Uta Hagen--

"We must overcome the notion that we must be regular...it robs you of the chance to be extraordinary and leads you to the mediocre."

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Apology

I'm sorry for my rant yesterday, it was just really bothering me and I felt I should write about it.

I also apologize that I am not writing about the signing yesterday.  I need to email myself the pictures from my phone and I also need to write something for student council.  So I will post tomorrow.

p.s. Darkly Luminous is AMAZING so far!

page 20. ;)

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Release Day! + A Rant

I just want to take a quick moment to say HAPPY RELEASE DAY to BEST SELLING AUTHOR LEANNA RENEE HIEBER!  (I'll have more info and pictures from the release party sometime later in the week.)

Now, I need to rant, because there is a topic that my history teacher is bringing up a lot in class lately and it's really starting to bug me.  *That it's happening, not that he's bringing it up.*  It's about people protesting at soldier's funerals with signs saying "Thank God for dead soldiers" and other really rude signs.  How could CHRISTIANS do this?  Yeah, that's right CHRISTIANS.  The protestors are from a Babtist Church in Kansas.  Aren't we, as Christians, supposed to support each other and love each other and help each other through the hard times?  How could they do it?

Perhaps what bothers me the most about this is that it's not even the war they're protesting.  They're protesting that the Army allows gay people to be in the service.  So...what?  Gay people can't defend our country just as well as strait people?  And I know what you're thinking, well, this one soldier was probably gay.  No.  The dad of the soldier took the case all the way to the Supreme Court and his son wasn't even gay.  Now, I know that a lot of Christians don't support gay relationships, but my question has always been, WHY DON'T WE?  I know that God made relationships to be between a man and a woman, but can you really help what your heart feels?  I mean, say you have a piece of pizza (someone of the opposite sex) and you're happy with it, you can laugh together and all that, but there's that piece of chocolate cake (someone of the same sex) and they just fulfil you more.  Who would you choose to be with?  Now, I'm not saying that if you like chocolate cake over pizza you have to be gay.  That was just my lame attempt at symbolism. 

But seriously, how can these Christian people stand infront of a funeral *of someone who died defending THEM* and hold up signs saying such rude and horrid things such as "You're going to hell"? 

I can't imagine being the parent of the soldier and having to go through this.  It's like you have to relive it everyday and I doubt he's ever had a chance to go through the grieving process.  I don't think it's fair and I hope that the Supreme Court rules in the dad's favor and sues that Church for everything they're worth because they are doing a disgrace to God.  God wouldn't want his children to do such things, and I wonder if they've thought of that.  God may not want you to be gay, but I somehow doubt he'd want you protesting at a funeral for a service man.  (By the way, notice how young that kid is in the picture above.  Seriously?)

I can honestly say that if something were to happen and this was someone in my family, the police couldn't hold me back from them.  I don't think I could do much damage to them, but I'd definitely give them a piece of my mind.  This goes way beyond first amendmant rights.  This is an invasion of privacy and your freedom of speech should be taken away for this.  (Because you'd have to be in jail)

Oh, and one more thing.  So what if someone's gay?  As a Christian, I can say that I disagree with what a lot of other Christians believe.  I have nothing against gay people.  I think that you have to have a lot of courage to admit that you're gay.  And I think that God will love you no matter what.  

Please take a moment to watch this video about Christians and gay people.  I promise, it's not offending and it really helped me figure things out.
http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=e3badad4c82af4143afb

EDIT: After having experienced losing a cousin to the war in Afghanistan, I am now even more infuriated by these 'people'.  They were scheduled to appear at my cousin's services.  I'm not sure if they were there or not, nobody heard them or saw them.  However, now knowing exactly how it feels to have to say goodbye to such a hero, I can't even believe that these people can stand there with those signs while families and friends are going through the worst hell.  These people have to have feelings, they've had to have lost people they loved before.  Granted, it might not be to war, but they have to know how it feels to lose someone.  Almost everybody knows someone who's in the military and I just can't imagine someone serving our country being related to these people.  I hope that these people realize what they're doing is sinful and very, very painful for families who have lost a soldier, as well as for families of those who are serving.

Monday, April 26, 2010

The Sun'll Come Out...TOMORROW!

Okay, so I'm super excited!  TOMORROW LEANNA RENEE HIEBER'S NEWEST NOVEL 'THE DARKLY LUMINOUS FIGHT FOR PERSEPHONE PARKER' IS COMING OUT!!!!!!! (hence the title of this blog...)

Leanna was kind enough to visit my school today - which, Leanna, I can't thank you enough for.  I had a blast!  I was the 'welcome wagon' for her when she arrived this morning, then I had lunch with her, and then she also did a Q&A with my class.  It was a lot of fun.  I made shirts for the event today - and it's quite amazing.  The shirt I wore today said "Athens Academy" and then it had a heart and then down the left side it said "Property of Alexi Rychman".  *grin.  Get it?  <3 property of Alexi...*  And on the back, it said "Since I never got my Hogwarts acceptance letter, I'm going to Athens Academy".  I also painted my nails red (Because DARKLY LUMINOUS  has a red cover) and with white paint I wrote "A-L-E-X-I" on my right hand (one letter per nail) and on my right I wrote "P-E-R-C-Y". 

I made a shirt for tomorrow as well, but just in case Leanna by some chance reads this before I see her tomorrow, I'm not going to tell you what it says.  :D  Because I enjoy teasing all two readers of this blog.  Seriously, I think I'm just talking to myself.  Actually, maybe I'm not.  I just got two new followers!  Well, one's my friend from school and I follow her blog.  The other person subscribed to my on YouTube and probably saw the link to my blog on my page.  Thanks YouTube subscriber!

Anyway, I must go because I need to finish the shirt for tomorrow. 

Leanna, I cannot wait and I will see you tomorrow!
p.s. Leanna let me hold DARKLY LUMINOUS today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  OMA I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

I love (the) Ohio State University!

So I went to the Ohio State Spring Game yesterday and I was AMAZED!  I mean, the campus in itself is huge, but the Horseshoe (Ohio Statium) is...WOW!  We climbed all the way to the top seat and Oh.  My.  Goodness.  I thought I was going to die.  We were up so high...and there was a chance for more rain.  I kept wondering if it was going to start raining again, but I rationed that at least we'd be the first to know.

I got a lot of info about campus via text message from my awesome, genius cousin Brent, who graduated from OSU a few years back.  I located his old dorm building (Taylor, which is for HONOR students) and I want to have a dorm there as well.  He also told me other building names that I tried to locate. 

The Sping Game ticket also included the men's lacrosse vs Air Force.  It was actually quite entertaining to watch.  I've been interested in the game for a while, but this was the first time I've actually seen it played.  I can't play it for my school though because you have to join the club and it costs like $200 to join.   And that's not even saying that I'd enjoy it.  I've been known the quit sports because I can't deal with the heat, so I need to stay out of the kitchen.  (Literally, the heat gives me a migraine.)  Anyway, I had a great time outside of the football fandom.

When we climbed to the top seat, the BDBITL (the Best D*** Band In The Land) played the National Anthem.  From that far up, you could see everyone taking off their hats and standing up, and it just really made me proud to be an American, and an Ohioan for that matter.  Seeing how much respect everybody gives for the country (added to the fact that there were troops there) just really made my heart swell with pride.  No matter where life may take me, I know I'll stay true to my roots of Ohio because, even if Ohio isn't the most exciting state, it's definitely a prideful state, and one that I'm proud to originate from.  I can only imagine how it will feel to actually be a student there.  When we all stood up to sing Carmon Ohio I realized just how much respect Ohio State has earned - like the buckeye leaf stickers the players wear on their helmets - and I can't wait to be a student there. *they didn't do script Ohio at the Spring Game*

I think the overall ambiance of the campus just made life look a little more positive - especially with recent hard times.  It almost gave me the impression that maybe - just maybe - everything isn't going wrong in the world.  It's strange how a college can make me feel this way - especially since I still have a little over four years before I could start there.  But I know that's where I want to go.  Don't get me wrong, Wooster is beautiful and the dorm buildings are a lot prettier, but Ohio State has so much history and so much pride there...I would be proud to call myself an Ohio State Buckeye. 

If I do end up going to OSU, I want to be on the football team.  Or some athletic team.  Can you guess what position? MASCOT!  I abso-freaking-lutely adore Brutus Buckeye and I think it would be SO much fun to be him.  But I would have to be Brutus for fall and winter sports, maybe spring, because I couldn't stand to be Brutus in hot weather.  But hey, this is Ohio, there's no guarantee that I won't experience hot days no matter what the season.

I took all of my pictures on my cell phone, so once I transfer them to my computer I will post them in a video most likely. 

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired A Buckeye
O-H?
(I-O!)

Friday, April 23, 2010

Big News = Big Happiness


So, as you know, a lot of excitement is heading my way in about 3 days!  But, amazingly enough, a lot more excitement is happening all around me other than The Darkly Luminous Fight For Persephone Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber!  So, here's a bit of a info-flash.

Today, the final (I think) Eclipse trailer was released!  I just finished watching it and...Oh.  My.  Goodness.  It looks amazing.  Of course, Twilight's trailers were amazing and the movie really sucked (no pun intended), and New Moon's trailers were even more amazing, and so was the movie now that I think about it.  I think the movies are just going to improve with each instalment, and by the time the second/final part of Breaking Dawn hits screens, it'll be a really good movie.  Which I couldn't be more excited about.  Honestly, I think that people will begin to see that they're not corney teenage love stories that happen to include vampires and the ever so hated werewolves.  But I will be sadened to see the movies come to an end and know that 'Twilight' is over, even though Stephenie Meyer may continue to write other POVs.  But I think I have a while before I go all depressed-Bella and cry into my pillow over it.  Although we all know that's coming.  Eventually.

On to other exciting things, outside of my two favorite book series.  Tomorrow is the Ohio State Spring Game, which I will be attending.  I'll try to get tons of cool pictures, but my camera's kind of like Ohio--it's very unpredictable.  But I'm really excited to be going, even if I don't completely understand football - especially withought the yellow lines that they so nicely put on the TV for you.  But I'm still really looking forward to it!

Another exciting thing is that my ex-teacher, Mr. Brunk is having his kids tomorrow, well his wife is.  They're having boy and girl twins, and I'm SO incredibly happy for them!  I wrote them a poem and gave it to Mr. B on Thursday.  He loved it, and it totally made it worth getting up early to finish and reprint and frame and wrap.  :)  I hope his wife loves it as much as he does.  But I won't post it online.  He said he wouldn't mind, that it was mine and I could do whatever I wanted to do with it.  But I still decided that the things I post online are moreso about what I've been through and what I've experienced.  Like my mom dying, and stories about my grandma, and stuff like that.  This poem, however, isn't for me it's for Mr. and Mrs. Brunk.  I didn't write it because I was having twins, I wrote it because they were.  I was going to tell him this today, but he never showed up first period to say his 'final fairwells' before he takes two weeks of paternaty leave.  (I really doubt that's spelled right.)  Oh well, I'll tell him when he gets back.

I finally got to watch New Moon.  Well, kinda.  I watched the commentary with it, which is quite entertaining.  It's not as funny as Twilight's, but that's because Rob isn't talking.  But it's still really funny and I think that my respect for the movies (Especially New Moon) grew from watching it because it showed me how much work and thought went into making the movies and how much the director really cares about the movie. 

Man, I really feel like a die-hard Twi-hard today.  I haven't felt this way in a while.  I guess mostly because I've been really focused on other things.  Oh, and on a rather sad note, Jim goes back to Afghanistan today.  :'(  Please pray for him?

Another good thing, and I promise this is the last (that I'm going to talk about), my grandma's neighbor went to the doctor and they couldn't find any sign of cancer!  He still has some health issues, but no cancer is definitely something to be thankful for and to be hopeful about. 

Have a wonderful and blessed day!
With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

One. Week.

*In amazingly deep announcer voice.*

In one week...

*Dun, dun*

Your life will change.

Because in one week...

Best-selling author, Leanna Renee Hieber's new book...

Will be released.

And you

Will

Be

Able

To

Read

It.

FINALLY!!!!!!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Party in the USA

So, I made that video I mentioned yesterday.  Instead of using the song that Jim and I have a soft spot for, which was Fireflies by Owl City, I used Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus.  Now there's a story behind that.  Because anyone who knows me is very well aware that I am not a fan of Miley Cyrus (Although I surely love her dad!).  *sings* Don't tell my heart, my achy, breaky heart.  I just don't think he'd understand.  Don't tell my heart, achy, breaky heart.  It might just blow up and kill this man.  Whhooooo!

When Jim's unit goes out on patrol, this is the song that they sing/ listen to.  Don't ask why.  But certain parts make sense.  I just find it funny and I couldn't resist.  So without further delay, I give you my amazing video. 





Have a wonderful and blessed day!

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired

Saturday, April 17, 2010

"American Saturday Night" (and British...)

Hey there dear readers!  I meant to post yesterday, but I was to tired and didn't really feel like getting online.  So here I am, today! 

I got to see Jimmy on Thursday while I was at my grandma's for dinner.  I also got to see his brother and his mom (my cousin and aunt), which was really great.  Jim actually put me on his shoulders.  OM GOODNESS I thought he was going to drop me!

But that's not the point of this post.  This post is to tell you that tonight I will be seeing Jimmy again and showing him the video I made for him (CLICK HERE)  and I'll let you know how that goes.  He has to go back to his base tomorrow night because his daughter has to go back to school, but he doesn't have to catch a plane back to Afghanistan until Friday.  Which is still way to soon in my opinion.

So that's why I titled this post "American Saturday Night", which is a song by Brad Paisley.  If I get any pictures or video of tonight, I might make a video with that song.  But I also have some other songs in mind.  Particularly a song that Jimmy and I both have a soft spot for.  But I'll keep that a surprise. 

Also, there are only 10 more days until THE DARKLY LUMINOUS FIGHT FOR PERSEPHONE PARKER comes out!  Which, I just found out, happens to fall within my achievement testing week.  But I am still going to the signing.  How could I possibly miss something of this magnitude?  I'll take a nap when I get home.  It's not like I can study for them anyway, so...

Anyway, there are blueberry muffins getting ready to be cooked, so I must go.  But before I do, I would like to announce that DOCTOR WHO STARTS BACK UP TONIGHT AND THE NEW DOCTOR IS ON THERE! (Matt Smith) *Although, I like David Tennant a lot more...but we'll see.*  And there's a DW marathon on BBC or BBC America today!

Have a wonderful and blessed day!
With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

News (13 days!)

I don't have too much to say today, but Leanna Renee Hieber posted some very exciting news over at her blog, so be sure to check that out.  *I'm super excited about this too!!*

Secondly, do I have any fellow gleeks out there?  *not a typo*  You know, fans of Glee? 

Well, gleeks, what did you think about the new season premier last night?  Personally, (and I love Glee, so don't think I'm just totally bashing the show) I didn't like it.  I think that the show changed quite a bit since the last episode and that it became a little more adult.  Which I don't like.  I mean, it's a show about a HIGH SCHOOL GLEE CLUB!  And I understand that certain things do go on in high schools, but still...some of the scenes were uncalled for.  I still loved the songs, but I don't like how Finn is acting all weird.  *sings* "You're hot then you're cold, you're yes then you're no, you're in then you're out, you're up then your down".

On top of this, Sue Sulvester's "Vogue" kind of creeped me out.  Being from a generation that doesn't know much about Madona, I didn't get that this was a parody.  I didn't care for the video and I kind of think that Sue looked uncomfortable and stiff, and her voice was kind of eerie. 

It might just be the Ohioian in me that doesn't like it when a show set in Ohio changes so much for the worse.  I just hope this isn't an preview as to how the season is going to turn out.

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

TWO. WEEKS.

TWO.  WEEKS.  FROM.  TODAY.  THE DARKLY LUMINOUS FIGHT FOR PERSEPHONE PARKER WILL BE.  RELEASED.  AND.  OPEN.  FOR.  EVERYONE.  TO. READ. 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Are you as excited as I am?!?  Seriously, I've been counting down forever!  *Been waiting even longer!* TWO WEEKS!  ONLY TWO MORE WEEKS!  (am I over using my CAPS LOCK?) 

I can't wait for DARKLY LUMINOUS!  It's going to be so amazing and the reviews Leanna Renee Hieber posted on her blog just make me want this book even more!  *tick, tock, tick, tock* 
So, like I said, Leanna Renee Hieber posted a blog article today about the two week countdown.  *which I'm mentioned in!*  click HERE and tell me you're not excited for this book!  Go ahead, try it.  I dare you!  ;)  *WARNING: I AM NOT RESPONCIBLE FOR ANY IMPATIENCE CAUSED BY THIS ACTION AND/OR ANY PAIN THAT MAY COME TO YOU BECAUSE YOU HURT YOURSELF IN THE ACT OF JUMPING FOR JOY* (I don't think it's possible to over use...) 

So make sure you check out the blog and OMG IT'S ONLY TWO.  MORE.  WEEKS! TWO!  14 days!  OMG! 

Have a wonderful and blessed day.

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Stoked!

Friday, April 9, 2010

Sisters Red!

Hello dearest readers!  Today I'm going to blog about an upcoming novel that I'm totally stoked for!  Seriously, I cannot wait for it to come out.  SISTERS RED BY JACKSON PEARCE comes out sometime in June, and honestly I cannot wait for it to be released!

As some of you may recall, I blogged a few times about As You Wish last year, which is also by Jackson Pearce.  And if you've read AYW you will most definitely understand why I am jumping up and down at my computer just thinking about this release!

I check Jackson Pearce's website almost on a daily basis because I'm a huge fan!  And the other day she uploaded a video on her website, as well as to YouTube (where you should totally subscribe to her: CLICK for Awesome-ness!) about her April contest.

You see, Ms. Pearce has been giving away Advanced Reader Copies of SISTERS RED every month since December and adding more to the prize pack each month.  In addition to this, you also recieve whatever was included in the prize pack from the month before!  All you have to do to enter the April contest is blog somewhere on the internet about SISTERS RED!

SISTERS RED is kind of like a "Little Red Riding Hood" type story.  And, because I absolutely suck at giving summaries and blurbs do it so well, here is the blurb about SISTERS RED from Jackson Pearce's website:

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris-- the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.



Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax-- but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they've worked for.


Twenty-five-year-old Jackson Pearce delivers a dark, taut fairy tale with heart-pounding action, fierce sisterly love, and a romance that will leave readers breathless.



So there you have it!  Doesn't it just make you want to go see your grandmother with a basket full of goodies, but totally avoid the woods?  (aka, GO OUT AND BUY THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW?!?)

I hope that you will show your support for Jackson Pearce and buy her fabulous books!  And isn't her last name so similar to Hallie's?  Pearce, Pearson?

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired


Thursday, April 8, 2010

Good News X a LOT!

Hey there my lovely readers (if there are any out there...)!  I have some wonderful news today, so while I'm procrastinating doing my reading homework (omg it's so pretty out), I figured I might as well tell you everything that I've found out that is good.  So here we go!

1. Only 19 more days until  THE DARKLY LUMINOUS FIGHT FOR PERSEPHONE PARKER BY LEANNA RENEE HIEBER comes out!  I'm totally excited, if you can't tell by my counting down the days!

2.  Only 18 more days until Leanna comes to my school!  Which I'm super excited about!  I get to see her two days in a row!  How amazing is that?!?  My friends are totally excited about it to.  I've shamelessly made my friends read it.  They started reading it because they're scared of me, they kept reading it because they loved it!

3.  My final 3rd quarter grade in math was a 91.7!  Which rounds to an A!  Yay!  I was so worried.  You see, because I'm a geek, I've had strait A's since 6th grade, so it's very important to me.  I'd like to graduate Valadictorian (Leanna Renee Hieber did--did you know that?), but there are people at my school who keep 100% in their classes, nearly the whole quarter.  Yeah... Anyway, music lab is the only class that I'm waiting on my grade.  I know I had an A in every other class. 

4.  It's nice out!  One day in Tennessee, I actually got to wear shorts and I wore shorts again today!  Yay!  This makes me so happy!  (but it dropped 20 degrees last night. :'( )

5.  I got to sleep with my window open last night which I abso-freaking-lutely adore!  Love the fresh air!

6.  I learned how to do some new stuff in the library.

7. I got my abstinence ring!

8. Most importantly, JIMMY'S HOME!!! Well, he's on leave and only for two weeks, but still!  I know that he still has about a year when he goes back to Afghanistan, but I'm seriously looking forward to seeing him (hopefully this weekend)!  I think I'm going to show him the video I made him...which I'm nervous about because I'm not sure how he'll react.  Or how I will.  But we'll see.

With that said, I should get on my homework--even if it is totally gorgeous outside!  (Okay, there are rain clouds, but, hey, an Ohioan can't complain. ;) 

"Ohio," I sighed "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes and it'll change." --Hallie Pearson.

With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired

p.s. I wrote this yesterday--but the countdown dates are correct.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Big Ben Pictures

I cannot believe I've forgotten to post these pictures until now!  If you forgot, my group built Big Ben for a math project using scales and proportions.  We got a 72/70 on the project which is a 102%!!

So here are pictures.  By the way, I took in my cardboard cut out of Rob since he's from England and Big Ben's in England...


with eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired

Saturday, April 3, 2010

New Meyer book!

So, as you're well aware, I am a HUGE Stephenie Meyer fan.  And OMG GUESS WHAT?  She has a new book coming out!  And, because I'm totally into promoting my favorite authors (speaking of which, Leanna Renee Hieber's 'The Darkly Luminious Fight for Persephone Parker' comes out in less than a month.  Just sayin') I'm going to talk about my excitement for this book--well, novella. 

Firstly, this is Stephenie Meyer's post announcing the novella copied directly from her website:

Surprise!



I have a new book coming out. It's called The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. Well, it's more of a novella than an actual book—my version of a short story.

Actually, this has been a surprise to me, too. The reason why it's a surprise was that I never intended to publish this story as a stand-alone book. I began this story a long time ago—before Twilight was even released. Back then I was just editing Eclipse, and in the thick of my vampire world. I was thinking a lot about the newborns, imagining their side of the story, and one thing led to another. I started writing from Bree's perspective about those final days, and what it was like to be a newborn.

This story was something that I worked on off and on for a while, just for fun, in between the times I was writing or editing other Twilight novels. Later, when the concept for The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide came up, I thought that might be a good place for Bree. Her story is a nice complement to Eclipse; it explains a lot of the things that Bella never knew. So I dusted it off and finished it up for placement in the Guide.

At the same time, it came in handy for the Eclipse film. Melissa (Rosenberg, the screenwriter) had a ton of questions about what exactly was going on in Seattle, how Victoria managed things, what Riley was like, etc. I let her read what I had then, and later gave the whole thing to the director, David Slade. David asked if Xavier, Bryce, and Jodelle (Riley, Victoria, and Bree) could read it as well, so all the parties involved would end up having a really strong foundation for their characters before the cameras started rolling. I was pleased that this side of the story would make it into the film and was looking forward to including it in the Guide.

(Keeping it confidential: Here is Jodelle next to the bucket of waterlogged ashes that were once the pages of her copy of the Bree manuscript.)
**See Stephenie Meyer's page for picture**

Then I got the news: my "short story" was nearly 200 pages long when typeset. It was too long to fit into the Guide—without ending up with a tome as heavy as the Oxford English Dictionary. My publisher approached me with the idea of releasing the Bree story on its own. One of the major benefits of this plan was that it would be out before the movie, so people would get to know Bree before they saw her in the film. That made sense to me, and we decided to go ahead with it.

There was one thing I asked for: since this story had always been an extra for me, and was meant to be released with the Guide, I wanted to be able to offer it to my fans for free. You all have bought a ton of my books, and I wanted to give you this story as a gift. My publisher was awesome and embraced this idea. We still wanted to also produce a physical book with a cool cover (see below) that you can add to your set if you like, but starting at noon on June 7th until July 5th, it will also be available online at www.breetanner.com.

 One other aspect of this release is the plan to give a more important gift to people who really need it. One dollar of each book purchased in the US from the first printing will be donated to the American Red Cross for their relief efforts in Haiti and Chile and other parts of the world where people are in great need. We're going to have an option online as well, so you can choose to make a donation if you want when you read the story online. I hope you will. I think that we can really help a lot of people with this.

I really hope you all enjoy this story. I had a blast writing it. I'm glad that after all this time cooling her heels in my files, Bree finally gets her chance to shine.

Thanks for all the support,

Steph


Now, onto my excitement.  First of all, I really admire Stephenie for asking that the novella be free for her fans.  That means a lot, to me as a writer, as a fan, and as a person.  As a writer because I know how hard it is to be a writer and I've heard a lot of stories about how hard it is to depend on writing to make a living.  Although, Stephenie has done very, very well and is more than stable.  It's still a big thing.  (And yes, I'm still going to BUY the book.)  As a fan because it means that she's acknowleging how much her fans have done for her and without her fans, she wouldn't have what she has.  Which is amazing, because not a lot of people do.  Sure, some celebs will say how much they appreciate their fans and how they know that they gave them what they have now, but to have Stephenie Meyer actually GIVE her fans something--that's amazing to me.  And as a person because she's donating 1 dollar of every book sold to the Red Cross for earthquake relief!  God Bless you, Stephenie Meyer!
 
I also like to have the story told from a different perspective than Bella.  Don't get me wrong--I love Bella, but to have Bree tell the story seems so amazing.  Mostly because her life is so much more different than that of the Cullen's.  I also think that it'll 'quench my thirst' for the Twilight Saga until Eclipse comes out in theatres on June 30th.  :)
 
When I first heard about the novella, I was in Tennessee, obviously if I'm just NOW writing about it, and I was super excited!  I couldn't believe it!  More TWILIGHT!  And then I got back to thinking about how much Stephenie Meyer has done for me, and she doesn't even know me.  (Although she may have heard my name because I won a contest on twilightteez.com *which is no longer in business* and she picked my design!) If Stephenie had not written Twilight, I would've never started reading then, and I may not have ever started writing.  So anything that may come of my writing is owed to her. 
 
For Christmas, I got a set of Twilight journals, and the journal with the Twilight cover I'm using for a special reason.  In it, I am writing 'letters to Stephenie' and trying to express my thanks as best as I can. 
 
So thank you, Stephenie Meyer, even though you'll probably never read this, or my letters.  For everything.
 
With eternal love and blessings,
Officially Inspired