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Well, I've missed so many Fiction Fridays that I might as well bundle up a whole slew of selections for you all in one post. My apologies - but please do enjoy the writings I've found today, in a variety of different genres!

First off is a bit of a throwback - a dark psychological story called "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, first published in 1892. We read it in school for our gothic literature unit, and unlike most of the other gothic short stories given to us, this one manages to be disturbing without supernatural elements. (Though Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" was brilliant.) The narrator's slow descent into insanity is chilling (made more so by the fact that she thinks she is completely stable) and a valuable lesson in narration/character development in a short story. There certainly isn't much plot, but the progression of the narrator's phases renders it almost unnecessary. Here's an excerpt from a description of the wallpaper itself:
It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study, and when you follow the lame uncertain curves for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide -- plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy themselves in unheard of contradictions.
"The Yellow Wallpaper" is available to read here.

Over at WhiskeyPaper, a new favorite literary magazine of mine, I enjoyed this set of three stories by Katie Cortese, consisting of "Camping Christopher Creek", "A Geologic Survey of Love", and "Mead or, Mulberry Wine?". Cortese has a keenly observant writing style that is believable at the same time, which I admired. She makes the most mundane places and people whisper with a crystalline beauty. My favorite sentence of all from these three is probably this one from "A Geologic Survey of Love":
He is a music major satisfying his science credit and cannot fathom what I love about the turgid origins of volcanoes and salt-glittering caves, the calamitous shifting of tectonic plates moving secretly, eternally, beneath our feet.
Lackington's is a speculative prose magazine that I recently have been browsing through. One story, "Mon pays c'est l'hiver" by Amal El-Mohtar, really stuck out to me.

The gorgeous accompanying illustration for the piece, done by Paula Arwen Friedlander.
The writing style is graceful and bone-deep, perfect for cold nights and warm afternoons. When I first read the piece I could practically taste the yearning in every sentence. I was speechless. It's a genuine, breathtaking treasure of a piece, as you can see from the excerpt below:
Home is the sharp sheet of a frozen sun against the eyes, the taste of cold air crackling into the throat, the solid stud of ice beneath boots, a musical weight in measured steps scraping the ground beneath them; home is the white whirl of a granulated sky spiralling against lips and cheeks, falling in small kisses against a wrist unguarded.
Wow.

I really hope these three pieces light up your Friday and inspire you to scour the world for more great stories! Happy reading!

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I have some more publication news to announce! My short story "You Will Know" is set to appear in the next issue of the sci-fi zine Stories from Space Camp. The issue's theme is "Bodies", and it's a UK-based print publication.

The story was a rather old one, and it centers around Remy Wilson, a survivor of a bomb that has destroyed her town. There's a slightly creepy twist ending thing at the end involving the body enhancements of a cyborg which you may want to watch out for if you purchase the zine.

I love getting stories published and hope that those of you who get to read this one enjoy it!


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I'm so, so thrilled to announce that I've received my first blog award, the Liebster Award, from MorningTime4 over at The Ups and Downs of My Not-So-Average Life - thank you so much, Morning!

(Actually, I've taken a very long time to do this - hence the "much-belated" in the post title.)

The rules:
  • Each nominee must link back to the person that nominated them!
  • Answer the ten questions given to you by the nominator!
  • Nominate 10 other bloggers who have less than 200 followers!
  • Create 10 questions for your nominees to answer!
  • Let the nominees know you have nominated them by going to their website and notifying them!
Now, on to the questions - have fun getting to know a little more about me ~

1. Thing you are currently fangirling/obsessing about?

 A: ALL THE THINGS. Actually, I have equal obsessions with certain books and certain TV shows. I'm an avid watcher of Sherlock and Downton Abbey (and most recently, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries). I love Jane Austen. I read The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater a little while ago and I'm still reeling from how beautiful that was.

2. Your quirkiest habit?

 A: Talking to myself. All the time. I have a really hard time getting to sleep even on the best of nights, so I've developed a habit of talking to myself when I'm awake to soothe my nerves. Also, when I was around seven, I used to have these horribly vivid nightmares - which resulted in negotiations with the nightmares. (Strange as it is, that's not an exaggeration. I used to have bad dreams about a villain in a book I was reading but eventually made friends with him by just talking. Note to self: it seems I have more social skills when talking to imaginary evil people than I do in real life.)

3. Your dream travel destination?

 A: Right now it's actually London. Literary landmarks, Big Ben, classy accents... what's not to love?

4. Guilty pleasure?

 A: Hmm... well-done romance in books? That just makes me feel all fuzzy - it also makes my feels hurt. (Or perhaps surfing Tumblr at night when I can't sleep would be more accurate. That's usually what happens when talking to myself gets boring - I follow lots of poetry blogs and fandom blogs and I have way more fun on that website than I probably should.)

 5. Who was the last person you waved hello?

 A: I think that would be my younger brother.

6. Favorite YouTuber?

 A: I don't actually watch YouTube videos much, so I really can't say :(

7. Your favorite fruit?

 A: I love raspberries so much it's kind of unhealthy. Also apples. And strawberries. (I like a lot of fruits.)

8. Have you ever watched the movie version of a book before you actually read it?

 A: I watched the movie version of Emma with Gwyneth Paltrow in it and I haven't actually finished the book yet. *I got all the spoilers!* But in general, I try to read the book first, especially now that YA movie adaptations are becoming a huge trend.

9. Your favorite store?

 A: The bookshop near my house, hands down. Every time I go, I might intend to spend ten minutes there - but of course, I end up staying for at least an hour. Always.

10. Harry Potter or Percy Jackson (if you have read the books? If you haven't, then just say which one you would rather read based on the series titles...)?

 A: I'm actually going to have to say Percy Jackson on this one. (Unpopular opinion, I know.) I read the Harry Potter series when I was around seven or eight, so I've 'grown out of it' since then, and even though I'm not a huge fan of the Heroes of Olympus series that comes after Percy Jackson, I liked the original books. It's interesting that I'm asked to compare these two series because I've always felt a parallel between Harry-Ron-Hermione and Percy-Grover-Annabeth, but when it comes down to it, the latter trio is much more endearing to me. That said, neither of these series are my favorite thing in the world, really - I'd much rather read the Infernal Devices or the Fire and Thorns trilogy or the Grisha trilogy (...and so it goes).

Questions for the Nominees:
  1. Who are some of your favorite people you've met on the Internet?
  2. Favorite book character?
  3. What's the best thing you've ever created?
  4. Cold weather or warm weather?
  5. Favorite fairy tale/myth?
  6. What do you do when you can't sleep?
  7. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
  8. What five words best describe you?
  9. What was your last dream like?
  10. What's the best advice you've gotten?
And here are my nominees! (Some of these blogs don't display a follower count, but I'm trusting that you guys have less than 200 :3)

Samantha @ Her Inklings
Kimberly @ I Wear Milk Crowns
E. R. @ Mabel's City
 Reagan @ Old School Ink
Jessie @ Chirographic
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Since I missed Music Monday last week, I'll do two things this week! AND they're both instrumental for the crowd that doesn't much like to listen to lyrics, haha ~



First on this Monday is "The Scorpio Races", composed by Maggie Stiefvater (also the author of the novel of the same name). Not only it is absolutely-flipping-perfect for the book - which I love love love - but it's a rollicking instrumental piece with wonderful Irish/Celtic influences. I feel like it could make really great writing music for my author friends out there, so give it a try!

If you like: horse racing, sea spray, salt on your tongue, or just good music - please do listen.

Apparently, some people are good at everything. *sigh*


I don't know this violinist or this piece very well, but "Czardas" is an exhilarating musical adventure.

So, instrumentals for this (admittedly somewhat dreary) Monday!


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To make up for missing Fiction Friday last week, I'll do a special double edition for you all! Read on -


 Luna Station Quarterly is just another one of those speculative fiction magazines that is a joy to read. With sixteen issues so far of SF/F that are all absolutely fantastical (see what I did there?), LSQ is superb.

"Entry #92" by Tara Abrahams is one story that stands out to me - it's not speculative in the conventional sense. It's bittersweet, observant, and achingly human, despite its centering around a girl in love with a robot. An excerpt:
Still, he looked beautiful, arms gleaming silver in the fluorescent glow of the cafeteria lights. I thought I saw constellations in the scratches and rust on his metal plating, but I’m not sure. It might’ve been a trick of infinity.
Also, be sure to check out Tara's new serial novel, GLITCH. It just... Tara's style is so, so unique and that really shines through in this story.



And now - though I suppose this is sort of cheating - I'd like to spotlight a piece from the literary magazine that I run, The Teacup Trail. It's a short, sharp flash fiction called "The Dueling Orchestra", and it was written by E.R. Warren, a writer I truly admire. The first sentence for your reading enjoyment:
I am trapped in a timpani.
From what I've read of E.R.'s work, her style ranges from ethereal to snappy, and it can change moods in an instant. (Some people have versatility like that. *sigh*) E.R. is also on Figment, where she regularly updates The Princess and the Fox Demon - a novel loosely based on medieval Japan that I am completely and utterly in love with. (Chirikai and Asuka. DONE.)

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Lullatone is my second Music Monday pick. Although everything I've heard of theirs is instrumental, it's very pleasant, cheerful, sweet music. It's perfect for just what the album is called: everyday adventures.

Actually, Lullatone is a husband-and-wife duo - Shawn James Seymour and Yoshimi Tomida. These dreamlike, happy tunes will be sure to make your day and paint nicer colors into the background of your mood.

Next is "Soften and Shake", a song by Olivia Broadfield that Lee was kind enough to recommend to me.



Apparently this was part of an episode of The Vampire Diaries, which I don't watch, but no matter. The song is actually perfect for a certain couple in On the Midnight Streets, so discovering it has made me feel very nice.

Been good been bad 
Been hard to break 
With you I feel myself soften and shake 
So please be good to me 
And I'll be good to you

So here are two bits of music for you that I hope you'll like as much as I did!

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Inspired by LiAnn Yim's "Fiction Fridays" over at Little Fictions, I'll be sharing some choice bits of fiction with you all every Friday, to go with my weekly Music Mondays.

One of my favorite literary magazines to just browse through is The Golden Key (which LiAnn actually co-edits) - described as publishing "poetry and fiction that is open to the strange and marvelous possibilities of the world around us. Each issue explores one of the wonderful things – either literal or figurative – one might find upon opening the little iron chest. Each celebrates the curiosity and enchantment of the Grimms’ tale with work that is odd, surprising, and unafraid to venture down the unknown path." It's inspired by the Grimms' story of, well, the golden key, and the work that can be found here in these free-to-read issues is just exquisite.

illustration for "Bones", done by The Golden Key's talented resident artist Libby Burns.
Today's piece that I'd like to spotlight is "Bones" by Sylvia Linsteadt. Here's a small excerpt:
They sink fast into the earth, faster than iron and glass. As the ground presses them to pieces, they first break with jagged edges and sharp ends. To become smooth, this takes centuries, this is always resisted. And then they echo and echo, like the whale vertebra reverberating its once-song.
Linsteadt does a beautiful job of bringing magic to an archaeological dig, and her prose is truly rich in quality. There's history in the curve of her words, breath in her sentences. It's awe-inspiring, really. If you've got a spare five minutes or so, I highly recommend you read it. It's one of my very favorite parts of Issue One, but honestly, I've been through The Golden Key's archives so many times because it's a wondrous literary magazine. Happy reading and happy Friday!


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As part of my 2014 resolution to post on this blog more regularly, I'm going to run a weekly feature called "Music Monday", where I share music that I've found that I love. (Fellow bloggers, feel free to join in! I'd love to see your music picks in a link in the comments or some such nice thing.)

My first found-sound (haha, that has a nice ring to it, huh?) is "Picture Perfect" by nineteen-year-old singer-songwriter Paola Bennet. I first found her on Tumblr, where synthetic-synaesthesia had reblogged a cover song of hers.

I think this song is so perfect because it's a simple, sweet way to commemorate finding yourself in a big, lonely place - and that feeling of wandering is so well-captured in these lyrics and Paola's beautiful voice.

Go on, get the keys - drive 
Until we hit the coast 
See the beach at night 
The stars I love the most 
You may be picture perfect, babe, 
But there are things you don't know

So hit play, my dears, and enjoy this bright addition to your Monday!


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I mentioned these awards before, in my post about where OtMS had gone, and now the regional results are out.

Unfortunately, since OtMS was submitted in the 'Novel Writing' category, which is a special category and therefore not regionally judged, I don't know anything about the status of that yet. However, national medalists will be announced on March 17, so there's a little over a month left to wait!

Along with my novel excerpt, I submitted a science fiction/fantasy short story and a poem collection.

While my poetry didn't win anything at all...

The short story won a Gold Key.

A Gold Key, the first year I entered.

 What that means is that the story is advancing to national judging. *squee* I'm crazy excited even though I am fully aware that less than 5% of Gold Key winners receive medals. I'm still. So. Crazy. Excited. This is the first notable award I've won for my writing and it makes me feel so good.

Again, thank you for your lovely reader support throughout this wonderful time! I love you all :)


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I'm published in two more magazines!


Germ Magazine is centered around teenage girls, offering advice, art/lit, articles, etc. at germmagazine.com. It promotes honesty about sexuality, race, and other issues that teenage girls face in the real world, and it was founded by Jennifer Niven. What's really interesting about this magazine, in my opinion, is that it was born out of a fictional Germ Magazine in Ms. Niven's forthcoming YA book, All the Bright Places.

The poem that I submitted is called "we are all significant figures", and it's been up at my new poetry/snippets Tumblr before I took it down and sent it in. I've been getting a lot more into poetry lately; I love the fluidity it gives me. I'm excited to share this wonderful magazine with you all - and my poem, which will run within the next few weeks!


The Next Post is a literary magazine "for Tumblr, by Tumblr". Since I've been on Tumblr since this summer and have loved basically every minute of it, it seemed only natural to submit.

Since the mag accepts fanfiction as well as short stories and poetry, I dug up the first and only fanfiction I've ever written. It's quite old, untouched since around March 2013, because I wrote it for a friend's birthday. My friends and I are all rabid Infernal Devices fans (seriously, though - you should all read that series), and Jem and Will's relationship is one of my favorite things about it, so I naturally attacked my feels by venturing into the fanfiction world. Look for "At the River" in the table of contents!

For those of you who would like to check this out, the first issue is hosted here.

What a great way to kick off 2014, writing-wise! I'm hoping to bring you more published writing this year as well. Thanks for reading!
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Hello there, everyone - happy new year.

Happy. New. Year.

Happyhappyhappy.

As I'm a bit tired to do a "Year in Review" post for 2013, I thought I'd start this third (?!) year of blogging off with a bang - a very clichéd bang, perhaps, but still.

Resolutions!

  • finish one of my novels, anything, hopefully On the Midnight Streets so I can jump into the sequel as well this year (yes, there will be a sequel - actually three subsequent planned books, but no, I'm not going to tell you about it yet)
  • write more (heh. oops.)
  • survive going into high school in the fall! aaahhh!
  • blog more (I mean it, really I do)
  • write more (double oops)
  • keep my grades up
  • aaand write more.
So thank you, darlings, for another wonderful twelve months - and here's to twelve more, equally wonderful.






PS: Oh, and by the way...

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[ image via tumblr ]
My breath is venturing out into the air with a wispy white coat on, and everyone walks around with a twinkle in their eye. Lately, I go to school each day telling myself firmly that I'll never be too old to wear mittens. I get curious stares from passerby nonetheless when they see me with a pair of them on. Carols that I've known by heart for years come barging into the radio again. Roads freeze over. Hot cups of tea become a staple of my diet. Particularly eccentric teachers at school deliver rants about "non-denominational winter holidays".

It's the holiday season here where I am, that fabled most wonderful time of the year - and it's also the time here at this blog when I take a moment to thank all of my readers. Near or far or in whatever place you may be right now, I'm ridiculously grateful that you use some time in your day to read and support my thoughts. 2013 is my second year of blogging and has been an incredible revelation to me all the way through. And those of you who have stuck with me in this crazy year are perfect brilliant people. Thank you.

Bundle up - or if you're in the southern hemisphere, you should be summer-ing down, I suppose - and do enjoy your holidays! Know that I'm wishing everyone well no matter what you celebrate or who you're celebrating with. Smile, if only because the world needs more of you smiling. Give this season a smile, a laugh, a day worth keeping forever.

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