Your Moment of Bohemia

As part of my new gig with Bohemia--the literary journal I am fortunate enough to staff on--I will be writing a weekly blog assignment here catered to our fans/friends/bohemian followers. The rest of the staff are poised to write, as well, so feel free to visit http://bohojo.wordpress.com/ to check out my fellow staffers in all their glory!

For me: sometimes I will write on certain topics and other times, I'll post some fiction I've been working on so keep checking back weekly for that! :)

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Disclaimer: I am in no way an aficionado when it comes to fashion so please don't expect all the correct terminology or the greatest clothes you've ever seen. (Also, I'm no staff photographer, so you'll have to excuse the amateur photos.) With my wardrobe, my main goal is usually to not look like a hot mess so I play it pretty safe. One thing that I do know from the past two months of searching my mother's closet and letting Love pick out my outfits: other people dress me better than I do.



For my blog today, I wanted to hopefully start a trend among the other female Bohemia staffers (as I do believe they are way more fashion forward than I am) of riffling through our own closets and giving our fans and friends a look at our favorite items. So, LADIES, tag--you're it! I'm looking at all of you with a glare of expectation! :)

I hunted through my closet to find the things that I either wear the most, have sentimental value, or are my favorites. On top of that, I made a note of either how I got the article of clothing, how I wear it, and/or something special about it that keeps it on a hanger. FUN!

Currently, my favorite things in my closet are my dresses (which is kind of sad because it's been a little too cold to wear them).   

These two are from the raid on my mother's closet. The red one has a very vintage feel to it with ruffled sleeves, lovely collar, three buttons down the front and a bow tie around the waist. I usually wear a pair of black peep-toes with it. The one to the right is an eggplant/purple color with a cowl neck (kind of hard to see). I had a lot of compliments on the color when I wore it to the office and plan on rummaging Waco for a black belt to accentuate the waist.

 This is one of my own. :) I bought it for a friend's birthday dinner/trip down to the San Antonio area a few years ago. I've also worn it to work because the tie along the back can be tightened to make it more office appropriate. My peep-toes are awesome with this dress and it's one of the few pattern items that I own and love.

I also have a set of cute skirts that I like very much:



This one has been a staple of mine for so long that I do not know its origin anymore. It has a tie waist and a faux denim look that I find fun. It is very versatile; I've worn it with a nice short sleeve with undershirt and heels to work, as well as, with flip-flops and a fun tee while running errands.



These two are newer additions. The gray one to the left is from Old Navy and SUPER comfy. I bought it on a whim with a pair of cute sandals for a date night with Love (we saw Super 8!). I've also worn it to work a couple times. The one on the right is a chocolate brown skirt that has a kind of a pleated look to one side, giving the illusion of multiple layers. I wore it this past weekend with a red sweater and my brown wedges (picked out by Love). It worked really well and I got a lot of compliments. 

I have colorful and fun tops that I wear to work, out on dates, or to release parties.

The cute, strappy top to the left is one that I inherited from a friend a few years ago. I usually pair it with a shrug or some kind of sweater (mostly because I'm always cold, but also because I don't always feel comfortable in clothes that might be revealing.) The black sweater to the right is a Goodwill find that cost me $3! I wear it to work a lot or with my dark wash slim jeans. Like most things I own, it's comfortable.

These are both inherited to my knowledge. The black and gold blouse to the left has a ribbon tie under the chest and a black under layer. It looks sleeveless, but that's my poor arranging. The sleeves are about as long as its friend next to it. The black and white shirt is cotton with cute slightly-puffy sleeves. I honestly LOVE the scoop design and buttons--it's different and can be both dressy and casual.

This one is another cowl neck that I own. It also has a black tie around the waist and is very soft cotton. I bought it about two years ago because I needed another black shirt to wear during Optical expos (we wear all black). I usually wear it with a pair of gray or black slacks and my flats.

Two of the few pieces I have in the brown family: The one to the left is a long vest that I bought for my step-dad's 70's-themed birthday party a couple years ago. I have since worn it to work with tan slacks or out on errands with a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. The light camel shirt is from my mother's closet. I usually wear a green or brown undershirt with it. It's very stretchy and comfortable and fits my shape really well.

The awesome striped overshirt to the left is from a shopping trip for my sister's birthday (in Dallas) last year. The store was called Papaya and I totally would've spent my whole paycheck there had I been left alone for too long. As you can see, it has a semi-open front, so I usually wear it over a white shirt. Despite the stripes, I think it looks good on me. (Aside: Horizontal stripes are always said to look bad on people, but that sure doesn't cause designers to only use Vertical stripes. I honestly find it hard to find anything other than horizontal. Crazy Horizontal stripe pushers!) The pink to the right is another fun one from my mother's closet that fits me great. The cotton is pretty stretchy and the sleeves are a good length for the office. 

The pink to the left was bought at Papaya, as well. The rosettes are so cool, I think (you can barely see them along the strap). I usually pair it with a blue sweater and slacks for work or my slim jeans for going out. It's a playful favorite. The green to the right is actually a Wally World find. I needed something different for an Arbonne party I was throwing and happened to be in old Walmart. I pair it with a white or gray undershirt and have worn it to work, as well.

This is probably my go-to item that I wear the most. If I have a white tee or maybe the pink rosette top, I'll throw this on as a cover or a "just in case I get cold" item. I love the bell sleeves and tend to wrap up in it at my desk. Super comfy.

So far, I've made it sound like I always work. :D I have a few fun shirts that I wear on errands or around the house or running around with the dogs.

Oh, the things that I love the most! The blue to the left is a tee that I got when I went to a game with Love and some friends back in May. I'm a huge baseball and Rangers fan and--since Love likes them--the Astros are growing on me. My other favorite thing is owls. I have a stuffed one sitting on a bookshelf and a handmade owl card that came with a present from Love. He also bought me the shirt to the right. :)

I believe these two are from Hot Topic, though I could be wrong about the blue one. I'm a fan of HP and Neville was always my favorite. The Stay Puft marshmallow man is just funny. :)

One of my favorite bands is All Time Low, so Love bought this shirt for me several months back. Jack to the right is also from Hot Topic and Nightmare is one of my favorite movies (that I don't own! HA!). Three years ago I carved his face into a pumpkin!

Everyone should have sentimental shirts from the past and these are two of mine. The Bulldog jersey is my Alma Mater: Greenwood HS. I found the old baseball tee in a school gym closet of old stuff my junior year. #7 is my fave number and also my old softball number so it seemed serendipitous that I found it. Even more awesome: my Spirit Squad coach let me keep it. The top to the right is an old uniform top from my softball days (I also have a long sleeve tee). Fort Smith Flash! So many memories...

Now that I've bored you with endless photos of random clothes, I'm to the fun part: accessories. Now, I will say that--despite my genes--I'm not near as interested in shoe collecting as my mother and sister. So, I have a few pieces. And, I usually WEAR THEM OUT until I have no choice but to buy another pair.

Both of these are courtesy of Love. The Roxys to the left are from Journey here in Waco and were not only on sale, but they only had my size. SCORE! I wear them on casual day at work (Fridays) and whenever I have a chance when I go out. I don't like wearing them too much, though, because I really want them to stay nice. The black flats to the right are newbies to my home and replaced the old working flats that were losing their sole. Yes, I wore them that bad.

Yay, heels! I LOVE my houndstooth heels to the right. They're pretty much the shoe I wear to work. They're just so classy looking. The black peep-toes to the left are newbies--like my flats--and are very sexy. I'm quite excited to wear them out.

The black peep-toes to the left are my oldest heels. We've had a good relationship for about four years now. Super comfortable and they really go with most of my wardrobe. The chunky wedges were a purchase made for the aforementioned 70's party. Super fun--I've been known to wear them to work with slacks or my dark denim skirt.

 I don't have much in the way of jewelry; at the ripe old age of 27, I'm finally discovering fun little accents. I have a ways to go in building my collection, though. :)

Bracelets! The watch is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE (trumped now by my emerald ring). It was a gift from Love and I wear it nearly every day. I'm happy to report that it is in pristine condition, compared to the slaughtering my old Fossil took. Under the watch is my BEAUTIFUL DISTURBANCE band that was given to me for interviewing the awesome cast of rockers. They are so dear to my heart (as my first band interview for Bohemia). I love them so much and it was so sweet of them to bring that for me. The charm bracelet is my third favorite--from my sister--Christmas of '10. It was so thoughtful of her (it's "travel" oriented with a passport, suitcase, airplane, and the Eiffel Tower on it). I used it as a distraction for Baby Lilly this Christmas and hope it continues to hold up. The multi-colored strand next to the charm bracelet is actually a necklace, but I like to also wrap it twice around my wrist. Versatility!

Earrings! The only set that I do not wear often are the peace signs. They really feel weird with normal outfits. HA! They remind me of the awesome party for my step-dad so they get to stay and I occasionally wear them to the Optical. The green tiers are probably my fave and definitely the oldest. I had a green flower necklace that I wore with it, but sadly that broke. Still, these march on. The brown pairs are fun to wear to work or out and about. I have a necklace below that they match with. :)

I hadn't gotten into headbands until recently. I bought some as a present for my step-sister for Christmas and they suddenly seemed so fun! So, I have the blue studded one that I wear sometimes with the blue necklace below. I am also proud of the red one because I totally knitted that sucker! Took me a couple days to get it right, but the band and flower turned out awesome. I've only worn it twice, but it's so fun!

Necklaces! The top one is an owl! :) The others are variations on beaded arraignments. I mix and match and have been wearing them a lot! The bottom set is the newest that was a present for Christmas.

So, that's the end of my Closet Show and Tell. It was really fun to put the photos and insights together, so I hope you liked it. Feel free to sound off in the comments on your own favorite wardrobe pieces, what staples you just can't go without, and how incredibly bland my choices are. :) It's all in good fun.

Until next week!
<3


*Kayla*

Off the Bookshelf

Being a (somewhat closeted) fan of YA novels, I don't read much in the way of fiction geared towards readers my actual age. YA, for me, is imaginative and overly dramatic and fun and--despite a few series books that will remain nameless--it can be well written.

YA is where I want to be when I become a mature author. I like the idea of being able to add to the roster of YA and pre-teen authors who do a great service to the audience with their prose. I think teenagers and young adults deserve that.

That being said, I've always known James Patterson to be one of the best in the mystery/crime genre (hell, you could make an argument that he's one of the best fiction novelists around period), but I've never actually read one of his books because I don't generally peruse the main fiction section unless I'm just killing time.

However, Love pointed my attention to a series by JP that centered on a group of women solving homicides: The Women's Murder Club series. (Aside: Another reason I've sat so long in the YA section is because I am a HUGE fan of series books. I've always been one who wanted to know what happened AFTER "The End".) 

Anywho, I started with the first one: 1st To Die (Is it okay if I admit that I dislike his titles?) and am now halfway through the second: 2nd Chance (<--see what I mean??? Or is it me?)

The central character is Lindsay, a newly promoted San Francisco Homicide Lieutenant, who is trying to solve a string of high-profile murders. The other "club" members are Jill, an ADA; Claire, a medical examiner; and Cindy, a Chronicle crimes reporter (in the first book, she starts on the Metro beat). The cases thus far (as I'm not sure if I've seen all the deaths yet) have been shootings: a little girl, an elderly woman, a beat cop, and one of her bosses, Chief Mercer. At first, the shootings appear to be hate crimes by a racial group, but Lindsay starts to feel that they're more revenge killings by a lone gunman. She enlists the girls to help solve the mystery.

A subplot thrown in involves the appearance of Lindsay's father (she hasn't seen him in a couple decades) which--so far--I find weird. It's nice that he's trying to come back into her life, but he keeps telling her how gorgeous she is (literally said it three times in one conversation) so I'm just a tad creeped out. Or, maybe I just had one of those dad's that doesn't repeat stuff like that like I didn't hear it the one time it was acceptable to say.

Moving on: I like stories with strong female leads and female friends. I, personally, have never been able to have a group of female BFF's a la Sex and the City. All my friends seemed destined to dislike one another growing up so I use scenarios like the Women's Murder Club to live vicariously through a woman who can have that and I get a feel for what that would be like.

So far I'm digging the series and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes crime fiction (definitely start with the first one!). Sound off in the comments on what you're reading or what you like to read. Do you have a specific genre you like or are you game for anything? :)

And now: your Moment of Bohemia...

As part of my new gig with Bohemia--the literary journal I am fortunate enough to staff on--I will be writing a weekly blog assignment here catered to our fans/friends/bohemian followers. The rest of the staff are poised to write, as well, so feel free to visit http://bohojo.wordpress.com/ to check out my fellow staffers in all their glory!

For me: sometimes I will write on certain topics and other times, I'll post some fiction I've been working on so keep checking back weekly for that! :)

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Writer?

Some days I spend more time in my head than anywhere near reality: making up scenes for my latest novel inspiration, thinking up kick-ass ways to tell my enemies off, building grand ideas for when I sell my first book or dreaming of the perfect, romantic gesture that might happen to me.

That's not to say I'm always unproductive.

I log hours nearly every day critiquing possible novels on my j-drive or trying my hardest to make something work for the Magazine. Most of the time, I dislike what I write on some level due to a perfectionist nature that constantly has me rehashing each document. I always have that doubt with the words, thinking that someone out there would've written it better. That someone is probably my editor!

I suppose we all have a bit of that in us.

But, one of the reasons I choose to keep my love of this art is the one moment I write something that is exactly as it should be. 

I've always likened the feeling to saying exactly what you want to say to the person you want to say it to. The pride in the action, the satisfaction in the delivery, the elation in such an accomplishment: it's as awesome coming out of your mouth as it was in your head.

Writers do that on paper (thankfully helped by spellcheck and a thesaurus). Even if it's just one sentence, the effect runs deep to your bones. It might make you cry or laugh or cause the hairs on your arm to stand to attention. Whatever the feeling, you know without a reread that there's no better way to produce those lines.

I want all of my fiction to be LOVED and while I know that won't happen, that one little moment is worth all the mental anguish. To know that I may not write everything perfect, but that one line just blew the rest of the dirt away.


*Kayla*

If I get to rambling, set my hair on fire......

To my excitement, I finished my manuscript for the publisher. In a month or two, I'll get it back--probably demolished with red ink with my luck. It feels really good. Like a step in the right direction for what I hope to be doing with my life one day.

The feat, however, is kind of anticlimactic due to my brain really thinking about other things. I've been discussing "relationships" in some form all day, breaking out Grey's Anatomy worthy advice to others while looking inwards to see what I can eat up from such reflections. Hell, I even threw Snow Patrol on the computer to boot! (Two references and I don't even watch the show anymore!!!)

Thinking about such ideas gave me the drive to officially resolve to be better; to find ways that I can be better for others (even if they already think I'm fine the way I am). So, being the New Year--though belated--I wanted to make a list of things that I can do better this time around:

1) Listen: I'm not the best listener. I grew up in a household of repeated stories and talking over one another to get my point across. So, listening isn't a high attribute of mine. A couple years ago when I had a wicked bad time adjusting to the loss of a close friend (she didn't die, she just moved out), I took steps to change that and while I was successful in my endeavor, too much patting my own back proved to lead to slacking off which means...I don't do well at listening to others anymore. This time, I want it to stick. :)

2) Work Happy: My job is honestly the best I've had in my ten years of working. The people are amazing, I get my share of responsibility (although I wouldn't mind more), the client's are pretty cool, and I get to work on my writing when I'm not busy. Who can beat that? But, some days, I get a bug in my head and all nice circuits short out. I want to be as happy and positive in my work as I am out of it and turn my down days into positive output.

3) Hakuna Matata: <- Pop culture reference #3 (for those keeping score at home)! In 2011 I was quite the worrier. I'm not sure if it's really my nature; I don't think it is. I think that it has BECOME my nature and I'm not a fan of it. I can't control what other people do and I can't control a lot of the things that happen in my life. I need to find what I can change and fix that while leaving what I can't change to the ever-comical nature of God.

With those three things: I'd like to exercise more, write more, and laugh more. I want to finish what I start (I have too many stories left unfinished), learn to sew with my new machine, and exude the confidence that I believe I should have. I need to take pride in my work, be available to those who need me, and make more of an effort to let Love know how much he means to me (and the kiddos, my sister, and fam, as well).

So, that's me and what I can do to be a better person. Maybe I'll occasionally update on my progress over the year! :) Look at me, already making this fun!



For those keeping track and maybe needing a schedule: I will be waiting one to two months to hear back about my manuscript. In the mean time, I'll be working on the sequel, trying to finish a totally different story that's pre-teen fantasy, and racking my brain on Magazine assignments. I'm considering posting a few fun snippets of my work on here, but I haven't decided on that matter. Either way, a lot to look forward to while we wait! :)


*Kayla*