UPDATE: Friday, Sept. 16, 2016

Well, I know I've been away for a loooong time... Sorry about that...

I now have two blogs, where I not only post book reviews, but also literary musings, as well as my contributions to several book memes. My first blog, A Night's Dream of Books, is mostly for YA fiction, with an occasional adult book thrown in. Giveaway posts are included in this blog, which I created in 2010. My second blog, which I created in 2012, is for literary fiction and nonfiction. Its title is MindSpirit Book Journeys. I welcome visits and comments to both blogs!

I have four Twilight stories up on this site. The first one, "Shadows and Meadows", has 11 chapters so far.

The second story, "The Rainbow at the End of the Bridge", has 6 chapters so far.

The third story, "Saturday Night in Port Angeles", is a one-shot. It's also an "alternate flashback" story. It describes how things might have gone if Edward had not been as cautious and restrained around Bella as he was, at the very beginning of their relationship.

There's also a very short short story, titled "Twilight Into Night".

All four stories concentrate on the relationship between Edward and Bella, because I'm Team Edward ALL THE WAY!! YEAH!!

Well, so I have apparently switched from Erik, the Phantom of the Opera, to Edward, the vampire of Forks. Ironically, it was Erik who got me hooked on romantic vampires. I had been reading paranormal authors like Amanda Ashley and Christine Feehan when I encountered Edward, back in 2006. Although I still read these authors, my favorite vampire is now Edward Cullen, hands down!

Both Erik and Edward are dark heroes. Erik is tormented by his ugliness, and his obsessive love for Christine. Edward is tormented by his constant struggle against his vampire nature, and his equally obsessive love for Bella. Naturally, it's quite interesting to read about romantic heroes who have 'a tragic flaw'!

Let me clarify something here. In the case of Erik, I prefer the version portrayed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, as well as the one by Susan Kay, who wrote the fascinating book, Phantom. My Erik is a combination of both of these versions. The original Erik, as depicted by Gaston Leroux, is an utterly repulsive monster with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. This Erik was first played by Lon Chaney in film, back in the 1920's. Since I completely DETEST horror movies and novels, I also detest this version of Erik, even though it is the original one.

I hope to eventually go back and finish my Phantom of the Opera stories. I also need to finish my Twilight stories...

I hope readers here enjoy all my stories, whether they're about Erik or Edward! (Both names begin with the letter 'e'. Hmmmm...that's interesting. Another romantic hero of mine is also named "Edward". I'm referring to Edward Rochester, in the novel Jane Eyre. This classic is onmy Favorite Books list)

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Here are a few more details about myself...

First of all, my real name is Maria, and I live in Florida, USA. My mind, however, frequently roams through different fictional realms, so I am not always in my body! Hee, hee!

My husband has no choice but to share me with "Gerrik" (Gerard Butler played the Phantom in the 2004 film), as well as Edward Cullen.

MY THOUGHTS ON BOOKS

I am an obsessed book addict!!! To me, books are one of life's most important necessities. After all, what is a desert island without a slew of great books to delight in? I probably own somewhere in the vicinity of 1,500 to 2,000 books! Have I read them all? Heck, no! Sigh..."So many good books, so little time..." This is Frank Zappa's famous quote.

I enjoy reading nonfiction as well as fiction. Nonfiction topics that interest me are: psychology, philosophy, theology, and art.

As for fiction, my favorite genres are romance (mostly historical and paranormal), fantasy, classics, science fiction, and literary fiction.

Here's a list of my faves:

PARANORMAL ROMANCE:

The Twilight Saga - Stephenie Meyer

Embrace The Night - Amanda Ashley

A Darker Dream - Amanda Ashley

Sundays at Tiffany's - James Patterson

Tryst - Elswyth Thane

The Nightworld Series - L. J. Smith

GREAT LITERATURE:

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

The Glass Bead Game - Hermann Hesse

Narcissus and Goldmund - Hermann Hesse

Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith

CONTEMPORARY & HISTORICAL ROMANCE:

Night Magic - Charlotte Vale Allen

Sunshine and Shadow - Sharon & Tom Curtis

Simply Unforgettable - Mary Balogh

A Precious Jewel - Mary Balogh

FANTASY:

The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien

The Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis

The Harry Potter Series - J. K. Rowling

SCIENCE FICTION:

The Best Science Fiction of Cordwainer Smith - Cordwainer Smith

The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin

The Foundation Trilogy - Isaac Asimov

Stranger In A Strange Land - Robert Heinlein

NONFICTION:

Creative Visualization - Shakti Gawain

The Story of Philosophy - Will Durant

Man and His Symbols - Carl Gustav Jung

A Kabbalah for the Modern World - Migene Gonzalez Wippler

MY THOUGHTS ON WRITING

I have always wanted to write, but went about it in a very sporadic fashion. I frequently get struck by writer's block. Then, back in July of 2005, I discovered the Webber/Schumacher Phantom of the Opera film. Well, it was love at first sight! I wanted more of Erik, so I read the Leroux novel. That version of Erik, although the original one, did not appeal to me at all. Webber's Phantom is a tortured soul, totally obsessed with Christine. And yet, he gives her up to the Vicomte in the end. That was what inspired me to write. I simply couldn't tolerate Erik and Christine not being together! So I started writing fan fiction, in order to correct what I saw as a problem, as well as a fictional injustice. Since I didn't have to invent the characters, I was free to just...write.

The same thing has happened with Twilight, except that, in this case, I don't have to correct any "injustices". I simply want to revisit the characters, to have them "around", so to speak, for a while longer, since the series is already over.

Eventually, I will get to my own original characters. I hope, anyway...

I would be very happy to hear from you here on fanfiction.net!! Of course, I will always welcome reviews on my stories!

Ciao, phellow phans!