Hello again, Internet!

Wow... I haven't posted since mid-June. So much for starting up a blog over the summer! I've been absent from the Internet for the past several months, to force myself to concentrate on finishing my novel. Now that it's completed, I figured this would be a great time to start blogging again.

I've also created a new Tumblr with the same name as this blog: http://katinsocks.tumblr.com/

I was reluctant to join Tumblr at first, because I assumed it was just another social networking site I'd fail to keep updating, but it's actually the perfect site for quick, simple blogging. My Tumblr is a sort of inspiration collage, with all kinds of things that I love or that inspire me, including quotes and pretty photos from other Tumblr users. So if you like sparkly things, frills, socks, and/or fancy words, it's worth checking out. The longer posts will remain here, though.

For now, here are a few things I've been excited about lately...

- Finishing my manuscript! This is the biggest one. I'll write more about it later, but writing this novel has been the strangest yet most rewarding experience of my life so far. I'm nervous and excited to see where it all goes from here.

- Seeing the seventh Harry Potter movie tomorrow. Seriously, I can't wait! This is the first time I'll get to see one of the HP movies as a book fan (I read the series last year), and from what I can tell, Deathly Hallows Part One looks like it could be the most jaw-dropping adaptation yet. When I first saw the preview over the summer, it gave me chills. Here's to you, J.K. Rowling, for inspiring a whole new generation of writers, fantasy lovers, and fandom fanatics!

- Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, a.k.a. BPAL. Yes, my newest silly obsession is perfume. Why, you ask? Well, given that BPAL is an indie perfume company with a tendency to name their scents after literary characters and themes, it's no wonder I was eventually sucked in to the madness. (And it IS madness... I have dozens of their samples and five full bottles already.) You can find their lovely products here: http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/

Well, that's it for now! I'll post more very soon. :)