1 Week Off Work = Creative juices galore!

My creativity juices flow out in its entirety as I take the week to write my YA paranormal series. It’s about a familiar named Tiffany who, after turning 17 discovers that she is a familiar with special shape shifting abilities and special powers. This series follows Tiffy and her journey into learning the rules of a familiar, honing her skills, finding a witch, and finding out some dark family secrets. Each day I write an entire book, so by the end of the week I have 7. I take the first one and polish it, send it to a publishing company and am offered a book contract. Once the first book publishes, it becomes a NY times best seller. I get another 3 book contract deal, and the following 3 books also get on the NY times best seller list. By this point, I’m making enough money and feel confident in my writing ability to quit my job. I eventually publish all 7 books and the series is made into a movie targeted toward children and pre-teens.

While the movie(s) are being filmed I write a few other YA books. They don’t do as well as the first series, but they still land on the NY best seller. After that, I unearth my erotic romance series, and self publish it under a different name. By day, I am Jennifer Santiago, YA author. By night, I am McKenzie Rose, erotic romance writer. I am my own boss, work my own hours, and I love it.

Quickie Little Vampe Story

It was Halloween, my favorite holiday. The year was 2014 and I was excited because I had plans for that night. My friend Kandise and I went to Field of Screams, an extravagant event with haunted houses, haunted hayrides, haunted asylums, the list goes on. As a fan of horror and the macabre, I was in my element. It was going to be a great night, I just knew it. I could feel it in my gut.

While Kandise and I waited in line, we began to talk to the guy that was in line behind us. I don’t remember who started talking to whom first – all I knew was that Robert had the most beautiful grey eyes I had ever seen and his voice vibrated throughout my body every time he spoke. He was originally from Massachusetts and had moved to Pennsylvania due to his job – he was a recruiter, although I don’t recall him mentioning what he was recruiting for.

Robert and I had a lot in common. We both grew up in New England states, both love the theater and dramatic things. We both loved the night and Halloween. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t smitten with the man I just met.

The three of us eventually made it to the front of the line and were lucky in that we were able to enter together. Robert decided to go through the attraction with Kandise and I, and I was delighted.

As we entered the dark woods, I was first to go in, and Kandise positioned herself in between Robert and myself. She needed a bit of a heads up when things would pop out so she wouldn’t accidentally punch a “monster” in the face. I understood that was why she did it, but I was pissed regardless, because I wanted to be near Robert. At first, everything was quiet – we walked by a few witches, and a few corpses, but nothing truly exciting was happening. As if reading my mind, Robert expressed his disappointment at that very moment.

“I was just thinking the same thing,” I couldn’t help but to say.

“Well, great minds think alike, Jen.” His words enveloped me and chills of excitement coursed through my body. God, could this guy be any hotter? Just as I turned my head to smile in his direction, I was jumped from both sides by a gang of crazed looking murderous clowns. One of them grabbed me by my arms and they startled a gasp from my surprised lips. The gasp quickly turned into laughter. Finally, the fun was about to start.

“Oh hell no!” Kandise said. “If anybody fucking grabs me, I’m sending them to the hospital.” I turned around to face Kandise, worry lines etched on my face.

“Uh, Kandise…” I started, but she immediately cut me off.

“No, Jen. I can’t do this. Not if they’re going to be touching me.” Just then, Robert swooped in and saved the day – err, night.

“I have a friend that works here, I’ll text him and tell him to come get you, and he can get you out through a side door.” Robert pulled out his phone and called his friend. After explaining the situation, he hung up and told us his friend would be here in a few minutes. “He said he isn’t far from us, to look out for Dracula.”

“Thanks.” Kandise and I said in unison.

Now, as her friend, what I should have done – what I would have done in any other circumstance was to leave with her and call it a night. Maybe find something else for us to do. But I wasn’t ready to leave Robert. I didn’t know how to flirt or how to give someone my number or ask them out, but I wanted to ask Robert out. I needed more time to get the courage to do so. So essentially, I asked Kandise if I could ditch her.

“Kandise, um, would you be mad if I went through without you? I know you’d be waiting in the truck, but I really want to do this. Please. You know how badly I love this stuff.” I gave her my best puppy dog look, knowing it wouldn’t work.

“Sure,” Kandise said with a smirk. “But only if Robert stays with you. I don’t care if this is fake, I’d feel better if you weren’t in here alone.”

My eyes bounced to Robert, trying to gauge his reaction.

“Of course I’ll stay with her. I was planning on it all along.” Robert’s smile both melted my insides and I was too giddy to contain my excitement.

“Yay.” I jumped up and quickly blushed. I was acting like a 10 year old in front of the hottest guy I had seen in a very long time – way to go Jen! But to my surprise Robert laughed and walked up to me. He was a few inches from me, completely invading my personal space and I didn’t mind one bit.

“I’m glad you’re as excited to spend time with me as I am to spend time with you.”

Oh lordy lordy lordy!

I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything. I just gave him a nervous laugh and tried to create some distance between us. Like I said, I wasn’t good at this sort of thing. But my reaction seemed to delight Robert, he just chuckled and grabbed hold of my hand.

Just then a tall guy wearing very impressive teeth and a cape walked up to us. It was Dracula. Time to say goodbye to Kandise and have some fun!

Yes, I know how totally messed up that sounded. I blame the hormones.

Robert and his friend just nodded to one another and then Dracula was ushering Kandise through a patch of trees.

“Have fun.” Kandise said, as she and Dracula disappeared.

Before I had a chance to respond, I felt a tug on my hand. Robert was pulling me and we resumed our walk through the haunted forest. Just like the first time, nothing exciting seemed to happen at first, and then, it was as if Robert and I were the only 2 humans in the woods and we were being attacked from all directions by all kinds of beasts. They were loud and in your face. They pulled at my clothes and my hair. In the distance I could hear screams, but I didn’t scream, I enjoyed it all. It was fake after all, and I was with Robert, whose hand never let go of mine. I tried to take it all in, all the costumes, all the sounds, it was overwhelming in a great way.

I saw Robert look back at me. “Are you ok?” He asked.

“Yeah. I’m great!” We laughed, and Robert pulled me closer to him.

“You really like this stuff, huh?”

“I love it.”

“What’s your favorite?”

“Vampires. But not like your buddy Dracula. I like when they seem more real. The cape and the super white face, it’s comical.”

Robert stopped midway through a clearing. “You like real vampires?”

“Well, I know they’re not real.” I said quickly, trying to get my point across. I didn’t want him to think I was wacko. “But…well, you know. I like when they portray vampires as unassuming at first, and then dangerous. Yeah, I find the idea of vampires romantic in a way, but it isn’t supposed to be pretty. They’re not supposed to sparkle. They’re supposed to take you by force, rip your throat out and ravage you as your warm blood trickles down your body. I find that hot.”

Robert didn’t say anything, and I was pretty sure I completely screwed up. I went on one of my crazy vampire tangents and now this guy, this perfect guy, would go from thinking I was quirky to downright nuts.

Before I could even muster anything to say, Robert pulled me so hard and fast I would have fallen on the ground if I hadn’t collided with his hard chest. The hand that was holding mine was now on the side of my neck.

“I would love to ravage you,” he practically growled, his lips lightly caressing mine before placing a hard kiss on my neck. “I wouldn’t rip your throat out though…” I could feel his teeth slightly gracing my neck and I it took all the will power I had not to drop to my knees in front of him. I couldn’t feel my knees. I couldn’t feel my legs at all, actually. But there were other things I could feel. Other body parts that were alive and humming.

“Would you like that, Jen?” Robert whispered in my ear. “Would you like me to ravage you.”

“Fuck, yes.” I thought I had said that in my head, but apparently I also said it out loud because a split second later I felt a sharp pain stabbing my neck. I didn’t scream, and I wasn’t frightened. The pain made my panties wet and a moan escaped my lips. I could feel Robert’s other hand wrap around my body. I could hear him drinking from my neck. I could feel my nipples harden against his chest and could feel him harden against my groin. I wished we were naked. That was the last thought I had before I blacked out.

***

When I awoke, I was alone. I was still in Field of Screams, though I was indoors. I don’t know how I knew I was still there, but I could feel it. I could also sense that it was late. I wanted to get up from the floor, but I didn’t have the energy.

I thought about Kandise. Wondered if she was still in the parking lot. Was she worried about me? Was she looking for me?

I reached into my jean pocket and pulled out my cell phone. The clock read 1:15 a.m. “Shit.” I dialed Kandise’s number. A second later, I heard her ringtone go off. I quickly sat up and looked around the room. A dim light engulfed the room in an eerie glow. Blood and body parts lay strewn about. No sign of Kandise.

I tried to stand up. I needed to find Kandise’s phone and then Kandise herself. But before I had the chance to stand up, I sensed I wasn’t alone anymore.

“I wouldn’t, if I were you. You’re very weak.” Robert emerged from the shadows. One look at him and all the events that led up to this moment came rushing back. My hand flew to my neck, where Robert had bitten me. As I felt the two puncture wounds on my neck, my eyes locked with Robert’s. My breath caught on an inhale – or maybe a gasp, I wasn’t sure. My mind was telling me I should be terrified. I tried to convince myself. But looking at Robert, knowing what he was, what he did, turned me on.

“I’m glad you’re not afraid,” Robert said.

“You can read my mind,” I said matter-of-factly.

“I can. You can too, if you want.”

“Am I - ”

“Not yet. I would never turn you by force. You have a choice, Jen. Human or vampire? But before you decide, listen to what I have to say. I know you feel it, this attraction between us, it isn’t normal. It’s like two magnets coming together. I can give you everything you desire. I can show you the world, give you powers beyond imagining. You’d be stronger, and faster. You’d have the ability to read people’s minds, and of course, you’d live forever. With me.”

“All you have to do,” continued Robert. “Is say yes. I’ve already drained you of a lot of blood – which by the way, was delicious.” Robert’s tongue quickly swept across his lips, his teeth glinting ever so slightly. “All you have to do is drink from me and from your first victim.”

“My first victim?”

Just then, Robert’s friend in the Dracula costume walks into the room, carrying Kandise’s body.

“Oh my god, did you kill her?” My question was barely a whisper.

Robert responded. “No. But to prove your loyalty to me, she will be your first victim.”

Some of the magic that I was feeling dissolved at his words. I couldn’t look away from Robert, but I wanted to. I wanted to look at Kandise, I wanted to save my friend. Tears pooled over my eyes and I had to blink to see again. I was not a murderer. I knew I would have to kill people, but I thought it would be strangers. I could maybe handle strangers. But friends?

I could see Robert reading my thoughts. He didn’t say anything though. We just stared at one another in silence. Him, begging me to chose him. Me, begging him to spare my friend. Neither one of us seemed to budge. On a sigh, Robert finally spoke. “I guess your lack of an answer means I should let you go. I’ll drop you off at the hospital, make sure you get a blood transplant – you need it. Then I’ll leave. Don’t worry, both you and your friend will be fine. I’m a man of my word. “

As Robert helped me to my feet, I threw myself at him. I hugged him with all the strength I had, which wasn’t much. I loved him. I would never let him go.

“I’ll do it.”

Turning Myself and Friends into Foods

1. Hello, my name is Jennifer, and I am a candy apple. I’m round, and have this hard outer coating. If you’ve never had one before, maybe you wouldn’t know that the hard coating is nothing but candy – sweet. And if you break through and get to the center, you get a juicy, delicious, good for you treat!

2. Kandise Bowser: My spicy mango grilled potato friend. When you first encounter Kandise, she looks a bit fried and hard around the edges. At closer glance, you’re engulfed in her chili powder – very spicy. But keep “chewing”, eventually you start to notice a sweet taste to Kandise. That’s the mango sneaking up on you. Once you’ve experienced her, you get used to her spicy personality because underneath all that fire lies a secret sweet potato. The more you experience it, the more you notice it.

3. Jeffrey Dorvil: A staple in my group. He’s white rice. Not very special at first glance, but an every day necessity. You get used to having him around, and when he’s gone, you miss him terribly. He goes with everything, ya know!

4. Ashley Pardo: This particular friend of mine likes to make noise. She likes the attention. She’s all colors and is sweet, but she’s more than that, she’s sassy. Ashley is a bag of Pop Rocks

5. Alyssa Vaquero is a box of grape and strawberry Nerds. Tiny, sweet, and with a crunch. Like Nerds, you like Alyssa the moment you first “try” her, and you never get tired of her. Forever sweet, forever colorful. Just looking at a box makes you smile.

My most memorable Halloween experience

It’s a little hard to pick just one. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, but I didn’t get many chances to celebrate it how I wanted to. There are a few key moments throughout the years that stand out in my mind.

I love when trick or treating happens on the 31^st. it is so bizarre a concept that different towns celebrate Halloween on different days. It takes the magic away. As a child, even if I wasn’t allowed to go out, I would see the kids. As early as 4 o 5 p.m., you could see kids in their costumes running around. But the magic always happened later. The sun would set, and it would get dark. The wind would pick up just slightly, blowing the leaves on the ground, and the streets would be filled with monster, clowns, fairies, all sorts of things. The sounds of kids, their laughter, their footsteps as they ran down the street, the words ‘Trick or Treat’, all carried throughout the neighborhood by that chilly wind. It was a different world. I wanted to sadly to be part of it.

I remember one year, I convinced my mom to take me trick or treating. I was so excited! I got dressed up as a witch – all in black. I even put fake nails on. I was ready, but my mom said it was too early. Kids began to knock on our door. We had candy, so I opened the door and gave them candy. It was the first year we had people knock on our door. I was excited, but anxious to get out there myself. Finally, after bugging my mom for what felt like an eternity, she relented. As we were leaving the house, I began to realize that we hadn’t had a trick or treater at our door for a while; and when I looked up and down my block, not a single soul was in sight. Only the wind with the leaves. It was too late. My mom walked me up and down the block – I guess to say that I at least got to dress up and parade around in my outfit. Then we went back home.

In middle school, I was old enough to go out on my own. That year was a fun year. I was in the 7^th grade and me, and my friends Ana L, Ana M, and Steven went trick or treating. I don’t remember what I dressed up as. It was either a witch or a vampire. I remember I was excited though. Finally, I would be part of the magic. We headed out and knocked on a few doors, and got candy. We even went into a bar and got candy from them as well. We passed so many kids. I didn’t even care about the candy. I was just in awe of all the costumes. After a while, Steven told us that he had heard that the skating rink had free ice skating with free skate rentals on Halloween, so we all decided to walk to Wonderland of Ice and check it out. Once there, it was confirmed by the long line of kids, that they indeed had free ice skating. We managed to get ice skates and got on the ice. I’m not a good ice skater, I learned that night, but I still had a great time. We eventually left the skating rink and knocked on a couple of more houses. It was getting late and Halloween was almost over for that year.

As I said goodbye to my friends, we talked about the idea of having a party next year. That idea was wonderful and so, the following year a bunch of us got together and threw a party at Steven’s garage. We decorated the garage and put a tap in the front to cover the entrance. It kept the wind out, and gave it a spookier feeling. We lit candles, and even got a few couches in there. It looked great. Once we got the stereo pumping, the party began. We danced and talked, and even played truth or dare. In the middle of our game, I saw a shadow on the other side of the tarp. It looked like a man with a chainsaw. I tried to tell everyone but it was too late. A split second later, we heard a chainsaw go off and a man lifted the tarp and came at us. We all screamed. It was Steven’s dad, wanting to get in on the fun. That was the best prank ever!

But my favorite Halloween memory didn’t actually happen on October 31^st. My freshman year of college, my roommate and some hall-mates all decided to go to Trail of Terror. A section of woods that is closed off and turned into a huge haunted house sort of thing. You go through mazes, cabins full of bloody body parts. Hands come from the walls and grab you, zombies pop out of the dark. You meet witches, and giant tree people. The little girl from the ring even came out of the well! It was the most fantastic Halloween experience of my life. I don’t even know how long we were walking around for – 30 or 40 minutes. It was long, and spooky, and perfect. I honestly don’t know what was the best part – watching the little girl crawl out of the well, cackling back at a witch, getting turned around in a moving maze where our entire group got separated…I don’t know. All I know is, there hadn’t been another Halloween experience that I’ve enjoyed more than Trail of Terror.

Motivation Or Lack Of...

There are days, actually nights - usually when I'm at work, where I have all this energy and want to do a million things, but can't because I'm stuck at work. I vow to do this and that during the week when I'm off...then the week comes and I do nothing. Literally, nothing. I spend my time off either on the couch or in bed. Playing video games and watching stuff. It's great, but not so great. I like doing it...but I get bored at the same time and terribly lonely. Maybe if I could do nothing with someone...

But the weather is getting really nice and I want to do other things. Like go to a carnival or go to the park. Go for a walk. Maybe go to the mall and window shop...or do some real shopping. Heh. I'm wasting my life and I keep telling myself that I need to go out there and enjoy it while I still can...but I never do. I've been telling myself this since high school...I'm 27...I've wasted over a decade already. I remember thinking that when I was out of high school and in my 20's that my self confidence would be greater, that I would do all these things...that my life would finally begin. But it didn't, at least not in the way I hoped. And I only have myself to blame for that.

Audiobooks

I'm a reader, I love to read my books because I can go at my own pace and I can read out loud and play with different inflections. I don't care for audiobooks, at least the (very) few that I've heard. They sound too robotic for my taste. But I hear audiobooks are quite popular, and not all books are narrated in the same robotic tone.

Last year I stumbled across a website, ACX, and it's for authors looking to turn their books into audiobooks and for narrators to audition for these books. It really intrigued me because I've always wanted to do voice-over work - how cool would it be if I were the voice of a cartoon!? - I thought that I could bring a more lively narration to audiobooks, if that's something an author was looking for, I would love to try to give it to them. I auditioned for a few books but never got a response. I wasn't surprised, I have no experience and my feeling weren't hurt or anything - that's part of the audition process. Well there was 1 audition that had been pending this whole time and the author emailed me yesterday and asked if I was still interested in working on her book. Um, heck yeah! So I said yes, lol. And hopefully we'll get all the details ironed out as far as what she's looking for in terms of narration and what the time frame is. And soon, I may have an audiobook narrated by yours truly. :-D

Dreams of Friendship?

I've been having bizarre dreams these last two days. They're making me think about certain people.

The first one was with Alyssa. She was mostly Alyssa, but part of her was also my cousin. Her and my aunt go into some argument and Alyssa decided she didn't want to associate herself with my aunt anymore. We ended up in her bedroom and her walls were covered with pictures. Alyssa started to take down all of the pictures she had of my aunt and handed them over to me saying that I should give them to my aunt because she wanted nothing to do with her. Then she pulled out the only 3 pictures she had of me because my aunt was in them as well. I told her that those were the only pics she had of me and she said she didn't care.

It really hurt my feelings. I wanted to cry. I think I might have.

Obviously this was a dream, because in real life I wouldn't really be upset about it, I would have just commented that I would give her new pics of me.

This isn't the first time I've had dreams of Aly where she hurts my feelings...I guess it's leftover pain from everything that went down between us. We are in a much better place today, but it seems like a part of my heart still hurts. I hope it isn't something that lasts forever.

Anyway, the dream I had today affected me much more than the Aly dream. It was actually a two parter, sort of. The first "part" was about my childhood best friend, Stephanie. I don't remember much of the details, except that I was seeing her for the first time in years, and we were catching up and everything was great. It was as if no time had passed, and actually in my dream I felt we were even closer than ever. Her mom showed up (though in my dream it didn't physically look like her mom) and we were all talking. I woke up then probably because my room was hot and I had to use the bathroom. HAHA. But when I fell asleep again, I went into part two. I don't know what happened, exactly, it wasn't mentioned, but Stephanie was dead. I remember feeling so devastated. Lost. And I went back to her childhood home where her mom still lived (only the dream. In RL they no longer live there), and of course the house didn't look like anything it does in real life...but I went there and went to the back yard and underneath some leaves and an old rug I found some old middle school IDs for both me and Stephanie. Finding those IDs somehow broke my heart even more than before.

There was a bit more to the dream before I woke up, but that feeling I felt of losing Stephanie was what I took with me when I woke up, and I didn't like at all. This is also not the first dream I've had with Steph, although this is the first one where she has died. I didn't like it. At all.

I don't know what's going on in my subconscious, but there's something going on with really close friendships...Stephanie was my childhood best friend, Alyssa was my high school best friend. Maybe I'm just missing them individually? Maybe I'm missing my current best friends since we're in different states...I dunno.

I'm Awake!!!

I just had a frightening experience! I couldn't wake up from my dream!!! Actually, I couldn't wake up from my dreamssss. Multiple. I was dreaming that I was dreaming that I was in a dream within a dream and so on and so forth. I knew it was a dream because I wasn't wearing my glasses so I couldn't really see, and it was night time and dark, and I couldn't move very well - I was trapped in my comforter. But I was in an apartment and I was trying to figure out a way to wake up. And every time I woke up - or thought I woke up - I ended up back in the beginning of the dream. So I had to try a different approach to wake up. Eventually I guess I "passed" that particular dream, because then I was in a different dream. I was in some sort of castle, this time I had my glasses, but it was still dark and I kept waking up but still stuck dreaming. When I was there, I realized that not only was I dreaming, but that I was dreaming in a dream. And even if I managed to wake up, I would still be dreaming.

My mom in real life was getting ready for work, and I could hear the noises she was making in my dreams, so I started yelling at the top of my lungs, "Help! Please, wake me up. Wake me up!!!" Hoping that if I screamed it hard enough that the real life version of me would start to scream it too and maybe my mom would come and wake me up. But it didn't work, all it did was agitate me more because I felt like I'd been trapped in this dream realm for days. And so now I'm running around yelling, and crying, and I just want to wake up. And finally I do...but it's not real! How did I know? Because I was in some sort of Nikita dream, with bad guys and guns and all sorts of things. I just wanted to wake up! Finally, it was time for my mom to go to work so she came into my room to say goodnight and pulled me out of all of these dreams. I was truly awake this time! I felt so super relieved, and so super exhausted!!!

This is probably confusing to follow, but let me tell you...it was scary. I really thought I was stuck in dreamland forever, and they weren't the usual cool dreams/nightmares that I have, where I wouldn't mind. These were just odd (for me) and I didn't like them much. So the idea of being stuck there was really upsetting. *sighs* Hope this doesn't happen again any time soon.

Look at that...2 days in a row!

Don't mind my random jumps in topics, I'm a little all over the place today.

I opened up a savings account today. It was super duper easy! I already have a checking account, so I just went to my bank's website and clicked here and there and TADA - savings account! Now that our bills are up to date, I can finally start saving up for a car. (YAY). I want it quick, and I want it cheap. Don't want to make outrageous car payments for like 2 years (*ahem* mother), and I also want a small compact cart. I'm going for a Beetle. Let the money saving begin!

***

I'm trying to get back to my roots (never thought I'd say something like that). I'll be honest, I have spent a lot of time distancing myself from my culture. Some things haven't been on purpose, but other things have. There are certain aspects that embarrassed me and I didn't want to be associated with where I came from. I lived in the US and I thought that if I acted like every one else, people wouldn't see me as Puerto Rican...in a way...It's a little hard to explain. I've never denied that I was Puerto Rican, and I love being able to speak Spanish, but aside from that, I didn't really want to be associated with anything else. I only listened to Spanish music at home, and I don't have much of an accent - even though when I learned to speak English I hadn't intentionally try to lose it, it just happened. I don't know why I thought we were below others, but that's what I thought; add that to the fact that I grew up in Connecticut and you've got one pretty Americanized Puerto Rican. But recently, I've been missing it. I miss the music, and the expressions, and the atmosphere of a Hispanic home. The funny thing is, I realized this probably because of my fascination with Japanese culture. Learning about their culture made me realize that I've neglected my own.

So I've been trying to speak Spanish more often, and I'm listening to a lot more Spanish music - because over the years the amount I listened to has dwindled, maybe I'll get back to watching Telenovelas. ;) I've also been thinking a lot about Hispanic cuisine - which I love. I'm tired of going to a store to get an alcapurria and not have it taste good. Or trying to find someone who knows someone who knows an old lady that makes pasteles only to buy some and not be crazy about them. I've decided that I need to learn how to make them. If I can learn how to make desserts and how to decorate a cake, I'm pretty sure I can learn how to make the Hispanic foods that I like. So I've got a (mental) list of the things I want to learn to make. First on the list, alcapurrias. It's getting warm out and I'm starting to crave those little suckers. I will be attempting to make them sometime in the next 2 weeks. I'm leaning more towards next week because I have book club this week and have to get ready for that, plus I'm trying to spend some time with aunt which I haven't done in months. I'll try to remember to post pics of my creation and tell you all how it went down.

***

A co-worker of mine got a tattoo this week and it's freaking gorgeous! It's a pile of books and the artist did just a beautiful job, the colors are phenomenal!!! It couldn't have come at a better time, because I've been looking at tattoo parlors to get my moon tattoo (finally) and I hadn't found a place or person that made me want to schedule and consultation with. But after seeing  her tat, I got the name of the place and person who did hers and I'm most definitely going to check it out. She also told me he does a lot of custom tattoos which is even more perfect because maybe I can finally get that Sailor Moon tattoo I've wanted since I was 12 years old but doesn't really exist. Heh. So I could be getting some new ink real soon!

Look Who Popped up!

As we all know, I lack discipline. That's why it's been 3 months since I'm updated this blog, even though one of my New Years resolutions was to write MORE.

But I'm not a complete and total failure! I have been doing very well reading and reviewing books. Book Universe (whose name may be changing soon) has been updated frequently; so I have been writing more...just not as much as I had planned. Plus talking about books I've read wasn't really what I had in mind when I said I needed to write more. I'm still very out of practice in my writing and I really want to tackle a new story, and also revisit The Cotton Candy Girls: Emma and do another edit. I feel mentally I'm ready, and I understand what this story needs more of (and no, it isn't sex).

So I'm going to try this one more time - writing regularly. Truth be told, there are a few times a week where I think of something and say to myself, "I need to blog this!" But I don't. Why? Because I'm lazy. No other excuse, really. I wish I had a desk at home where I could sit with my laptop, I would get a lot more done. When I'm in bed, I end up playing Sims 3 or SimCity. When I sit in my "pimp" chair, I end up playing Sims 3 or SimCity even more hardcore. Hehe. And when I sit on the couch, I end up playing with my PS3 or watching something. I need a desk! Or a dining room table at least. Somewhere I can sit and type away - like I'm doing now at work.

Short but to the point

Fucking shit!!!

That was said like George Lopez says it. Let me tell you; I woke up last night, and I wasn't all that hungry. So I made food but didn't each much, and I put it away so I could eat it this morning when I got home from work. Well I get home, and I'm super excited cuz I'm starving, and so I grab a plantain and cut it all up and start cooking it. When it's almost done, I go to the fridge to get my food out to warm up and it's gone! I'm over here making tostones and I don't have any food in the fridge. WTF, mate!?

*Sigh* Moving on...

I'm on a roll! I read and reviewed another story, you should check it out. But that's probably because the stories I'm reading are short. Hehe.

Book Universe is back!

So far my resolution to read more is going well. I finished the Paisley Scott book I mentioned yesterday and I wrote a brief review over on Book Universe. Guess we're back in business. Hah.

As of right now, I'm keeping Aly on the blog as well. She used to do reviews with me. The blog originally started out as a random occurrence. I wanted to keep track of the really good books I read and I liked the idea of having a blog dedicated to it. I ended up reviewing every book I read whether it was good or bad. Slowly, I began to get readers and eventually I had authors contacting me and asking me to read and review their books. I was in heaven - free books!!! But then I started getting busy with my own writing, and I wasn't reading/reviewing as much. I still did the books that were sent to me, but nothing else. Because I wanted to keep up with it, I asked my friend Aly if she wanted to collaborate. We've known each other since high school, and reading was one of the things we bonded over, so I knew she was the right person to ask. She was game, so then it was the two of us. Then I got busier, and it was just her. But she got busy as well, and I realized that we both didn't have the time for it anymore, so I decided to end it.

I will be chatting with Aly tomorrow, to catch up with each other, and I'll bring the blog up. I know she's busy with school and things like that, so if she decides to stay on I don't expect her to have reviews that frequent, but she's always welcomed. :)

Read More, Huh?

I think the universe has added a little incentive to my resolution about reading more.

I recently re-discovered a gem of a book called Secret Santa 4U by Paisley Scott and as fate would have it, Twitter suggested I befriend her, so of course I did! Well, she posted a tweet for an Amazon Best Sellers list of 100 erotic stories that they are currently offering for free. Guess who is at number one? Paisley Scott with a book titled, Sugar Shack. So of course I had to download it, and while I was at it, I decided to check the rest of the list out. I found a few books that piqued my interest. So, I have a feeling, I'll be reviewing soon. ;)

I linked my old review of Secret Santa 4U and linked the Amazon page in case anyone wanted to peruse. :)

1st Blog of 2013

Hey hey hey people! Happy be-lated holidays and happy new year. I hope every one had a great time these last couple of weeks. Nothing eventful happened to me, so there is no need to recap the holidays for you. I guess, like everyone else, I have some resolutions for the new year. Let me share them with you:

1. Read more! Once upon a time, I would read on average 3 books a week. Now, I know I've grown and I've changed...and I know I've been scared because of my book addiction; but that is no reason to stop reading altogether! I have gotten pickier with my books too, but no matter. I plan on reading more. I may even re-open my book review blog, Book Universe. We'll see...

2. Write more! I miss writing. I'm not where I used to be, and I need motivation. I figure, if I enter little writing contests that will help with my skill and help me to get back into the swing of things. :) Anybody got any cool contests they want to tell me about? LOL.

3. Lose some weight. Yeah, doubt this one will happen, but I'll try. I'll say 10 pounds. Now the trick is going to keep the 10 pounds off. I usually have these 7 pounds that come and go every couple of weeks. So I want to lose the 7 plus 3 more and keep them off. It's not a lot and it won't make a difference, but seeing the numbers on the scale will make me feel better.

Those are my main resolutions for the year.

Now, moving on...this may sound rather self-centered of me, but I want a website. All about me! Blog entries, book reviews, pictures of me and things I bake. I don't know, just a Jen world. (Jen is my name, just in case you didn't know). I might look into free website places, and maybe I'll get one. I doubt it'll be exciting but I think it'll be neat and it's something to do. I'm much more active online than I am offline, so I figure I should make myself known online...again. I've fallen through the cracks these last few years. It's time to re-appear!

Anyway, that's it for now. Just my usual ramblings. :)