deborah

Hi there!

I never know what to say here... so how about a smiley face?

:)

Seriously, it's awkward. I always see other people's profiles and think, "Oh, wow, neat!" and just have a block about writing my own.

Unfortunately I don't really have enough awesome stuff going on in my life. Job-hunting is not terribly exciting, especially going on five months...

This is always tough to answer. I read a hundred and more books a year, so it's hard to pick favorites.

Most of the books I read are YA, coming-of-age or fantasy, but I do love an apocalypse or dystopia--Battle Royale, The Hunger Games, Life as We Know It, I love this sort of thing. I love historical fact and historical fiction, too, including myth like Robin Hood and King Arthur, though it's hard to find good historical fiction that's not romance. (I'm not a fan of romance books. They never feel realistic.)

Anything about castles, kings, knights and dragons...

J.R.R. Tolkien -- And not just Lord of the Rings, everything! Letters from Father Christmas, Farmer Giles of Ham, Smith of Wootten Major... Some of us are dorks to the nth degree. (To be fair though, I do love Lord of the Rings.)

Friars Club books and other books of jokes and riddles, I love the funnies.

Craft books (especially knitting and cooking/baking) are awesome, too. Also books dealing with the social aspects of wars, though I'm less interested in battles and such. I always love to learn new things.

Sometimes I really like memoirs. Day-to-day life in all circumstances, even normal ones, fascinates me.

When it comes to factual books, how things work or history, I like children's books as much as adults' books. They're always clearly laid out and, I admit, I like the pictures. That or Brian Cox. He has a way of making the extraordinary accessible.

Generally I like short story collections, either of various authors or Agatha Christie.

*Knitting! I absolutely love knitting, knitted things, knitting patterns, yarn... I generally dislike garish colors, not crazy about orange in general. But I love knitting.

*Origami

*Crochet

*Writing. I love writing and wordgames, crossword puzzles, etc.

I love modern Broadway stuff. I wouldn't say I'm properly into Broadway, but Spring Awakening, Next to Normal, Tick Tick Boom... I love that sort of thing.

Outside of that I listen to oldies (Beatles, Monkees, Cat Stevens, that sort of thing) and, indeed, some modern stuff--Goo Goo Dolls, Snow Patrol, and other such bands in what my sister has dubbed "the wuss rock genre".

I'm very interested in expanding my horizons, music-wize, because I tend to have a rather limited scope and there's loads more out there that I am simply not aware of.

*Superheroes!

The X-Men fandom will always hold a special place in my heart, but I enjoy most of the newer superhero movies. The new Batman trilogy, Avengers and associated films--okay, Avengers wasn't great, but it wasn't bad... I just love superheroes. (Except Superman. I don't like him.)

*Horror films

I love horror films, but not all of them. Being scared is a lot more fun when it's so obviously unreal; okay, I know there's no one with a knife in my apartment, but it's plausible. Unlike goblins.

There is something to be said for slasher flicks (mostly that they offer an adrenaline boost and are laughably bad) although it's nice if it has some plot! Horror-torture is not something I enjoy. I can go for a psychological horror, though, like 'Believers'.

And 'Cabin in the Woods'. I love that movie. Scared me so bad.

*Musicals (especially Rent and Fiddler on the Roof)

*all things Muppets

*Lord of the Rings -- I know generally people like either the books or the films, but I enjoy both. Admittedly I'm constantly making excuses for Faramir's behavior in the films... but, for one who enjoys fantasy and knights in shining armor, Lord of the Rings was a dream come true.

*Blackadder *Dr. Who *Father Ted *Futurama *Little House on the Prairie *Little Mosque on the Prairie *My Family *QI *The Colbert Report *The Daily Show *The Simpsons

-anything handmade

-soft things. I am almost embarassingly tactile.

-cute stuff. I'm one of those people who absolutely melts at the picture of a baby animal. I don't much like anime stuff, though.

-when it comes to food swaps I'm not particularly picky, although I could quite happily eat myself to death on sesame candy and jordan almonds.

-puzzles: jigsaw, sudoku, kenken, crosswords... I love a puzzle.

-anything related to magic, faeries, unicorns (particularly punk/serious unicorns), dragons or the Arthurian legend

-things nature themed

-anything Celtic themed

(for "Fantasy Pen Pal" swap)

I'm not really sure, actually! I've had three characters bouncing around in my head, so I'll suggest those and if any of them appeals, you're welcome to use one for your fictional letter partner.

-Sal (Sally) is in some ways the typical fairy tale character. She is a youngest princess with a fairy gift and a knack for magic--now if only she could keep her mouth shut instead of being a total smart aleck, and if only she could figure out what her fairy gift is, and if only magic weren't more strictly controlled than weapons and poppies...

-Seth is streetsmart, mostly because being he's either streetsmart or streetdead. Seth is definitely the darker side of a fairy tale, the sort whose cleverness and wits keep him alive as someone without magic, blessings, advantages, or a home. (Fair warning about Seth: he kind of sort of knows how to write, and will spell out everything phonetically to his accent. For that reason, I'm not going to write Seth to anyone who doesn't specify him.)

-Finally, there's Will, more an idea than anything else, but he's a member of the royal court (because it's a fairy tale, and there's gotta be a king or a queen or... something) best known for having killed a unicorn. They're rare and magical and fierce, and he'd much rather be out of the spotlight--particularly for that.