According to Alyssa

Though my year has been one of the most exciting ones yet, I think this announcement may be the best of all!  I am so very pleased to share with you that I am writing and self-publishing a children's book!  HOORAY!  I can't believe it is actually happening.

If you are new to my blog, then you should know that I write about beauty, fashion, music, and life for Maniac Magazine which is so much fun!  I truly love every second of it.  But, I've been wanting to do some more fictional creative writing to stir up the pot.

I am also a HUGE fan of Christmas.  I have been watching the past few years of Zoe Sugg and Tanya Burr's vlogmas videos every day for the past month (I know it's early!) and listening to Christmas music in the shower.  MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAAAAYS! (Anybody know who sings that?!)  My boyfriend is extremely annoyed with me, but whatever!  It's the most wonderful time of the year, and it's only 5 months away!

So with my mind full of ideas and high on the thought of Christmas being so soon (lol), I texted my friend Katherine, who is an AMAZING artist (YES, SHE DID THE REINDEER PICTURED ABOVE.  ISN'T HE GORGEOUS?!) and half-jokingly said "let's write a children's book".  Her response was entirely serious and 100% for the idea.  And that was it.  We got to work right away and are now so pumped to be writing a children's Christmas book!

The story follows a retired reindeer far past his glory days who is searching for a way to continue to bring happiness to children!  We've launched a Go Fund Me campaign in the attempt to raise some of the money that we need to publish this book in time for Thanksgiving!  If you're interested in learning more, PLEASE don't hesitate to check out the campaign and make a donation!  We've included some pretty awesome rewards for anyone who helps us out, so we think it's definitely worth it!

Also, if you can't afford to donate, don't worry!  You can always just share the link to the campaign and help us spread the word!

Thank you all in advance!

xx

   
     Ever since my freshman year of college in 2011 (Yikes! Has it really been four years?!), I've toyed with the idea of creating a YouTube channel.  I find the idea of vlogging as well as creating fun sit-down videos to be extremely exciting, however the thought of actually planting myself in front of a camera and speaking openly on any subject seems absolutely terrifying (which is probably why I haven't actually jumped into it yet).  But I think that this is the year I may actually do it.  I've got a lot of exciting things happening in my life in the upcoming months, including moving to a new apartment with my boyfriend, flying across the country to adventure in Oregon, and starting an internship at a fashion magazine and I'd love to be able to document these occurrences and share them with people who may have similar interests.

     That being said, I am officially reaching out to any and all YouTubers for advice, tips, tricks, and just general thoughts on the YouTube community as well as my want to be a part of it!  I'd love to hear about your experiences and hopefully gain some new friends in the process!

xx

         I realized today that I haven't formally introduced myself to the blogosphere, so here is just a quick list of some of my favorite things!

Color: When it comes to clothing, I'm all about black. (All black errrthang).  But as far as home decor and just visuals in general, I'm a big fan of teal and mint.

Book:  My all-time favorite book would have to be Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.  I'm actually collecting different editions and covers!

Movie:  I'm always finding new movies that I fall in love with, but I think the first movie that made me say "YES. This is it." would have to be Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.  (And yes, I have read the book.)

Place:  No city has ever made me feel the way that New York does.  The entire city is to me what Tiffany's is to Holly Golightly.  (Another favorite book and movie!)


Restaurant: The Harris Grill here in Pittsburgh makes THE BEST
quesadillas.  (And their Long Island Iced Teas aren't bad either!)

Makeup Brand:  I'm really loving MAC and Urban Decay right now!

Comedian:  Bo Burnham.  He's ridiculously smart and I pick up on something new every time I listen to one of his songs or watch one of his specials.

TV Show:  I'm having a pretty difficult time answering this one because I watch SO many shows.  My boyfriend and I just finished the entirety of Prison Break which was absolutely incredible on so many levels, but my forever favorite show is Gossip Girl. (Yes, Chuck Bass.)

YouTuber: I think everything Zoe Sugg does is wonderful.  I love her blog as well as her Zoella channel and her MoreZoella channel.  I look forward to watching her vlogs at the end of every day because they just relax me and put me in a better mood.  (So much better than reality TV.)