Those who know me, definitely are aware that I love the history behind fairytales. Lots of research went into writing my novel Scarlette, which retells “Little Red Riding Hood” and sets it against historic events. So when I was perusing the Smithsonian TV app last week and happened upon a show entitled The Real Beauty […]
A Real Fairy Tale Cottage in Vancouver, B.C.
Oh, the magical things you find when traveling. I took a trip up to Vancouver, B.C. last week and was absolutely delighted to find the city’s historic “Hobbit House”! How adorable is this little fairy tale cottage? I absolutely love the roof, which is made of golden, curved shingles to resemble thatch. Builder Brenton T. […]
Purple Moleskines, Vignettes, and Vancouver Travels
I spent a much-needed getaway in Vancouver, B.C. these past five days. The break came right after finishing the first revision edits on the ghost story novel I’m working on. The trip was the perfect way to recharge. During the holiday I did my fair share of relaxing, but I decided to buy some mini […]
Anatomy of a Successful Ghost Story: Susan Hill’s ‘The Woman in Black’ Play Adaption Review
The end is nigh for the first revision/edit on my ghost story novel I’m currently co-writing. For some inspiration as I see my way to the finish line, I got my hands on the play The Woman in Black adapted from Susan Hill’s 1983 novel. I absolutely adore The Woman in Black. It’s definitely one of […]
Enchanting Tulip Fields in Washington (Pictures)
Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter holiday weekend. On Saturday I got to venture out to the Mount Vernon area in Washington to see the famous tulip fields in bloom for the first time. The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival consists of flower fields dispersed throughout the Skagit Valley and was inaugurated in 1984. What a […]
A Magical Look Inside Diagon Alley at Universal Studios, Orlando
I got to take a fantastic trip to Florida during the holidays, and I’m finally getting the pictures up from visiting Universal Studios, Orlando. It’s hard to put into words just how magical of an experience Diagon Alley was. I probably could’ve stayed there for at least a week photographing all the enchanting details. If I’m […]
Ten ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Dresses Inspired by Belle’s Yellow Gown
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast was one of my favorite movies as a child. Somewhere there’s video footage of me dressed as Belle singing every song from the movie while acting out the film as a one-woman show. Thankfully those tapes have been long-lost, but my love for the movie has carried on. I’m a […]
An Enchanted Photo Journey Through Washington Park Arboretum
New Year’s Day turned out to be quite chilly. Not cool enough to keep me from grabbing my camera and meandering through one of the local parks though. 😉 It was my first time venturing around the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle and what a treat it was. The lighting was interesting that day, harsh […]
The White-sand Beaches of Western Florida
Continuing on the Florida vacation photo tour, the next stop is an in-depth look at some of the white-sand beaches around the St. Pete Beach area. Such amazing scenery down there! There truly is something so enchanting about beaches. For me, the sea reminds me of countless stories and paintings of mermaids — which I’ve […]
Snakes and Aligators: The Wilds of the Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in Photos
A very Happy New Year to you all! December came and passed pretty quickly. Not only was I enjoying the holiday season, but I got to take a lovely vacation to Western Florida. Taking pictures around the region was quite fun. In addition to visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I stopped off at […]
Easy, Whimsy Christmas Centerpiece
Orange is a fun hue and makes a lovely accent color in the home. I love how it brightens up any space. When I was thinking about a Christmas centerpiece this year, I wanted to stray from the typical red and green and incorporate this warm color. After remembering that oranges were traditionally given as […]
Scouting for Fairies Through Carkeek Park (Photos)
Just a short post today. Yesterday I got a chance to meander through Carkeek Park in Seattle. The park opened in 1928 and boasts 220 acres of lush forest, meadows, wetlands, creeks, and beach. It truly is a magical place and the perfect backdrop to scout for new fairy photo inspiration. Here are some pictures I […]
Peter S. Beagle’s ‘Last Unicorn’ Tour Sells Out in Seattle
This has literally been the year of meeting my childhood heroes. On top of getting to shake hands with Brian and Wendy Froud (The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth) this summer, last Tuesday my idol — Peter S. Beagle — one of the literary community’s most heralded fantasy writers, stopped by Central Cinema in Seattle. The Last […]
Dark Fairy Tales Reign Supreme in Seattle at Krab Jab Studio Gallery
During the past three years, fairy tales have swept Hollywood by storm. Films and TV shows such as “Maleficent,” “Frozen,” “Once” and a whole host of other titles have whisked their way into theaters and thousands of living rooms across the globe. And there is no sign of this trend slowing any time soon. “Into […]
Magical Summer Woodland Fairy Photos
This summer I went on a lovely vacation to western Montana. Like all trips, I usually read at least one book while relaxing. My book of choice this year was Brian Froud and Alan Lee’s “Faeries.” This non-fiction fantasy classic includes watercolor illustrations of mythic occidental creatures. I used to pore over the pages when I was […]
Glacier National Park and Two Medicine Dinosaur Center (Photos)
Just returned from an incredible vacation in Montana where my family and I got to tour around Glacier National Park and its outskirts. In addition to exploring the Park, we got a chance to get out to Bynum, Montana and see the Two Medicine Dinosaur Center to check out all the prehistoric fossils they had […]
Minneapolis Author J.M. Lee Wins Jim Henson’s Dark Crystal Author Quest Contest
Just a quick post wishing author J.M. Lee a huge congrats in winning the Dark Crystal Author Quest contest! The winners were announced today via the Dark Crystal’s website. Last summer the Jim Henson Company and Grosset & Dunlap of the Penguin Young Readers Group announced that they would open submissions to find an author […]
Hollywood, Take Notice: Jim Henson-Style Puppets are Hot: Toby Froud’s Film Greeted by Enthusiastic Sell-out
Deep in the heart of the Hollywood District in Portland, Oregon a very magical film premiered this past weekend. Filmmaker Toby Froud, best known as the baby stolen by Goblin King (David Bowie) in Jim Henson’s ’80s fantasy film Labyrinth, resurrected the Hensonian tradition of live-action puppetry on the big-screen. Froud’s film, Lessons Learned opened to […]
The Goonies’ House is Alive and Well in Astoria, Oregon
I had a fantastic weekend down in Oregon. One of the highlights of the trip was stopping in Astoria to see the house where “The Goonies” was filmed. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve seen “The Goonies.” If you haven’t seen it…seriously, where have you been? The film was the brain child of Steven […]
Interview: Jim Henson’s ‘The Dark Crystal’ Author Quest Finalist J.M. Lee
Last summer the news of an exciting literary contest spread throughout the publishing community. The Jim Henson Company and Grosset & Dunlap of the Penguin Young Readers Group announced that they would open submissions to find an author to write a new novel set in the world of Jim Henson’s fantasy film, “The Dark Crystal” […]
Dreamy Frozen Prom Dresses Inspired by Elsa’s Blue Gown
“Frozen:” The newest fairy-tale retelling in the long, successful line of Disney princess movies. I loved the film and the most magical moment was Elsa’s decoration of her ice castle and the dazzling transformation into her new sparkly, blue ensemble. It totally reminded me of Cinderella’s blue gown revamp right before the ball. Sometimes as a […]
‘Jem and the Holograms’ Inspired LPD’s (Little Pink Dresses)
Not too long ago, I was thrift store shopping and found the cutest pink dress at Goodwill. The dress totally reminded me of something Jem from “Jem and the Holograms” would wear. This sparked an idea to do a full post dedicated to the LPD (little pink dress) and further fuel my Jem obsession. Because if it’s […]
Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture Trip (Pictures)
Just a quick post today. Took at trip to the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture last week and I thought I’d share some of the photos. The tour was lead by paleontologist and geologist Dr. Tom Braziunas who was also the instructor for the recent dinosaur class I took. There was an interesting discussion during […]
Seattle Paleontologist Explores ‘Jurassic Park’s’ Secrets & Intriguing Dinosaur Facts
Dinosaurs. Those monumental beasts that have captured the imaginations of millions. Capitalizing on this global fascination, author Michael Crichton and director Steven Spielberg tapped into the high concept idea of bringing these monsters back to life. “Jurassic Park” made an estimated $1 billion worldwide in gross revenue and ignited a new wave of dino fever. I was […]
Day Trip to Snoqualmie Falls, Washington
Took a quick jaunt out of the city and up to Snoqualmie Falls yesterday. The falls are located about 30 miles east of Seattle and are part of the Snoqualmie River. It was lovely up there and while I was exploring the premise, I found out some interesting facts: 1. The falls appeared in the series […]
Gothic Book Review: ‘The Woman in Black’ by Susan Hill — The Best English Ghost Story Ever Written
“The Woman in Black” by Susan Hill has earned its place as one of the finest English ghost stories of the last quarter century. The novella has been adapted into two films, with another movie sequel in the works, and a stage play that has become the second longest-running production in the history of London’s West […]
Harry Potter Prom Round Two: Hogwarts House Shoes
After taking a look at the high traffic for the Hogwarts prom dress post, I thought it would be a fun idea to compile a house shoe post too. What dress really is complete without a pair of dazzling heels anyway? Since I belong to the house of Gryffindor, let’s start things off there, shall […]
Maleficent like You’ve Never Seen Her: A Chilling Rendition of ‘Sleeping Beauty’s’ Prime Witch
I have had Maleficent on the brain lately. I’m in high anticipation of the upcoming movie and also am a sucker for dark fairy-tales in general. Recently I meandered through the cyber forests of deviantArt to look for works paying homage to the famed “Sleepy Beauty” witch. I stopped dead in my tracks when I […]
Antique Teacups?
I popped over to Goodwill this past week and was excited to find these two lovely little teacups in the wares section. I’ve been wanting to start a teacup collection but haven’t had the space. All that changed on this shopping trip. At $6 per cup, I couldn’t resist buying them. The brown and white […]
Vampire Maven was Disney’s Inspiration for Maleficent
I’m uber excited about the release of Disney’s film “Maleficient” coming up next month. Was even more jazzed when I stumbled on an interesting article over on Salon.com regarding the link between the 1950s Vampira actress and Disney’s villain Maleficent. The Salon piece was written by documentary filmmaker R. H. Greene who wrote and directed “Vampira […]
‘The Goonies’ Invasion
March and April are turning out to be too good to be true as far as ’80s reboots and nods. First, the very ’80s awesome ABC comedy series “The Goldbergs” had a “Goonies” tribute. If you haven’t seen “The Goldbergs” yet, you should check it out. It’s like “The Wonder Years” but with an extra […]
Tulips at Pike Place Market
Had a nice excursion down to Pike Place Market yesterday. The weather was a lovely 72 degrees and the tulips were in full bloom. Many a gentleman was seen picking assorted flower stems from white buckets for that special person in their life. I couldn’t help but snap some pictures. The petals were so rich in […]
Springtime in the Rockies
I took a trip out to western Montana last month and shot this photo right before a snowstorm hit. The weather is very changeable during the springtime in the Rockies. Sometimes 0-60 degrees in a matter of days. 😉 Well…maybe not that bad. But close! After I finished taking snapshots, I immediately rushed back to […]
‘Jem and the Holograms’ Movie Reboot!
Outrageous! I may have screamed for joy last week when I found out that there’s going to be a live action reboot of “Jem and the Holograms.” For those who aren’t familiar with the show, it was a popular ’80s cartoon series about the very fashion-fabulous Jerrica Benton. The premise of the series revolves around […]
A Gévaudanian Werewolf in Paris: The Mystery of the Beast of Gévaudan
The year is 1767. The place is the Gévaudan province of France. For three bloody years an unidentified man-eating beast terrorized the southern French countryside and was know simply as the Beast of Gévaudan. Tragic and horrific? Yes. But something I considered to be the perfect backdrop for my YA “Scarlette” as it is a […]
How ‘Mad Men’ Popped my Idyllic Bubble: Truths About Being Female in a 1960s World
In 2009, I was struggling with a prompt I’d been given in a writers’ class. I needed to write a scene in which a woman rejected a very persistent man who’d asked her on a date. I began with a guy trying to ask out a coworker. He knows she has a boyfriend, but thinks […]
Is it Severus Wilde or Oscar Snape?
Couldn’t resist posting this. The resemblance is TOO mind-boggling! Snape has to be related to Wilde somehow, right?
What if Little Red Riding Hood had Really Lived?
That was the question that started it all. Back in January of 2010, I was very ill and knew I was going to be spending some hard time in bed and on the couch. I needed some type of artistic distraction besides writing to keep me sane, so I looked into finding cross-stitch patterns. After […]
‘The Sound of Music’ = ‘Jane Eyre?’
Occasionally, I like to think about plot similarities between movies and books. Before I delve in to today’s topic, I’d like to note that this post contains spoiler warnings for both JANE EYRE and the movie THE SOUND OF MUSIC, which I will be referring to as TSOM. You have been warned. I am not […]
Plot Musings: ‘Twilight’ = ‘Phantom of the Opera’
Literary agent Brenda Bowen of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates had a fun post on her blog comparing TWILIGHT and the musical, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Bowen says, “Edward Cullen is to 2008 what The Phantom was to…1988.” She then compares the similar layout and color scheme of the movie and the musical’s posters and how Edward […]
