Mi nombre es Amara. That's the abridged version. That's me all the way on the right.
If not for Nora Roberts after the obligatory sex talk with my mom, I might not have known how love can play into sex, and how it wins over and against anything. (Thank you for the Macgregors, the MacKades, the Quinns, and so on, Mom, Nora.) If not for Melina Marchetta and Jandy Nelson and Erin Bow and Jodi Lynn Anderson and Jess Rothenberg and Patricia A. McKillip and Pam Munoz Ryan, my emotions would still be in the box I wrestled and locked them in for most of my life if not for these sly, clever lockpickers. Now I embrace my emotions and the people, things, creations they are tied to.
I am less ashamed to cry.
Because of Rae Carson and Lisa T. Bergren and Kristin Cashore and A.C. Gaughen and Sarah J. Maas I know what women can accomplish and Liza Palmer, Anne Bishop, and Leila Sales have shown me how girls, women, people can evolve into the best versions of themselves after a few stumbles. Kristan Higgins and Kristin Walker and Christopher Healy make me laugh and sigh happily; Rainbow Rowell makes me tear up and clutch spasmodically. Rachel Caine wrote a four-way friendship I'll never forget. Stacey Jay keeps fairy tales at the center and Juliet Marillier creates them from scratch. And L.J. Smith convinced me a long time ago that your other half exists somewhere out there, and when the moment is right, they'll come 'round. Again, even, if Nora is to be believed (and I don't dare contradict such a prolific, sturdy soul).
I long for the raven boys that paint Maggie Stiefvater's time and headspace. They'll be my next love affair, I'm sure.
Though I'm not overly enthusiastic about J. R. R. Tolkien's musings, I'd kiss his shoes all the same for birthing Lord of the Rings. The shadow might not have been a passing thing, without nine companions and more to get me through.
The very first books I ever read without strings attached were Gillian McKnight's To Catch a Prince and Rachel Hawthorne's Love on the Lifts. I remember because I was twelve, and they were warm and fun, and my mom forced me into a Borders to buy them, because she saw that middle school and the darker parts of our family life were destroying me at a time when every person in their teens already wants to self-destruct. My mom wanted me to make friends from the same gene pool. She wanted me to have adventures that would last me a lifetime, even if I wasn't out there doing the physical embarking bit. So I lived in story ever since.
I have wandered, and have found, and have never looked back.
Now I'm 21, living in France, rearranging words on a page I want to see living in something vividly all-consuming. I have since travelled bits and pieces of Europe, taken care of children, Erin Brokoviched a law firm, slapped makeup on the beggars and the already pleased, folded clothes, sold pastries, and am considering house sitting as my next foray in dabbling. I'm 12% fluent in French and about 43% fluent in Spanish. I'm one of three, and I take my sibs life-death seriously. I have a mom who has faith in me despite her realism, and I'd go to the wall for her. And I have a family the size of a small army, consisting of non-blood relatives and die-hard close friends as well.
Puerto Rico (namely) and Sicily (vaguely), among other things I'm sure, dwell in my blood. Both make it hard not to waste time being wistful.
The sum of my parts might confuse you. But, you're welcome anyway.
An ever-growing list of my favorite companions (in no particular order):
Frankie the Brave
Prince Oran the Dreamer
Blackthorn the Grim
Aelin Ashryver Galaythinus the Queen
Scarlet the Cunning
Manon Blackbeak the Shadow
Elisa the Powerful
Rashel the Vengeful
Jezebel the Huntress
Cassie the Gentle
Claire the Brilliant
Eve the Fire
Michael the Golden
Shane the Overcoming
Fire the Heartbreaking
Prince Brigan the Hearthealing
Gabriella the Bold
Ildiko the Mollusk
Saro the Voiceless
Wayland North the Redeemed
Brie the Forgiving
Kate the Sorrowful
Cymbril the Hope
Arin the God-of-Death
Kestrel the Liar
The Princes Charming
Tinker Bell the Revering
Ananna the Pirate-Who-Loved
Frederich, Mike, Ivy the Heartsung
Taylor the Reluctant
Griggs the Cadet
Queenie the North Star
Elise the Hope-fulfilled
Callie the Happily-Ever-After
Meg the Trailblazer or the Not-Wolf
Destructive Delta the Awesome
Georgie the Forgiven
Neal the Loving
Bryce and Julie - They Who Flipped
Clan Macgregor the Irrevocably-Entwined
Abigail the Found
Melanie the Haunted
Finnikin the Loyal
and there are more...
...but can you guess who these practitioners of page-flipping magick are?
If not for Nora Roberts after the obligatory sex talk with my mom, I might not have known how love can play into sex, and how it wins over and against anything. (Thank you for the Macgregors, the MacKades, the Quinns, and so on, Mom, Nora.) If not for Melina Marchetta and Jandy Nelson and Erin Bow and Jodi Lynn Anderson and Jess Rothenberg and Patricia A. McKillip and Pam Munoz Ryan, my emotions would still be in the box I wrestled and locked them in for most of my life if not for these sly, clever lockpickers. Now I embrace my emotions and the people, things, creations they are tied to.
I am less ashamed to cry.
Because of Rae Carson and Lisa T. Bergren and Kristin Cashore and A.C. Gaughen and Sarah J. Maas I know what women can accomplish and Liza Palmer, Anne Bishop, and Leila Sales have shown me how girls, women, people can evolve into the best versions of themselves after a few stumbles. Kristan Higgins and Kristin Walker and Christopher Healy make me laugh and sigh happily; Rainbow Rowell makes me tear up and clutch spasmodically. Rachel Caine wrote a four-way friendship I'll never forget. Stacey Jay keeps fairy tales at the center and Juliet Marillier creates them from scratch. And L.J. Smith convinced me a long time ago that your other half exists somewhere out there, and when the moment is right, they'll come 'round. Again, even, if Nora is to be believed (and I don't dare contradict such a prolific, sturdy soul).
I long for the raven boys that paint Maggie Stiefvater's time and headspace. They'll be my next love affair, I'm sure.
Though I'm not overly enthusiastic about J. R. R. Tolkien's musings, I'd kiss his shoes all the same for birthing Lord of the Rings. The shadow might not have been a passing thing, without nine companions and more to get me through.
The very first books I ever read without strings attached were Gillian McKnight's To Catch a Prince and Rachel Hawthorne's Love on the Lifts. I remember because I was twelve, and they were warm and fun, and my mom forced me into a Borders to buy them, because she saw that middle school and the darker parts of our family life were destroying me at a time when every person in their teens already wants to self-destruct. My mom wanted me to make friends from the same gene pool. She wanted me to have adventures that would last me a lifetime, even if I wasn't out there doing the physical embarking bit. So I lived in story ever since.
I have wandered, and have found, and have never looked back.
Now I'm 21, living in France, rearranging words on a page I want to see living in something vividly all-consuming. I have since travelled bits and pieces of Europe, taken care of children, Erin Brokoviched a law firm, slapped makeup on the beggars and the already pleased, folded clothes, sold pastries, and am considering house sitting as my next foray in dabbling. I'm 12% fluent in French and about 43% fluent in Spanish. I'm one of three, and I take my sibs life-death seriously. I have a mom who has faith in me despite her realism, and I'd go to the wall for her. And I have a family the size of a small army, consisting of non-blood relatives and die-hard close friends as well.
Puerto Rico (namely) and Sicily (vaguely), among other things I'm sure, dwell in my blood. Both make it hard not to waste time being wistful.
The sum of my parts might confuse you. But, you're welcome anyway.
Frankie the Brave
Prince Oran the Dreamer
Blackthorn the Grim
Aelin Ashryver Galaythinus the Queen
Scarlet the Cunning
Manon Blackbeak the Shadow
Elisa the Powerful
Rashel the Vengeful
Jezebel the Huntress
Cassie the Gentle
Claire the Brilliant
Eve the Fire
Michael the Golden
Shane the Overcoming
Fire the Heartbreaking
Prince Brigan the Hearthealing
Gabriella the Bold
Ildiko the Mollusk
Saro the Voiceless
Wayland North the Redeemed
Brie the Forgiving
Kate the Sorrowful
Cymbril the Hope
Arin the God-of-Death
Kestrel the Liar
The Princes Charming
Tinker Bell the Revering
Ananna the Pirate-Who-Loved
Frederich, Mike, Ivy the Heartsung
Taylor the Reluctant
Griggs the Cadet
Queenie the North Star
Elise the Hope-fulfilled
Callie the Happily-Ever-After
Meg the Trailblazer or the Not-Wolf
Destructive Delta the Awesome
Georgie the Forgiven
Neal the Loving
Bryce and Julie - They Who Flipped
Clan Macgregor the Irrevocably-Entwined
Abigail the Found
Melanie the Haunted
Finnikin the Loyal
and there are more...
...but can you guess who these practitioners of page-flipping magick are?
4 comments:
You are AMAZING ;) <3 <3
love this :)
You're brilliant! I love this.
You're brilliant!
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