A Gift Like No Other
I really debated whether or not to make this entry friends only or not. Up until now everything that has ever pertained to this subject has always been livejournal friends knowledge only with a few exceptions here and there. But, the truth of the mater is that I need to look past my own petty insecurities of what other people might think when they learn I *gasp* write fanfiction and put the focus on the amazing thing my husband did for me this Christmas. That is the true purpose of this entry.
So, where to begin. I think by now the people that know me best are aware that I have always loved to write. It's something I have done as far back as I can remember. Over the years I even tried my hand at fiction, but was never able to bring any of these stories to an ending. I just sucked at moving a plot forward and eventually I resided myself to a life without publishing fiction. Plenty of people write memoirs and so I got to work practicing with stories from my life. I wrote about my sister's death, my expulsion from an ultra-religious college and began, but never finished the story of how I met my husband. I figured one day if I worked on it enough I could get something published.
Then of course I discovered the world of fanfiction last year. For those of you not in the know it's basically an extension of your favorite movie, TV show, book etc. Everyday ordinary people create stories taking preexisting characters and give them a plot to follow. I read one and then wondered if I perhaps would be able to actually finish a work of fiction if I didn't have to set up any characters. I took a fandom I know entirely too much about and began a story - Twilight. What began last year as an experiment to see if I could actually finish a story grew into something beyond what I ever expected it to. I kept writing and gained readers when I posted on a web site dedicated to fanfiction. It got to the point where here I am a year later and still not finished and I have gained so many friends who have read my story and voted for my story in online awards.
So, that's basically the back-story. Now enter my husband who looked at my new hobby and took it in stride. He occasionally asked this or that about it, but for the most part he just let me live my life as a nerdy fanfiction writer. Until about a month ago when he sat me down and wanted to know the ins and outs of the whole fanfiction world. I got giddy telling him about it and wondered why he suddenly had an interest in this thing I did, but eventually I forgot my suspicions. Even as the days grew closer to Christmas and he bragged about an awesome gift he was getting me I never really placed the two events together. So, imagine my surprise when I opened up the large box he placed under the tree and pulled out my very own copy of my fanfiction in book form. Sam works for a book printing company and has the tools to create a book for a small price and this is what he did for a whole month before Christmas. He found my story on the internet and converted it into a book. I was completely dumbfounded when I held the book in my hand. It was the oddest sensation, because yes, I realize it's not really fiction, but to be "published" - something I've always dreamed of - just blew me away.
At times Sam is truly an unlikely creature. I could never fathom someone doing something so thoughtful for me. I know he loves me ... he tells me often, but to actually see it in the form of a present he spent so much time on and he knew would mean so much to me ... well, he wins the award for most thoughtful Christmas present I've received thus far in my life.
Front cover (sorry about the smudges as you can tell I've been holding it a lot).
Back cover with actual reviews from my readers online and then of course pixie press being a play on my nickname.
The Dedication inside (Lol)
So, where to begin. I think by now the people that know me best are aware that I have always loved to write. It's something I have done as far back as I can remember. Over the years I even tried my hand at fiction, but was never able to bring any of these stories to an ending. I just sucked at moving a plot forward and eventually I resided myself to a life without publishing fiction. Plenty of people write memoirs and so I got to work practicing with stories from my life. I wrote about my sister's death, my expulsion from an ultra-religious college and began, but never finished the story of how I met my husband. I figured one day if I worked on it enough I could get something published.
Then of course I discovered the world of fanfiction last year. For those of you not in the know it's basically an extension of your favorite movie, TV show, book etc. Everyday ordinary people create stories taking preexisting characters and give them a plot to follow. I read one and then wondered if I perhaps would be able to actually finish a work of fiction if I didn't have to set up any characters. I took a fandom I know entirely too much about and began a story - Twilight. What began last year as an experiment to see if I could actually finish a story grew into something beyond what I ever expected it to. I kept writing and gained readers when I posted on a web site dedicated to fanfiction. It got to the point where here I am a year later and still not finished and I have gained so many friends who have read my story and voted for my story in online awards.
So, that's basically the back-story. Now enter my husband who looked at my new hobby and took it in stride. He occasionally asked this or that about it, but for the most part he just let me live my life as a nerdy fanfiction writer. Until about a month ago when he sat me down and wanted to know the ins and outs of the whole fanfiction world. I got giddy telling him about it and wondered why he suddenly had an interest in this thing I did, but eventually I forgot my suspicions. Even as the days grew closer to Christmas and he bragged about an awesome gift he was getting me I never really placed the two events together. So, imagine my surprise when I opened up the large box he placed under the tree and pulled out my very own copy of my fanfiction in book form. Sam works for a book printing company and has the tools to create a book for a small price and this is what he did for a whole month before Christmas. He found my story on the internet and converted it into a book. I was completely dumbfounded when I held the book in my hand. It was the oddest sensation, because yes, I realize it's not really fiction, but to be "published" - something I've always dreamed of - just blew me away.
At times Sam is truly an unlikely creature. I could never fathom someone doing something so thoughtful for me. I know he loves me ... he tells me often, but to actually see it in the form of a present he spent so much time on and he knew would mean so much to me ... well, he wins the award for most thoughtful Christmas present I've received thus far in my life.
Front cover (sorry about the smudges as you can tell I've been holding it a lot).
Back cover with actual reviews from my readers online and then of course pixie press being a play on my nickname.
The Dedication inside (Lol)
