Pieces of a Sorceress

Hi, everyone!

I’m Jennifer, also known as SorceressCirce/SC, and I met Karin through the wonderful world of Twilight fanfiction somewhere around seven years ago. At the time, I had recently given birth to my only child, and my brain had sort of gotten stuck in an endless loop of Twilight and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reruns. I actually picked up Twilight because I taught middle school English and wanted to understand what my students were reading. Something about it grabbed me (I truly wish I knew what it was), and I found myself rereading the novels and then wishing that there was something out there that could explore the characters I wanted to know more about and right some of the wrongs that bothered me.

Enter fanfiction.

Through a convoluted web of IMDB message boards, mentions of a prominent fanfic, and an unrelenting desire for more, I found my way to Karin’s “At the Deep End.” We started talking through reviews and private messages, and before either of us knew it, we were collaborating.

For a few years, I was a prolific fanfic writer until life got in the way, as evidenced by my fics that are still languishing (sorry, Karin). In the meantime, I left the teaching profession and became an editor, which has actually compounded the problem of not having time (or the drive) to write.

As a creative person, simply not producing was not an option, and most of my other crafts (quilting, cross stitching) required more preparation and space than I had – so I learned to knit. In fact, Karin helped with that, too – she was always there to answer my crazy picture texts as I tried to figure out how I went from 20 stitches to 44. (I’m still not entirely sure, to be honest.) With the help of YouTube videos, an awesome group on Ravelry.com, and a few other websites, I went from knotted messes to my current favorite type of knitting: stranded colorwork!

The colors in this one are a little loud, but they were chosen by my daughter, who is completely in love with them. I finished another, more subdued version of this cowl (called the Crazed Scandinavian Cowl, if you are a Raveler) for a friend in a recent swap.

I really love participating in swaps because I’m always pushed to make something unusual, or I find patterns and techniques I never knew existed. I especially love themed swaps because it’s fun to gather items that all go with one fandom – and I love a good fandom!

My favorites are Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, American Gods/Neil Gaiman, Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire, The Wheel of Time, and The Walking Dead. I love fantasy books in general, and I’m always jealous of gorgeous writing (like Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone). I really enjoy JV Jones, but she seems to suffer from the same writing malady I do, so I’m beginning to think I’ll need to reread the Sword of Shadows series when the next book finally comes out.

I am always reading, usually multiple books and often with a reread or two thrown in. I absolutely love physical books, but I find I read more on my Kindle and phone, and Audible is my current savior. I listen to a book on the long drive to pick up my daughter from school (at the moment, it’s Neil Gaiman’s Fragile Things – I love listening to him read! Also, I’m envious of short story authors because I tend to use way too many words. He is a master).

The physical book I’m reading now is The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. I appreciate the way she weaves details into the narrative so that the reader gradually realizes what’s going on in terms of setting and plot. Given the current political climate in the US, it’s a particularly terrifying glimpse into the future.

On my Kindle are a few different books, but the ones I’m actively reading are The Revenger by Debra Anastasia and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. The latter (ha, I got it right, Karin!) is a bit of nostalgia and a bit of research for a novel I’m outlining about an adolescent girl who sets off on her own. Unlike Twain’s story, it ventures into the fantastic and even borders on paranormal romance. It’s one of the first plots that I’ve been really excited about in quite a while, and my goal is to write a draft this year (in between parenting, editing, knitting, and binge-watching Netflix, naturally).

For now, the parenting must win out, I’m afraid. I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Jennifer