A snowflake is a fragile thing – ephemeral and easily broken – but when snowflakes stick together, they become one of the strongest forces of nature. The same can be said of the human spirit. Strength of spirit doesn’t mean you’re unbroken. Resilience doesn’t mean you bounce back to who you once were, or that you “bounce back quickly”. Resilience and spirit are born out of continuing to get up each morning, to take up your shattered pieces, to acknowledge their importance, and then to fashion something new. It’s horribly painful, it’s a long hard fight, and the masterpiece will never be the same; but beautiful can come from broken. Ask Elsa. Ask Regina. Ask Eugene Fitzherbert. Ask Hiro. Ask Lilo and Nani. Ask me.

With a few exceptions, you won’t find many light-hearted tales here – or fluff, as many fanfiction writers call them. You will find happy endings, inspiration, and hope… but it is not a blind hope. I agree with Regina - life is not full of “rainbow kisses and unicorn stickers”. My intention is to write stories with depth and reality, stories that neither obscure nor sugarcoat the various hopes and struggles life has to offer. In my experience, real hope can save a life – but false hope is much like a piece of the witch’s candied cottage in “Hansel and Gretel.” It tastes scrumptious, but it's as sticky as pitch on the steps of the palace, and can be as deadly as dreamshade.

If this is not your cup o’ tea, then please don’t feel obligated to read. You are always free to come and go. Should you choose to linger, all I expect is one simple thing: I expect you to treat me with consideration and respect, as I shall treat you with the same. Please be kind in your reviews. Any flames shall be extinguished with a gentle but firm blanket of snow to prevent spreading. This is a safe space, and I wish it to remain safe for everyone – me and you included.

I do not update very often, as my personal life is very busy. So, while I have a few stories I hope to finish and start posting in the next few months, I cannot make promises on timing.

As you read, let me know your thoughts – my stories are my own, but I’m open to suggestions and constructive critiques. For example… if you see a spelling mistake, a grammatical slip, or a plot point that needs clarification, please don’t hesitate to notify me through a comment or a PM.

What makes a good story?

In my opinion, the most riveting literature has both a good plotline and well-fleshed-out, multi-dimensional characters. My favorite show (Once Upon A Time) as well as my most treasured books (The Scarlet Letter, A Walk To Remember, etc) and movies (Frozen, Tangled, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Maleficent, Ever After, Snow White and the Huntsman and The Huntsman: Winter's War, Soul Surfer, among others) have one thing in common – the characters are well-developed, painted in hues of color (as opposed to black and white and gray), and are relatable on some level. Polarized characters (aka perfectly good or perfectly evil, etc...) do not hold my interest.

I appreciate stories that address topics that may not be easy, but need to be heard and discussed. One such topic is that happy endings may contain a lot of valid, heavy pain. Hope is real, but life is consistently painful without regular easy solutions. Hope and happiness occur alongside pain, confusion, and problems. Life is one messy mix, but that does not invalidate either the pain or the happiness. Both are real and both happen - often at the same time for the same person. That's normal. Other topics I appreciate include how history is recorded (and colored) by the victorious, our choices sway our destiny, we do not have perfect control over our stories but our choices are our own, love and faith are incredibly powerful,... I could go on.

If someone were to ask me to name a movie or TV character who is a kindred spirit to me, I would not be able to choose just one. I'd list three - Elsa from Frozen, Belle from Beauty and the Beast,and Esmeralda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Queen Elsa from Frozen is perhaps the most like me... I remember the uncanny similarities I saw in her from the first time I saw the movie in theaters. She is so eerily similar to me in many ways - for one, she is an empath who was taught that her gift was a curse (which, it can be) and she is highly creative with a mind that never stops going. She loves with every piece of her heart and is willing to go to any length to protect those she loves. Belle is similar in many ways to Elsa (and very well might be incredibly similar to how Elsa would be after the Great Thaw, when she comes into her own free to love and be loved for who she is). She feels deeply, is insatiably curious, eager to learn, very clever, and definitely doesn't fit the mold her society expects from her. She is able to see the world for what it is and what it could be at the same time, is determined to the point of stubbornness, and definitely has her share of sass. She is different, and has to come to terms with the fact that she's viewed as "odd". Esmeralda also does not "fit in" and is fully capable of seeing the world both for what it is and what it could be at once. I am much quieter than her by a long shot, and she is probably the least like me out of the three - but I feel that if I could actually meet her in real life, we would understand each other despite our many differences.

I'd be interested to know who some of your favorite characters are and why. Are there any characters who you find a kindred spirit?

In parting, I’ll leave you with a few quotes. Thanks for reading.

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all. From now on, you'll be traveling the road between who you think you are and who you can be. The key is to allow yourself to make the journey." ~ Meg Cabot

“She made broken look beautiful and strong look invincible. She walked with the Universe on her shoulders and made it look like a pair of wings.” ~ Ariana Dancu

"If you don't like someone's story, write your own." ~ Chinua Achebe

"Your value does not decrease based on someone's inability to see your worth." ~ Unknown

"Family is not about blood. It's about who's willing to hold your hand when you need it the most." ~ Anonymous

"Telling me I can't be sad because someone else has it worse is the same as telling me I can't be happy because someone else has it better." ~ Anon.

"I decided that the most subversive, revolutionary thing I could do was to show up for my life and not be ashamed." ~ Anne Lamott

"A lie repeated many times doesn't change the truth." ~ Frank Sonenberg

"We emerge into the light not by denying our pain, but by walking through it." ~ Joan Borysenko