Friday, August 30, 2013

What?

That's pretty much where my head is right now. It's the end of August, and I've been writing this post for so long that I now leave for college TODAY. Say what?

Things that have happened since I last posted (majorly summarized): I graduated! Anti-climatic, but still, it happened. Orientation was really fun and I met some cool music people. I had the piano festival at the end of June which was a blast other than only being 3 days long. July I managed to visit most of my friends-- a few trips to the beach, a day at Sebago Lake with a friend (I LOVE jetskiing), and an awesome trip to Boston for a day. Other than that I worked all the time (sixteen days in a row is my record), babysitting an 11 year old (so it's more like playing games and driving her places), and working at the bed and breakfast I've been chambermaiding at since last summer.

Oh and, I wrote another novel. I took a long break after finishing my last one (didn't really edit it) and wanted to write one in the summer, but didn't think I'd have time. But then in the beginning of July I had a dream that I couldn't get out of my head, and I had a window of time to write it in (exactly 4 weeks), so I did. It's a really weird novel of course, and my first non-fantasy! It's pretty wacko. And it's my tenth novel!

And then and then, for a week in the beginning of August I went to the University of Hartford for a week for a Women's Leadership Program. That was amazing and I met such cool people, and got to do fun things like Dragonboating, going to see Hello Dolly, and going to a Korean music concert, which was the best. I can't wait to see all my friends from that week again.

And I leave for college TODAY. I started this post three weeks ago I think, and never got around to finishing it. But I have to post something before I leave. I cannot believe the summer is over. I probably won't post at all in college, but who knows, maybe I'll have tons of free time (ahahahahaha not likely). I can't wait to see what this fall will be like.

So long!
Kelia

Friday, May 10, 2013

Books books books

I've read quite a few books this winter/spring, so I'll briefly talk about my favorites. (I don't really do reviews. Every time I try, I freeze up and don't write anything. Blabbing about everything I love is much easier.)


On the one hand we've got three sequels that in many ways surpassed the first book: Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale, which is LOVELY. It's been a long time since I read the first book, but I was so glad to get to spend more time with Miri and her friends, and in such a different setting and atmosphere than the first. Really enjoyed this one.

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor, which is also very different from the first book, a lot darker. It made the moments of happiness stand out all the more. And it made me sob really hard, completely unexpectedly. I have to wait a YEAR for the next one?

Prodigy by Marie Lu, which was just as fast paced and intriguing as the first. I think I liked the characters even better than in the first one, and what an end! Also waiting impatiently for the last one.


Then we have three books by authors I love, that I had long been looking forward to: The Diviners by Libba Bray, which was a huge epic book full of great characters and seriously creepy moments. Love the time period it's set in, the 1920s are always great.

How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller, which is the first book I've read by this author other than the Kiki Strike series. This one was so different! I really enjoyed the main character, and the complexity of the plot, and all the other characters.

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff, I loved this one. It's about a girl who's haunted by the ghost of her best friend, and a serial killer starts killing girls in her town. Obviously it has a huge creep factor, but also a romance that made me swoon, and a great portrayal of friendship.


Two books I read by authors who I'd never read before (but not their debuts): Every Day by David Levithan is the interesting idea of a person who wakes up every day in a different body. He/she has to adjust to a new life every day, and tries not to screw it up for the person who's body he/she's in.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. I've heard about this book for so long now, and it has gotten a million awards it feels like. I was almost nervous to read it because of all the buzz, but it really is a great book. I can't even talk about it properly yet, but I want to read everything else Elizabeth Wein has written.


Hopefully some part of that rambling was legible! Now I'm off to read more books.
Kelia

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Excuses, excuses

I know I haven't blogged in forever, but I have reasons!

Number 1: I kind of wrote a novel. Most of you will be saying: "We know, we know, you do NaNoWriMo every year, but wasn't that in November?" To which I say: "Yes, and I did write a novel then, but I wrote ANOTHER one." Which I've never done before. Yes it's my ninth novel, but it's the first time I've EVER written one outside of november. I've written a few short stories, and attempted to write novels, but I never got over 6 or 7K. So the fact that I wrote one is kind of amazing to me. I always thought I needed the stress and constant deadline of nanowrimo to write a novel, and having goals and deadlines definitely still helps me, but I actually finished this one.

It's the weirdest thing I've ever written. I fail miserably at trying to explain the plot, and it still sounds completely wacko to me. It's very dark (not the darkest, that dubious honor goes to my fifth novel, which I love dearly and want to rewrite again) and has a lot of death and it's fantasy and there are witches and ghosts and curses and a wee bit of time travel, and that's the best I can explain it. It's based on a dream, and it was one of those dreams where you remember the character's names. And while writing it, I dreamed about it two more times, which is odd, but helped with my plot. It's so strange, and I love the characters to death, and I don't if I'll ever have anyone else read it.

Total word count is 57,600, which also makes it the longest novel I've ever written. If I count only the days I worked on it and not the bunches I skipped, it took me exactly six weeks, which isn't too far off my usual month.

Number 2: College! I did all my auditions (six, ugh) and heard back from my schools, and I am officially going to Hartt School of Music at the end of August! It's beyond crazy that I only have four more months till college starts. Highschool is done so soon, and I have orientation in the beginning of June, and I'm trying not to think about it.

Number 3: The rest of life, which is mostly many music-related stuff, the most exciting of which was getting to have two of my compositions played at a new music festival! That was pretty strange, but nice. I wrote a piece for it, which was the first instrumental piece I wrote in two or three years, and I want to write some more but I got sidetracked with my novel. Maybe I'll try to write one now.

Hopefully I'll start posting again. The next post might be about books, because I've read some great books this year. The last one I read was Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff, which I LOVED. I'll go into more detail later!
Kelia