It’s Go Time

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to sit down and seriously work on my writing. The day job was seriously crazy this school year, but that will all come to an end tomorrow (helloooo summer!). Two months off will give me plenty of time to focus on more than just blog posts and scribbling random ideas into my journal. To say I’m excited is an understatement!

The first big project I’ll be working on is dusting off my query package for my novel. And I’m kicking this off in an unconventional way! As it turns out, a trip to Phoenix Comicon will not only be my moment to fangirl until I drop, (the Autograph Ninja will be on the prowl! ), but also a chance to mingle with authors and publishers. This year’s event features workshops with YA authors and pros in the publishing industry. I will be participating in two workshops to up my game in the pitching process. First, I’ll be attending a Q&A session that features a YA author I admire  – Aprilynne Pike, (her Wings Series is amazing!). Attendees can ask anything about their books, writing, or the industry. Second, I’ll be going to a workshop that focuses on pitching and the query letter. This has been a struggle for me (as it is for so many writers), so I’m hoping this event will help me figure out what isn’t working in my query package.

Aside from taking advantage of Comicon opportunities, I’ve also put out some feelers for some freelance work. I thrive on deadlines at my day job, so why not apply that trait to writing? In particular, I’m looking to write about fandoms or television recaps. Not too long ago I wrote about how fangirling has enriched my life, (see Things I’ve Learned From Fangirling) and that got me thinking: Why not turn that passion into something that pushes my writing forward?

Then, there’s the haiku chapbook I’ve been working on since January. This is the one project I’ve been working on consistently despite the day job! I’m about halfway done with selecting the haikus that will be part of the collection. Once I’m done selecting, it’ll come down to the messy business of deciding the order in which they will appear. It’s going to drive me crazy, but I’m looking forward to the process.

Like I said, it’s go time!

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c.b.w. 2017

When Fangirls Color

Thanks to the coloring craze, I’ve been able to reach a whole new level of literary geekdom. Over the last couple of months, some of my favorite YA novels have been transformed into some pretty amazing coloring books. Since I’m a total sucker for this stuff – I’ve been an avid colorer and YA reader for years – there was no question that I’d jump at the chance to color images from the The Mortal Instrument Series and The Lunar Chronicles.

When I heard The Mortal Instruments was getting a coloring book, I literally squealed. This is one of my all time favorite YA series, (I may have mentioned it few times)! The book itself is quite beautiful – the illustrations are done by Cassandra Jean, a longtime collaborator with the author, Cassandra Clare, so she has strong insight to the characters that mean so much to me.

The images are beautifully drawn and are paired with select quotations from every book in The Mortal Instrument series. Everything from major plot-twist to fan favorite scenes are included, creating a well-balanced collection of images.

I started by coloring the couples I shipped throughout the series, (both books and TV show). Of course, Magnus and Alec (Malec) are at the top of my ship list, so I decided to color the scene that depicts when they first met.

Next on my ship list are Clary and Jace (Clace). This scene happens in the second book of the series after much DRAMA between these two. It was a moment that drove shippers such as myself into a fit of hysteria. The good kind of hysteria, I assure you.

These images are now loaded into my phone to personalize my home screen and locked screen. 🙂

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer is a relatively new favorite series for me, but its easily one of the best I’ve read since The Mortal Instruments. I just got the coloring book and I can’t wait to dive in and color the characters and story that captured my imagination in the books.

The illustrations are done by Kathryn Gee and they are stunning! However, what I love most about this particular coloring book is that the illustrator was a fan that caught the attention of the author. An actual fangirl got the chance of a lifetime to represent not only fandom, but the characters we all love so much. Seriously, how cool is that?

The word fangirl (and fanboy for that matter) often receives negative connotation, but I think this coloring book truly defies the label that fandom is just a bunch of crazy, obsessive people. I prefer to think of fandom as passionate individuals that pour a lot of effort and love into something beyond themselves. That effort and love can lead to some pretty amazing, creative, and innovative accomplishments. Kathryn Gee is a glowing example of that fact.

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c.b.w. 2017

Things I’ve Learned From Fangirling

I’ve been a fangirl for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid it was The Black Stallion books, Star Trek, Star Wars, Spider-man, country music and Barbie, (weirdly most of these things are still in play!). In my 20s and 30s it was and continues to be The Office, Twilight, Marvel Comics (Daredevil in particular), YA urban fantasy books (various series), Arrow, and the Big Bang Theory. At the moment, I’m fangirling pretty hard for Shadowhunters (Malec!) and The Mortal Instruments book series its based on from author Cassandra Clare.

I’ve recently given some thought on what fangirling has meant in my life and what it has taught me. Some may view fandom as irrational behavior based in fantasy (and in some ways it is), but for many like myself I can see how some of the ridiculous things fangirls do actually carries over into reality.

Fangirls are made of some pretty tough stuff. I’ve survived some of the most heartbreaking and heart-pounding situations ever through my favorite books and movies. For example:

• The Office: It took three seasons for Jim and Pam to get together. Every episode they didn’t find their way to one another was another little stab in the heart.
• In Arrow: I survived Oliver “dying” in a midseason cliffhanger and the Olicity break-up (I’m still in denial on this one, though).
• Twilight: I survived Edward breaking up with Bella in New Moon.
• The Mortal Instruments: I survived Malec on page 511. It was so horrific we can’t even talk about it.

That means we can survive just about anything real life can throw at us. For instance, there’s nothing my students can throw at me that I can’t handle. Any time they challenge me I smirk while thinking, “Oh, please. I survived Picard getting kidnapped and turned into a Borg.”

Fangirls are incredibly empathetic. Part of the reason we get so emotionally involved and obsessed is because of our high capacity to internalize what others are feeling.

• I cried at Jim and Pam’s wedding. And at Edward and Bella’s. (I’m sure I will at Malec’s as well. Please Cassandra Clare. Oh, please let us have this!)
• I also cried during the last installment of Malec’s ongoing story in Tales from Shadowhunter Academy because I was overwhelmed with their happiness – they deserve it!
• In The Mortal Instruments, I was so angry that Jace and Clary were brother and sister, that I threw the book and needed a moment to calm down.
• In Harry Potter, I bawled so hard when Harry realized he had to die I needed an hour to get it together before I could jump back in.

Empathy, IMHO, is one of the most important traits anyone can have. It gives us the ability to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, no matter how different they are from us. Fangirls are extraordinary practitioners of empathy!

Fangirls always have something to look forward to. This is especially true if you’re a fangirl with multiple fandoms. Let’s face it – day to day life can get monotonous. Even boring! Fangirls don’t get bored because we’re always waiting for:

• book, movie, merchandise, tv season release dates
• the next new episode
• Fan events, conventions, Comicon!
• Concert dates
• social media updates
• collector’s editions
• …and about a million other things depending on the fandom

Fangirling makes you tech savvy. This is very true if you’re fangirling via social media. Over the years, a lot of my computer skills have come from fangirling.

• The Office: I learned basic coding while posting and moderating on a message board.
• Twilight: I learned photo cropping, editing, isolating videos, and how to create mp4 files.
• Arrow, Shadowhunters, and Daredevil: I learned how to make gifs, screen capture videos, and “Twitter-speak.”

There’s so much more, so I may have to do another volume of my sociological analysis of being a fangirl. It’s not just for fifteen-year-olds or so-called nerds stuck in a fantasy world. It’s for anyone who loves something with everything they have and it truly does translate to real life.

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c.b.w. 2017