Something I always like to read on other blogs, are posts introducing the person behind the words. Since I’ve been blogging for almost a year now, I thought it would be a good time to tell you more about myself. So here we go: Traversing Chapters from A to Z!
A: An
My real name. Yes, my name is actually that short. As someone once told me: “I like your name, it’s so short. It says everything in two letters”.
B: Belgium
I live in the tiny country of Belgium, which you probably know for its beer, chocolate and fries. To give you an idea just how small Belgium is: it fits 14 times in the state of California!
C: Cycling
I love watching sports, and cycling is my biggest love of all. In fact, I’m writing this while watching the Tour de France.
D: Daughter of the Forest
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier is one of my all-time favourite books. It’s a retelling of the tale of the six swans, set in a fantasy version of medieval Ireland and England. There’s a wonderful slowburn romance as well, one that has shaped my expectations of love stories for the rest of my life!
E: Engaged
Last year, my boyfriend proposed to me during our vacation in Scotland. He had brought some puzzles (jigsaw, sudoku, etc) that I had to solve after every stage of our hike and the final solution was his proposal. Seriously, I don’t deserve this guy!
The view from the hill where my boyfriend proposed!
F: Fantasy
My favourite genre (together with YA). I mean, after a long day of work, groceries and household chores, why would you read contemporaries about people doing these exact same things? Give me epic quests, prophecies and chosen ones!
G: Geography
My school career has been a bit bumpy. I tried going for a bachelor’s degree in physics, but didn’t like the vague theoretical stuff. So I switched to geography and graduated as a master in spatial analysis of the environment.
H:Health issues
I was born with a heart condition, but since I had major surgery 8 years ago, I’m feeling so much better! I do still struggle with mental health issues. I’ve always had extremely low self-esteem, although that has greatly improved with the help of a few wonderful therapists. But I’m still very insecure and often have to fight oncoming anxiety, especially in new situations and during social events.
I: Introvert
I’m definitely an introvert. Not that I don’t enjoy social outings and talking to other people. It’s just that being around other people sucks out all my energy and I need plenty of time (often even an entire day) to recover from being in crowded environments like parties.
J: Journalism
After my geography studies, I got an extra masters’ degree in journalism. After that, I worked as a sports journalist for Sporza, Belgium’s biggest sports website, for 3 years until health issues forced me to stop.
K: Kitties
I live with my fiancé and our two adorable kitties. We got Miss Ty (the gray one) from my in-laws 4 years ago and adopted Loki (the black one) in November last year after his mom died when he was 8 weeks old. He’s a little ball of mischief, while Miss Ty is grumpy, yet very affectionate.
L: (The) Lord of the Rings
I was 13 years old when the first movie came out and this trilogy started my love for fantasy. I was obsessed with it for a while: I watched the movies over and over, read the books, had posters,…
M: Music
I’ve always loved music. I play the guitar and am trying to learn the violin. When it comes to listening to music, I love symphonic metal like Nightwish, and soundtracks like The Lords of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean.
N: (The) Night’s Watch
This probably won’t surprise you, but I’m obsessed with A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones. I’ve read the books twice and watched most episodes twice as well. Oh yeah, and I love reading about fan theories and interesting clues hidden in the story. Cheering so much for Jon Snow!
O: Outlander
One of my favourite books. I’ve always had a thing for time-travel stories and I fell in love with Jamie and Claire. So much so that I went to Scotland for my vacation last year. And guess what? I fell in love with the stunning landscapes!
P: Pizza
My favourite food! Especially the ones with lots of cheese and/or pepperoni. Even on vacation in Stockholm we ended up eating pizza instead of trying something local like Swedish meatballs.
Q: Quiet
People who don’t know me very well, think I’m quiet. I’m just shy and insecure, meaning I don’t always dare to speak up in a group. But people who know me well (like my boyfriend, family and friends) probably wish I was quiet, because I never shut up when I’m around them!
R: Ravenclaw
According to Pottermore, I’m a Ravenclaw. I can’t argue with that! I love learning new things and I like to think I’m creative. And I’d love to be friends with Luna Lovegood.
House pride everywhere I go!
S: Sister
I have one sister, who is 5 years younger than I am. We used to fight all the time as kids, especially over the TV remote! But now we get along really well. She’s one of the few people I trust enough to let them borrow my books.
T: Thirty
My age. I sometimes feel old, but then I remember age is just a number and you’re only as old as you feel (hah, such clichés!). I sometimes worry I don’t behave like a proper 30-year old, but that’s nonsense. Just do what you feel like, you’re never too old!
U: Underdog
I often cheer for the underdog in a story or in a sports game. Example: I don’t really care about Aelin Galathynius, but I love Elide, Manon, Chaol and the others in Throne of Glass. In ACOTAR, Azriel is my baby. And during the World Cup, I was rooting for Iceland.
V: Video games
My biggest hobbies are of course reading and blogging about books, but I also like to play video games. My favourite games are Guild Wars 2 (an MMORPG), Portal (a puzzle game) and Pokémon Go.
W: Writing
This probably won’t surprise you, but I love writing! As a kid I enjoyed writing assignments in school. Then there’s also my previous work as a journalist, this blog and my dream of one day publishing a book.
X: X-men
When I was younger, I was glued to the television every time the X-men cartoon was on. I’ve always been a fan of superheroes, especially the Marvel ones. I don’t go to the cinema often, but for the MCU movies I gladly make an exception!
Y: Young adult
This is my favourite genre at the moment. I’ve written about it before, about how I love the themes of finding your place in the world, despite not falling in the typical YA demographic. Although I have to admit I sometimes find characters act childish.
Z: Zucchini
Okay, I was desperate for this one, but I really love zucchini. Which is a good thing, since my in-laws grow their own vegetables and right now, the zucchini are ripe. And let me tell you: they are huuuuuge. Like 3 times the size of the ones you usually find in stores!
Are we at the end already? Aw… I really enjoyed doing this! If there’s anything you would like to know about me, feel free to ask! Or tell me one thing about yourself in the comments!
