My Writing

Hello!

So I thought I would start off my first day on this schedule to actually tell you a bit about my writing history. :)

I have been writing on and off my whole life, well sense I could write anyway. I went to a middle and grade school that put a lot of emphasis on writing, both creative and academic. We had a guy in our school that came I think about once a week. His name was Word Man, he always said "Show, don't tell" Back then I wrote a lot of poems and I had one published when I was in 7th grade I think.

Once I got to high school I wrote a little bit, mainly fantasy back then, some of it is on elfwood. After that I kind of just stopped writing, I'm not entirely sure why.

I kept tabs on a friend from elfwood the lovely Emma Kathryn :) She offered me a lot of advice and answered all of my questions most graciously and I will always be in her debt. Once I went to college i started to think about getting my name out in the writing world. She introduced me to anthology writing and blogging too actually. Because of her I found Static Movement and the lovely Chris Bartholomew. and Pill Hill Press and the lovely Jessy :)

So thank you Emma!

From there I have been published in 6 books, so far. All horror. I am also currently working on a novel which has no name yet. If you have any questions about writing or me please ask so I have topics :)

Have a wonderful day dearies!

Formerly Where the dark things are.

So i changed the name of this blog. Hopefully most of you will see this post so you not like who the heck is that lol.

I just thought my blog needed some brightening up. Also my posting will probably be Tuesdays and Thursdays. Tuesday will be a day to post about me and my life or answer any questions you have about me. Thursday will be my adventures in writing or books or something along those lines.

Hopefully you will all continue joining me on this journey :)

~Kelley

New Name

I think i may rename my blog if i can think of something. Just a heads up!

Christmas Cheer and a few questions.

Ah winter and the joys (and sickness) that come with it. I am sick and so here i am to chat with you lovely people :)

How was everyones Christmas (or other holiday)?Mine was nice with lots of food :) I got some neat gifts, like a quesadilla maker, and a coffee pot . Some clothes and other little trinkets i got as well nothing to big but it was all lovely.

Also over the last week or so i have been thinking of overhauling my blog and i still plan to sometime this week. I also plan on coming up with a schedule of when i shall be blogging. But i will be honest that i don't know what to talk about, i have no kids or job problems so im not sure what to talk about. So by all means do you have any questions for me or blogging ideas for me? Please share!

Cartoon Blogfest!

Hello bloggers! Today is Jennee @ Cheap Therapy awesome blogfest about cartoons! I am to to pick my top ten and share them with you lovely people :) So in no particular order i give you CARTOONS!!!

1) Invader Zim - I adore

this show especially Gir the greendog/little robot guy! This show only made it 2 seasons :( because nickelodeon thought it was not good for children. Its about

an alien wanna to take

over but i find it funny so idk but i love it.

and here is a

Gir video!

2) South Park - This show is highly offensive but very funny still.

Its about 4 boys from south park, Colorado and all there adventures! My Favorite episode is Christmas in Canada :)

3) Futurama - A boy frozen to the future who works as a space delivery boy, need i say more?

(I have run out of time so i will just give the rest of my list :) Sorry)

4) Dexter's Laboratory

5) Simpsons

6) Rockos Modern Life

7) Hey Arnold

8) Recess

9) The Magic School Bus

10) CatDog

Be Jolly by Golly!

It is time for the Blogfest! Hosted by Jen @ Uneditedand Melissa @ Through the Looking Glass!

Okay so because of snow i got stuck at my college but my lovely family sent some pictures so i can show off some of my decorating at home :)

This is our tree the one on the left is the one i was sent the one on

the

right i took before i left. We got a real tree f

or the first time in years but i love it :D

This is my pride and joy! i set this village up every year, though we are starting to run out of space for it. Also i try to set it up different every year which is starting to be a challenge!

These adorable snowmen are a new addition to our decorations this year. They were given to us by my grandmother and i just love them.

I also like my mom's candle holder lamps that are sitting on either side of the snowmen!

Ok my holiday treat is rocky road candy!

I make it as a gift for my grandpa every year!

and my Favorite drink is a strawberry daiquiri punch. (the non alcoholic kind for me.)

Hope you all enjoy and have a very Merry Christmas!!

Blogfests Galore!

Hello all! As i am trying to be more active on here and gain more followers not that i don't love the ones that i already have there are 2 things that will happen in the next few weeks. 1. A Blog overhaul. It's time for a new look. and 2. Im going to be doing some blogfests :) Since i don't have much time i will post the ones i am doing and a brief summary and link.

DEC 20: Holly by Golly Blogfest

(Yes, it's today and i will post my entry later!)
Melissa at Through the Looking Glass and Jen at Uneditied. Have come up with this lovely one. Here are the rules:

1. Post your blog sometime on December 20th.
2. We want pictures of your decorations, holiday lights and Christmas tree.
3. Share your favorite holiday treat (Feel free to share the recipe so we can all share in the yummy).
4. Share your favorite holiday drink (Either alcoholic or non, share your recipe if you please - you're all going to want to drink mine so I'd like some options to steal too).
5. Don't forget to visit everyone else, share in the holiday spirit and spread the cheer.

DEC 22: Cartoon Blogfest

Over at Cheap Therapy Jennee is have a blogfest that i almost missed!

The link sign up is right at the top of the page! The rules? Just post about your top ten cartoons of all time! It should be rather interesting :)

JAN 01 - 31: 100 words for $100

Elena over at You're Write. Except when you're Rong. Has come up with the 100 words for $100 dollars blogfest. Objective: Write one 100-word sentence (with a 5-word leeway, so between 95 words or 105 words). You may use ONE semi-colon, if necessary. There is no genre. The only requirement is that you love it enough to post it on various social networking sites. Then sometime in January post it. She will pick the top ones and they will be voted on :)

JAN 02: The No Kiss Blogfest

I like the sound of this one that Frankie is doing over at Frankie Writes.

What: The No Kiss Blogfest! This is when you get to write a scene or post one from your favorite books, movies, and tv shows that show the almost kiss-- the rising, crushing, excruciating, longing, tension that comes from when two characters get oh-so-close to kissing that you can just feel it....and then...they don't!

All Year! : Write 1 Sub 1 Challenge! I found out about it on Madeleine's site Scribble and Edit. Where she had found it from others as well. Here is the short jist of it.

• Write and submit one short story every week, starting the first week of January 2011 and ending the last week of December 2011.

• Goal: 52 new submissions in 52 weeks.

• You don't have to submit the story that you've written that week within the same week although that's what Bradbury did. (Sometimes it’s better to set a story aside for a while and come back to it.)

• The length of your story can be as short as Flash or Microfiction (140 characters - 55 words) or as long as a novelette (15,000 words). Any style, any genre: whatever you want to write.

• Every week there will be a "check-in" post where you can tell everyone about your progress; share your triumphs and disasters (or Tweet them with the #write1sub1 Twitter hashtag).

Well I have to run off now but be looking for these fests! :)

Minnesnowta/Iceconsin

Hello Bloggers!
I'm not sure where most of you live but here in the frosty Midwest we had an exciting week end last week. We had 17 inches of snow! 17!! Most activities shut down but some people braved the cold and snow to shovel or attempt to drive. I had to drive the next day and it was still terrible!
Ah, winter. But it is nice to be done with finals and at home, despite the snow. But the snow can be lots of fun. There are things like sledding, skiing, snowboarding, and ice skating. I love to be outside even though its super cold out. Also it means Christmas is coming up and i get to decorate which is always fun.

Do you have any fun outside things you love to do? And are you excited for Christmas?

Time Travellers

Hello all,
I am sorry it has been a month but instead of being consumed by NaNo like so many people (i kinda failed at it :/) I have had school! GAHHHHHH! But now i have a night, well early morning to talk to your dear people whom i have missed. You see I am with my friends that are doing a radio show here at our station WRFW. :) lovely people. There we all are last week the five of us. The first two in the front with the dreads and with the glasses are the actual DJ's but some of us go and listen and give out suggestions and random on air. It's rather fine and as i am rather quite lately, things have gone down hill that last month im single and my writing has halted completely, its rather sad.

Anyway besides that my school put on a Rocky Horror Picture Show thing which was fun we all dressed up and it was rather interesting. Other then that i have been on Facebook a lot so by all means add me if you have one or something :) Lets see besides that. I am almost on break which is awesome,and i am planning on writing!

Right now i am working on something for Serial Killers by Static Movement. It's rather interesting perhaps because of my degree?
How is everyone out there doing? Excited for the holiday? I am rather excited as we have several traditions coming up :) Cookie making is this weekend and the long distance relative party so it shall be fun! i will right more about all of it on Sunday :D

NaNoWriMo

Yes I am doing the great writer challenge and yes i am already behind :( ugh! But i'm actually ok with it because if i don't get 50,000 words i will still feel great i will still have at least part of a novel i have been meaning to write for a month or more now! Plus my time has just opened up as i am now single again.

It sucks but im young and who knows what will happen. Other then that lets see Friday was awesome my college had a lot of Halloween stuff. Some of my friends and myself dressed up and went over to the haunted hall and a haunted trail and a dance and it was a ton of ridiculous fun! Saturday i went out with the guy that was my boyfriend and had my best day in a long time. Then Sunday i saw him again and we talked and turns out he feels we are better as friends. I knew it was coming so its ok and i hopefully have a close friend now. And it open writing time ;)

So onto NaNo I have a great idea inspired by an escape i have every week thanks to my friends. I will also be posting blogs and attempting to read blogs too! Hope everyone is doing well :D

Halloween!

Happy Halloween!
I am back from the dead! Not really but it almost feels like it since i haven't been on at all the last few weeks due to midterms and other stressful things :P Stupid school :(

It makes me sad that i haven't been keeping up with all your fabulous blogs but starting tomorrow i am going to! I am setting aside time to both write and blog/ read blogs and they are a good way to de-stress so yay! I do not think i will attempt to go back and read everyones last few weeks of blogging because that would be tough sorry :(

In other news its Halloween. Anyone have any fun traditions or anything? I don't, as i am at that age where i am too old to go trick or treating, too young to party, and way too young to have kids. Yes my college had some stuff and it was pretty awesome but today is actually Halloween and nothing is going on at all. It is rather boring. I suppose it means i can write today though :)

Happy Halloween Everyone have a safe and awesome day!
Kelley

Good Evening M'dears

Hello all!
I am back for a night. Feeling a bit sick after eating fried ramen (I don't like normal ramen) but i will survive! Now me and my roommate are watching Some Like It Hot. A terrific black and white film with Marilyn Monroe. Watch it! lol

Anywho, I personally would love to be writing this next to my boyfriend typing this but he has way too much homework, but i still wish i was next to him. I mean we had a fight this weekend which made me put of writing but we worked it out :)

I have so many many ideas for writing but i just can't get it down on paper or on the computer. Do you ever have that problem? There are a few different anthologies that i want to write for but they just keep passing me by since for some reason i can't seem to write. It's very sad.

Apologies

I am so sorry to all my followers, new and old, my life has been very hectic lately but i should be able to write on here today after painting lets all hope so! Sorry all

Far Away

Sorry everyone i have been kind of MIA this last week i haven't even gotten to read any of your lovely blogs :( I also missed a Blog feast and reveling my lie! Only two people guessed :/ but Emma was right and Lynsie was wrong! #5 was the lie, i have been allowed to die my hair! In fact my hair was red all last year (i'm a natural blonde) and it has been half purple before to! All the others are true I did call my boyfriend Nanners for a while he hated it sometimes me and me roommate and a few other friends still say it when we mention him to each other. (thats what Lynsie though was a lie) Emma gets a gold star though!


SO what else... I actually got threw everyones Blog on the top ten Blogfest list i am very proud of myself!

Otherwise to be honest my mind has been rather far away first with school and having a lit. class and a philosophy class makes me have to read a ton every night. Also having a writing class means essays but I will try to keep updated on here both writing and reading as much as possible!


Also i am excited because i got in to Oh, the Horror! by static movement at the very last minute :) Im very glad i found a home for the story that made it in i had tried to get it in to a different anthology that i can't think of the name of at the moment but it didn't make the cut. But look at the cover for this i am glad i got something in Jessy did another wonderful job and the cast for this one is amazing as well its nice to be among such talent!

Other than that i am trying to keep up on my writing as there are some good looking anthologies out there right now but we will see i will be back later this week with more! :)

Top Ten TV Shows

Today is the day Blogger's it the day of Alex J. Cavanaugh's Blogfest (i would have linked you to his page right there had my links been working anyone else having problems with it or have any ways to help?)

Anywho now i will give you my list of my Top Ten TV Shows! yay!

1. Big Bang Theory -
I mean how can your not fall in love with this show? You have Sheldon who is too much of a nerd for his own good, Leonard who is obsessed with Penny, Penny who just likes them as friends and who isn't too smart, Rajh who cannot speak to women without alcohol, and Howard who hits on every women, Some of the comedy doesn't make sense unless you know sience but about 98% of it everyone get and its hilarious.


2. Criminal Minds -
This show is exactly what i want to do with my life. This show is about the BAU (behavioral analysis unit) and they are profilers. They get a call about a serial killer and they fly to wherever it at and they profile the type of person they think the killer is, gender, age, race, etc. It is a truly amazing show. I can't describe it well so i will so just watch it give it a chance :)

3. Warehouse 13 - This is more for the nerd/history major in us all. Its about two secret service agents who get transferred to the middle of no where at a warehouse. It turns out this warehouse collects artifects that are a threat to our nation. Its an excellent show very suspensful and action filled but with a softer side too i highly recommend it :)

4. Grey's Anatomy - One of my guilty pleasures, for some reason i just love the drama in this show. Im not even sure what to say about this show, it follows a women Meredith Grey and her years as an intern and her friends i will not say much more i will just say watch it!

5. How I Met Your Mother -
I love the story line of this show and how at the beginning of each episode its a guy talking to his kids about his past. Ted the man telling the story is a nice guy who just can't seem to find the right girl. Marshal is his best friend who got lucky and found the right girl and is going to marry her. Lilly is Marshals wife. Barney is the player of the group. And Robin is their Canadian friend. Basically this show is about there friendship and there relationships.

6. Seinfeld -
Old school show but i grew up with it because my dad loved it so much. Its a show about nothing. Its really about friends and day to day life its rather unique. Jerry plays a comedian, his neighbor is Kramer, who is crazy and funny. Elaine is there female friend who dances like she is flailing from a seizure and George is the short balding friend who cannot find women.

7. Pretty Little Liars -
My other guilty pleasure, this was a new show this year. I have read the first book in the series and i adore the show just as much. It's about 4 girls whose best friend goes missing. They find her dead and then they girls start getting mysterious text about there secrets. Very dark and mysterious but very good and very addictive.




8. Veronica Mars -
A slightly older show that only lasted three seasons, which i think is dumb. the first season is about a teenage girl whose best friend was murdered and no one knows who did it. At the time of the murder the girls dad was sheriff but he accused the dead girls father of having something to do with her death. After that all blew over the sheriff got taken out of office and started a PI business and his daughter joins him always working on her friends murder while doing side jobs too.

9. House -
House is well House. It's a show about a rather unorthodox doctor who always seems to find whats wrong in the end. This show is excellent though, the story line is wonderful and full of so much drama and it just tugs at your heartstrings. I love this show :)





10. Burn Notice - Its a show about a fired (burned) spy named Micheal. He gets dumped in Miami and has nothing they call his ex girlfriend Fiona who is a bit trigger happy and his friend Sam who is retired and informs for the FBI. His mom also lives in Miami, but Micheal is not fond of his family. Another great show :D


That all everyone! look them up and enjoy them!

The creative ones...

Hello dear ones!
Emma Kathryn has nominated me for a Creative Bloggers Award.
There are two sections to doing this. 1) you must tell 6 weird lies and 1 funky truth or 6 weird truths and 1 funky lie. Part 2) i must nominate 5 others for this award as well. I will do this part first. (Emma took some of the people i would have liked to nominate :P) I think these people are very talented and deserve this just as much as the people Emma nominated as well, the order means nothing :)

1. Jamara...A Mission Impossible for the Dark Fantasy Nightwriter
2. Charles Day...Charlie In The Box
3. Reverend Wayne Austin Goodchild... ...the change has started...
4.D. Nathan Hilliard... A Dark and Stormy Blog
5.Goatboys Dirty Corner

Go check them out :)

And now into my 6 things :)

1. I met my boyfriend by random chance and called him Nanners for the first few months i knew him.
2. I cannot speak in public but i can act and sing and dance in shows just fine.
3. My inspiration is all in my head.
4. My best friend can read me like an open book, i walk into the room and he just knows what going on.
5. I like to dye my hair i just am never allowed.
6. I have an obsession with tattoos and there meanings even though i don't have any yet.

7. My editor hates that most of my stories everybody dies it but it just makes me kaugh when she complains.

Well let me know what you think and go check out those sites everyone :) also keep blogging all of you! <3

The Twisted Lit

TAA-DAAA My first book!!!

So Far it is rather good im not far into it but i will get through it between classes :) Im so happy about it looks so nice!

Other then that i have been hand writing a lot of stuff lately which is odd be cause my hand writing is really bad. Do any of you have bad hand writing? Also do you prefer to hand write drafts or just use your computer?

Hectic Times

Hello Darlings,
Im sorry its been awhile but things have been rather hectic for me lately. I am once again back in school, oh yay, so im getting into the swing of that. I also moved to school so i had that going on, i also had some personal stuff going on that all in all made it rather hard to come on here and update you :)

So lets see, Im very happily waiting for my copy of Ghosts and Demons by static movement that should get to my home on Wednesday i hope. It will be the first book that has one of my stories in it! i am so excited i will have to find a special place here to put it! Besides that i also know that Madness of the Mind by static movement is also on sale now but i have not purchased it yet and hopefully Daily Bites of Flesh will be out soon so i can buy them both in one save some money on shipping :D

I now have a rather large list of anthologies that i like the sound of and may write for but we will see how my schedule works, but now that i have a nice fancy notepad that i will carry with me hopefully i will be more inspired to write.

Well i hope everyone is doing well and that they are finding daily inspiration. Which leads me too, has anyone had something odd inspire them? and/or do you have a muse that helps you write?

Good Morning

My dears,
You know it will be a good day when as i am typing this i have just finished a bruggers bagel, i have coffee on the table in front of me, im waiting to here back on an anthology submission, and i am still sitting in the bagel shop writing this.

As we speak my dark ones i am waiting to hear the fate of my story "My Favorite Animal" which i submitted to Fearology 2. I know i will be waiting awhile as the deadline was ;last night and the editor informed us that he received 143 submissions of which i am 1. But im still excited if i make the cut this will be my first paid anthology and my first contributers copy :)

My other exciting news is that Ghosts and Demons is now being edited and will be sent to the printers this week! I don't care which book finishes first to be frank i just want one of them to bring to school with me and to start off my shelf with.

So my dear dark ones, do any of you have writing routines or a favorite place to write? i rally like writing here and the bagel/coffee shop but i do most of my writing at home and when i head back to school i will have to find a place to write or create a corner of my room into my writing space. Also do any of you eat as you write? or is it strictly writing for you?

More Rays of Light

Two more of more stories have been accepted to different anthologies. "Violet" was accepted to Ghosts and Demons (Static Movement). And "Star Gazing" was accepted to 2011 Daily Bites of Flesh (Pill Hill Press). I am very honored to be in both books!

Lately i haven't been writing and its odd for me because i love to write but lately i haven't been and it makes me rather sad because there is an antho that i would like to submit to that the deadline is this month. Also because i would like to start work on the novel i will hopefully one day produce.Does anyone have any ideas or tips to help me get back into that writing mood? i miss it.

~Kelley

The rainbow through the rain

Hello Dark Ones,
Although i am still upset i do have rather happy news! i got accepted into Creepy thing (Static Movement) :) This makes me rather happy and excited as it sounds like it will be an amazing book and also i love the cover art!



I also managed two finish two other stories today one for Daily Bites of Flesh and one that has no where to go at the moment but its still a nice piece. But among all the goodness i am a bit irked with myself as last night in bed i though of the complete beginning for a story but didn't want to get up to get my computer and write it as i was rather drained. And now i cannot remeber it at all!
Do any of you keep a notebook or anything close to your bed in case of something like this? Because i think i may start.
Also im wondering if there is anything specific any of you do to help you write/ get in the mood for writing? :)
Well thats all for now,
Kelley

Struggling

Hello Dark Ones,
I hope everyone is doing lovely this morning. I am not i got some rather upsetting news yesterday and haven't been in a mood to write since Tuesday and its rather bothersome as i have an idea. Does that ever happen to you?

But on the brighter side i am nearly ready to submit a story to Creepy Things which is exciting and i rather like the story i wrote for it. I am hoping this down feeling will not effect my writing although i seem to write best when upset. Is that odd? or do you think its because my emotions are up and the help me write?

I hope i'll be able to write the story that i have had the idea for since Tuesday morning today but we will see how it goes :)
Enjoy the day,
Kelley

Writer Type Things

Hello all!
Well first off i would like to start this lovely blog off by saying that i cranked out two stories for two different anthologies yesterday the sad this is one was just under a thousand words and the other was just over so im not too sure about them but we will see how it goes :)
Now then for you other writers out there isn't it wonderful to wake up in the morning with an idea for a story? That happened to me this morning and i can trace back the seed to it. You see right now i have a list of different anthologies i want to submit to because the seem up my alley for style and content. Right now on that list there are 14, 1 i already got accepted to and 2 others i just wrote for yesterday on the list at the top are the open until filled ones the going down by date. One of the ones on the list in fact the one with the earliest date is "Beware All Animals Great And Small" and i hadn't come up with anything i was trying to think of something randon some cute animal that i could use for this. And the other day me and my friend were walking through the woods talking about bunnies and how it would be funny if someone trained rabbits to kill like in monty python. This morning i woke up with an idea to write bout rabbits for the Beware antho that was off of this idea and that im rather excited to write.
And now a confession, I am a horrible editor i can't do it. So i have a girl her a friend of mine that helps me with it shows me what i need to edit and changes small things herself. This is me giving her an awesome thank you and the credit she deserves since her name does not appear on my stories so Rebecca THANK YOU!!! i am always in your debt for helping me!
And that all for now :)
<3 always,
Kelley

And The Darkness Begins.

Welcome to my little corner of the interwebs for my writing!
Ok so im not exactly new to writing i have been doing it for years but its just now that i have been more interested in getting my name out there and writing for publication. Thanks to my dear friend Emma i have found sites that i can get this done and start getting my name out there. and this is my blog to follow this journey yay!
So as of right now i have only been accepted to one anthology but still its my first one which is exciting! here is the cover:
Isn't it beautiful? my story Descent is in this one and im excited!
well today i plan to write for a few other ones i have found so i am off to do that!
<3 always,
Kelley (Altamarie)