#MyIceBreakerChallenge

Well hello there :wave: 🏻 Hasn’t anyone told you it’s not polite to skulk in doorways? 🤨 No matter, come on in, take off that coat, and pick a plump cushion to sink into on my comfortable couch.

What’s that? Please do speak up :ear: 🏻 :ear: 🏻 :ear: 🏻 :ear: 🏻 :ear: 🏻 :ear: 🏻#MyIceBreakerchallenge?

What’s that you’re holding? A notepad 🗒 I see, I see…

Oh! You have questions? Now this aids to provide some form of clarification.

Well okay then! I’ll pop the kettle on - sound good to you? Be back in a jiffy! :runner: 🏼‍♀ :dash:

Now, whilst the tea brews, I’ll place the biscuit barrel just over here okay? Now, why don’t we tuck in, and slowly digest some of these questions shall we?

Are you sitting comfortably? You are? That’s great 🙂‍ :arrow_up_down: Well then … let’s dive straight in!

      :cookie: :cookie: :cookie: :cookie: :cookie: :cookie: :cookie: :cookie: :cookie: :cookie: :cookie: :cookie: :cookie: :cookie: :cookie:

Well you certainly don’t waste time! Two for the price of one I see. Hmmm, okay, well my name is Tamara, but please call me Tammy. My name is well - TeaFuelledQueen because I simply adore tea. I know, hardly original, self explanatory as it were but I love clarity in all things. The name was bestowed upon me since apparently, seldom are the times I’m found without a cup of tea within my grasp. Many believe tea is my creative fuel - kind of a sweet notion if you truly think about it. Makes me giggle every time I do.

Hey! Are you smiling? No? Are you certain? Then why are you hiding your face behind the teacup?

No matter, I digress. In regard to this particular amino, my love and ion for illustration and writing drew me here. (Pardon the puns - they’re a little pleasure of mine you see). All these images I created using my digital tools and a sprinkle of imagination - darling aren’t they? I’ll pour the tea whilst you enjoy the view. Just please ignore my self portraits scattered throughout.

I’m based in Western Europe - The United Kingdom to be precise. London, to be exact.

However, I’m of dual nationality - English and Polish were my shared learnt languages. I am fluent in both.

How many languages do I speak hmmm? Now let me think, whilst I sip on my tea. Don’t you just adore Assam tea? Simply divine. Now where was I? Oh yes, to date I speak six languages.

Which ones? Well aren’t you a curious one. They are English, Polish, Dutch, French, Japanese, and Mandarin.

Would you like a napkin for all those crumbs?

Is that a nice way of asking how old I am? Please just nod - I just vacuumed!

Oh it is… Has no one explained asking a woman’s age is considered rude?

I’m twenty - four. But I’ve been told I look younger yet possess an ‘ancient’ soul. What’s that glazed expression for? I’d close your mouth as to not attract flies. I didn’t say it was rude to call myself old(er) now did I? :smirk:

Next question …

Well would you believe I’ve been a member for one week exactly! The creativity within this particular amino is extraordinary.

I plan to continue posting blogs - perhaps sharing delectable snippets of my own writing from time to time.

Conversation and opening up one’s social circle is always important, and a fine step to proceed upon for any budding creative entrepreneur. I simply adore making friends almost as much as I do sipping tea and upon occasion - coffee.

Ever heard the saying knowledge is power? You have? Well then, my thirst for knowledge and developing my craft simply cannot be quenched - inspiration takes many forms my dear.

This, can be found in abundance within this amino. You just need to know where to look, who to ask, and more importantly - to know how to ask the right questions. Then, and only then, the door of eternal knowledge opens for you.

Now that, my dear, is a great question. Yes, yes indeed. I’d have to respond in kind and enquire - why must the two be mutually exclusive?

Confused? Here nibble on another biscuit and I’ll explain.

This question is even worse when you start considering editing. I mean you’re reading what you’ve written correct? It’s a bit like the chicken and the egg debate in a sense.

Yeah judging by your curious demeanour you want me to expand my comment? Very well, sit back, enjoy the tea while I spill some.

It now takes me upwards of fifteen minutes to get out of “editing mode” and just read a book; and by “just read” I mean being able to stop seeing words and watch the movie in my head.

Even then, I do notice the words, typos, grammar mistakes, punctuation errors, formatting issues and everything else, if something is wrong. It jumps out at me now, kind of like coming across a word you don’t know and not being able to guess it based upon context. It drops me out of the “sweet spot” of reading instantly.

That said, even when I read for pleasure now, I find myself paying attention to the sentence structure, rhythm, word choice, chapter arc… all of it. This is not really a bad thing, per se, but I now have a much lower tolerance for poorly edited or written books. I just can’t hardly force myself through them.

My reader/writer brain is working overtime when I want to enjoy myself—which I can with a well-written, well edited story. In fact, I find a pleasure in noticing a perfect cadence in the words, placed there by a master wordsmith. I love being surprised by authors who take the stories in unexpected directions, even as I am plotting the rest of their story out in my mind.

Sometimes I re-read things to try to figure out just where, when, and how an author really hooked me, or made me fall in love with a character, or set up something perfectly so that I didn’t see it coming but it still made sense.

When I was “only” a reader, I knew if I liked a particular book or not. Sometimes I knew if I liked an author or their particular style, or not. Eventually I realised there were styles of writing I didn’t like, and I would avoid them. I’d slip out of their literary fingertips simply due to not being gripped by the text in hand. It was here the seed of inspiration was planted and had long since taken root within me.

As a writer, I try to learn from everything I read, good and bad, so I can improve my own writing, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it.

How do I know when an author has done a great job? When they make me forget I am a writer too, because I am so engrossed in their story. After all, you truly find yourself only after you’ve allowed yourself to lose itself within a story, do you not agree?

I’d say adult, however since I’m a child at heart - let’s scribble a circle around them all! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: :pencil2: :o:

I’ve many - but for this I’d pick Mark Twain. Surprised? Let me pour you another cup.

What do you mean who? Huckleberry Finn ring any bells?

Fear not, I’ll update you. I don’t mind, in the words of Twain “Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; truth isn't."

Twain was raised in Hannibal, Missouri, which later provided the setting for both Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. He served an apprenticeship with a printer early in his career, and then worked as a typesetter, contributing articles to his older brother Orion Clemens' newspaper. Twain then became a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River, which provided him the material for Life on the Mississippi (1883).

Soon after, Twain headed west to Orion in Nevada. He referred humorously to his lack of success at mining, turning to journalism for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise.

He first achieved success as a writer with the humorous story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," which was published in 1865 ( a hint as to the subject for my next blog challenge 🫢). It was based on a story that he heard at Angels Hotel in Angels Camp, California, where he had spent some time while he was working as a miner. The short story brought him international attention. He wrote both fiction and non-fiction. As his fame grew, he became a much sought-after speaker. His wit and satire, both in prose and in speech, earned praise from critics and peers, and Twain was a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty.

Although Twain initially spoke out in favour of American interests in the Hawaiian Islands, he later reversed his position, going on to become vice president of the American Anti-Imperialist League from 1901 until his death in 1910, coming out strongly against the Philippine-American War and colonialism.

Twain earned a great deal of money from his writing and lectures, but invested in ventures that lost most of it, such as the Paige Compositor, a mechanical typesetter that failed because of its complexity and imprecision. He filed for bankruptcy in the wake of these financial setbacks, but in time overcame his financial troubles with the help of Standard Oil executive Henry Huttleston Rogers.

Twain eventually paid all his creditors in full, even though his declaration of bankruptcy meant he was not required to do so. He was born shortly after an appearance of Halley's Comet, and predicted that his death would accompany it as well, dying a day after the comet was at its closest to Earth.

What did he write? Hmmm well since you asked, just a few things … Let me name a few titles:-

:book: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 1884

:book: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 1876

:book: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court 1889

:book: The Prince and the Pauper 1881

:book: The Innocents Abroad 1869

:book: Roughing It 1872

:book: Life on the Mississippi 1883

:book: The Mysterious Stranger 1916

:book: The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson 1893

:book: Following the Equator 1897

:book: The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today 1873

:book: A Tramp Abroad 1880

:book: Letters from the Earth 1962

:book: Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc 1896

:book: Eve's Diary 1905

:book: The adventures of Huckleberry Finn 1876

:book: Tom Sawyer, Detective 1896

:book: The complete short stories of Mark Twain 1957

:book: Tom Sawyer Abroad 1894

:book: The Diaries of Adam and Eve 1906

:book: The Works of Samuel Clemens 1899

:book: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court Abridged

1889

:book: The Stolen White Elephant 1882

:book: A Dog's Tale 1903

:book: Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn 1885

:book: The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

1865

:book: Who Is Mark Twain? 2009

:book: The American Claimant 1892

:book: How to Tell a Story and Other Essays 1897

:book: Extract from Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven 1909

:book: A Double Barrelled Detective Story 1902

:book: Autobiography of Mark Twain 2010

:book: Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn 1876

:book: The celebrated jumping frog of Calaveras County, and other sketches 1867

:book: The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain 1987

:book: The Bible according to Mark Twain 1995

:book: Speeches 1910

:book: The £1,000,000 Bank Note and Other New Stories

1893

:book: What is man? and other essays 1906

Still awake? Good … let’s swiftly shift gears and move along … ⚙ :dash:

Finally! I adore this question! :heart: I love book reviews and comparing opinions upon certain pieces of literature.

Blogs are interesting - it’s why I’m loving this amazingly creative way to make my blog debut with my #MyIceBreakerChallenge. Learning about what makes others tick, is a truly fascinating read.

Let me just allow this question to infuse within me ...                                 

                                       :tea: :tea: :tea:

I’m pleased to say I’m venturing into self publication for my debut novel, with a share of the proceeds aiding mental health charities. If you enjoy the artistic styles found within this blog, you would adore the artwork within my publication.

Keep your :eyes: out for updates - or simply follow me and I’ll update you accordingly! :pencil2: :heart:

:pencil2: “ Loving you was easy, for I was too blind to see, that behind the face of love, there lies my misery “ ~ Tamara :heart:

:pencil2: “ Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become

great. “~ Mark Twain

:pencil2: “ Be worthy of love and love will come. “ ~ Louise M Alcott ( Little Women )

:pencil2: “ And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. “ ~ Antoine De Saint Exupéry ( The Little Prince )

:pencil2: “ Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet? “ ~ L.M. Montgomery ( Anne of Green Gables )

I simply adore the Harry Potter Series. The collection makes you almost proud to be British :gb: What’s that look for? I said ‘almost’ ! 🤓 Interesting point to note that the novels are a lot darker in content than the magical cinematic experience we’ve seen upon our screens. Truly bewitching to behold! Oh come on … You knew the pun was coming! 🪄 :sparkles:

However, if I were to remain loyal to my Polish 🇵🇱 side, I’d have to say the author Andrzej Sapkowski’s work is truly inspirational. Does Geralt of Rivia or the Game ‘The Witcher’ mean anything to you? The best way to read The Witcher books is to start with The Last Wish, then read Sword of Destiny. After that you'll be ready to Geralt, Yennifer and Ciri in the monumental Witcher Saga, the five book series that starts with The Blood of Elves.

Smoothly sliding towards this little gem of a man. :point_up_2: 🏻

  :snake: :snake: :snake: :snake: :snake: :snake: :snake: :snake: :snake: :snake: :snake: :snake: :snake: :snake: :snake: :snake:

Being friends with Severus Snape would likely be a complex experience. However he is a highly intelligent and skilled wizard, despite remaining guarded and often displaying a harsh exterior. As a friend, he might be fiercely loyal and protective, but also prone to moodiness and secrecy. His sharp wit and deep knowledge of magic would make for some engaging conversations, but his emotional baggage and history of trauma might also present challenges in the friendship. Definitely time for an abundance of tea spilling methinks.

Overall, it would likely require patience, understanding, and a willingness to look beyond his prickly demeanor to see the person underneath - luckily for him however, I have got plenty of time and tea! 🙂‍ :arrow_up_down:

Oh! Not to mention being proficient in potions 🧪 he would make the perfect person to spill the tea with ( as well as converse over it whilst consuming it! ) 🫂

Snape has the most interesting and unique character arc found within the series. On first impression seemingly aloof and stoic until the ice melts revealing that he is just like you and I, simply protecting himself and what he truly deems precious.

Here, I’ll slide you a link which reveals his true nature. Once you’ve watched it, you’ll want Severus to be your friend also. The best bit is, there’s no magic required!       :sparkles: :point_down: 🏻 :sparkles:

Crikey, are you okay there? You seemed to have had your own tea spilling experience! Here’s a napkin. Whilst you clean yourself up, I’ll digest your question.

:closed_book: A Short History of Nearly Everything ~ Bill Bryson

:green_book: Hitman Anders and the meaning of it all ~ Jonas     Jonasson

:blue_book: Conrad’s Fate ~ Diana Wynne Jones

:x: :notebook: :x: Codex Gigas - “ The Devil’s Bible “ ~ Written by unknown author

I’d be this guy :point_up_2: 🏻 ( one of my own creations ). They are a hybrid of a serpent, bird and feline owning the sea as though the oceans themselves depended upon their presence. Their origins remain as mysterious as the vast waters in which they thrive.

With hearts as deep and vast as any ocean, once love is granted is rarely lost. Protecting those it loves amongst all things. It’s wealth is found within its love poured into those around them rather than material wealth.

I love all forms of storytelling however I am particularly fond of short stories - like tiny morsels, easy to digest and packed full of flavour within the tight format. Sweet simple snapshots we can all digest within our day. A bit like these cookies we are eating - they aid feed the need however one cookie is never enough if their contents are delicious. 🤤

My specialty is writing in third person. I enjoy challenging myself in writing style and format. After all no one wants a stale cookie right? You want something to digest which is fresh, and inviting right? 🙂‍ :arrow_up_down:

Fan fiction is always fun to read however I love writing romantic, horror, sci-if and drama/real life stories.

Hang on - I could’ve sworn I had more cookies in this biscuit barrel… hmmm 🧐

What’s that you say? Another question? Erm okay …

Surprised?

In science fiction circles, "cyberpunk" is a genre that often features countercultural antiheroes trapped in a dehumanizing high-tech future. Its roots extend back to the technical fiction of the 1940s and '50s, but it was years before it matured.

Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction that often explores themes such as advanced technology, dystopian societies, artificial intelligence, cybernetic enhancements, corporate control, and the impact of technology on human life. Other common themes include social inequality, surveillance, urban decay, and the blurred lines between humanity and machines. Cyberpunk stories often depict a gritty, high-tech world where individuals struggle against powerful, often oppressive, forces.

Some may say we already are facing a dystopian future. Others may add that we are already doing so. In what way you ask?

Well some common themes in cyberpunk literature and media include:

🦾 Advancements in technology and its impact on society and the individual.

🦾 The blurring of the lines between man and machine

The intersection of high and low culture.

🦾 The power dynamics between corporations, governments, and individuals.

🦾 The exploration of cybernetic enhancements and modifications to the human body.

🦾 The use and abuse of information technology and data.

🦾 The impact of artificial intelligence and virtual reality.

🦾 The exploration of a dystopian or post-apocalyptic future.

🦾 The impact of networked communication and the internet.

So with all that in mind, do YOU think we’re already living that lifestyle or in your opinion, is it all just a false fantasy?

Honestly, it would have to be Gizmo!!! Don’t you just love the Gremlins? You do? Awesome :raised_hands: 🏻

Gizmo, also referred to as "Giz" by Billy Peltzer, is the main protagonist of the Gremlins franchise. He is a Mogwai who is the pet of Billy. He doesn't seem to have a single mean bone in his body, making him an Eternal, or Mogwai who refuses to be evil.

This little furry cutie would honestly not only provide friendship, but also cute little book reading buddy, even providing a lullaby to send you to sleep if required. :sleeping:

The rules? Yeah, but they’re simple to follow - don’t feed them after midnight, no bright lights and no washes - just maybe not ideal to spill the tea with - literally! :wink:

I was an early bloomer when it came to reading. I my family said I learnt to read before I stumbled a step. I still own the very copy of my first book I ever read -

The Very Hungry Caterpillar. :bug:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a 1969 children's picture book designed, illustrated, and written by American children's author and illustrator Eric Carle. The plot follows a very hungry caterpillar that eats a variety of foods before pupating and emerging as a butterfly.

🦋 :bug: 🦋 :bug: 🦋 :bug: 🦋 :bug: 🦋 :bug: 🦋 :bug: 🦋 :bug: 🦋 :bug: 🦋 :bug: 🦋

Oooh now this is a tough cookie :cookie: to answer. Simply because I :heart: :books: !

:x: Middlemarch ~ George Eliot

Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life is a novel by English author George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Ann Evans. It appeared in eight installments in 1871 and 1872. Set in Middlemarch, a fictional English Midlands town, in 1829 to 1832, it follows distinct, intersecting stories with many characters

:x: The Help ~ Kathryn Sockett

The Help is a historical fiction novel by American author Kathryn Stockett published by Penguin Books in 2009. The story is about African Americans working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi, during the early 1960s. A USA Today article called it one of the "summer sleeper hits.

:x: Wolf Hall ~ Hilary Mantel

Wolf Hall is a 2009 historical novel by English author Hilary Mantel, published by Fourth Estate, named after the Seymour family's seat of Wolfhall, or Wulfhall, in Wiltshire.

Well in of what I’m currently working on, as previously mentioned throughout this interrogation, I’m venturing into self publication. Mums the word currently, however updates will be arriving soon!

As to what I’m currently reading, well it’s a novel called Good Material ~ Dolly Alderton.

What is it about you ask? Well, Dolly Alderton is something of a modern-day Nora Ephron, bringing a fresh and mordant perspective to the eternal struggle between the sexes. Her last novel, Ghosts, had the inscrutable male psyche as the subject of her narrator’s torment; her new novel, Good Material (Knopf), tells the story of a breakup from a tortured male perspective.

Its narrator, Andy, is a 35-year-old London comic who has recently been abandoned by his more corporate-minded girlfriend after a years-long relationship and has found himself having to redefine his place in the world among his coupled-up peers. He has the instinct (if not the perspective in his lovelorn state) that—as Ephron would have put it—everything is copy, and the book finds the amusing angle in even the most poignant moments.

Here, take my spare copy (bought just in case of tea spilling accidents :wink: ) :point_right: 🏻 :ledger:

Indeed I do! I am a gamer girl, who loves horror and story games the most. 🧟🧟‍♀🧟‍♂ :gun: :muscle: 🏻 :smile:

I also compose and write my own songs/lyrics. I play the flute 🪈, piano :musical_keyboard: , guitar :guitar: , violin :violin: and not to mention the triangle! :joy:

If cooking is your ion, then let’s exchange recipes! :woman: 🏼‍ :egg: ⏲

I love attending concerts, science conferences, and cosplay and anime conventions ( yes I cosplay and love anime ) so perhaps I’ll see you out and about sometime - if so, say hi. Don’t remain a stranger.

Huh? Only one question left? Okay, let me have it!

Erm well I haven’t been on here for that long however I would advise anyone looking to make new friends then you have to be purposeful about meeting people, spending time with them, and following up—whatever it takes to stay connected. This means you might need to let go of some habits and time wasters standing between you and friendships.

You can take the time to learn about each other's interests. Find out what kind of food, movies, books, and hobbies they like. Learning about someone else's interests, even if they are different from your own, is a great way to help foster a friendship and expand your own horizons. So why not give it a try!?!

Is that the time? Well they say that time flies when you’re having fun and I’ve had a blast creating this piece for you all to read and follow along with.

Now you know all about me, it’s your turn now. I look forward to getting to know you better! 🫰🏻

:heart: Tammy

#MyIceBreakerChallenge

#BACommunity