10 Happy Things

Hiya friends, welcome back. Lately, with my life being really hectic (between school, work, and everything else), all of this can really ratchet the anxiety up, let’s just say panic attacks are happening at least three times a week.

With all the craziness going on, I thought it would be nice to take some time out today, and write about 10 things that make me happy. If for nothing else, it might give me something to look back on when everything gets overwhelming. Okay, we’re jumping in…here are my 10 happy things in no particular order, enjoy.

1. Hobbs

Well, this one is obvious. I mean, I wouldn’t have married him if he didn’t make me happy. I’m not gonna lie, there are times when I could smother him with kisses. Then there are times when smothering him with a pillow sounds pretty hoofin great (he snores…A LOT, and a pillow is a weapon of opportunity). In all honesty, the jackass can make me laugh like no other, and if there is one surefire way to my icy heart, it’s definitely humor.

1. The Furry Overlord and his Spunky Sidekick

This clearly means Marley and Spencer (take a guess which one is which). I consider these two wack jobs my babies, and boy do they freakin take advantage of that. Spencer only eats food Mom (that’s me) cooks, spoiled little shit. Marley, on the other hand, eats a diabetic friendly food that costs $48 for six damn pounds. If they didn’t make me happy I certainly would complain more than I do about those things.

1. My Family

A bunch of loud mouth, cussing hooligans, and I wouldn’t have them any other way. We are very Italian, being loud and well fed is just part of the package. The best part about them is that I know all I have to do is call and someone will show up. Those people taught me how to fight and love with reckless abandon. They’re crazy and can definitely be a fucking handful but they’re my kinda crazy.

1. My Friends

Ever met people that you are sure you were meant to be friends with? Those people that you know are meant to be in your life, but could definitely not be blood related because that’s just a recipe for disaster. Yeah, those would be my friends. I don’t have very many, but the ones I do have are one in a fucking million. Lucky me for finding them.

1. Reading/Writing

Two things that save my sanity when reality gets to be too much (which happens more often than I’d care to admit). I was about 3 when I learned to read, and I haven’t looked back since. Writing followed quickly after, and I was sold. Now I could create my own worlds to disappear into, sign me the hell up. Without these two things, I don’t think I’d really be me, and that makes me really happy.

1. Baking

I’m basically Betty Crocker, people. The weirdest thing about this one is…I bake all the things and yet I eat none of them. That’s not completely true, I’ll eat one of everything I bake, but I’m happier when I share it. I think it’s my Italian side that I just love to feed people. Food is easily one of my love languages, and I use it often.

1. British Television

Oh, how I love British TV. I can honestly be in the shittest mood ever, turn on something where everyone has an accent and I’m instantly happy. Also, it makes me really happy that they can say anything, show anything, and do anything on television. Don’t believe me…watch Embarrassing Bodies on Netflix, you won’t regret it. It is an experience, and it is so worth it.

1. Harry Potter

If you know me and you knew this would be on the list. I am a Potterhead. Yes, I know that makes me a geek, but seriously I will fight over my fandoms (especially HP) and I’m not even ashamed of that fact. My anxiety can be a raging asshole, and he will come for me hard fuckin core, but the second Hedwig’s Theme plays, or I crack open the book…he sits down and shuts the fuck up. It is the one and the only thing in my life that works consistently, every time.

1. Russell Howard

See, in number one I said that the quickest way to my Elsa heart (Frozen joke) is by making me laugh. Russell Howard never fails to do that. It’s so bad that lines from his stand-up come out of my mouth whenever they are situationally appropriate, and sometimes when they’re not. If you’ve never seen a Russell Howard stand-up there is one on Netflix, called Recalibrate. Or, if you don’t have Netflix, I suggest searching Russell Howard on YouTube.

1. The New House

Buy a house, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. What they don’t tell you, is fun is only there like 50% of the time. The other 50 is full of leaking faucets, yard work, and a toilet that loves to run. A silver lining, I’ve learned how to fix a running toilet, and stop a faucet from leaking. It is fun, and it’s nice to finally have that permanent home base, or HQ as we call it. This is our place, our little corner of the world. The place where we will love and fight, raise babies in and send kids off to college from. If I had a hat, I’d hang it on the wall, because this is where we belong.

There ya have it. 10 things that make me happy. It’s a nice list if I do say so myself. A perfect reminder on the days when shit gets too hard. I’m smiling already. Until next time…

Advertisement

Things in the Works

Hiya friends, welcome back. Last week, I took a major step for myself and posted a short story of mine, and oh lord was I nervous. So, this week I wanted to chat about what I’m currently working on both writing wise and for this space.

Where to begin? Okay, firstly, I’m working on a novel called The Demon’s Puppet. You know how authors will always say that a character in their writing somehow mirrors themselves. Well, this is easily the most honest I’ve ever been in my writing, mainly because my MC, a girl called Cam DeLuca, spends the entire story battling these demons, and just hoping to find a way to live her life with as little resistance as possible.

In terms where I am with this particular work, I’ve got a pretty solid plan on how the story unfolds and I’ve also got most of the characters involved mapped out and how they play into the overall plot. Another interesting thing to note, I text Tiff the other night and told her the original ending wasn’t gonna happen. In the character green room of my brain, Cam piped up and was adamant that the original ending was wrong. Therefore a massive overhaul had to happen to my original plot in order to accommodate this new direction and ending. Seriously, being a writer can be annoying at times; other times you realize your characters are right and you were just being lazy.

Next project is a collaboration between, you guessed it, my favoritest friend author, Tiffany Crystal. I’m super excited about this project and it should be coming to you guys soon. The entire project is currently untitled, but we’ve given it the code name Alien. The reason I’m so excited about this project is because not only do I get to work with one of my favorite people, I also get to work with one of the most talented writers I know. So, Tiff and I have been creating worlds, characters, and plotting out this massive storyline. I’m not even sure how to sum up the the actual story, but I’m consulting Tiff to see what she thinks. This is the best I can give you right now, an alien planet, sneaky assholes, and a very fabulous prince (description approved by Tiff). Trust me, when we finally release the first part/chapter/whatever the fuck it’s gonna be, I think you’ll like it. I will definitely keep you updated on our progress and when you can expect something.

In terms of other creative endeavors, I am working on writing at least something every week for you guys. There should be short stories, flash fictions, maybe some random writings, and eventually the collab. Here’s hoping you enjoy all that.

Now, onto the blog stuff I have in the pipeline. Like I said earlier in the month, I’m looking to bring more of myself into this space. I have plans to launch a fun series that incorporates my love of baking and cooking with my love of books and movies, tentatively titled Book Bakes and Movie Munchies. I also look forward to sharing some of our home projects with you all. I mean, hopefully sometime in the future there will be a nursery project happening. Which leads nicely into the next section, writing about our journey to parenthood is going to be a big thing, and I’m sure I’ll be reading tons of parenting books and random shit like that.

I’m sure there are other things I’m forgetting but I’ll keep you updated either way. 2019 is gonna be a big and exciting year for all things Biblio, and I look forward to sharing the entire rollercoaster ride with you guys. Until next time…

Welcome Back!

Happy New Year, my friends. First off, yes, I took a massive break, and I’ll explain everything in this post. Honestly, I’m happy to be back, and boy do we have some shit to talk about.

What a year I had in 2018, a big ol’ year of firsts. First year as homeowners. First houseguests. First time hosting a major holiday. Let’s talk about this stuff.

Many of you may know that last November, Hobbs and I purchased our first home. In this first year, we have turned this house into a home. The first floor has been painted and decorated. I let Hobbs choose the colors we used, and it should be noted he’s hoofin color blind. With that being said, he didn’t do too bad…except our dining room is a color called “Salamander” but seriously, it’s basically Link’s Tunic Green (not really shocking if you know Hobbs). The other colors were chosen, I suspect, for their names more than the actual hue. They all have space-related names, Hobbs is a nerd for space. Needless to say, the new paint made the house feel more like us. Also, as I write this I’m pricing out new dishwashers because ours shit the bed. Buying a house was a dream of ours, but man we were NOT prepared for how much money we were about to sink into it.

Let’s jump ahead to June, or as I like to refer to it, “The Summer of Friends.” Our best friends, who live across the country due to being in the military, came to stay for a whole 6 weeks. What an eye-opening experience this was, Hobbs and I don’t have kids (yet) and we had a lovely little look into what it would be like to be constantly surrounded by a 7-year-old and a toddler. To say we were tired every night is an understatement. Seriously, where do they get their energy? We loved every second of them being here, and had an absolute blast! I can honestly say I missed them when they left and might have had myself a mini cry as they drove off to the airport. All in all, it was a great summer!

Jumping into Fall/Winter. We hosted both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner this year. How the fuck I got through those meals with relatively low levels of anxiety…I will never know. There were 15 people in my house for both meals, and for Thanksgiving, I cooked the hoofin turkey!!! (I had never cooked a Turkey before, but let me tell you…I nailed it!) Honestly, I enjoyed having my whole family here, and it wasn’t as horrible as I initially thought it would be. I might even consider doing it again next year…don’t hold me to that though. Oh, before I forget, two honorable mentions for this section of my life…both my oldest nephew and my brother got engaged in the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, I get a new sister-in-law, and a new niece-in-law (is that even a thing?). Also shocking…I like them both.

Those are really my highlights for this past year, and looking back it wasn’t too terrible. I mean, I’m gonna give it a solid 8 on the year-in-my-life scale. Not too shabby.

Now that we’ve looked back, shall we look ahead?

This year I refuse to make resolutions, mainly because I never fucking keep them. In place of hastily made resolutions, I’ve decided to implement some simple, yet well-placed, changes. Firstly, I’m gonna work on taking care of myself better, not just physically but mentally as well. To be fair, my mental health has taken a backseat and I think I’ve gotten myself as far as I can on my own. I’m taking my own advice and calling in some reinforcements. Wish me luck. Next, it’s time to get my shit together. The plan is to get myself on a schedule, that way I have time to write. I miss writing. I need to write more. I just want to have time to sit here and be creative without worrying over what’s not getting done. Lastly, Hobbs and I have made the decision that it’s time to start the family plan. We’ve been married 7 years and together almost 11, and we’ve been putting off the kids because there were things we wanted to do first (namely, buy a fucking house). Well, we’ve gone and done that, so let’s add tiny Hobbs and Biblios.

Don’t worry I have some plans for this space as well. There will be some changes and new things happening in the coming months, and I’m stoked to see if you guys like them. I’m gonna add in some more of myself, bring in more things I enjoy while still staying true to my first love, books. Stay tuned for that.

That’s it, my friends. My review of 2018 and the look forward to 2019. For the first time in quite a few years, I can honestly say I look forward to seeing what this year brings. I wish you all the very best in 2019, and I hope the new year inspires you to do whatever it is you’ve been wanting. Until next time…

A New Frontier

Hiya friends. Have you ever tried to step out of your comfort zone and try something new? I’m betting you have, BUT have you stepped so far out that you need to create a whole new world to inhabit? (Sorry, my brain went totally Aladdin here, and I’m on a flying carpet with a petty thief. But hey, he makes the fezzes are cool!) Okay, I’m back, wow, that went from Aladdin to the Doctor real fast.

I decided last year to try my hand at a completely different genre. See usually, I tend to write in the crime/murder mystery genre. Not this time peeps. My crazy ass friend Tiff (you guys might know her as Tiffany Crystal, check out the blog. I recommend Say ‘No’, you won’t regret it) talked me into giving sci-fi a try. Well, I’m an alien nerd (I mean, I have an alien in a jar, if that doesn’t prove my love for all things extra terrestrial and sci-fi I’m not sure what will), so I jumped at the chance. .

What I didn’t realize was just how much work I was signing on for. Who knew creating a world complete with religions, people, wardrobe…yeah now that I’m writing it out I’m not sure what I thought, but it definitely wasn’t going to be easy. Thank goodness for Tiff, otherwise I’d have drowned in the ocean off of Tecre (ahhh, inside jokes). Honestly, I have pretty much been lead by the hand through all of this world building, so much so that she actually got excited when I asked about trading and exports. She tells me she was quite proud, like I was a little birdie learning how to fly. (Hmmm…hold on while I make a note about animals on an alien planet)

It’s funny because I know how to create storylines with a plot twist (and sometimes some holes), characters, and setting, but the setting is usually REAL, or at least on Earth. Having to create literally everything not only can give one a bit of a God complex *lightning bolts and smiting* but it’s also really daunting. Oh, and let’s not forget the planet is just one hoofin part of it. Ever tried to create a language? Let’s just say I now have a newfound respect for George R.R. Martin and David J. Peterson for creating Dothraki, or Tolkien and his how many freaking languages, or Marc Okrand (if you don’t know that name look it up, but the title of this post should give you a hint).

It’s fun, and it’s definitely interesting and I know that it’ll be worth it when everything comes together and you guys are reading the end result. But right now it’s tough, and A LOT of work….and I haven’t even started on the actual writing part of it yet! Wish me luck, peeps. I’ll keep you updated on my progress and when you can expect to be able to read it. Until next time, my friends.

“Lasso My Tastebuds…”

Hey friends….welcome back. I know I’ve been absent for a while but I swear I have good reasons. I won’t talk about them yet, but I will soon and then we can all be on the same page. Right now, though I’m gearing up to go to a comedy show AGAIN, except this time it hasn’t been cancelled. I figured that means it’s a good time to give all of you guys a nice update on the CBD oil and how everything seems to be going so far.

First things first, tonight’s show is Kyle Kinane. He’s hilarious and if you haven’t seen or heard anything by him I highly recommend it. I’m super excited to go, and I can actually feel that now thanks to my little foray into CBD oil. I can honestly say that I was completely expecting to wake up this morning and be confronted with an incredible amount of anxiety and panic. Imagine my surprise when I woke up with not even an inkling of my previous nerves, I was feeling a bit crappy BUT for a completely different reason (ear muffs fellas) stupid owning a uterus.

Once I was fully awake I enjoyed my morning vape. Ohhhh, I left out that I got new oil and oh mama it is rather tasty, like yummy strawberry vanilla custard, pretty much cake people…my CBD oil tastes like cake! It was a step up to say the least, the last one tasted like toothpaste and they gave it a funny name Alpine Breeze, that’s false advertising if I’ve ever heard it….anyway, I digress.

My point is, I’ve been able to leave my house, and live amongst people (not that that’s any real great thing). Five months ago my life revolved around this computer, my cat and dog, and books….things are definitely improving and I gotta say it feels lovely. Now the general public gets to hear my amazing sarcasm and humor, lucky them huh?

Well, I hate to cut this short as it feels nice to be back here writing again, but it’s time to take off for my night filled with humor. I promise I won’t leave for that long again. Until next time…

Challenge Accepted!

Hiya friends! I feel like I’m forever apologizing on here, but seriously these last couple of weeks have been ROUGH (and that’s putting it mildly). Between my ankle and tons of doctor’s appointments (in the coming week I have three scheduled), LOTS of homework (I HATE MATH), add in that I haven’t been sleeping and I’m currently building a world for a story I’m working on. (Side Note: If you need some help staying organized while building a world of your own, check out Tiffany Crystal’s blog for some hints.) Anyway, add all that together and you’ve got a doozy couple of weeks, but enough complaining, let’s get down to business.

As I have been spending a great deal of my time sitting in waiting rooms, and well…WAITING. I’ve been spending that time browsing Pinterest on my phone, I’ve pinned everything from DIY ideas to nursery themes (funny part is I’m not even pregnant).

BUT, the most exciting thing I’ve found is Rory Gilmore’s reading challenge. Now most of the people who know me IRL know that I am a massive Gilmore Girls fan for many reasons, one of those is Rory Gilmore. She’s a bookworm like me, she’s also extremely funny which I also fancy myself, now if only I could talk as fast as she does. There are 339 books on this crazy list, and I’m setting myself the challenge to read them all, which I’m pretty sure makes me just a hoofin’ crazy.

I’m going to start today, and I’ve already decided the first couple of books I’m going to read. I’m not even sure where this challenge originated, but I’m going to link to the list I found (The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge). Feel free to give me your feelings on any of the books you’ve read, like having the tissues ready for when I read Flower for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (thanks for the heads-up Tiff). Wish me luck my friends. Until next time…

 

Coming Soon …

Go to Earth, they said! It’ll be fun, they said. Yeah, because having our ship blown up and being tossed into the middle of an intergalactic war is really my idea of a good time. I think I’ve finally gotten the hang of the human principle of sarcasm, don’t you?

The moment I heard the sirens going off, I knew something was wrong. Ever been in the middle of an intergalactic “he-said-she-said?” Well, I have. Wait, I AM, and allow me to spare you the wondering: it’s not fun. Both sides are saying we’re traitors. How exactly we’re betraying ANYONE, when we’re doing EXACTLY what we were TOLD to do, is beyond us.

All we know is this: if we’re seen-we’re dead.

So yeah, I think it’s pretty safe to say that my first mission as a Commander just went to Fuocielo in a fiery handbasket. Our only chance at survival is to figure out what happened and why. Now, someone else in my position might be naïve enough to think their own government wouldn’t sabotage a mission as important as this, but I know better. I just have to somehow figure out who the real traitor is, and somehow prove it before my crew and I are killed.

My Favorite Prompts..

Hiya friends, welcome back. This past week, I barely wrote anything that wasn’t for school. Have you ever had that moment where you realize you’re missing something? That’s what it was like for me this week, writing is an outlet for me, a way to express the stuff I’ve experienced and keep it from overpowering my mind.

I remember writing little short stories when I was younger, they were always full of light and happiness. It wasn’t until I was 19 that things changed, where there had been light was only darkness. Fear, sadness, and anger overtook freedom, happiness, and calm. Even with all the changes one thing stayed solid, I was still writing.

It’s clear by now that I’m a bibliophile, I spend a good chunk of my time reading (even when it cuts into other things…like sleeping). But, for me writing can give me the same escape, and when I don’t escape things bottle up and I become difficult to be around. Imagine being in the middle of a raging storm, complete with thunder and lightning, and then you have an idea of what I’m like without words to read, or a moment to write. I really feel bad for people around me during that time. (This is a perfect time to apologize if you’ve ever been near me in storm mode, I’m sorry.)

Well, that was a whole lot of rabbiting on just to get to this point, oops, but alas here we are. When I just need to write and don’t feel like working on my usual pieces, I find writing prompts. I love a good prompt and I thought I’d share some of my favorites with you guys, and maybe you could do the same. In hindsight, the writing at the beginning of this post seems a bit…well, dramatic. Whatever you guys get it, right?

Here are five of my favorites. Enjoy.

 

Instagram: @awriterslifeforme

 

 

thefakeredhead.com

 

 

promptutorium.wordpress.com

 

 

promptutorium.wordpress.com

 

 

promptutorium.woordpress.com

 

 

I have very electic taste when it comes to writing, if you hadn’t guessed. If you use one of these, please feel free to share with me. I love reading how different writers interpret prompts. Until next time….

Can I get a Ph.D in Procrastination?

Hiya friends, welcome back. I find myself again having to apologize for my absence on Monday, my mother was in the hospital (she’s fine now, and will probably be pissed at me for saying anything) but it is what it is. My mind was a big jumbled mess, I was struggling to get through homework, so I knew writing a blog post was pretty much a lost cause. Well, now that that’s out of the way, shall we jump right in?

So, for school I’ve been doing a shitload of research on an artifact, gearing up to complete a project, and I absolutely hate it. Even through the noise of me banging my head on the desk, my brain did think of all the times I’ve researched things for a story and it never bothered me then.

Seriously, I’ve researched everything from how to shoe a horse to brain surgery (Grey’s Anatomy taught me many things mostly how much sex could be had inside a hospital, but the proper etiquette for brain surgery was not something Dr. Shepard covered). Through all the research I’ve done for a scene that might take someone 10 minutes to read, I’ve never complained.

BUT…

Ask me to research the Colosseum for a project and watch me whine and procrastinate for hours, if not days.

It’s silly really when I think about it because I’m not too bad at research, it doesn’t take me forever, in fact, I’m certain if I just did it and got it over with it wouldn’t take me much time at all. Also, my interest in the topic has no bearing on my completion of the research either, I mean in all honesty I’m afraid of horses, and would never be close enough to have to shoe one.

Ugh, in short researching for school annoys me.

How do you writers out there feel about the noble pursuit of knowledge for a scene? Share some of your craziest topics of research…I’d love to know I’m not alone. Well, back to the Colosseum I go, until next time….

A Creative Writers Response

Hiya friends, welcome back. During my procrastination today I found this and thought I’d share it with you. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard these statements, so I figured I’d tell you my responses.

 

1. My “little” book? If you’re talking about the thing I spend most of my time trying to perfect and get just right, yeah I’m still working on that.
2. You try creating an entire world in your head, and then tell me it’s not a real fucking job.
3. Ugh, seriously?!?! Refer to number two!
4. I don’t write because I have time to kill, I write because if I didn’t I might die. No wait, I write to prevent myself from killing people in real life.
5. Yes, Mom. Creative writing degrees are a real thing.
6. I didn’t realize that being published was part of the criteria for being a writer. I thought I had to be a writer to get published, silly me and my creative thinking.
7. If you keep pissing me off with all these nonsense questions you might be, but I can guarantee you won’t like how it ends. (I have creative ways to kill people off inside the pages of a novel.)
8. You have a great idea, great! Write your own damn book in your free time, and use all your wonderful ideas. That shit is intellectual property, you don’t give that shit away.
9. No, the world of professional liars is saved for con men and politicians. I simply see myself as a teller of stories.
10. What the what?!?! Why would I tell you everything? You can wait and read it when it’s finished, or even better I’ll sign a copy when it’s published. (Do I sound big-headed to say that? Maybe, but hey, sometimes I’m the only one who believes in my “little” book.)

 

That is how I would respond, what about you guys? Have you ever had anyone say any of these to you? How would you respond? I’d love to hear some snark. Until next time…