Encyclopedia of Me - I

"I Don't Eat My Drumsticks":


This is the name of my little brother's blog, and though he doesn't post a lot, I always love reading the ones he writes! He especially loves writing about games, music, and photography.

Imagination/Inspiration

I combined these two because I think they often go together. The inspiration for all of my artistic projects is often imaginative, and therefore tons of fun to create. I use my imagination daily, from the moment I get up and ponder my current novel in the shower to the minutes just before I fall asleep, when I tell myself stories in the hopes that my dreams will finish them for me. You can make any mundane project fun with a little imagination, which helps when I want to pass the time while folding laundry or washing the dishes.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

This book was almost as good as its predecessor, Divergent, which I absolutely loved. A bunch of my friends and I are going to go out to dinner in March and then catch the movie afterwards. The trailers for it are amazing. I can't wait!

It's the End of the World As We Know It by Kate I. Foley

This is the short story I wrote for the Fauxpocalypse anthology. I had so much fun writing it and couldn't get the song out of my head for weeks. Plus, it's the first story I've ever had published!

iPod

I carry my iPod with me everywhere. It's such a handy tool when I'm out and want to look something up or write something down and my computer isn't nearby. It also has all my music on it, which is a necessity when I'm writing. I often use the mail app when I want to catch up on my e-mails whenever I have a few minutes, or check my Twitter and Pinterest accounts. (I also want to give a little shout-out to the song "I Will Wait" by Mumford & Sons, which was a huge inspiration to me while I was writing The Sorceress, and the band Imagine Dragons, which I listen to on a regular basis.)

I.N.C.H.

This is the name of the homeschool group that my mom set up, and I'm so glad she did! Without it, I never would've met my best friend, Kirsten, let alone all of the other amazing friends I have today. Even though a lot of my friends who started out homeschooling have gone to public school, they often come to the park with us during the summer and make sure to keep in touch via text or e-mail.

Isabel

Isabel is my (sort of) middle name, and I absolutely love it! There's actually a funny story as to why I have it. When I was little (maybe four or five), I was under the impression that since Max's middle name is Perry, mine was Perry, too. When my dad broke the news to me that I didn't have a middle name, and that Perry was only Max's, I started crying. A little bit later, my mom and dad told me that they had thought about giving me the middle name Isabel, and asked if I would like that. Of course I loved the idea, and the name, and have used it ever since, even though it's legally not my middle name (yet).

Isabel is also the name of the main character in my newest WIP, Sing a Song of Raindrops, which is a YA fantasy novel. She usually goes by the nickname Izzy, though. (Click HERE to see my Pinterest board for it, if you're interested. Lots of cool pictures there.)

Internet

(I totally stole this one from from Max. He couldn't believe I didn't think of it myself, but I couldn't resist using it once he'd mentioned it.)

The internet is pretty freaking amazing. We have instant access to all the knowledge in the world, and then some. We can communicate with anyone, anywhere, anytime through a thousand different websites. We can create videos that go viral. We can download music with the click of a button. We can share ideas and inspire people to create their own, all with a few taps of the keyboard. I can't imagine a world without it.