13 Favorite Things of 2013: #6-1

Welcome back! If you visited le blog last week, you'll know that this is the second half of my end-of-the-year extravaganza, where I count down my favorites this year in books, TV, movies, and beyond. If you're just now visiting, feel free to read last week's post before scrolling any further!

I must admit, making this list was a tough but exciting experience. There were a few surprises, and I had to make some things were sacrificed to the Honorable Mention heap for the sake of others. And now, here we go...

6. Orphan Black

This gem was one of those surprises mentioned above. All year I'd heard about how great this series--which airs on BBC America--is, and after searching high and low for it, I finally broke down and bought the first season a few weeks ago. After binge-watching all 10 episodes quite recently, I fully understand the hype. The show centers on a young woman named Sarah who, after witnessing the suicide of a woman who looks exactly like her, takes said woman's identity and begins to live her life. Then Sarah meets another woman who looks exactly like her. And another. And another. Yep, that's right: Clones! It sounds wacky and confusing, but it's great fun. The best part has to be Tatiana Maslany, the lead actress who takes on the task of playing up to FIVE different characters, with their own unique personalities and mannerisms, in a single episode.

That's right: All those women are the same woman. No tricks, no gimmicks. Just one great actress. Her talent alone is reason enough to get hooked on this show, so get to work on Season 1 before Season 2 starts in April!

5. Vicious by V.E. Schwab

I raved about this book already in a previous post, so I'll tone it down a bit here. But if you love the idea of superheroes, friendships and sisterhood gone terribly awry, and chocolate milk, than this is the book for you. Go read this great book!

4. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Man, isn't that poster amazing?!? So amazing, in fact, that I bought a shirt with its likeness on it:

Anyway, I couldn't have been happier with the second adaptation of Suzanne Collins' thrilling trilogy. An amazingly faithful script, great visuals and direction, and most importantly, great acting all around. Seriously, Jennifer Lawrence is on another level. Who else got chills watching her, as Katniss, react to the revelation that *SPOILER* she would have to go back into the arena for another Hunger Games? The movie was well worth the nearly two-year wait, and even though I'm still not convinced that MOCKINGJAY needs to split into two films, I'm not against the idea of sticking around in this world a little while longer.

3. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Guys. Guys. This was a tough one for me to let go. I'd strongly preferred Clare's Infernal Devices trilogy over her Mortal Instruments series ever since reading the first installment, Clockwork Angel. So when I picked up this long-awaited final installment back in March, I knew letting go would be hard. Then I started reading, and yep...so hard to let go! Those last 70 pages tore. Me. Up. I'll miss Tessa, Will, and Jem, but damn, did Clare write an ending that was not only definite, but wholly and completely satisfying. Hands-down my favorite book I read this year.

2. Yours Truly, Ariana Grande

While everyone else this year seemed to be enamored with Miley and her tongue, I was all about Ariana and her voice. She had a top 10 hit earlier this year with "The Way", a catchy tune you may have heard and, if you're anything like me, thought: Mariah Carey has a new song? I kinda like it! Alas, it was not Ms. Carey who made my ears perk; it was Ms. Grande, and thankfully I was just getting introduced to her extraordinary talent. I had the great fortune to attend a concert of hers back in August, days shy of the release of her debut album. And let me tell you this girl has a voice, both in the studio and on the stage. Then I bought the album and fell even more in love. I literally love every song on this album, something I feel happens very rarely, even for the best of artists. Ariana brings it with each song, especially on "Baby I", one of my favorites on the album:



Other favorites on the album for me include "Piano", "Popular Song", and "Almost is Never Enough". But seriously, on a disc this amazing and a voice this strong, all of the songs are worth listening to. Please, if you do one last thing this year, let it be listening to and buying this album!!

1. American Horror Story

Okay, so if you've read this blog before (or follow me on Twitter/have me as a friend on Facebook), then you know how my love for this freaky little show knows no bounds. Especially the current season, Coven, which I've written about here before and will likely write about again soon. My glee over watching the likes of Jessica Lange, Angela Bassett, and Emma Roberts dig into each other has taken me through the last third of this year, but it was the conclusion of last season's incarnation, Asylum, that brought me into 2013 literally singing:



To me, AHS is much like a catchy song: It gets stuck in my head, more so with each time I revisit it. Whether it's a visit to a particularly haunted house, a descent into an insane asylum, or a stroll down Bourbon Street with some New Orleans witches, I enjoy my time in these dark yet fully-realized worlds. With a talented and ever-growing cast anchored by the brilliant Jessica Lange, new stories and characters every year relieve the audience of any unforeseen creative slumps, American Horror Story was my favorite thing of the year. A supreme achievement for all involved, a supreme treat for me and all the other lucky viewers. If you're not one of them, you should be.

And there's my list for the year! Of course, these aren't the only things I loved this year. There was Monsters University, Lady Gaga's ARTPOP, Allegiant, the final book in Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy (which I'm thisclose to finishing), and then this hilarious twerking video that I can't help but share:



And yes, I do know this video was a hoax. That doesn't make it not hilarious!

Anyway, I hope you had fun reading/watching this list. Also, thank you for everyone who's read my posts this year! It really means a lot, and I hope that you all stick around with me as we go into 2014. Happy New Year!!

Dustin

13 Favorite Things of 2013: #13-7

With 2013 coming to a close, I decided I wanted to do a special post. Instead of reflecting on my own life this year, how 2013 has changed me as a person and blah, blah, blah, I wanted to have a bit of fun. Which is why I bring you My 13 Favorite Things of 2013, a descending list of my favorite pop culture related moments of the year nearly past. As you can see from the title, this post covers the first half of the list. I hope you like it!


13. "We Can't Stop" spoof by Shane Dawson



I've been a huge fan of Shane Dawson and his videos for years now, but it had been a while since he'd let out a truly great video. I found myself coming back to to this hilarious and completely accurate spoof of Miley Cyrus's bombastic music video for her song "We Can't Stop" many times this year (including now, as I write this post). Shane captured everything that was disturbingly wrong with the original video and made it disturbingly right here, creating what I believe to be a digital classic. Disclaimer: The clip itself is pretty extreme and grossly inappropriate, so if crass and vulgar humor isn't your thing, I probably wouldn't watch!

12. Booktalk with Christine Riccio



It's no secret that I'm a huge book lover, so imagine my joy when I came across this gal's YouTube channel. Christine's very in-depth reviews of some of my favorite books and movies (don't watch the above video if you've haven't seen/read Catching Fire!) are totally relatable and most of the time accurate. Her larger-than-life personality may seem annoying and over-dramatic to some, but to me it's funny, impassioned, and authentic. With each video of hers I watch, I ask myself the same question: How are we not best friends?!?

11. Nicki Minaj on American Idol

Being a big Nicki fan long before her short-lived stint on Idol, I was definitely excited to see what one of my favorite artists would bring to the judging table. And for me, Nicki delivered. People can gripe all they want about Nicki not having enough "talent" to be a judge on singing competition show, place all the blame on her for the ongoing feud between her and Mariah Carey, but Ms. Minaj brought a fresh dose of life to a waning show. She didn't sugar-coat her critiques or dance around the idea that a contestant gave a bad performance; she told it like it was every week, good or bad, and I shake my head at anyone who dismisses her solely because of the way she looks or what genre of music she performs. Yes, Nicki did have some sass:

But there were also a decent amount of class most failed to recognize:

10. The Diviners by Libba Bray

Okay, so this book was technically published in 2012, but since I didn't read it until this year and this is my post, I'll do what I want!, I'm deeming it eligible for this list. Bray's 600-page series starter takes evil spirits, the occult, and teenage psychics and throws them all in the rich atmosphere of 1920s New York. It's the book I didn't know I wanted, a mammoth of a treat that was simply divine.

9. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Since I already wrote a review of this book in a previous post, I won't go too in-depth here. Just know that this is a subtle, sweet story of first love that will leave you both happy and longing for the days when life's problems were as simple as a first kiss.

8. The 2013 Oscars

I love films, and I especially love the award shows that honor the best of films. Sue me. I don't think it was until this year's Oscars, though, that I thoroughly enjoyed this yearly 3-hour broadcast in its entirety. From the surprise performances to the Trip Seen 'Round the World, I found myself grateful that I'd chosen to tune in real-time. It also helped that the films honored were some of the best I'd seen in quite some time, and while Argo definitely wasn't my Best Picture of the Year, the Academy got the acting honors right: I jumped for joy and sighed with relief when Anne Hathaway won for her career-best performance in Les Miserables, beamed as Jennifer Lawrence made her one-of-a-kind march for her trophy, and nodded my approval when that golden chameleon Daniel Day-Lewis won gold for Lincoln. It was a great show, and I can only hope this year's will continue that tradition.

7. The Great Gatsby, film AND soundtrack

Reception to this year's adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic was understandably divided. Some proclaimed the actors too dull in their roles, or cringed when they heard that Jay-Z song playing during the speakeasy scene. But to me, this film and its accompanying soundtrack sat well with me. As someone who loathed the sweaty hot mess (literally) 1974 adaptation of the novel, I felt this update breathed new life into the story. The chaotic party scenes were over-the-top and overwhelming to watch, but I loved that it made me feel that way, like I was a guest at one of Gatsby's parties. And besides being a great use of anachronism, having the likes of Fergie and Jay-Z belt out jazz-infused numbers amongst the 1920s hedonism worked well to modernize a story that captures an idea of greed and class that is unfortunately apparent today. I'd give the soundtrack another listen--a highlight for me is Lana Del Rey's "Young and Beautiful." Maybe even give the film another try if you didn't like it so much the first time. I know Tobey Maguire's delivery of Nick's inner monologue is annoying--one minute he gives off the sass of Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls; the next, he sounds like an old man on his death bed--but if you look past that, you'll find a great, less perspiring film to enjoy.

And that's it for now! Check back next week for the second half, and let me know if you agree/disagree with the list so far. And what were your favorite things of 2013? Least favorite? Let me know here or on Twitter, @DustinVann!

Book Review: VICIOUS by V.E. Schwab

Last week I finally finished VICIOUS, the wonderful debut adult novel by V.E. Schwab (known as Victoria Schwab in the YA universe. Different names, equal amounts of awesome from this woman!)

VICIOUS centers on two men, Victor Vale and Eli Ever, who first meet in college. Both are cunning, ambitious people, and quickly form an intense bond that culminates in a daring research project for Eli's senior thesis. Eli wants to focus on ExtraOrdinaries (EOs) for his thesis, and the theory that one can obtain "extraordinary" abilities like the EOs in the wake of a near-death experience. As you can imagine, the experiment doesn't go as planned: although both men gain their own abilities, a series of terrible events ends with Victor in prison and Eli starting life anew. Now, ten years later, Victor has broken out of prison and is looking for his former best friend. And this isn't one of those "Haven't seen you in years, let's have lunch and catch-up!" type of reunions. These two want each other dead, and will go to, ahem, ExtraOrdinary lengths to make that happen.

I'd been looking forward to reading this book months before it released in September. First of all, it's a novel essentially about superheroes. How many of those do you find floating around these days?!? Plus, I've been a fan of Ms. Schwab for quite some time, and she more than delivered with this book. I was captivated once I read the first page--a sequence involving two key characters digging up a dead body. And it only gets better from there.

What I loved most about VICIOUS was the character building. This novel does contain superheroes and supernatural elements, but it's no Avengers, which is certainly not a bad thing. Schwab chooses to pepper the story with action sequences as opposed to writing a new fight scene every ten pages. She goes for a more psychological approach, focusing on the relationship between Victor and Eli, as well as their individual motivations and desires. There are various flashbacks, most notably 10 years prior to the present action of the novel, which help to establish the beginnings of Victor and Eli's relationship and how it evolved to its current destructive state. There are also flashbacks that explain the "origin stories", if you will of a few other key characters: Sydney, a twelve-year-old EO who works alongside Victor; Mitch, Victor's cell-mate in prison; and Serena, Sydney's older sister and fellow EO, who develops a very interesting relationship with Eli. These detours from the main action of the story may seem tedious to some, but as someone who believes good character development trumps all, I simply loved the structure of this novel. The tender relationship between Victor and Sydney was sweet, whereas the complex mash-up that is Serena and Eli was great fun to read.

Speaking of structure, this novel definitely has a "slow burn" type of feel. As mentioned, the flashbacks contribute much to this, but the present action unfolds at a slower pace, too. We're with our characters in the present for the span of the day, but Schwab builds up the tension by creating a countdown within her chapter, dividing each one into hours or minutes until we reach the climax--which takes place at the often used but always sinister "midnight"--and the reader is about to burst from anticipation. I for one was dying to find out what would happen next, which I think was mainly due to this structural technique. If Schwab had chosen to add fight scenes in every chapter that ended with both sides retreating and preparing for another useless combat, the final confrontation between Victor and Eli may have been anticlimatic as opposed to exciting.

And then of course, there is the ending. I know some will either be unsatisfied or confused by it. I'll admit that it took me a day or two to fully digest it, because it wasn't what I was expecting. Now, however, I feel that Schwab went in the right direction, and that the ending makes perfect sense without seeming over-extravagant. The novel does feel complete at its end, though a development in the final pages does give Schwab the opportunity to explore a potential sequel. Not gonna lie, I hope she does! A

I really hope you guys check out VICIOUS! I don't know many people who have read it, and maybe with this review, that can change. But if you have read, what did you think? Feel free to let me know, and happy reading to you all. :)

Thoughts So Far on AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN *Mild Spoilers*

It's October, which means that in the midst of all the pumpkin-carving, candy-prepping, and reruns of HALLOWEENTOWN on the Disney Channel, a new season of AMERICAN HORROR STORY (AHS) is upon us! If you couldn't already tell, the latter is the most exciting event of the month for me.

The show has been a favorite of mine since premiering in October 2011. I love a good horror story, and here was a TV SHOW, offering me a series of horror stories to be told week after week. I was sold before I even saw the first episode. But once I did, I fell in love; the characters (and the amazing actors who portrayed them), the story, the scares...it was all new and brilliant territory for me. And then once it was revealed that every season would be a new horror story, with all new characters and theme, I was sold.

Last week AHS returned (finally!) with its newest incarnation, COVEN.

When I found out this season would be witch-themed, I flipped out in the best way possible. As I've written before on here, the TV show Charmed is my all-time favorite show, and just knowing that my current favorite show would allow me the opportunity of rooting for some kick-ass spellcasters once more was exciting. Plus, given the history of this show, I knew there would be some weird and dark twists given to classic witch lore--case in point, the picture I just posted above.

Now, two episodes into this new season, I must say I'm loving where this crazy train is going. Without going into specifics, the direction they are taking the stories this year is especially intriguing. It's dark, it's twisted--anyone who's watched the show's last two incarnations, especially last year's ASYLUM, know how twisted this show can get--but so far it's being done in a light manner. There are many strong themes that have been hinted at in the past two episodes, themes I'm looking forward to having them explore.

Taking a look at the rather large and impressive cast, anyone can see that this is a female-heavy season, which I think is a great idea. Only two of the regular cast members are male, and with various circumstances rendering them both speechless, the ladies are left to do most of the heavy-lifting. I'm looking forward to seeing how this feminist arc plays out in the remaining episodes, especially in the more-than-capable hands of acting giants like Kathy Bates and Jessica Lange.

Oh, Jessica Lange. I'd never seen/heard of her work until she joined AHS during its maiden season, but how I have loved her since. Every year she brings IT, and this year she's definitely bringing IT as "Supreme" witch Fiona. Not only that, but she does The Prue!* And then there's Kathy Bates, bringing the chill-factor as real-life slave brutalizaer Madame LaLaurie, and the uber-fierce Angela Bassett as voodoo legend Marie Laveau. While many fans (a.k.a several blogs I follow on Tumblr) were all caught up in the return of Taissa Farmiga (Violet from Season 1) and her subsequent love story this year with main-stay Evan Peters, I'm way more interested in the above three ladies. When they're on screen together things are electric; the story, dialogue, and entertainment factor are all elevated. This last episode had Lange and Bassett tangled in an epic war of words that had me hooting and hollering throughout. I can't wait for the inevitable scene featuring all three women (I'm just going to call them the Trinity--c'mon you know you were thinking it!) at once. There are also other gems in the cast: Emma Roberts is surprisingly fantastic as bad girl Madison, and Gabourey Sidibe is a wicked treat as the sassy human voodoo doll Queenie.

My only complaint so far would be that I want a little more "horror" in my American Horror Story. However, given that we're only two episodes in, I'm willing to let this critique slide for the time being. For now I will revel in the fact that my favorite show is back in my life, and continue to fall under COVEN's undeniable spell. Hopefully you will, too!

* The Prue: The hand-gesture Prue Halliwell from CHARMED (or The Best Show Ever) used to activate her power of telekinesis, which goes a lil' sum-sum like this:

Fiona uses the same hand gesture, and it goes a lil' sum-sum like this:

God, I love this show!

Book Review: ELEANOR & PARK

Last Monday I finished reading the novel ELEANOR & PARK by Rainbow Rowell. Here's a photo of the lovely cover:

(I love how all that white space really makes Eleanor and Park pop. But I digress.)

The story centers around two teenagers named--you guessed it--Eleanor and Park. It's 1986, and Eleanor has just returned to her family after a tumultous year away. For the sake of not giving too much away, I'll just say that Eleanor's home life isn't the best. The kids at her new school don't make it any better: Eleanor isn't the prettiest girl, and her peers are sure to let her know of it. Everyone except Park, that is. He lets her sit next to him on the bus that first day of school, and you can probably guess where it goes from there.

I know what most of you are thinking: Great, another teen romance that ends in tragedy. Who woulda thunk it? And to a degree you may be right; this book is heavy on the romance, but unlike other YA novels in the game, the relationship between Eleanor and Park feels refreshingly authentic. It's a simple love story structured over one school year, with some very traditional tropes added in. We get the first hand-hold, the first kiss, the meeting of the parents (for one side of the relationship, anyway), and the first date. But the way Rowell presents these events livens what some may go into thinking is a story "just like the rest of them." The alternating points of view allows the reader to get into the head of both Eleanor and Park, which could easily make this appeal to guys reluctant to pick up a book they may think is some measly romance novel. The 1980s setting also brings something fresh to the table. Without Internet and cell phones and all the problems that come with all these modern techonologies in terms of relationships, Eleanor and Park must bond and communicate over different things, such as listening to the Smiths on cassette tapes or reading the latest issue of Watchmen during their morning bus rides. While I appreciated Rowell mixing it up in terms of time period, something in me as a reader almost wanted the book to have more of an 80s feel. Maybe something like a scene at a heavy metal/rock concert could've been a great way for Rowell to play a bit more with her chosen time period, but then again that's just me. She kept it simple, which isn't a bad thing when it's done this well.

Like I said above, the book hinges on the romance between the two leads, and while some may find the relationship between Eleanor and Park to be oversentimental or cliched, I thought Rowell pulled it very well. Eleanor and Park's courtship is approached in a slow, almost timid way that is perfect for the kind of story being told. This is a story of one's first true love, and getting the feeling that Eleanor and Park have no idea what they're doing not only makes perfect sense, but adds even more authenticity to this story. I found myself having flashbacks of my own first crush and first kiss.

I can see the ending being very polarizing; at first I wasn't sure what to make of it myself. But I feel like after having some time to think about it, what transpires makes a lot of sense. I'm also a sucker for non-traditional endings, which is definitely what we get here.

Overall, I really enjoyed ELEANOR & PARK. It's a great, quick read for anyone--young or old--who enjoys a refreshing take on an otherwise traditional plot. A book that will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside on one page, and wildly nostalgic to the days of innocent first love on another, this is one I'll be recommending for quite some time. A-

Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Movie REVIEW

Hey there, Interfase!

So when I rebooted this blogging machine (come to think of it, that was exactly a month ago today!), I floated around the possibility of posting reviews. And now here I am, tired of talking about myself in these posts and ready to dive into this blog's first ever review!

Our lucky item of review is...THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES

(Is it bad that I prefer this poster over the one with all the characters on it? It is? Ah, well.)

I've been a fan of Cassandra Clare's MORTAL INSTRUMENTS series for a long time; I read the first book in 7th grade, and loyally followed her when she wrote the INFERNAL DEVICES trilogy (boy, do I LOVE that trilogy! I'm using a lot of parentheses in this post, aren't I?). I was excited when a movie adaptation was announced, and though some of the casting had me skeptical at first, I wasn't going to let it stop me from seeing the movie.

I went into the theater with medium expectations; I saw it this past Saturday, meaning it had been out for a few weeks and I'd had a chance of reading most of the unforunate reviews coming out about the film. SN: If you want a thorough and hilarious review of this film, check out the one by Christine Riccio here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFvp9Vcv-1w

Actually, just check out as many videos of hers as possible; they're great watches if you're an avid book/book-to-movie nerd like me!

For me, the movie suffered from two very major problems, most notably how underdeveloped the world presented to us was. Anyone who has read Clare's novels knows how intricate the world she's created is, with Nephilim, fae, and Mortal Cups galore! However, the film either glazes over important information or leaves it out entirely. It was almost like the filmakers expected everyone in the audience to have read the books and had a clear understanding of how the rules in this world work. Like seriously, it's not that hard to dedicate a few moments to properly explain who the Silent Brothers are! And also, how are we gonna leave out Idris?!?

Some of you probably have no idea what I'm talking about here. This is my first warning to read the book before you see this movie.

And here's my second: The movie, in my opinion, fails to give us a firm grasp on any of these characters. Characters with prominent roles in the book, particularly Alec (played by Kevin Zegers), have their roles diminished in place of fight scenes that, while necessary, go on for way too long. Instead of getting to know these characters--who they are, why we as the audience should care for them--we're watching attractive people we barely know, with funky tattoos whose meaning are never explicitly explained, throw themselves at demons and vampires. Because of this, I couldn't connect with these characters as easily as I could with their book counterparts. This has nothing to do with the acting; despite initial reservations, I thought most of the actors did very well in the roles they were given, with the exception of one or two (I'm looking at you, Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Valentine. Seriously, who thought that hair-piece was a good idea?)

One of the most important jobs of this first movie was not only to develop the world and characters inhabiting it, but the relationship between protagonist Clary Fray (Lily Collins) and spit-fire Shadowhunter Jace Wayland (Jamie Campbell Bower). Even if you've never a word of this book, you know from the previews that the story between these two is quite important. Collins and Campbell-Bower admirably attempt to pull this off, but the script and direction is hammered down with so many unfortunate cliches that the romance comes across as corny and inauthentic. What should've been moments of romance and tension turned out to be unfortunately laughable. One scene involving a Portal and petting hand made me burst out laughing, despite my best efforts to keep it in.

Though there were some unfortunate (and big) mistakes this film made, the acting did redeem it somewhat. Like I said before, most of the actors owned their roles, even with limited screentime. Most of the visual effects translated well, too. So...there's that.

THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES had great potential to be a great book-to-film adaptation and a successful start to a great franchise. Unfortunately, with the problems mentioned above, I feel like the direction the film took hurts its chances of becoming the respected franchise it deserved to be. With the second film, CITY OF ASHES, apparently still happening, I guess we can hope that the filmakers will learn from their mistakes and make a film that is consistent, entertaining, and free of terrible romance cliches.

What did YOU think of the movie? If you were a fan of the books going into the film, how did seeing it effect your viewing of the series, if at all? And if you'd never heard of the books before, did seeing the movie make you want to read them? Let me know in the comments or via my Twitter @DustinVann, and be sure to check out Christine's video review of the movie (Beware of spoilers, however!)

Until next time,

Dustin

My Writing Journey So Far - Part 2

Okay, guys. So...it's been a bit.

Let me start off by apologizing about the delay! I recently started my sophomore year of college, and that combined with other personal shenanagins in my life prevented me from posting this sooner.

Ah, excuses, excuses! I've said I wanted to stay on top of this blog when I first revamped it, and hopefully I can do just that. And hopefully the latter part of my story will have been worth the wait for you all. Because, apart from the stories I've created from my own imagination, I feel that this is one of the most important stories I have to tell.

If any of you need a refresher on where we left off, here's a mini-recap: After completing my first manuscript at 14, I sent queries off to agents, not really knowing a thing about agents or what to expect. I received a positive response from an associate agent who kindly helped me edit my manuscript. Though I thought this would lead to an offer of representation and all my dreams would come true just like that, the agent ultimately couldn't do so. I was disappointed, but eventually came to accept that this was the best possible thing to happen to me. I was able to grow, to go on to write stories that would further change me as both a writer and person.

And now, we have finally reached the "Part 2" of this post! Hold on tight....

I was in the midst of completing the second installment of my five-book fantasy series when I received that fateful email from Associate Agent. Like I said before, I was crushed, but continued working on the sequel while simultaneously editing the first manuscript. Then my sophomore year came, and that's when The Idea came.

No, I did not accidently capitalize The Idea; it was definitely for dramatic effect. Because this Idea was the one that changed everything for me. A writing assignment for my 10th grade Honors English class that would start as a trickle and quickly pool over into an idea that would become the piece of work I'm most proud of, the piece of work I love the most and sincerely hope I can share with you all one day.

This is the part of my journey where I introduce you to LOVECHILD.

I won't say much about the plot of LOVECHILD here (look for that in a future post!); I'll reserve talk of it here to how I was inspired to write and my crazy, whirlwind journey with it the past 3 years and counting. As mentioned above, LOVECHILD was born out of a writing assignment in my sophomore Honors English class. My teacher, Mrs. Lynn Butler, had my class of 10 rifle through various copies of PostSecret confession books. For those of you unfamiliar with what PostSecret is, I recommend checking it out --it's quite the fascinating site that some of you may have posted on already.

I went into the assignment with the intent to have finished and turn it in. Don't get me wrong, the assignment did excite me to a degree, especially when I settled on the secret I would write my short story over--a secret that simply read "I'm the product of adultery"--but this was when I was still heavily invested in my fantasy series. It wasn't until after I'd turned the assignment in that the idea came roaring back to life into my head and transforming into The Idea. I soon made the decision to put aside my fantasy series to work full-time on LOVECHILD, a decision that wasn't as agonizing as one would think. Without diving much into the story of my shelved fantasy series, it was basically Charmed with fraternal twins instead of three sisters. Plus, once the thought of turning my school assignment into a novel came to fruition, I couldn't think of writing anything else. The idea of LOVECHILD excited me more than any of my previous writing efforts, and I soon began a feverish writing-spree that reached its climax in mid-June 2010, when I completed the first draft of LOVECHILD.

Of course I wanted to submit right away (this was when I was still naiive about a little thing called Editing), but I believed the manuscript was good enough to catch the eye of one agent in particular--that's right, Associate Agent. Only now Associate Agent was an Agent herself, and I felt that since she already knew my work, perhaps she would like LOVECHILD enough to give it a read. I whipped up a fashionable query letter and sent it her way, anxiously awaiting a response.

I didn't have to wait long: The next day, Agent asked to read the first 50 pages, which I promptly sent. Then, two days later, she seemed to be impressed enough to want to read the remainder of the manuscript. I was ecstatic over her zealous response, and in my glee sent the rest of my little passion project. This was it, I told myself and no one else. I was convinced this would be the last query letter I'd ever have to send; Agent would take me on as a client, help me revise my manuscript, and we would be submitting to editors before I started my junior year of high school.

Obviously, this did not happen. Sometime later, Agent got back to me, informing me that she'd shared LOVECHILD with her assistant, and that Assistant wanted to send me some notes on the manuscript. It was an unexpected response--clearly not the one I'd manically devised in my head--but I was excited nonetheless. LOVECHILD had to have struck their attention in a positive way if they wanted to give me notes on it. So I took the nice, detailed notes I got from Assistant and set to work on incorporating them into the manuscripte, hoping that when I returned my new-and-impoved book their way, it would finally be good enough to warrant the "Yes" that had evaded me for so long.

I returned the improved manuscript, and though Assistant told me she loved the changes and that her and Agent agreed that I was very talented, my work wasn't ready to represented just yet. She introduced me to the lovely thing known as line-editing, and encouraged me to submit to other agents.

Initially, I was crushed. I'd been so convinced that this time was it. I'd yearned to have someone on my team, to make it known that someone important in the literary world respected my work enough to become its advocate. The fact that I was back to square one once more was devastating.

But you know what? Once I dove back into revising, began to mingle with the characters and story I'd created that summer, I developed a further appreciation for the opportunities I'd been given. Though I would've loved for Agent to have taken me on as a client, I can't help but feel that she was right not to. I needed more time. Time to grow as a writer and person with a story that would, over time, become so much more meaningful to me.

And I did. My junior year I took AP Language as my English class, taught by the always awesome Katie Pearson. Her class, with its compelling readings that spurred interesting discussions and creatively fulfilling writing assignments, delivered a new sense of clarity to me and how I look at writing. Taking that class changed me into the type of writer I now aspire to be, a writer I never thought I could be. As I continued to revise LOVECHILD and submit query letters to numerous agents, I began writing another project, JESSE McQUEEN, that I felt was one of my most ambitious works yet. It took me nearly 2 years to complete a first draft, and it wasn't an easy manuscript to write, but I'm fully convinced I couldn't have written it the way I did if it weren't for my experiences not only in AP Lang, but my brief brush with the publishing world months before. Like LOVECHILD, it's another project I sincerely hope to share with the world one day.

To this day I continue to work on LOVECHILD, and Agent isn't the only agent I've received a positive response from. In the 3-plus years I've been submitting and the steady flow of rejections I've received, five other agents have requested to read LOVECHILD in its entireity, mostly at different stages of its evolution. I even had 2 agents reading it at the same time once, about a year or so back! Unfortunately, none of those stories ended in an offer of representation; with some I didn't even get a clear reason as to why they didn't wish to pursue LOVECHILD further. But with each disappointment, I've learned. I've grown more resilient, and I've grown to love this manuscript so much more than I ever thought possible. I like to refer to LOVECHILD as my "Little Book That Could"; it started out as a simple idea that has branched out into an Idea that I believe can be. Through the numerous drafts and occasional nitpicking I still do to the manuscript, I never grow tired or reentering this world I've created. I've come close way too many times to abandon it; call me Corny McCornster, but I feel in my heart that one day the right agent will read LOVECHILD. And one day, LOVECHILD will be published.

Of course, my journey still continues; I'm still submitting LOVECHILD to agents, but I'm also working on other projects. This past summer I spontaneously set to work on a manuscript for a story that had been dormant in my head for years. And that, my readers, my friends, whatever you fancy yourself to be called, is the beauty of this thing called Writing: Like the characters us writers create on the page, we ourselves have the opportunity to grow and evolve. Our personal stories can move in unexpected twists, just as we sometimes move our own characters in their destined paths. We develop and flesh out (hopefully in a positive way), and we find ourselves a different person than we were at the beginning, just as we hope we've achieved with our own imaginary characters. Unlike these characters, though, our story doesn't have to end. We can keep going, moving forward toward our ultimate goal no matter what seemingly impossible obstacles lay ahead. If you're anything like me, that sounds like a story I'd not only like to live--ups and downs and everything in between--but live as well.

I hope you all enjoyed the rest of my Story So Far. Feel free to comment/share your story with me too, if you have one. And if I haven't bored you to tears yet, you can follow me on Twitter (@DustinVann) if you'd prefer to chat there!

Until next time,

Dustin

My Writing Journey So Far - Part 1

Hello, readers! Thanks for returning for my encore (or if you're a new visitor, then Hey!), and wherever you are on this mid-August day, I hope it's going wonderful.

For those of you who read my quasi-inagural post (see below post if you haven't), this is the post where the real fun begins. I promised I'd talk about all things books and writing, and for the sake of you all getting to know me even more, I thought it would be appropriate to start with my own journey with The Written Word.

*Cue dramatic music of choice here.*

But seriously, I want you guys to not only get a feel of who I am, but why I would want to start a blog like this in the first place. Hopefully by the end of this story you'll have a better understand of that. My story's a little long, but I'll do my best to make as entertaining as possible. And here. We. Go...

Like most people, my journey as a reader happened before my journey as a writer. From as early as 2nd grade I loved to read, but it wasn't until 4th grade that I realized the true power of a good novel. I was a grade ahead in my reading class, meaning that at the time I was reading at a 5th grade level. So every morning for an hour or so I'd be a student of Mrs. Janna Newman's, a wonderful teacher who got us 4th and 5th graders hooked on books like A Wrinkle in Time, City of Ember, and Gregor the Overlander, which was the first book series I fell head-over-heels in love with. There were countless others she read to us in that short year, and I can't thank her enough for it. The passion she showed every time she read us one of these books was tangible in that classroom; I don't remember a single kid who didn't look forward to going to Mrs. Newman's class every day, and we all talked about those books with the same enthusiasm with which she shared them with us.

When I became a 5th grader and Mrs. Newman became my actual teacher, my love for books only continued to grow. Then, in the midst of that year and all the great stories we read, Mrs. Newman encouraged me to start writing my own stories. And even after I left Mrs. Newman's class and made the reluctant leap to middle school, her suggestion would stick with me for the rest of my life.

Toward the beginning of my 6th grade year I came up with an idea for what I thought would be my mea culpa, an epic fantasy series about a set of twins (one boy, one girl) born with magic power. The experience of creating that world and drafting what I planned to be a five book series--a process I spent a year and a half on--was truly magical. Once I began actual work on the manuscript in 7th grade, I knew that writing novels was my calling. It was a life-changing experience, though I had yet to learn just how life-changing it would be.

After finishing the first novel in my fantasy series during my 8th grade year, I began to teach myself more about the publishing process. Until that point I always thought that manuscripts, once finished, could be sent out to publishing houses and it would become a book mere months later.

Yeah, it doesn't work that way.

During my research I learned all about the beloved Query Letter, and thus began my love-hate relationship with that 250 word summary of my work (we're still going strong, in case you're wondering). I immediately began work on my letter, which you can imagine wasn't that great but 14-year-old-me thought was perfect. Like all my favorite authors I sent letters to a select few agents--this was 2008, back when mailing query letters was still the norm--and patiently waited for responses.

Soon I received my first rejection, a nice form letter saying that though they appreciated the opportunity to consider my work, they were going to pass. No big deal; at least I was trying and I was getting some responses, right? Needless to say, the first round of rejections didn't bother me so much. But when the next batch came back negative, I started to grow frantic. At this point I'd spent years working on this one manuscript, and that automatically gave me a right to be published, right?

I began working on the second book in my five book series soon after, all while continuing to query for the first one. Then, in April of 2008, I received a letter from an associate agent at a big New York agent. She wrote me wanting me to send her my entire manuscript! I still remember jumping up and down in excitement, yelling in glee to my mom and sister, "An agent wants to read my manuscript!!" The next day I was certain to send out the full manuscript, completely convinced of what would happen next: My manuscript would be read, I would be offered representation, and in no time I would be a published author. I was sure to tell all my friends as if it were a sure thing.

In late May I received another letter from the same associate agent, who told me she loved what I'd written and asked if she could help me to edit and revise. She also sent me the first chapter of my manuscript, printed out with editorial comments that I still have (same with the letter, of course). Okay, so she hadn't said anything about representation, but I was still thrilled and agreed to let her help me.

The summer flew by, and as I waited in anticipation for the edited manuscript, I was still convinced this novel would be my debut, that I was good enough to be published. When my first day of high school rolled around, I was hopeful but concerned that perhaps I'd been forgotten when I finally did receive an email from Associate Agent. She had the manuscript edited, and while she said I had talent, the agency she worked for could not offer me representation at the time. Obviously, I was crushed at the time. I'd set such a high bar for myself, and was so naive to how publishing worked; I'd assumed that just because an agent was reading my manuscript and dedicating their time to helping me nuture it, that they would become my agent.

Nonetheless, I took the editorial notes I received and applied them to my manuscript. And you know what? I may have been disappointed that I was still unagented, but I soon realized the extraordinary opportunity I'd been given. This associate agent--who now runs her own agency in NYC--had believed in me enough to offer up her precious time with the intent of helping me improve as a writer. Once I delved into the notes and reworked my manuscript, I slowly began to see that, and soon my discouragement turned into a genuine appreciation for what I'd been given.

And this is where we end--for now. I told you this was kind of a long story, so instead of packing it all into one long, meandering post, I'll break it up. The latter half of my writing journey will be up soon, and I hope you'll be back for it! In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment about your own writing journey if you have one. Or if you have your own blog, post the link! I love a good story, and I'm sure some of you have a yarn I would be moved to read!

Until next time,

Dustin

Reintroduction of Me

Hey there, readers! Welcome to my newly revamped blog. As of this post, you are now reading my New and Improved Blog, so feel free to ignore all previous posts. Or binge-read them all for your pleasure. Whichever floats your fancy.

I wanted to make my unofficial first post an introduction post, not only introducing readers old and (hopefully) new to me, but to what this blog will be about. As you can see from what I've chosen to title this blog, I will be discussing plenty about writing on here. Whether it be my own writing, your own writing, or tips about writing, I want this blog to be not only where I share the writerly side of my life, but also serve as a public forum for others interested in the same thing.

Now, to tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Dustin Vann, and I'm currently living in Manhattan, Kansas, where I am preparing for my sophomore year at K-State University. I'm a Creative Writing major (who woulda thunk?) and of course live for anything related to writing and reading. I've been writing for years and am currently working on publishing (I'll fill you in on all that in good time, my friends).

That's really my generic biography, but to help you all get a better sense of who I am, here are some "Fast Facts" about me to keep your reading experience refreshing:

1. Yes, I really am 19. I'll be 20 next month, but contrary to the belief of some, I actually still am a teenager. As far back as my junior year people thought I was 21, and recently, a high school kid in the class I tutor for said she thought I was 25. I blame it on the facial hair.

2. My favorite TV show of all time is Charmed. I love those fictional Halliwell sisters, and to this day I still haven't gotten over SPOILER Prue's death.

3. I'm also obsessed with American Horror Story, Grey's Anatomy, and Castle. If you love any of these shows, too, feel free to say so in the comments and we can freak out about them together!

4. My taste in music is wide-ranging. I love anything from Owl City to Nicki Minaj.

5. There will never be enough pizza to satisfy my love for pizza. I blame this unhealthy obsession on working at a take-and-bake pizza place for over 2 years.

6. The first book I remember falling in love with was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I was in 2nd grade, and besides satisfying my mental sweet tooth, I remember the story being just as sweet.

7. I'm afraid of both whales and bats. More on this in a later post.

8. I actually liked The Casual Vacancy.

9. My first crush was the animated Daphne from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?

10. I tend to really like celebrities most others find annoying, such as Shannen Doherty, Katherine Heigl, Nicki Minaj, and Anne Hathaway.

11. My middle name is Lamar.

12. Despite being my Birthday Twin, I have never read a Stephen King novel all the way through. I read some of Misery my freshman year of high school, but for whatever reason never finished it. My apologies to the King.

13. If I weren't so passionate about writing, I would probably pursue a career as a professional dodgeball player.

14. I'm a slight hypochondriac. Throughout much of 8th grade, whenever I had a headache I feared it was a brain tumor, and when I pulled a muscle near my neck the other day, for a short time I thought I'd done something horrible to my spine. Too much Grey's Anatomy, I guess.

15. If I could meet any author, living or dead, it would have to be F. Scott Fitzgerald.

So, there's a little bit about me and what you're in for if you choose to stick around. I am going to try my best to make a post a week. Like I said earlier, most posts will center around writing, whether it be tips/advice, book reviews/recommendations, or even sharing some of my own work. I may also share some life events here, but for the most part, I look forward to corresponding with as many of you as I can about the power of the written word! So I get it if talking about writing or freaking out about the latest episode of American Horror Story isn't really your thing, but if you do know of someone who enjoys that sort of thing, please share this link them! And for those of you who will be back for subsequent posts, I'm excited to get to know you!

Dustin