Hello There, Old Friends.

And young friends. And middle-aged friends. Friends of all ages, really.

I've been sooooper busy lately, what with two jobs and school and YouTube and reading and writing. You see? Look how many ands I used. That means I'm way too busy to remember to check my blog all the time.

Okay, okay. I know, it's no excuse. If I have time to check Facebook ten times an hour, I have time to write a blog entry. I'll be more diligent, I promise!

This past weekend, I was sick. It was no fun, except for the chance to play Pokemon. I still don't have the latest version, so if you love me enough, you'll get it for me. Right? How about if I trade it for more blog entries? Deal? Deal.

So, I've got my own personal hater on YouTube now. It's kind of awesome. This chick (I'm assuming it's a girl, as the screen name is "officeblonde") really has a problem with me. She said that I have "drivelling, drawling and snobbish claims to literary grandeur." I've never said that I'm that great of a writer. She's actually referencing my proclivity to read classics - Faulkner and Steinbeck and Hemingway. I'm not sure why she thinks that's a bad thing...

Anyway, it's quite amusing to have her make all sorts of stupid comments on a couple of my videos. I respond as nicely as I can, but sarcasm is an automatic thing for me, so I don't really succeed all that well. Not that it bothers me.

I've been working on a sort of logo for my channel, too. As I haven't really drawn in years, it's taken me quite a while, and I'm nowhere near done. I got the easy part done; now I have to draw and colour the rainbow fire, and cut it all out. Want a preview? Here's what I've got so far.

I actually coloured it tonight. I think it turned out all right. If you look closely, you'll see the letters spelling out my channel on the side. Soon they'll be coloured black, then surrounded by rainbow fire. It'll be beautiful. While I really like this concept, I'm finding that a LOT of people use the T-Rex thing. You know, putting their name, then -saurus rex. Ah well. Too late to change it now.

Continuing with YouTube news, I have no way to edit videos, and it's frustrating me to no end. I can't DO anything! I have a sketch idea, and I can't use it because I can't edit. Ugh. My computer is stupid, and I'm saving up for a laptop so that it'll already have some software in place.

In other parts of my life, there isn't much going on. I'm trying to find a Halloween costume. I originally wanted to be a grown-up Wednesday, and I'll still use that for my friend's party, but I don't think the costume is appropriate for work. I'm going to go costume shopping soon. What do y'all think of a slightly risqué Dorothy?

Look, a Post! You Haven't Seen One of These in a While.

Oh mylanta I've ignored y'all so long!

PLEASE FORGIVE ME!

Please?

Look, I'm pouting. You should forgive me. Oh, you do? YAY!

Look, you made me happy again!

Anyway.

I've been really busy with work, and with figuring out YouTube. I know, I know, I said I wouldn't forget y'all if I started a YouTube channel, but I'm forgetful. You shouldn't have believed me.

What's going on in my life right now:

Working two jobs is tiring, but nice.

I haven't written in ages, but that is about to change, because NaNoWriMo is around the bend. I'm thinking about just working on my current WIP. I'd start the count November 1st, although it won't be the beginning of the story. As I have quite a bit of story to do, this would be pretty feasible.

I'm watching FAR too many YouTube videos, all of which star Toby Turner (aka Tobuscus), Jack Douglass, or Sean Klitzner. They're easily some of the funniest guys online. Cute, too.

My friend Brandon and I are working on a music video for the Civil Wars song "20 Years". It's for a contest, where the winner becomes the official video, and gets $5,000. It's going to be epic. I'm using East of Eden by Steinbeck as inspiration.

And that's it.

Author Interview

I'm a day late, but I've never been known for my ability to remember things... I'd actually had it ready to go, too! This is what happens when I don't procrastinate.

What is the working title of your book?

The Malfeasance. It's SUPER tentative right now, as I'm not sure how I feel about having a title starting with "the" when I have a plan for a series where they all do as well. They're not similar at all, so I don't want any confusion for my readers.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I'm about to get so much hate right now... It actually came from a story a friend of mine was writing. Basically, what happened is that I saw a certain aspect of her storyline - something important, but that got moved away from rather quickly - and wondered how I could change it. Our stories no longer resemble each other in the slightest, and we both like the directions the other took.

What genre does your book fall under?

Erm. That's a good question, and one I can rarely answer. The easiest answer is urban fantasy, I suppose. It takes place in today's society, just with magic as a common aspect in everyday life. I'm still vacillating between Young Adult and General Fiction, because my main character is 17 but deals with adult issues: rape, murder, the root of evil, etc.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Oh goodness. Another question that I don't have a ready answer for. Mostly because I don't tend to know actors, unless they're 25+ and attractive males. If my characters were older, I'd say Lucas Bryant for the lead male and perhaps Nicole Kidman for the lead female.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Eadrea Reched, accused of several horrific murders, must find the true evil in the world and confront the darkness in her own life to prove her innocence and find happiness for the first time.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Well now, that depends on if I win the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest next year ;) If I do, then obviously I'll be represented by Penguin. If not, then I'll probably go the route of self-publishing after shopping the manuscript around for a while.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I suppose we're counting the very first draft, huh? I never actually finished, although I did get about 40,000 words in. This newest rendition has changed significantly from the first, and I still haven't finished the first draft. I'm about 30,000 words in (and not even to the main meat of the story, which I was at by 20,000 last time around!), though.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Hrm. I can't say that I've read anything quite like what I'm writing, and I don't mean that in the "Oh, aren't I fancy and original" way. I just haven't read something that blurred the lines between Young Adult and General Fiction quite as much as The Malfeasance does.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

A big part of my inspiration is the anger I've held for years, that I know so many people deal with. Anger eats away at a person, and can mould their very existence. I wanted to explore a character who accepts her anger whole-heartedly and doesn't try to fight it, like normal people do. She's angry, she's furious actually, and she will go to extreme measures to show that.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?


There are a myriad of characters in this book, each so different from the last. And while there's definitely a love story that forms a strong part of the plot, it's not typical. There's no real romance, with flowers and declarations and wooing. It's not a choice, or something the characters even want. That will hopefully appeal to those readers who are tired of the same formula over and over again, and who don't believe in typical romance. Readers like myself, that is :)

I Had This Dream, See.

WARRIOR DASH IS SATURDAY!!!

In case you can't tell, I'm super excited.

You all should be as well, because I'll be vlogging the experience; not the run itself, because I don't have fancy/super tough cameras, but the before and after. You'll be able to check it out on my YouTube channel.

Speaking of which, I've started doing book reviews on there. I'm starting off with indie authors, mostly because that's what I've been reading lately. I've got the first one up already, and the next one should be up over the next day or so. I'll still be doing regular vlogs, of course.

In other news, I've got my first tests on Wednesday for this new semester of classes. They shouldn't be too difficult.

Oh, and in a couple days, I'll be participating in the Next Big Thing blog posting! You'll get to hear about my WIP, and see why I'm so excited to get it written.

THAT REMINDS ME.

I had this stellar dream last night. It was weird, but in the awesome I-bet-this-is-going-to-be-a-story way. Wanna hear about it? Of course you do!

So, in my dream, vampires had taken over the world.

Don't huff. I know, there are WAY too many vampire stories out there now. BUT THIS IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT, MY DEARS.

Anyway.

The vampires were the dominate species, with, oh, nearly all humans gone. It seemed like I was the only one left, anyway. I figured out that if I had the scent of blood on my breath, it drove the vampires away. I'm not sure why. I'll have to figure out a plausible reason for that.

With this discovery, it became necessary for me to cut myself and suck my own blood. Not like, blood-gushing-everywhere sort of cutting, just little nicks. The vampires were SUPER pissed that I could keep them from killing or even harming me.

Oh, by the by, they didn't have super speed or super hearing or super anything, really. They drank blood, and had pretty quick reflexes, but overall they were just really mean people.

Anyway.

I parachuted to this mountain top for whatever reason. It's a dream, give me a break! All these people from my church retreats were there, and they were still human. The vampires were letting them live for whatever reason. Well, the vampires didn't like me there, because they all wanted me dead.

Things get hazy now, and I can't really remember what else happened, except in little brief flashes of scenery. There are cabins, and lots of trees, and that's it. One of the vampires becomes my love interest. He had dark brown hair that was really glossy, and brown eyes with blue flecks.

And that's all I remember. If I can finagle some more details, I'm going to see if it wants to be a story.

Vlog

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I've got my vlog up!

If you want to follow me on YouTube, my channel is called "HattiesaurusRex". Yes, it IS the coolest name ever. So far I only have one video, just a little introduction of myself, but I'm going to put up new videos twice a week.

Don't worry, I won't forget about y'all :)

Tough Mudder, and Maybe a Vlog!

Sorry for the super long wait for a new post. I tried to put up a new video, but it didn't want to load any of the million times I tried. It was dumb!

The point of my video: to tell you about Tough Mudder. It's kind of the best race ever, and it's technically not even a race. It's 10-12 miles long, with 25+ obstacles, which are designed by the British Special Forces. Basically, it's Warrior Dash on steroids.

I'm going to be running in it when it comes to town in June. This means I have to REALLY get into shape. I've been running every other day, and doing the "Tough Mudder Boot Camp" the other days. It is kicking my ass. And here I thought I was in pretty decent shape. NOPE.

Some of the obstacles are super intense and awesome, and I cannot WAIT. There's the quarter pipe, which is like a half pipe for skateboarding, but smaller. It's covered in grease and butter and water, and you have to  sprint and jump at just the right time to get over. Most can't, so it turns into a group exercise, with those at the top catching the people jumping. Some people even create human ladders.

There's the giant ice bath, which is a large pool with barricades you have to swim under. If you try to go over, there's barbed wire stopping you. Ice chunks float in the water, and it's kept at about 34 degrees Fahrenheit. This is going to be the worst obstacle for me, because I hate the cold with a passion.

The obstacle that is usually last, and the most intense, electrocutes you. Live wires hang down, with about 10,000 volts running through them. You have to run through them, and there is pretty much no way to avoid electrocution. It's called the "Rated R Zone" because of all the cursing that goes on.

So yeah :)

I cannot wait. It's going to be so much fun, and I know that I'm going to meet some awesome people there. Getting into shape for it is what's going to be the hardest, because I'm pretty lazy.

In other news, I think I'm starting a vlog. It's with Patrick, at least until we find out if he's going to jail or will be denied computer access for a year. If either happens, I'll be all by my lonesome. Otherwise, it's the two of us. I'm not sure what our "thing" is, though. Just being clever, I suppose. We'll see.

Welcome to the Shallow End of the Pool

Time to face facts. Everyone is shallow.

Please stop making that indignant sound. It's undignified. Plus, it's irritating.

Thank you. Now, before you start trying to tell me how you're NOT shallow, take a second to think about what I'm saying.

Everyone is shallow.

Would you like to know why I'm making such a broad statement? Because it's true! No matter who you are, you care about what other people look like, which is the MAIN definition of shallow for most people.

We all, as humans, want to be with someone who is attractive. It's not bad; it's a biological imperative. The more attractive your mate, the more attractive your offspring, which increases your offspring's odds of reproducing, which means your genetics are passed on.

Now, before you start making that indignant sound again and say that you prefer someone who's got a great personality, let me elaborate.

I'm sure you DO prefer people with wonderful personalities. We all do. They're better to hang out with, for sure. You'll have fun, you'll feel great, blah blah blah. This is true. However. If you try to pretend that the way someone looks doesn't matter to you, you're lying to yourself. That is the worst way to lie. If you can't even tell the truth to yourself, who CAN you tell it to?

People don't all agree on who's attractive, you see. The guys I find attractive are not the same guys Krystal finds attractive, and vice versa. Sure, we can both see an attractive guy and think he's such, but we still have different preferences. Her on-again-off-again boyfriend of the past couple years isn't someone I think is attractive, but she thinks he is.

On a large scale, this means that you will always want to be with someone you find physically attractive on some level. They don't have to be THE sexiest, hottest person you've ever seen. They just have to be someone you want to look at.

Everyone seems to think that admitting this makes you a bad person. I disagree. It means that you won't bully yourself into dating someone you aren't attracted to, simply because they're a "great person". That's what friendship is for, people. No matter what anyone tells you, the physical part of a relationship is a big deal.

Besides, what makes you approach someone you've never met before? For nearly everyone, it's attractiveness. The way someone looks is what determines whether or not you will spend your time trying to get to know them. This doesn't mean that we're all going around only associating with "hot" people. It means that the way someone looks, with their facial expressions and body language, interests us.

So yeah, everyone is shallow. Get over it. If you don't think you're attractive, you don't have to put on make-up or dress a certain way. You just have to look like you're a pleasant and/or fun person to be around. Someone, somewhere, will find you beautiful. And that's what we all want, right? Someone who thinks we're  beautiful, and isn't "putting up with" your looks or lack thereof.