I am absolutely delighted to welcome author of Wake, Abria Mattina to the blog today to share a 25 quirky facts about herself!
Her debut, Wake has had a lot of great response. Readers have praised Mattina for her eye-opening and realistic novel that is about the struggle to redefine life after experiencing cancer and caring for an ill loved one.
So without further ado let me turn the blog over to Abria Mattina- An author, fellow blogger and the brilliant mind behind Letters From Real! ;)
25 Things You Probably Didn't Know About
Abria Mattina
Abria Mattina
1) I frequently go back to my alma mater to write, because I did a lot of writing in study spaces and hallways over the years and I still like the atmosphere. I just carry a backpack instead of a professional bag and I blend right in.
2) I’m super jealous of people who speak more than one language.
3) I don’t have a favourite book. Rather, I have a small collection of books that changed my life or shaped the way I think about the Big Questions.
4) I have mixed feelings about my decision to major in English at university. On the one hand it led to shaky job prospects, but on the other hand I learned valuable things about storytelling, which I consider my “real” career.
5) My biggest pet peeve is when people don’t take me seriously. I look younger than I actually am, so this problem comes up a lot. I still get asked what grade I’m in.
6)I can’t write if I know there are people behind me who can see my screen. It used to be that I couldn’t work unless my back was to a corner, like a Sicilian mobster, but I’ve relaxed ever so slightly. I don’t like people to see my drafting process, because the initial draft of everything is pure garbage.
7) I have synaesthesia, a neurological disorder with many advantages, such as improved memory. The disadvantages are that I can barely stand oral stimulation (food and kissing, anyone?) and I have mild dyscalculia. You should see me try to dial a phone.
8) I used to be an Irish step dancer. For a long time it gave me an even greater high than writing. I stopped when I went to university, but that was probably a good thing because I was well on my way to destroying my knees.
9) I write my fiancé into every single book I create, even the putter drafts that never turn into real books. He knows it, too, and has taken to asking, “Who am I this time?” He actively “helps” by getting into character and trying to give me material.
10) I’m attracted to sad, dark, twisted books. My idea of a “tearjerker” is the average person’s idea of a soul-crushing tragedy.
11) I wrote 90% of my second novel longhand. It was mostly an exercise in writing mechanics, because the plot was so, so bad. I was fifteen and I carried a notebook to all my classes, writing whenever I had a spare moment.
12) The way to my heart is through chocolate and peanut butter, preferably melted together into a soupy swirl of sugary goodness.
13) I love the series House of Cards. It’s not that I’m into politics, or even fictionalized political dramas. I just love how the writers manage to not only stab their characters with amazing zingers, but twist the knives with killer follow-up lines. So many shows miss that crucial beat when setting the tempo of their drama.
14) When I was three years old I asked my mother if it was possible that I was an adult dreaming that I was a child. To her credit, she didn’t back away and call an exorcist.
15) I keep saying I’m going to try veganism, but I never do.
16) One of my biggest fears is that I’m wasting my time. I’m simultaneously in love with and terrified by the quote, “It’s your life, and it’s ending one minute at a time.”
17) I am in love with Bolthouse Farms’ mango lemonade. It might actually be better than chocolate.
18) I avoid reading books that come in series because most of the time, I quit the series out of boredom or dislike. I’m a girl who likes stand-alones.
19) When I was twelve, my friend and I started our own summer business making fruit jam and selling it door to door.
20) I’m an introvert who loves noisy, bustling cities. It comforts me to know that there’s a lot going on around me, even if I only engage with some of it. The period I spent living in New York was one of the best times of my life.
21) One of my anonymous secrets was read aloud at a Postsecret event. If you ever have the chance to go to one of these events, don’t miss it.
22) I believe respect is the key to the universe, whether you’re giving it to someone else or have it yourself.
23) I almost always write about disabled characters as a way to sort through my feelings about my scoliosis and chronic back pain. It’s easier to confront these things through the eyes and voice of someone else.
24) I hate to cook but I love to bake. I make a wicked apple pie.
25) I used to be a War of 1812 re-enactor at Battlefield House in Stoney Creek. I loved it because I got to dress up, pretend it was the nineteenth century, and demonstrate two-hundred-year-old technology and culture to tourists.
Meet The Author:2) I’m super jealous of people who speak more than one language.
3) I don’t have a favourite book. Rather, I have a small collection of books that changed my life or shaped the way I think about the Big Questions.
4) I have mixed feelings about my decision to major in English at university. On the one hand it led to shaky job prospects, but on the other hand I learned valuable things about storytelling, which I consider my “real” career.
5) My biggest pet peeve is when people don’t take me seriously. I look younger than I actually am, so this problem comes up a lot. I still get asked what grade I’m in.
6)I can’t write if I know there are people behind me who can see my screen. It used to be that I couldn’t work unless my back was to a corner, like a Sicilian mobster, but I’ve relaxed ever so slightly. I don’t like people to see my drafting process, because the initial draft of everything is pure garbage.
7) I have synaesthesia, a neurological disorder with many advantages, such as improved memory. The disadvantages are that I can barely stand oral stimulation (food and kissing, anyone?) and I have mild dyscalculia. You should see me try to dial a phone.
8) I used to be an Irish step dancer. For a long time it gave me an even greater high than writing. I stopped when I went to university, but that was probably a good thing because I was well on my way to destroying my knees.
9) I write my fiancé into every single book I create, even the putter drafts that never turn into real books. He knows it, too, and has taken to asking, “Who am I this time?” He actively “helps” by getting into character and trying to give me material.
10) I’m attracted to sad, dark, twisted books. My idea of a “tearjerker” is the average person’s idea of a soul-crushing tragedy.
11) I wrote 90% of my second novel longhand. It was mostly an exercise in writing mechanics, because the plot was so, so bad. I was fifteen and I carried a notebook to all my classes, writing whenever I had a spare moment.
12) The way to my heart is through chocolate and peanut butter, preferably melted together into a soupy swirl of sugary goodness.
13) I love the series House of Cards. It’s not that I’m into politics, or even fictionalized political dramas. I just love how the writers manage to not only stab their characters with amazing zingers, but twist the knives with killer follow-up lines. So many shows miss that crucial beat when setting the tempo of their drama.
14) When I was three years old I asked my mother if it was possible that I was an adult dreaming that I was a child. To her credit, she didn’t back away and call an exorcist.
15) I keep saying I’m going to try veganism, but I never do.
16) One of my biggest fears is that I’m wasting my time. I’m simultaneously in love with and terrified by the quote, “It’s your life, and it’s ending one minute at a time.”
17) I am in love with Bolthouse Farms’ mango lemonade. It might actually be better than chocolate.
18) I avoid reading books that come in series because most of the time, I quit the series out of boredom or dislike. I’m a girl who likes stand-alones.
19) When I was twelve, my friend and I started our own summer business making fruit jam and selling it door to door.
20) I’m an introvert who loves noisy, bustling cities. It comforts me to know that there’s a lot going on around me, even if I only engage with some of it. The period I spent living in New York was one of the best times of my life.
21) One of my anonymous secrets was read aloud at a Postsecret event. If you ever have the chance to go to one of these events, don’t miss it.
22) I believe respect is the key to the universe, whether you’re giving it to someone else or have it yourself.
23) I almost always write about disabled characters as a way to sort through my feelings about my scoliosis and chronic back pain. It’s easier to confront these things through the eyes and voice of someone else.
24) I hate to cook but I love to bake. I make a wicked apple pie.
25) I used to be a War of 1812 re-enactor at Battlefield House in Stoney Creek. I loved it because I got to dress up, pretend it was the nineteenth century, and demonstrate two-hundred-year-old technology and culture to tourists.
Abria holds a Certificate in Publishing from the New York University Summer Publishing Institute and a degree in English Literature and Psychology from the University of Ottawa. When she isn’t writing she enjoys travelling, eclectic books, blogging, and baking. She lives with her fiancé, Daniel.
Her debut novel, Wake, is about the struggle to redefine life after experiencing cancer and caring for an ill loved one.
Wake
Synopsis:
Eighteen isn’t too young to run your life into the ground, but it’s not too old to fix it, either. The desire for change drives Willa Kirk from St. John’s, Newfoundland back to hometown of Smiths Falls, Ontario, away from her mistakes and the place where her sister died. She’s looking for a place to settle and rebuild, but Jem Harper just wants to get out of town, back to the life he knew before cancer. By letting the tragedies in their lives define them, they are both dying a little more every day. Welcome to the wake.
International Giveaway
-Enter below to win an ebook of Abria Mattina's Wake!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
What are your thoughts on Wake?
Share something that we probably don't know about yourself! ;)
-Enter below to win an ebook of Abria Mattina's Wake!
What are your thoughts on Wake?
Share something that we probably don't know about yourself! ;)
No comments :
Post a Comment
Words are powerful - Please use yours wisely.
I read and appreciate all comments, so do feel free to leave some comment love! :)