Branching Out (Plus: what made me decide to be a writer in the first place)

For a few months I've been particularly swamped with schoolwork, as it was my first term at Portland State University (as an English major — yay!), and these past few weeks I've finally had the solace of winter break. During this time I prepared for next term and did a lot of reading and writing. I'm trying to branch out more in the literary arts by delving into more than just children/teen fiction and fantasy. I used to only be interested in these genres because I stubbornly believed that writing about everyday life was boring. However, I've been changing my perspective lately and approaching the art of writing with a more open mind. Reading different authors' pieces in school has helped as well (as un-fun as it was doing seemingly endless homework on it all), and I'm starting to realize that I can actually have fun writing creative nonfiction, like short prose about memories or essays on personal experiences. After all, it was someone's essay about a personal experience I read, long ago in sixth grade, that gave me goosebumps and made me think, Who knew that words could be used to relive such meaningful experiences? Who knew you could recreate an event with only a pen and paper?

In my making-up of fictional tales, I seemed to have forgotten about that one time when I was eleven. That was a very significant day; it was during my Language Arts class, which was quickly becoming my favorite class, though I wasn't sure why at the time. While I waited for class to start I pulled out our textbook. As I flipped though the pages, not looking at anything in particular, I noticed something that caught my eye and caused me to go back a few pages. I gasped internally. I was on a page that mentioned Splash Mountain, the name of one of my favorite rides in one of the greatest places in the world, Disneyland (in my opinion, anyway). It was an example essay for a chapter on — you guessed it — writing about personal experiences. The way the essay was written was like a story, complete with the narrator's excitement about the ride, joy at seeing the characters, apprehension about the drop at the end, and suspense as the narrator ascended to the top. The impression this short piece of writing made on me was so great that I actually wanted to purchase the book for myself, or at least find the essay online, so I could read it again and again.

But this, I believe, was what made me realize that I wanted to write and create. I wanted to be able to write like this. I wanted to be able to elicit feelings in other people using just my written words. (And, being autistic, this was a fantastic way of finding a new and different way to communicate with people and express myself.) And shortly after I left middle school to be homeschooled for a few years, I had the time to work with that newfound passion and write my first book when I was thirteen, a fantasy/adventure novel called ArJarelia: The Discovery. When I entered high school, I self-published it and sold copies to friends and family. To this day, I still have plans for it.

Anyway. That's that story of my recent realization. Time to...write other stories.

Musings available in Multnomah County Library

For you lovely Portland people: because they are awesome and interested in supporting local authors, Multnomah County Library recently bought three copies of my book to supply in the Central, Hollywood and Hillsdale branches.

I'm really excited about this because these seven short stories I wrote are for all ages and I want children, teens and adults to have easy access to imaginative stories that make them think differently and give them a desire to create.

So head on over to the library closest to you and pick up a copy, or put one on hold!

Hooray!

Check it out: https://multcolib.bibliocommons.com/item/show/3155450068

The Outskirts

I am hard at work on my next collection book. The stories will again be urban fantasy/magical realism for the young adult genre!

Here are a couple more quote pictures I made for my current piece, The Outskirts.

The story takes place in New Mexico, which is where I took the photo in the upper picture.

Musings now available on websites like Amazon and Barnes and Noble

I don't know if I can properly express my excitement.

So, I started writing when I was a child and developed a dream of being a published author when I was thirteen. The dream has stayed with me since then, though I had a lot happening with school and dance which left me with little time to focus fully on writing. But these past few months I have had more free time to devote to my favorite art form. (Well, besides dance.)

Luckily, over the years the services of self-publishing have become more and more accessible to those who share this passion of writing. I used a great website called Blurb.com to create my compilation book, doing things like formatting it how I wanted, adding cover images from my collection of photos, and making it just right. By following the path of self-publishing I have been able to achieve my dream.

Basically what I'm saying is that I'm really excited that you can actually find my book on Amazon.com as well as Barnesandnoble.com. My dream of being a published author has pretty much been realized. I am so grateful for the services available to enable me to do this.

This is only the beginning!

Musings: 7 Short Stories ready to buy!

I'm so excited to share that people can now purchase a PDF of my compilation book! I am so grateful to those who helped me with these stories by providing feedback, those who supported my last self-published book project, and those who have already bought a copy of this one!

"Here is a collection of musings. Some are playful and friendly; others are haunting and eerie. It is a collection of tales written over the course of eight years, stories of the fantastic and improbable born from ideas starting with a simple "What if..?" Step into a world where the strange and seemingly impossible can happen to anyone. It is a world of fiction, fantasy and fairytales, where imagination and dreams meet reality." 

Buy it here.

Sneak Peek

"A child learns the chilling reason why everyone in town stays inside on the same night every year."

The Venoctes is a story included in my new book, a collection of short stories called Musings, which I'll have ready to sell next week. Yay!

My Return! Also, a New Book

My goodness -- I haven't posted in two years. But I want to announce a new project I'm working on!

For my senior project in high school, I put together a collection of short stories, with original artwork to go along with each story. I want to make a professionally printed version of the same thing, minus the artwork. It will all be fiction, of the fantasy/magical realism genre and meant for all ages to enjoy but with most of the main characters aged 11 to 18. I will be using pieces that I wrote back in high school, and I'll be adding some new material! I'm hoping to be done with it before I leave for university in August. I am so excited for this project and hope to share it with many people.