So after a few attempts to remove the purple hair dye, I am now at a bubblegum pink kind of hair color. Huzzah.

Not much going on here, lots of work to be done. Going to start painting the new room on Monday but before that I have an awesome weekend with my friend Emmy planned which includes brunch, girly night, seeing Cabaret and watching ‘The Princess Bride’ because she’s never seen it.

Yep. That’s right. I actually planned FUN for myself this weekend. Fun that isn’t involved in work in any way. Shocking, isn’t it?

Of course on Monday I then have to bust my butt on painting/cleaning and of course getting some writing done.

It’s been a long week. Plz to be having caffiene.

I also have a guilty pleasure for Dr. Horrible.

Thus, this was born:

This made me a less than happy Kiri.

Not that there is anything wrong with black and yes, I know I don’t look bad with it (Ha, ha, take that mom, who said I was too pale for any shade of black) but I’m really hoping this fades a lot over time. Because anyone who has ever dyed their hair black knows that it’s a bitch and a half to go to any other color afterward. Plus it kills your hair. And my hair has been doing so well health wise, you know?

So I’m having a little bit of ‘dyers regret’ right now but I’m sure it will fade. Just like the color. In a few weeks it will eventually (and after a lot of shampooing) to some kind of lavender and I can either keep up the cycle or move on to something else.

The most unfortunate part, I think, is right in the middle of dying my brain goes, “I want to try cupcake pink again…”

Great timing, brain, really.

Oi.

Oh well. Chin up, Kiri, it won’t last forever and then you can work your way back to a pretty shade of pink so you can buy yourself some awesome dreads.  One day I may explain my obsession with pink hair to you guys… and why it’s the reason I ended up with five or six different pink wigs while I searched for “the perfect one”. Let’s just say, for now, where red hair reminds me of my childhood aspirations to be a Disney Princess that led me down the path of acting (My mother made the fatal mistake of explaining that someone was paid to be the voice of Ariel and I was ruined from that day forth), pink hair embodies confidence, playfullness and fearlessness. I want to get back to that point in my life. I’ve been all transitiony and moody lately.

Maybe this can be a physical representation of that transition phase. Who knows.

Anyway, enough of that “I’m being introspective and pseudo deep” crap. ONTO THE SQUIBBLES!

These were drawn back in the days of college (when my hair WAS black). Quick scribbles about my average school day at Cornish. Obviously you’ll have to click on them to enlarge and actually read them. Enjoy!

However, I’m a total sucker for doodles and scribbles and what nots, regardless of my lack of drawing talent or photoshop skillz (Yes, with a Z).

So thus I present to you a new segmet in this blog: Squibbles!

Derived from the word Squib (It should be noted I’m pretty much drawing from ALL definitions of this word)

squib
(skwb)

n.

1.

a. A small firecracker.

b. A broken firecracker that burns but does not explode.

2.

a. A brief satirical or witty writing or speech, such as a lampoon.

b. A short, sometimes humorous piece in a newspaper or magazine, usually used as a filler.

v. squibbed, squib·bing, squibs

v.intr.

To write or utter squibs.

v.tr.

1. To write or utter squibs against; lampoon.

2. Football To kick (the ball) low on a kickoff so that it bounces along the ground.

and of course the word scribble.

scrib·ble
(skrbl)

v.scrib·bled, scrib·bling, scrib·bles

v.tr.

1. To write hurriedly without heed to legibility or style.

2. To cover with scribbles, doodles, or meaningless marks.

v.intr.

To write or draw in a hurried careless way.

n.

1. Careless hurried writing.

2. Meaningless marks and lines.

What brought this up? Well during my ‘clean before the move’ phase, I stumbled across some of my old sketchbooks and drawings… and they made me giggle. So I thought I’d share some with you over time. Some are silly, some are honest attempts at decent art but were created in a fit of boredom, some are barely legible.

So here we go, our first ‘Squibble’.

To make a little extra cash during the summer between semesters in college, I sold my free time to Starbucks and became a barista. I feel like everyone should, at some point, work this kind of job. Something that makes you smell like some kind of food product at the end of the day–the kind of smell that gets in your skin hair and requires an actual full blown half-hour shower in boiling water to get out. The kind of job where every other customer treats you like you’re sub human.

Why? So the next time you see some poor bastard behind the counter, you will sympathize and WON’T treat them like they’re sub human.

I’m getting off track. Anyway, we had these little badges with our name on them so that we could identify who was at what register. There was velcro on the back and what not and most people didn’t even bother to do more than write on their badge with a black sharpie. But, being the Queen of Customization that I am, I had to do something a little different.

So there you have it. A little squibble of Kiri as the Mad Hatter, pouring some (no doubt) epically tasting tea.

So what have I decided to do, is try to embody some of my favorite things. As I wandered around the Bed, Bath and Beyond, I realized what I was feeling really drawn to was warm, antique-inspired decorations–especially clocks. This of course made me think of Steampunk. But that wasn’t really enough to go on. I looked at some bedding, really enjoyed the red and gold sort of look–and that in-turn made me think of Firefly–specifically Inara Serra’s rooms.

Which is kinda bad-ass. It’s got a great Chinese and Indian undertone flowing through the whole design and a sort of ‘other world’ kinda quality. So that got my mind going of how I could add to that…

And what I’ve basically come up with is a strange mix of firefly, steampunk, fantasy and even a bit of Alice in Wonderland (I get that feeling when clocks are involved ever). So over the next couple of weeks, (or however long it takes), I’ll be posting updates as this room progresses.

In the mean time, here are some awesome items I’ve been eyeing that inspire me:

These firefly lamps are knd of amazing. Something similar to these to hang from the ceiling would give a pretty interesting atmosphere. Also, holy crap, I love amber lighting.

I love the drape of this canopy and the sheer fabric. I’d love to pull something from Inara’s book and layer some  other colors in.

I just think we’ve become addicted to it.

What started as a survival tactic has somehow turned into something that cripples us. We hesitate too long, we conjure up far too many consequences–some even so extreme the likliness of it even happening is ridiculously slim but still so terrifying that it paralyzes us. We find ourselves completely frozen in that ‘pre-jump’ moment.

So I’d like to propose The “Fuck It” Principle.

It’s a simple enough concept, and it’s done well enough by me that I feel obligated to share it.

The “Fuck It” Principle doesn’t throw hesitation or forethought out the window, in fact, for me, it’s actually an essential part of it. It consists of essentially being presented with a choice that you know could have some relatively impactful (emotionally or actual) consequences, evaluating your hesitation and then going for it. And I truly mean ‘evaluating’ your hesitation. Is this something you really want? So what’s actually stopping you? What’s causing that hesitation? More than half the time you’ll realize it’s a fear of failure.

So it comes down to simply… is the chance that you’ll succeed or that you’ll be happier doing something than not, more important than your hesitation?

There’s a great quote in Macbeth–which is terrible to reference, I guess because they were talking about killing the King… but let’s forget it’s in reference to regicide, shall we? Mackers starts to say, “If we fail–” and he’s cut off by Lady M who simply says “We fail.” That’s it. If it happens, it happens.

You want to talk to that hottie at the bar but are worried you’ll be shot down? You can either fret and hesitate and feel that lump of fear grow in you or you can take a breath, mutter, “Fuck it” and just go for it.

For me, what started it was dealing with my student loans. Staring this big financial monster in the face gave me an honestly crippling fear–to the point where I thought I could get away with working two full time jobs with no time for art/theater/writing and still be sane. This is a joke. I would have crumpled into a heap of tears (and did!) and sleep deprivation. So I weighed all my options, I accepted the things I couldn’t change and I simply said, “Fuck it, I can’t give up acting.”

Because of that, I’m now performing in a show I wrote. That alone has made me infinitely happier than being able to shoulder that student loan payment on my own.

It’s definitely something that requires risks and it’s definitely something that can end disasterously… but I think… I think I’d rather make big mistakes and have a story to tell than play it safe all the time. You may be able to prevent something bad from happening to you if you let those hesitations hold you in place, but you know what? Even more likely, you’ll prevent something amazing from happening.

I want little bracelets, instead of ‘WWJD’, they will simply say “FI” or “F**K IT” (Because kids could be looking at it and you should be considerate, damn it)  and every time you start to feel like you’re getting too much in your head, you’ll look down and go, “Oh yeah, I’m awesome.”

So I’m hoping she can forgive the lateness here.

Katherine or Kate Hawkings is a sassy and quick-witted New Zealander fugitive making her way in the world of fiction. Certainly making her enterance with a ‘bang’, Hawking’s debut novel The Sphinx Project is a tale of action, sisterhood, adventure… oh, and the end of the world.

Our proganist ‘Michaela’ is much like any other teenage girl. She has dreams about boys, a guilty pleasure for ice cream and that stubborn insistence to run her own life the way she sees fit. Except unlike any other teenage girl, it isn’t parental rule that keeps her from those things–it’s being locked in a lab with her sister and friends. Being a test subject and a weapon is the only life Michaela has really ever known but when a devastating earthquake renders an opening to escape, all of that is about to change.

Except they aren’t the only test subjects to escape…

Kiri Callaghan: Have you always wanted to write a book?

Katherine Hawkins: In my earlier years I never really thought about it. One of my best friends, Joanne, was supposed to be the author. My future career changed every week. I did enjoy writing and making things up, but it wasn’t until much later that I realized you didn’t have to be a member of some secret society to actually write a book.

KC: What outside influences contributed to The Sphinx Project?

KH: The things that influenced me most in the early days were definitely the news articles. There has been a lot of talk over the years about the ethics involved in the use of chimaeras in science. At the time the debates were primarily related to legislation dictating the rules for their creation and destruction.

KC: Did you find yourself having to delve deep into any kind of research?

KH: No, not really. There were bits and pieces that I wanted to make sure I got right, but the cause of the heaviest research was never included in the final story.

KC: Did you have any prior interest in the Mayan mythologies or was it the 2012 hype that sort of sparked the idea?

KH: I’ve always loved mythology. When I was younger I had two children’s encyclopaedias that I read over and over again. One was about the history of the British monarchy, and the other was a huge round-up of mythology from around the world. I’ve always preferred Greek and Roman mythology, but I’ll take anything, really. The fact that there’s been quite a bit of hype about it recently definitely brought the idea to the forefront of my mind though.

KC: Who would you say is your target audience?

KH: Now that’s a tough one. It is a young adult book, but I’d like to think people of all ages would enjoy it. The thing with young adult books is they’re quite fast paced, to keep the readers interested. But you find a lot of adults like this quality in their reading too. If you were to look at the insights for my Facebook page you’d see that only a small fraction of the people who like it are actually in the ‘young adult’ age range.

KC: The book seems to have a very cinematic feel to it. Did you ever attribute cinematic qualities to it during your writing process? (Casting ideas, soundtracks, etc etc)

KH: I did look at pictures of actors when I was writing, but it was simply to inspire description. I find it easier to talk about something I can see in front of me. I also keep calendars with striking landscapes to help me set scenes. As for the soundtrack, I did listen to music as I wrote, but I never actually thought of a soundtrack.

KC: Without divulging any spoilers, what would be your favorite part of this process?

KH: Probably the first draft writing. It’s a time where I can cut loose and just type whatever daft ideas flow out of my brain without actually worrying about whether it makes sense or not.

KC: Something you encountered during the process that you weren’t expecting?

KH: The sheer amount of time it took to do things. The actual writing of the book only took a fraction of the time. It was the editing and revising that took the majority of the work.

KC: Any mishaps you encountered along the way?

KH: Hmmm… I’m sure there was, but off the top of my head I can’t pick one out… There was the whole ‘GAHHH!!!! I JUST DELETED 10,000 WORDS OF MY MANUSCRIPT’ panic in the early stages, but I think it actually helped make the story stronger when I rewrote it… well… I like to think it did… sob

KC: Any great strikes of luck?

KH: I had originally planned on having someone else edit the book, but came across Rhonda quite by accident. Without her I don’t think The Sphinx Project would have ended up anywhere near as good.

KC: Have you always wanted to self-publish?

KH: No. Self-publishing was a decision I came to after a lot of thought and debate. It was a really difficult choice to make, and even now I wonder if I chose right.

KC: Your advice to others who may want to self-publish:

KH: Research all your options. I don’t care who you are, there’s more you need to learn. And send out some queries. I regret not at least doing that. I’m proud of what I’ve done, but I’ll always wonder if the other path would have worked too.

You can find Katherine on Twitter, Facebook, her blog and Goodreads.

If you’re interested in buying The Sphinx Project, you can check it out on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com.

Hi, how are you?

I’ll be doing a few updates over the next few days so keep an eye open!