bookblather

My name is Kat. I am a cisgender woman, twenty-nine years old, Irish-American, a California girl, a writer, a history dork, an English BA and a master in library and information science. I'm Daoist Wiccan, because that's what works for me. When I Grow Up I want to be a librarian, and currently I'm working on getting a job. I drink more tea every day than most people drink in a month. I always, always have a book.

I like ice skating, stained glass windows, stories, and the color blue. In particular I am a fan of fantasy and science fiction, but I will read anything so long as I can sympathize with the characters. I love music of all kinds. I like to sing. I used to ride, and still adore horses. I am the mommy of one cat, my white and fluffy baby with the mismatched green and blue eyes, named Chairman Mao but most often just called "cat" because he is deaf as a post and can't hear me anyway. He has no volume control, and is the World's Best Travelling Cat.

I live with my best friends, shadowsong26x and our mutual roommate. My father lives in San Francisco, and I see him as often as I possibly can. My mother lives in Pittsburgh, with the friendliest and most adorable Yorkshire terrier you will ever meet, but I still see her when I can. My brother lives in Chicago with his girlfriend. I'm on good terms with everyone in my immediate family. My extended family... not so much, but I don't see them often.

I am blessed with many dear and loyal friends, the most amazing people I have ever been privileged to know. My beloved Saati, who inspires me just by existing and makes me feel better just by being around, my darling Priscilla, without whom the world would be a dark and cold place, my Puckling sister-in-soul, my Lex and my Bex and Myranda, my Madeira gals and my Johnston dudes, my TV Tuesday gang, my rainbowfic homies. My life is a better and happier place with you in it. You know who you are.

On the darker side of the fence, I am mentally ill. When I was fourteen years old, I was diagnosed with clinical depression and chronic anxiety. This diagnosis has since been updated to Chronic Major Depressive Disorder (severe) and GAD, which sound to me like updated names for the same things, idk. I thankfully have both medication and a very good therapist-- and be warned, if you attempt to tell me how I should manage my mental illness, I will tell you where you can stick it and I will not be polite about it. It is an illness, it can and frequently does screw up my life to an astonishing extent, and I do not take kindly to anyone telling me that I'm doing it wrong.

I am also asexual, and don't need to be fixed.

I am a writer. I have... um... a lot of projects under way right now, but the major ones are, in order of completion stage, In the Heart, Confidence (augh rewrites die die die), Firestorm, For Richer or Poorer, a modern-day retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion, and an as-yet-untitled project involving a wizard who looks just like Tim Roth.

Look, I had a dream, it turned into a book, you know how it goes.

Anyway, I write because I can't not. I have stories in my head and I have to get them out. I know that I'm really depressed when I stop writing. Someday I will be published and you can all read my books, and I look forward to that day SO MUCH you have no idea. I can't wait to have fanfiction written of my stuff. I can't wait to know that I sparked a story in someone else.

Some random other stuff that I feel you should know: I am a feminist, a pacifist, and a follower of the School of Bill and Ted (be excellent to each other, dudes). I use "dude" as an interjection. I am a survivor of suicide and sexual assault. I am a liberal, because I feel the government is there to care for its citizens, and I like to believe it's getting better, a little better, all the time. I like the Beatles, Tori Amos, Vienna Teng, and Owl City, among many, many others (Bear McCreary! Beach Boys! Showtunes!). I love stories about families, made and chosen and created. I get overly invested in fictional characters and tend to ship old married couple ships. I will talk endlessly about books.

I think that humanity's highest and most important function is to take care of each other and of our world. I think the second highest function is to create. I think the most important thing you can do is to love, and the most important thing you can learn to feel is compassion. I believe in all kinds of love. I believe all gods are one, and every religion is right when it preaches compassion.

I'd like to leave the world a better place than I found it. I hope I already have.


Some things.

1) If I mess up in any way, say something sexist or homophobic or racist or whatever, I need you to call me on it as soon as possible. I can guarantee that I didn't mean to behave that way, and I try to check my privilege before saying anything, but I'm human, and I make mistakes. I need to be told that I've just made a mistake so I don't make it again. So please do call me on it when I screw up, so I can not do it again.

2) Please let me know what your preferred name, pronouns, and triggers are in this post. All comments are screened.

Questions?