh out loud, but each serious sentence is heavy, poised, and so amazingly crafted and emotional.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. I was lucky enough to meet Tomi on her UK tour, and I gave her my very long letter and a portfolio of art. I love the book, and I love even more what it stands for, and there’s not much else I can really say.

Other books I loved in no order: The Power by Naomi Alderman, The Cursed Prince by Holly Black, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness, the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas, The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, the Gone series by Michael Grant, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Martian and Artemis by Andy Weir, Lost Stars by Claudia Gray, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, Room by Emma Donoghue, Wicked by Gregory Maguire....and a helluva lot more....

And just so you know, here’s what I look like:

(I’m the human dressed as the 13th Doctor)

Hopefully this gives you an idea about me and my personality! I’m sorry this is so long, I just wanted to make sure I came across in an okay way! If any potential mentors are reading this, thank you for taking the time to!

If you want to read the notes/journal entries I kept on this blog when I was writing and editing my manucript, just search the tag #update!

My Twitter is: https://twitter.com/EliseLongden

My Instagram is: instagram.com/elise.longden/ (here you will find a lot of cosplay and dog pictures, and I’m not sorry)

If you have any questions or anything else you want to know, please feel free to shoot me an ask! Or just say hi!

#pitch wars #personal #elise's pitch wars welcome

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