Conundrum.

I'm a person who likes having all the answers. I think it comes from the overwhelming curiosity I seem to be hard-wired with. I constantly find the need to question, question more, and question again. The interesting thing is, I'm quite happy to go with the flow and be spontaneous, but perhaps again that's only when I'm in control and know what's going on.

The dark is not a happy place to be. I find myself rather unsure of these next few steps, when usually I have a pretty good sense of my path. I've come to a big crossroads, and all I can do I guess is take a deep breath and pick a path, any path, cross my fingers and hope that everything turns out for the best (I find there's usually a reason for everything, anyway).

I guess what I'm waiting for is a sign. Those little clues the universe puts out there for you to let you know which one of those many tracks you should take. Maybe that's the problem - that I'm having trouble seeing the markers of what's up ahead.

Sky High.

I may be a little obsessed with sky-photos, but I think a good sunny day or a pink sunset can really make all the difference to whether you've got your happy pants on.

Refocus.

Things have been rather interesting lately; I decided to take a step back and just enjoy the ride. There's been a lot to get my head around, not only with the new job, but I feel this entire year has been a walk down a long path of figuring myself out, a mission that seems to have come to a head in the last couple of months.

On switching jobs, I found myself in a wonderful headspace, though a lot of new experiences have seen me slightly lose my way. Maybe it's because I have a birthday coming up, or because we're heading into the end of the year, but I know my focus needs to be shifted. We can really lose ourselves in the ups and downs of life, and forget that as people come and go, the only real constant in our days is ourselves. Why put yourself and your dreams on the backburner?

Dream big, be the person you want to be, if you're unhappy, something's broke, so fix it. You are the person you choose to be.

Don't lose yourself in the waiting line, don't ever misplace your sense of humour, and most importantly, that every single other person is fumbling their way through their day, so don't be too hard on them.

Saturday Night.

So it seems I am in the unattractive circumstance of being home alone on a Saturday night, MacBook on lap, Roger Moore James Bond movie on the TV. I have friends soaking up the sunshine in the USA, swimming in sultry Thailand beaches, those that are busy working away in their studies, those that are just working, and a lucky few on dates with their significant others.

These evenings come up every so often, but really I so rarely get a chance with the house to myself, with such a golden opportunity to work on the book and do all those things you love to do in a big empty house (bootyshaking in your underwear a la Cameron Diaz is no exception), that it's actually quite nice.

I decided to write to let you know that things are going really well. I've finally reached a point where all the missing jigsaw pieces (or at least those that were in the wrong place) are finally all coming together. This new job I began this week has just been such a breath of fresh air; it's funny how stagnant your life can become without you realising.

I had outgrown my time at my old work; I am no longer the fresh 18 year old, overwhelmed and excited by the world of bartending. I've gotten a little bit older, a lot wiser, and ready to move on to the next stage.

A lot of evolution can happen in three years, and I find that the things I experienced and learnt at my old work seemed to hang in the air, and I was dredged in reminders of the person I used to be, instead of just being the person I have become. It seems that as people change, so too must their surroundings, but why is it that this so often doesn't happen?

It is simply a fear of change, or something more?

I think it's time people took a deep breath and a leap of faith on something new. Take a trip, change jobs, meet new people, visit unusual places, mix things up and shake them about. Because the person you are now has never existed at any other time, and they need space to breathe!

Just a little thought!

All my love as always,

Chryssie Danger xo

Mixed Bag Wisdom.

"Everything that can be imagined, is real."

- Pablo Picasso

Story.

Good morning!

This week I have been working on a scene involving the backstory of one of my characters, writing her journey to where our Dream Team meet her. I'm quietly becoming a big fan of this character; originally she wasn't going to feature very much, but I found a nice little avenue for her in the storyline, and have actually grown quite fond of her. She's also had some amazing adventures, probably as extensive as our main characters!
There's also been a couple of death/murder scenes to get down, which I find to be a very intriguing writing process - our Big Bad has an interesting mind to get inside!

Oh, and I'm absolutely LOVING writing stories in bed with my MacBook -- it makes novel work so much more comfy!

Anywho, just a quick breakfast update before I head off to work for the day!

All my love,
Chryssie Danger x

Update.

Good evening little readers,
It has been a little while since I've written here, how terribly bad of me! The past few weeks have been absolutely crazy, so you'll have to forgive me for being M.I.A. and, if you can't forgive me, well there's always the bribe of choc-chip cookies to lure you back.
I've spent the last couple of weeks getting life in order; I have a new job I'm starting tomorrow, so this weekend just past was definitely out with the old! There were three rounds of interviews to get through, an internship application at a magazine, our first cheerleading competition of the season, and a couple of housewarmings and nights out inbetween!
But I am back and ready to get back on track novel-wise.
I've recently become the owner of a MacBook Pro, and can I say, I am in love.
I've been a dedicated Apple appreciator for many years now, but it seems silly to be an aspiring writer and not have a laptop. So I've traded in my trusty desktop iMac for this little beauty, and now, whenever the mood strikes me, BAM! My book is there ready for some TLC.
I find myself up til all hours of the morning writing now, because it's so cozy in my bed, wrapped in my doona, MacBook on my lap, that it's so much easier to disappear into my little book world.

Happy days, lovelies!

Cuddles,
Chryssie Danger xo

Changes.

Hello everyone there in blog land.
I have definitely dropped off the radar over the past week or so, and I am sorry! Writing has taken a backseat in the face of some very exciting job prospects; some writing related, some not, but all very different and new! My stomach has been in a constant state of butterflies, I've just been buzzing.
I feel like I'm on the edge of a new life, like this is the last stage in the transformation of Chryssie that I've been going through for the past six months.
I'm in such a good, balanced place right now -- life is all sunshine!
It's funny, sometimes I look over the past few years of my life; a lot of growing up was done, a lot of mistakes were made, and though some days I wish I had done things differently, I know that if I had I wouldn't be in the place I am right now.
Everything happens for a reason, and I guess beyond that all you can do is hope for that amazing shot at a second chance.
Until then, I guess all there is to do is hold your head high, keep smiling, and be content with the person you now are.

All my love (and some freshly baked choc-chip cookies!)
Chryssie Danger xo

P.S. Cross your fingers for me!

Sunset.

The sky was amazing last night.



Make sure you look up!

Penelope.

"Time is no longer measured by days or hours; time moves between when I last saw you, and when I will next."

Book Plan.

Not much writing got done today in the case of actual words, but I did manage to get my whole book plan together!

Book Plan. from Chryssie Danger on Vimeo.

Rainy Days. (33,172)

So today was a very wet and rainy day in Melbourne, which means perfect Winter weather to snuggle up with a cup of tea and do some wonderful book work.

It also means Winter snacks!

Personally, I am severely addicted to Tiny Teddies, more specifically, the chocolate-dipped honey ones.

However, this guy does not seem too happy that I've eaten all of his friends!

Sorry, buddy! You've got to try and not be so delicious!

My Cup of Tea.

Last night, I dreamt of polka dot dresses and floral jackets. It must have been listening to Lisa Mitchell and swimming through images of beautiful clothes right before bed!

Today, I made a trip to my local T2 store (check it out here). It is just such a happy place for me; I love walking through the hazardously tall towers of teacup + saucer upon tea cup + saucer, the endless shelves filled with yummy smells -- I could just live there!

My point in going there, was however to stock up! My tea supplies were severely dwindling, which is likely to happen when you drink at least six mugs of tea a day (this may raise to 8 or 9 in Winter, or when I'm on a particularly good writing streak).

My absolutely favourite tea to drink is Sencha Vanilla -- a green tea which tastes like dessert with a little bit of honey!

But in addition to that, I also bought:

Fresh Chamomile,

and a beautiful Rose Tea!

Chinese have been drinking rose tea for centuries; rumour has it it supposedly makes you more beautiful!

Now; my tips for making the perfect cup of tea:

* use water that is almost boiling, but never actually boiling -- water that is too hot scorches the tea leaves and turns them bitter

* always use honey instead of sugar -- melts beautifully into the brew, and is much better for you!

* tea always tastes better with company, and even more so when there are cookies or cupcakes involved!

All my love, and extra-huge cups of tea,

Chryssie Danger xo

A Weekend In The Country.

The weekend just past saw me and some of my close friends venture three hours outside of Melbourne city for a few days in the rollicking wide spaces of the countryside.

Why, you might ask?

Well, for the same reason everyone always uses; I had a late-night toga party in a farmhouse to go to of course!

In all reality, it was my best friend's birthday, and being a country girl whose family is in possession of a beautifully large country estate (that photo above is actually of their farm), there was plenty of space for an all-night ancient feast, where there was no worry about bothering the neighbours, and no concern about a lack of space to spend the night!

The only ones who may have been bothered would have been the dairy cows, who we went to visit in the morning.

However, they seemed A-OK with the loud music and many strangers who had been running around in bedsheets (in fact, I suspect several of them may have been rather jealous they weren't invited!).

We spent our day riding around on quad-bikes, or rather, with four of us squished all on one quad bike together; I attempted driving it at one point, but had my legs up on the start of the bonnet so my country girl could do her thing and navigate the gears (I'm afraid my quad-biking skills aren't too advanced yet).

We then drove down the Victorian coast, and stopped off at two wonderful places; firstly a place with one of the greatest names I've heard for a long time -- The Thunder Cave. It's basically a large gaping hole that has been eroded by waves through a cliff; the rough oceans and high winds rushing through do actually sound a lot like a thunderstorm. Very very impressive. I didn't get a shot of the cave, but as the coast stretches around there, there was a very tall and frighteningly steep fallen "bridge" of earth.

I can just imagine my characters (especially Penelope and Orlando, who jump off a very similar cliff in an excerpt I posted to my older blog not too long ago), leaping off the edge into a churning ocean. It's wonderful to come across places in real life where you've already imagined your characters being, it just makes them, and the story, seem all the more real.

Sunset was upon us as we drove further, and stopped off at a Victorian landmark; The Twelve Apostles. You can read about them here. I've never been there before, and it was lovely to see an image I've seen a thousand times actually be right in front of me, and at a perfect time of day, too!

It was a very very small holiday, but getting away, even just hours from home, even for a weekend, just reminds me how important it is to take yourself out of the routine of everyday life, to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people and do new things, how invigorating and inspiring it can be.

The part of my mind that wanders to the worlds I create in words definitely got a happy jolt, and I'm itching to get a good deal of writing done over the next couple of days!

Until then, welcome to my new blog home, I hope you like it here!

All my love,

Chryssie Danger x