Hello! I am Nefertiri's Handmaiden.

"Zen and Reconciliation" was nominated for a few 2009 Superman Movieverse Fanfiction Awards. My short, "Clark Kent: Sex Fiend," won Best Super-Short and Best Humor. And, to my delight, "Kisses for Clark" won Best Kiss in 2009. In 2010, my short fic "Starry Night" was nominated for Best Short. Check it out at /supes_mv_awards.

Quotes:

"I have always known, in a thousand little ways, that you are more than what you claimed to be..." -Richard Cypher, "Wizard's First Rule" by Terry Goodkind.

"You save yourself, or you remain unsaved." -"Lucky" by Alice Sebold.

"Old magic appreciates witnesses, even if they don't know what they're witnesses to." -mnemosyne23, from a wonderful fic called "Sanctity," which I fell in love with.

"We cannot fail their trust; we cannot fail to try." John F. Kennedy, as quoted in "Justice League, New Frontier."

"We cross our bridges as we come to them, and burn them behind us with nothing to show for our progress but the memory of the smell of smoke and the presumption that once our eyes watered." - British playwright Tom Stoppard.

"Then love-devouring death do what he dare; it is enough I may but call her mine." -Romeo, "Romeo and Juliet." Act II, Scene VI.

"There is nothing so unnatural as the commonplace." Sherlock Holmes, "A Case of Identity."

Nefertiri's Handmaiden's recommendations:

Books:

Brom's The Child Thief and Plucker. Imagination just creepy enough to be fun and writing that sucks you in immediately.

Neil Gaimans's American Gods. Neil Gaiman is genius, engaging, and downright visionary.

Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson series. Briggs is no Gaiman or Terry Goodkind, but these books are well-written and flat-out fun. Also check out the Alpha and Omega series.

Clive Barker's Abarat series. Brilliant writing from a brilliantly creative mind.

Movies:

"Snowpiercer." Brilliant science fiction.

Comic Books/Graphic Novels:

"Batman: Hush." The art of Jim Lee is flawless and gorgeous.

"Justice League: New Frontier" (and accompanying animated film). Comic books like they should be. A perfect blend of the golden age and modern superhero.

A brief excerpt from "Juliet Learns to Lie"

The cab driver doesn't ask why she's crying, for which Juliet is very grateful. Her chest feels so tight she can barely breathe and she can feel mascara streaking down her face, gritty and sour as it mixes on her lips with the salt from her tears. Her vision is blurry as she unlocks the door and enters, flipping on the light. She drops her keys on the floor.

She half expects Shawn to come bursting in only a few minutes behind her and puts the chain on the door.

Their home feels dark and cold and empty. She looks at the throw pillows on the couch, askew from where Shawn leaves them after he sets one on his lap as he sits. She takes in the box of Fruit Loops on the kitchen counter. She sees the MP3 player he left on the dresser in their bedroom, loaded up with his favorite tunes from the '80s and then glances toward the unmade bed where his pajamas are tucked half under his pillow, and has to turn around immediately and retreat back to the living room, which is safer. She realizes she's still wearing his suit jacket, much too big for her and smelling of Axe. She pushes it off her shoulders and drops it on the coffee table. She pulls that goddamned receipt from the pocket and stares at it.

She wonders how much of him is just a story.