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McKenna-isms

The condensed autobiography.

I was given the name McKenna because of a character, Elise McKenna (played by Jane Seymour,) in a movie of special meaning to my parents, Somewhere in Time. Though my parents lived in Michigan from birth to young adulthood, I've always resided in beautiful, tree-filled Washington state: my heart will always be connected to this place, no matter where I find myself in the future.

My birthday is August 21st , which makes me a Leo, for those interested in astrology. True to Leo nature, I'm independent, generous, and creative, possessing fiery determination, a knack for leadership, and desire for success in the world. On the flip side, I have other Leo-qualities that I wouldn't dare call perfect. I don't recoil from imperfection: it's a part of life and I accept it, or at least, try to. I also don't consider myself overly (in my opinion, annoyingly) humble. If I'm good at something, I say so; not because I'm trying to brag, but because it's the truth. Truth is very important to me; accepting it for what it is, understanding it, and sharing it.

Only moderately in touch with the reality of the masses, I often find myself wondering how others' minds work. Though I am more than capable of sympathizing with and understanding others, I doubt most people see me for who I really am: maybe I'm too complicated a person to be so easily read. I have my own unique way of experiencing the world, and though it makes me feel disconnected at times, I generally relish in my idiosyncrasy.

I am a very expressive person; words come easy to me, and I love being able to say exactly what I mean or feel, through them. Writing is one of the things that makes me feel completely at home; maybe being named after a fictional character has encouraged my obsession with concocting and writing stories, or maybe writing is just what I was meant to do. My dream is to be a successful, respected YA novelist, and I'm steadily working toward that goal. I started immersing myself in the written world when I was ten, (though I've been a bibliophile most of my life,) and haven't been able to give up the hobby-turned-passion since then. Currently, I am writing in three unrelated novels, and I have many others (including a fantasy trilogy,) in the outline stage. I have also been a winning participant of NaNoWriMo for two years, and of Script Frenzy, the NaNo equivalent for screenwriting, for one.

Aside from writing, I have several other hobbies and possible career opportunities. I highly enjoy capturing still memories on film with my beloved camera, a Nikon Coolpix 7600 dubbed 'Baby.' Our bond began forging when I was told to pick a brand new camera (my very first,) for my fourteenth birthday present. In the years since then I have taken well over 6,000 photographs--about a hundred or so that I actually consider decent enough to display in my online portfolio. As with my other endeavors, I am a complete perfectionist, and photography is no exception.

Somewhat akin to my writing obsession, is my reading obsession: I lost count a year ago or so, but I can estimate that I've read over 450 books, from my "pre-teen" days to the present. Maybe my love "of all things book" encouraged my passion for putting pen-to-paper? Regardless, books and the stories that are the hearts of them make up most of my world. I love reading stories that propel me into another world: it can be similar to my own, different, or a mixture of the two: it doesn't matter. I love to be captured by the realism of a plotline, the humanness of the characters, and the deep meaning of the dialog: if a novel has these three characteristics, it is likely to be a favorite of mine. A few of my favorite novels are:

  1. The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
  2. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
  3. Burned by Ellen Hopkins
  4. Emma by Jane Austen
  5. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
  6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
  7. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
  8. East by Edith Pattou
  9. Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
  10. The Immortals Quartet by Tamora Pierce
  11. Burned by Ellen Hopkins
  12. His Dark Materials (Trilogy) by Philip Pullman
  13. And, of course, the wickedly-famous Harry Potter series.

Obviously, another favorite pastime of mine is graphic and web design. Having absorbed myself into this virtual world three years ago, I possess somewhat intermediate knowledge of both design and coding, though I'm the first to admit that I'm no expert. Everything I know today was self-taught, with the occasional W3 article for assistance, and I know I still have a lot to learn, but eagerly so. My "tools of the trade" are Photoshop and Dreamweaver CS3, (along with a general knowledge of how these two programs work,) an eye for color combos, image coordination, and professional style, along with a talent for using the eraser tool. I like to design websites as a sideline; not only do I put a lot of effort into my own personal sites, but I've designed, coded, and maintained my mom's small business site, Linden Line Designs, for around two years now. I also do work for other small companies.

On the outside, I'm just another normal person: on the inside, I'm just as complex as anyone else.

How Arbitrary!

A few random facts about me that I decided to include purely for the entertainment of my readers.
  1. Did you know that I'm homeschooled? I have been since Preschool. Before you form any narrow-minded assumptions or stereotypes about this, please read this article.
  2. My eyes were a very silvery shade of grey when I was born, but they switched to a golden brown color before I turned a year old.
  3. I'm kind of a chatterbox; I admit to being notoriously verbose. I wouldn't be surprised if people refer to me as "That wordy, rambling girl...." But that's usually only with people I'm comfortable enough around to chat their ears off: with strangers or simple acquaintances, I'm much more reserved. Despite the aforementioned fact that words come easily to me, smalltalk does not, which I find kind of ironic.
  4. I possess a very large conscience: I don't like lying, cheating, being uncivil in general, and I can't bear controversy. I avoid it at all costs: I hate watching people argue and hate even more when I get in an argument with someone. Vexation rarely leaves one feeling pleasantly.
  5. I'm a tree-hugger. I look at it this way: I couldn't exist without Earth, and I love life, and am very grateful for life: why shouldn't I do what I can to give back to the planet? I may not be the greenest person in the world, but I am one of the world's most obsessive-compulsive recyclers, which has to stand for something.
  6. I'm one of those hopeless romantic types. I take much pleasure in the long-anticipated kissing scene at the end of a movie; I am not, however, a chick flick-devotee in any way. The contents of such movies are often too stereotypical for me; but I am capable of appreciating an original romantic comedy.
  7. I love almost all flora and fauna; mosquitoes, wasps, and flies are the only exceptions I can think of, at the moment. I particularly adore domesticated animals such as dogs, cats, and horses, along with wildlife such as wolves, ravens, snow leopards, armadillos, pygmy monkeys, luna moths, butterflies, and leopard seals. I have a thing for tiny spiders, too; I never squish them, or most insects in general, for that matter.
  8. I'm a bit of an organization freak. Sometimes I can leave a mess unhindered, but other times I need to organize or else be momentarily drained of all mental sanity. Sometimes I actually enjoy cleaning, because of this.
  9. I stand on my tip-toes more often than the average person, probably because I was highly absorbed in dance classes when I was younger.
  10. I have a mortal fear of contacts. If I ever need visual aid, I am afraid I will have no choice but to wear glasses, even though they don't appeal to me.
  11. I have a wishing rock: every wish I've ever made on it has eventually come true.
  12. In general, I believe most things in the world are a mixture of good and bad; that everything is a bit grey, instead of black or white. There are few things in this world that are strictly negative or positive--most things are a mixture of the two, sometimes favoring one or the other or sometimes evenly balanced.
  13. I'm not into athletics. I know people get enjoyment from them, but for myself, I don't see the necessity for such physical exertion.
  14. I'm a "Mac Snob." I mock Windows often and take pleasure in doing so.
  15. I love coding CSS. It's sort of my own bizarre fetish.
  16. Many of the main characters in my novels were originally based after myself; I know, not very creative, but I swear my only reason for doing so was pure convenience! However, over the years, they've morphed and grown into their own people...a few of them still possess various trivial traits akin to mine, but for the most part, they're completely different people. That's one of the most wonderful experiences one can witness when writing a novel: your characters become their own people, more life-like and real before your eyes than any fictional being, though, of course, that's precisely what they are. But I like to think that they live, truly, in some alternate reality....
  17. My favorite numbers are eight and twenty-one; the former because it represents infinity and balance to me, the latter because I was born on the 21st of August.
  18. I love real estate. If I didn't want to be an author, I'd probably want to be a real estate agent. I have a fetish for grand, stately houses that are priced much higher than I can dream of affording; I like to browse real estate websites and look for houses I can envision myself in. It's kind of a guilty pleasure.

Favorite Things

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens....

Interests: Life in general, literature, psychology, neurology, astronomy, cosmology, astrology, history, science, web and graphic design, mythology and folk lore, grammar and linguistics, and vocabulary.

Authors: Jane Austen, Stephenie Meyer, Shannon Hale, Libba Bray, David Clement-Davies, Ellen Hopkins, J.R.R. Tolkien, Mary Shelley, and Tamora Pierce.

Music: Aly & AJ, A Fine Frenzy, Anna Nalick, Ashlee Simpson, Brandi Carlile, Carrie Underwood, Coldplay, Collective Soul, Evanescence, Feist, The Fray, Kelly Clarkson, KT Tunstall, Lily Allen, Marie Digby, Miley Cyrus, Muse, Natasha Bedingfield, OneRepublic, Sara Bareilles, Sonya Kitchell, Sugarcult, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, The Last Goodnight, The Veronicas, and more.

Favorite Songs: These are sort of in order. But they're very different, so I don't think favoritism would be entirely fair.

  1. Stand Back Up, Sugarland
  2. Wasted, Carrie Underwood
  3. Wild Horses, Natasha Bedingfield
  4. Time Is Running Out, Muse
  5. Los Angeles, Sugarcult
  6. Mr. Brightside, The Killers
  7. Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Green Day
  8. My Immortal, Evanescence
  9. It's My Life, Bon Jovi
  10. Breathe (2AM), Anna Nalick
  11. Taking Chances, Platinum Weird
  12. Starlight, Muse
  13. Someone to Save you, OneRepublic
  14. In This Life, Delta Goodrem

Movies: Lord of the Rings (all) Pirates of the Caribbean (all) Star Wars, Phantom of the Opera (2004) Pride and Prejudice (2006) Good Night and Good Luck, Juno, Becoming Jane, The Illusionist, Finding Neverland, Everything is Illuminated, Sense and Sensibility, Ocean's Eleven, Bridge to Terabithia, Speak, Marie Antoinette, Finding Nemo, Ice Age, In Her Shoes, Just Like Heaven, The Holiday, and The Lake House.

Television Shows: Gilmore Girls and M*A*S*H.

Color: Purple.

Flowers: Roses, hydrangeas, and lilies.

Season: Winter; snow is magical.