A Kaylie Quickwrite

If you haven't read my first quickwrite introducing ten-year-old anorexic Kaylie at a science camp, you can find that here, but you don't have to read it if you don't want to...
I just felt like writing more (after more than a year. Oops.), but I hate the pressure of writing something and then editing it because when I've edited something I feel bad if there are mistakes because, you know, I edited it xD
For those of you who don't know, a quickwrite is just something I write and publish without ANY edits. Except random typos, of course.  Haha.
Anyhoo without further ado (what exactly is "ado" anyway) HERE I GO *inhales, exhale*

 Leaves crunching. Wind whistling. People chattering. Birds twittering. But Kaylie didn't hear a thing.

All she knew were stares. The hissed words of her peers were lost.

Hey, that's the girl they took away last night.

What’d she even do?

I dunno. But they kept her there all night.

            In little groups, the fifth graders shuffled into the dining hall, wide oak beams arching across the ceiling above their little heads. High school volunteers milled around, placing platters of breakfast foods on the tables.

            Kaylie slid into her cushioned seat, balancing her tailbone on the very edge of it, clenching her little fists under the white tablecloth.

            “That’s the girl who didn’t eat yesterday.” A brown-haired girl pointed at Kaylie, her lips pressed to a friend’s ear.

            Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Don’t eat. Not hungry. Don’t need food. Strong. I am strong. I am better than this. I can do it.

            Words ran through Kaylie’s mind like a mantra as she stared unblinkingly at her lap, appreciating the various different hues of blue of her jeans. Anything, anything to keep away from that horrid silver spoon on the table.

            But Kaylie’s willpower broke and her large hazel eyes swept to the eating utensil. There it was again. Her reflection. Disfigured, blurry, upside down, fat. Kaylie slowly drew her right hand from under the table, running a finger over her high, prominent cheekbones and down along her cheek, tracing her bony jaw.

            Fat. All of it. Round. Soft and warm and. Fat.

            Her stomach twitched, threatening to rumble and give her away, but Kaylie flexed her muscles the way she’d practiced, and the noise was stopped before it came. She knew that if her stomach rumbled, someone would notice and make her eat. No eating. That was the rule above all the rest.

            Haters, all of them--the nurse, the counselors, the teachers. She had a goal. She was going to reach it. No one could stop her.

            “Kaylie! You’re not eating?” The same young man, the camp head, from yesterday towered over her, a false smile plastered on his face. Hater.

            Very deliberately, Kaylie stretched across the table and grabbed a large platter of scrambled eggs, dumping a spoonful onto her plate, splattering grease across the previously clean porcelain. “I am.” She took a tiny bite of it, chewed more times than necessary, and the whole time, pinched her leg with her left hand still hidden under the table.

            “I am,” when she swallowed. She stared the man straight in the eyes, a sort of quiet challenge in her eyes. “See.” Another tiny bite. More pinching. She tried not to wince.

            “Well. Yes, I see that now.” The man smiled again, awkwardly, and waved to the table, moving along to the next group of students.

            The second the man left, Kaylie wanted to drop the spoon like it was poisonous, but she knew people were watching. Waiting. Judging.

            Little bit little, the lump of oily yellowness slid down Kaylie’s throat. Her nails grew tired from the pinching and her tongue hated every second of the eating. But by the time it was over, no one was paying attention anymore. Free.

            Kaylie stood abruptly the moment breakfast was declared to be over, running back to her cabin to change for the morning hike. She was all alone for maybe thirty seconds, and that was all it took. Several pairs of ankle weights wrapped all around her calves, baggy yoga pants concealing them fully.

            She was ready.



Thanks so much for reading! Please comment any feedback/suggestions below! :) Have a lovely day.

--Audrey

/Speechless/

I... I... I...
NOTE: SPOILERS. ONLY READ AHEAD IF YOU HAVE READ ALL HARRY POTTER BOOKS OR DO NOT PLAN ON READING THEM

 (the name is misspelled haha)

-random Dr. Seuss quote to take up space so people who haven't read HP won't see what's below-


Apparently JK Rowling regrets Ron and Hermione's relationship.
Click here to read the original but I'm going to copy-paste it for your convenience.


Rowling says that she should have put Hermione and Harry together in the Harry Potter series instead of Hermione and Ron.

“I wrote the Hermione/Ron relationship as a form of wish fulfillment,” she says. “That’s how it was conceived, really. For reasons that have very little to do with literature and far more to do with me clinging to the plot as I first imagined it, Hermione ended up with Ron.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” she continued, “I can hear the rage and fury it might cause some fans, but if I’m absolutely honest, distance has given me perspective on that. It was a choice I made for very personal reasons, not for reasons of credibility. Am I breaking people’s hearts by saying this? I hope not.”

Okay, to be totally honest. I was never the biggest fan of "Hermiron" (aw but what a cute ship name haha) in the books, but I never expected JK Rowling to say so. I mean, Hermione and Ron all but hated each other in the first half of the first book, and Hermione seemed to constantly be getting mad at Ron (hehe see the hilarious quotes from Order of the Phoenix especially), which is why I thought it was sort of weird that they got together, but I eventually pretty much just accepted it. And the epilogue of Deathly Hallows was super cute awwh
There are worse couples than Hermione and Ron.

But I wonder what Rowling means when she says "wish fulfillment"? Does she mean her own wishes at that time, or the wishes of the readers?

What do y'all think of JK Rowling saying this? Are you a fan of Hermione and Ron? Sound off in the comments! :)

--Audrey

Book Review: Delirium

In order to honor my resolve to post more, here's a book review that has remained unfinished for far too long... Delirium by Lauren Oliver! :D

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Ninety-five days, and then I'll be safe. I wonder whether the procedure will hurt. I want to get it over with. It's hard to be patient. It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't.

(just a note: I absolutely love the synopsis. I just. It's fabulous, isn't it?)

What I liked: Oooh, dystopians. I'm always attracted to dystopian novels, and this one was especially interesting to me--the title, the synopsis, just the whole idea in general. I absolutely love the writing style; there are plenty of descriptions but not so many that it's extremely boring (like another book that I'll be reviewing soon). I couldn't put it down. Every time I told myself I'll stop at the end of this chapter, I kept reading on and on until like 3 AM. Not kidding. I especially love the character named Alex, though I'm not sure if I should elaborate on why ;) sort of spoiler-y. Oliver does a fantastic job of explaining how this new USA works without making it seem like an info-dump. And I got mad plenty of times, but I'm pretty sure I was supposed to get mad, haha. Ending was beautifully heart-wrenching and I'll leave it at that. 

What I didn't like: The narrator, Lena, was kind of eh to me. Nothing to really dislike about her, but she didn't really stand out in any way. (note: this changes in the next book. Wow.) Relationships and trust seem to build weirdly fast, probably because quite a few weeks pass throughout the book, but it seemed a little rushed. Some swear words are used, the f-bomb two or three times, but that's not worth not reading this book. Romance was mostly just kissing, some suggestive moments but they were written smoothly. 

Overall Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Recommended Reading Age: I don't really know ummM 12+, maybe 13+

Sorry, I'm still working on my book-reviewing skills...right now they're still in the random-paragraphs-of-my-thoughts stage. Someday I'll get better.

--Audrey

The Fun Questions Tag

-ignores that I've deserted blog for 2 months again-
...
well okay I guess I can't exactly just ignore that. I'm sorry. I'm a terrible blogger. I visit blogs very often, but I just never know what to post on my own blog.
But when I saw the fun questions tag on the fabulous Seana's blog, I thought it would be easy enough since it's like, a ready-made topic for me.

1) When is your birthday? (You don't have to include the year if you don't want to.)
June 11! :)

2) What are 3 of your favorite colors?
Black, turquoise, and gold.

3) What are your 3 favorites quotes?
This is super hard for me to decide so here are 3 quotes I really like but they might not be my favorites:
"I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once." --John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

"When your legs get tired, run with your hear." --Cassey Ho

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain." --I have absolutely no clue. Oops.

4) Are you addicted to YouTube?
Psh... no.... *wipes liar's sweat off of palms*

5) What are 3 of your favorite shows on TV or YouTube or both?
Once Upon A Time, Make it or Break it, and America's Got Talent

6) What are 3 qualities you like in a best friend?
Kind, loyal, and likes to read (I'm sorry I just. Really have a hard time talking to people who don't read a lot because reading > life)

7) Do you like your name? 
I'd like it better if my last name was a Shadowhunter name, but sure. Why not.

8) If you have the choice to pick your own name, what will it be?
I'm still trying to figure out what my Shadowhunter name will be so I'll get back to you on that.
But as for first names, maybe Hazel (from TFiOS and Heroes of Olympus hehe) or Isabelle (Lightwood) or something book-related, of course.

9) What is your fantasy dream?
To be a Shadowhunter. :)

10) Do you wear makeup?
Not normally, but I do for performances/competitions.

11) If you could write a book, what would the title be and what would it be about?
I'm writing several books, but I want to keep the ideas vague so they'll be a surprise if I get them published! Everything from magic to anorexia to gymnastics.

12) What makes you cry?
Books, specifically character deaths or something that a character says. (cough CLOCKWORK PRINCESS cough)
the occasional movie, but that's rare.

13) What makes you angry?
Any sort of racism, sexism, bigotry, or in general unfair bias. Also authors killing off the characters I love. Like. Seriously?!

14) What makes you happy?
Books, gymnastics, Jace, books,  rain, my friends, books, books, books...

15) What is "Fangirling?"
fangirling: noun
defintion one: Audrey's favorite pastime
definition two: when one (usually female) obsesses over something (anything. Music, a book, a movie, an actor...) by crying over it, laughing too much, screaming, buying an abundance of related merchandise, etc.

16) What are your 3 favorites snacks?
Ummm. Blueberries, Greek yogurt, and of course, chocolate.

17) What are your 3 favorite foods?
Sushi, Greek yogurt, and who could forget chocolate.

18) What are your 3 favorite drinks?
tap water (preferably cold), Chinese green tea, and guava juice

19) Can you tell us a little about yourself?
*stern English teacher face* of course I CAN tell you about me ;)
Here goes: I'm Audrey Jones, 15 years old, and a competitive gymnast (not the super serious kind who try for the Olympics or anything, just to be clear). I am extremely obsessed with reading fiction of many different genres. I also secretly aspire to be a Shadowhunter and my one true love will always remain Jace from The Mortal Instruments series. Sorry, nonexistent boyfriends. *shrugs*

20) What are 10 random facts about you?
- I love butter cookies even though they're super unhealthy.
- I can't sing. At. All.
- I have weirdly green eyes.
- My hair is really, really, really long. But I usually keep it braided or in a bun or something.
- I have a secret dream to become a famous YouTuber (part of the BookTube community to be specific).
- I am useless with computers.
- I have participated in every single NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMo since 2009.
- That is not to say I've won all of those.
- I love cats.
- I don't actually have any cats.

21) What are your 3 fun things to do?
-read fiction
-do Pilates (it's just really fun okay)
-procrastinate on YouTube

Thank you all for reading! :D 

--Audrey

I'm...back??

The reason I haven't been posting for over 2 months (I'm REALLY sorry) is not just because I've been super busy (even though I have) it's just...
I...
don't really....
know...
what to post about...

My book reviews are more like unformatted rants with unintentional spoilers
My writing is nonexistent because I'm doing NaNoWriMo and I can't write anything until I have WON

and in general I just have no idea what to post
Most blogs I see have some sort of angle--books, writing, fashion, humor, etc. A lot of people have a slight schedule, which helps keep them on track.

I...don't...

And every time I think I'm going to go write a post, I just...
Can't.

If you have any specific topics you want me to blog about, please tell me! That would make my life a LOT easier, wow.

Anyway, if you're still reading this, that means you haven't given up on my 2 month absence, so THANK YOU SO MUCH I LOVE YOU

And yup, that's all. Yet another useless random post centered around me, and who cares?
So here's a picture of Jace to cheer y'all up

Random Fridays: Hairstyles

Here's another Random Friday post, hosted by Emma! I highly recommend that you check out her blog, it's all kinds of awesome.

THIS WEEK'S THEME IS HAIRSTYLES.

OH

MY

WORD

THANK YOU SO MUCH EMMA

I am obsessed with hairstyles. If I'm bored, I look up hairstyles and try them on my hair. Sometimes in class if I'm bored, I'll do my hair into different types of braids --shhh--

 waterfall braids! <3

 queen braid, isn't it pretty?

 one of my favorites, the Chinese staircase ponytail

 braided sock bun. I have worn this so many times...

 fishtail braid! :)

 MESSY BUNS. OMG.

If you can't tell... I have a thing for braids xD

There are a lot of hairstyles I like, but these are probably my favorites! ;)

Hilda's Giveaway

I just found out some exciting news... Hilda is having a giveaway! Click here for her original post.
She's giving away 2 free and SIGNED copies of her book, "The Invisible Spy, Spying on the Lives of Celebrities."


And that's not all, the 2 winners also receive a free adjustable star ring! Isn't it adorable? :)



I'd make a collage or something, but I am just awful with computers xD So here are the answers to the questions! :)

1) If you could spy without being seen, which celebrity would you spy on?
Oooh. Definitely Gabby Douglas, I would LOVE to see her training routine. <3

2) What would you do if you teleported over to your celeb's house?
You're asking me what I would DO if I was teleported?

Well.

HELLO I'D CELEBRATE THAT TELEPORTATION EXISTS
MAGIC EXISTS
YAY
And then I'd see what Gabby Douglas eats and memorize her diet and copy it.

3) Would you lend your magical ring to someone else? Who?
One of my very best friends, Jasmine Edwards. *cough* I wouldn't say she's the best with not losing things, but she is such an amazingly interesting person...she'd figure out how to do something very, very cool with a magical ring.

4) Would you spy on your crush and friends?

As of right now, I don't actually have a REAL crush. It's just book characters, soooo... I mean if they existed OF COURSE I'D SPY ON THEM. OMG. 

And my friends, well. I don't know why I'd spy on them, really. I see my friends at school, and in the afternoons they mostly just do homework and go to their various sports/clubs. And I'm not particularly interested in watching Jasmine swimming five miles of different swim drills every day, so I'd have to say no.

5) Would you tell anyone of your secret (magical ring) ?

Jasmine. Jasmine is even more obsessed than I am about magic. 

6) What would you wish for?

I don't quite understand? Like, if I had ANY wish, what would I wish for?

It would be for me to have some sort of magical powers or involvement in the magical world (that is, if it exists. If it doesn't exist, my wish would be for it TO exist. Hehe).

7) Finally, why would you like to win this giveaway? Be honest. ;)

It's a free book. The extent to which I will do things for free books is amazing. And all I have to do is post! :)

And it's AUTOGRAPHED. Autographs are always awesome, especially from someone as friendly as Hilda. And who knows, maybe someday when this book becomes the new Harry Potter, I can sell it for millions of dollars :P