I am Alexandra Victoria Hollingshead, to be Smith, and I am a novelist and poet of British and Swedish heritage. Grew up in the wealthier part of New York. Spent a lot of time in my youth in Surrey, England, and now live in Surrey, BC. Nineteen years old, getting married in August to a man most humorously named Alexander. My online names sake, Ophiucha, is how you can find me just about anywhere online. It is also the feminine form of 'Ophiuchus', the snake-bearer constellation.
I am a cook, a freelance copy editor, a blogger (check the signature), and above all else, a lover of knowledge. I read more books - fiction and nonfiction - in a year than many do in a lifetime. I have a particular interest in Norse mythology and history, and in pre-Tolkienian fantasy. I write fantasy, science fiction, horror, Westerns, and literary fiction. I value minimalism and attention to detail in writing, and being someone who dedicates herself to fantasy, it is a tough business. Conservation is, to say the least, not a value held highly. It is nonetheless one I believe should be a bit more widespread.
I am an atheist, a social democratic, a housewife, a gamer (tabletop and console), and a fan of war strategy. I love video games about war strategy and likely own more books on ancient war techniques than I do notebooks. And for a writer, that is saying something I daresay. I love cartography (though I discourage the use of maps in speculative fiction), I love linguistics (though I similarly discourage the use of conlangs), and I love - perhaps above all else - numbers (you can have these in your fantasy, that would be most interesting). You know synesthesia? Where you think of sounds and words in colors? Imagine that, but with numbers. I see numbers in everything. I analyze the world, break it down, and measure it out with my eye. I attribute numbers to days of the week so that they add up to certain numbers for certain holidays. It's just how I've always thought.
As I said before, I am also of the culinary mind. I love Italian and Mexican cuisine above all else. Spicy and cheesy. I need nothing else. I appreciate a good cheese. My personal favorite is Bleu D'Auvergne, a relatively strong but deliciously creamy blue cheese. I would recommend it to anyone who likes the stronger cheeses, and it works wonderfully as a spread. If there is any one food I can't stand, it would be pork (or bacon, ham, etc.).
For some favorites. Authors that influence me greatly are China Miéville, Cormac McCarthy, E.R. Eddison, and Vladimir Nabokov. I am also rather fond of South American writers. Borges, Marquez, Cortazar, Coelho, etc. I take a lot of influence from film as well. Some of my favorites are Inglourious Basterds, The Good The Bad and The Ugly, Wild Zero (a fantastic b-movie from Japan about rock n' roll midst a zombie apocalypse, and how love knows no gender, and also something about aliens perhaps), The 10th Kingdom (a TV miniseries that takes a great take on the 'twist a fairy tale' schtick), The Iron Giant, and the two Babe films. Gaming, I am a huge fan of the Arkham Horror board game, and my favorite video games are Civilization, Fire Emblem, Dragon Age, Shadow of the Colossus, and Legend of Zelda. I also enjoy a good castle defense game. Musically, I like hard rock and heavy metal. Favorite band is Disturbed, and I also like Oomph!, Kamelot, Volbeat, and numerous others.
I reckon that is as much as I can possibly write. Nice to meet you.
I am a cook, a freelance copy editor, a blogger (check the signature), and above all else, a lover of knowledge. I read more books - fiction and nonfiction - in a year than many do in a lifetime. I have a particular interest in Norse mythology and history, and in pre-Tolkienian fantasy. I write fantasy, science fiction, horror, Westerns, and literary fiction. I value minimalism and attention to detail in writing, and being someone who dedicates herself to fantasy, it is a tough business. Conservation is, to say the least, not a value held highly. It is nonetheless one I believe should be a bit more widespread.
I am an atheist, a social democratic, a housewife, a gamer (tabletop and console), and a fan of war strategy. I love video games about war strategy and likely own more books on ancient war techniques than I do notebooks. And for a writer, that is saying something I daresay. I love cartography (though I discourage the use of maps in speculative fiction), I love linguistics (though I similarly discourage the use of conlangs), and I love - perhaps above all else - numbers (you can have these in your fantasy, that would be most interesting). You know synesthesia? Where you think of sounds and words in colors? Imagine that, but with numbers. I see numbers in everything. I analyze the world, break it down, and measure it out with my eye. I attribute numbers to days of the week so that they add up to certain numbers for certain holidays. It's just how I've always thought.
As I said before, I am also of the culinary mind. I love Italian and Mexican cuisine above all else. Spicy and cheesy. I need nothing else. I appreciate a good cheese. My personal favorite is Bleu D'Auvergne, a relatively strong but deliciously creamy blue cheese. I would recommend it to anyone who likes the stronger cheeses, and it works wonderfully as a spread. If there is any one food I can't stand, it would be pork (or bacon, ham, etc.).
For some favorites. Authors that influence me greatly are China Miéville, Cormac McCarthy, E.R. Eddison, and Vladimir Nabokov. I am also rather fond of South American writers. Borges, Marquez, Cortazar, Coelho, etc. I take a lot of influence from film as well. Some of my favorites are Inglourious Basterds, The Good The Bad and The Ugly, Wild Zero (a fantastic b-movie from Japan about rock n' roll midst a zombie apocalypse, and how love knows no gender, and also something about aliens perhaps), The 10th Kingdom (a TV miniseries that takes a great take on the 'twist a fairy tale' schtick), The Iron Giant, and the two Babe films. Gaming, I am a huge fan of the Arkham Horror board game, and my favorite video games are Civilization, Fire Emblem, Dragon Age, Shadow of the Colossus, and Legend of Zelda. I also enjoy a good castle defense game. Musically, I like hard rock and heavy metal. Favorite band is Disturbed, and I also like Oomph!, Kamelot, Volbeat, and numerous others.
I reckon that is as much as I can possibly write. Nice to meet you.
