So I was video-surfing on YouTube yesterday and chanced upon this lovely artiste: Laurel.
That's it. Laurel. I have no idea who she is - Google doesn't even know her by her mononym yet. She is that new.
But a deeper search provided some answers: Laurel Arnell-Cullen, a 19-year-old British girl who's been writing songs since she was 12. This instills a deep sense of shame in me. What was I doing when I was 19 - or 12, for that matter - instead of writing gorgeous songs like hers?
But I'll stop talking now and let her music speak for itself.
This one's called Fire Breather. It was used in episode 16 of The Vampire Diaries season 5. I haven't watched it yet, but apparently it was used for some Delena scene (meh, whatevs).
That voice! That beat! Excuse me while I punch the crap out of the Replay button.
This one is called To the Hills:
Oh. My. Gosh. I DIE. Can we just pause whatever we're doing and LISTEN to her?
Those words! Those imagery! Can't you just imagine a scene already? SO dramatic. I filled 6 pages of my notebook just listening to her - wrote a short story too, although that could be attributed to re-reading Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor.
I NEED MORE!
Her songs are like a delicious mix of Lorde and Lana Del Rey, perfect for writing some sweeping fantasy story - which, I admit, is an idea I'm kind of toying with. I PROMISE I'll come back to Neverland ... someday. For now, I don't want to pin myself to a story that's not working and restrict myself from working on anything else.
Speaking of a story that's not working, I just received my first non-form rejection letter - i.e. a personal rejection letter, which is what you get after a literary agent decides to look at your manuscript - for Until Morning.
A form rejection letter goes like this:
Dear author, I apologise for the impersonal nature of this letter, but after careful consideration I have decided to pass on your manuscript blabbity blah blah more depressing blah.
So a personal rejection letter is a tiny step up - still depressing because it's like having your crush lead you on before telling you he's not into you after all.
Wait, where did THAT analogy come from?
Anyway, here's the first heartbreak for Until Morning:
Dear Joyce,
Thank you so much for allowing us to read the first 50 pages of UNTIL MORNING. Catherine and I were very drawn in by your expert use of lyrical language and cleverly imagined scenes. Unfortunately, I think we will have to pass on the project, as it's just not quite right for us. The work is of such high quality that it deserves an agent who will be able to grant it his or her full attention.
I do regret that we have to pass on this, but I am confident that you will find an excited agent soon. I wish you the best of luck in your continuing search for representation and publication.
All best,
Andrew
Office of Catherine Drayton
Sigh. So close. So damn close.
Happy things? Much needed.
I'm weirdly obsessed with deer art these days:
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| by AnnyaKaiArt on Etsy |
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| Deer cookies |
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| by CirqueDeArt on Etsy |
And this boy:
And adorable babies:
Speaking of babies, isn't this picture of Prince George so darn adorable?
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| Image from Elle.com |
Awwww! Those cheeks!
Also, in a bout of Harry Potter nostalgia, I found an article listing out 6 possible spinoffs and oh yes please to all of them!
I've been going on for ages about a Marauders spinoff (more James Potter and Sirius Black bromance; more James Potter, period):
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| The Marauders Art Print by sevillaseas on society6.com |
but a Founders spinoff and Auror spinoff sound intriguing too. See what happens when you write a richly imagined series? SO much room for potential spinoffs!
Also, if you haven't already seen this, you should. Gorgeous photography by Katerina Plotnikova. So many story ideas zinging around. I mean, look!
Okay, a little too many antlers for this post.
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| Peter Pan quote |
Have a great week, everyone! :0)
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