Alyxandra Sarik

     For the coming film adaption of the novel, Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, I decided to take a delve into this curious tale myself.  Judging by the book's cover, you might think that this is a creepy children's book, possibly filled with unknown horrors.  Although man-eating monsters do roam the pages of this story, I wouldn't consider it so disturbing that it would ruin the overall experience.  Young, peculiar children may have to watch their backs, however.  They are the preferred meal.      Back to the lovely children's book: the story is about a young adolescent, named Jake, who goes on a journey to find out what happened to his seemingly disillusioned grandfather before his mysterious demise.  Jake's quest leads him down a path he never could have foreseen or imagined.  A world where there are people with amazing abilities, queer attributes,  and dangers only thought to be in fairy tales.  H...

     I admit.  I have never read Stephen King before, nor many other classically well-known American authors of today's modern culture.  Most of my reading history contains Christian literature and supernatural fantasy of Christian origins as well.  So I am on a quest to change that, beginning with all the secular classics to broaden my horizons.      I started with Stephen King because I am enthralled by the dark side of storytelling.  The heart throbbing, pulsating effect that a twisted morale can inflict.  And everyone knows that King's stories are ingrained with darkness.      Now I am not so sure that The Dark Tower series was the best choice for me to be dragged into the Stephen King bandwagon.  Reading The Gunslinger was an odd experience if I could put it simply.  Maybe I am just not familiar with his method of storytelling, but how he plotted this first book had me in a state of confusion fo...

     Dark clouds overhang melodramatically in the Minnesotan skyline this afternoon.  They tease at the possibility of an April shower tonight, but you could never be quite sure.  It was Minnesota after all.  I am sitting in a Caribou coffee shop in the midst of the Edina corporate jungle, looking out large open windows to a concrete view of traffic.  My writer self is trying to get me to take this time and write something.  Something.  Anything.  I was writing a story, but it is dying a slow, painful death like the future of my creative career.  How does a writer find their story?  According to the picture painted by the media, a writer without a story is the most depressingly hopeless creature in this ecosystem.  They are doomed to be snuffed into a dark, dusty closet, desperately searching for inspiration through any crack of light they find.      I feel like the writer, Alan Bennett, from the film, The...

      Once again, its been forever since I've last posted.  I promise that one day I will get this blogging thing down.  One day...  But anyway, its time for a life update.  I am now 20 and happily married.  Going to be starting college this coming fall after two years of education absence.  Super excited to get that creative writing degree.  I've also started a new novel that I believe I'll actually finish this time.  Its set in a fantasy world where dragons have come alive again and my main character is a vengeful assassin who is out to kill the people responsible for murdering her kin.  Its basically a mash up of a murder mystery and fantasy.  We'll see how that goes.      Anyway, I should probably mention what it is like being married at such a young age.  I was 19 when it happened, not too long ago in September.  My husband and I live all alone in our apartment, we both work full time jobs, ...