Welcome to my author page!
I am a teacher, musician, reader, and avid Harry Potter fan. I am originally from the Midwest and now live a bit farther south. I am thrilled to be a proud member of RAVENCLAW House and enjoyed being a site moderator for a time as well.
I hope you enjoy the many stories and poems I have written. I am proud of them all and appreciate any feedback you might care to leave (in other words, reviews are love!) I've listed them below with a short description since I know trolling through summaries can be tedious. Thanks for reading!
EDIT: Someday I will categorize my stories by genre. Today is not that day. ;)
Wonderful job! I just read the original and frankly I like yours better, because I can understand it! :) You did a fantastic job taking T.S. Eliot's form and using it in this poem set in the Potterverse, right down to the little details like wands and owls and joke shops. Using the Pensieve in place of the lamp was inspired. The memories were perfect. I thought the stanza about the Dark Lord was particularly well-done, very powerful. This was great to read - good luck in the challenge! Go Ravenclaw!! ~Gina :)
Author's Response: Eee! Thank you so much. I really appreciate your comments. I was so excited when I thought of the pensieve instead of the lamp - it\'s a memory holder! Go Ravenclaw! :)
Very nice job! You did a great job with this prompt, I really liked your twist on it. Having them both give up Christmas with their families was very sweet. Very well written - good luck in the challenge! ~Gina :)
Author's Response: Aww, thank you so much! <3 Glad you enjoyed!
Wonderful job! That is so original and unique. House unity is exactly what Hogwarts needs seventh year, and the way you (or Nicholas) brought together the four houses was really neat! The four gifts lost and found were all sweet and touching, and Luna's in particular was perfect. Very well done - good luck in the challenge! ~Gina :)
Author's Response: Thank you for the review!
That was very nice! You did a great job with McGonagall's character, and I loved seeing the trio come to help her with their Patronuses. Great job with canon! You write with wonderful description, I really enjoyed reading this. Good luck in the challenge! ~Gina :)
Author's Response: Thank you :) I have fun with Minerva. Good luck with your own challenges - I saw you had a couple.
That was fantastic! You did a great job with this song, I really liked this piece. You followed the story of what happened that night extremelly well. The rhythm was really good, and the rhymes really strong - great word choices throughout! Fantastic job - good luck in the challenge! Go Ravenclaw! ~Gina :)
Author's Response: yay! so glad you enjoyed! it was so fun to write! thanks for the review!
Hi there!
Nice sonnet! 'Tis very sad. Good job with the rhymes and overall flow of the poem. I would only suggest changing one of the "And" s starting the lines, since there are three of them. That, of course, changes the rhythm of it all, which is tricky to fix - but it's something to think about for your future poems at least! Lovely job!
*scurries off to read another*
~Gina :)
Author's Response: Gina! *Squishes* Thank you!
Hi there!
Lovely job, it's really too bad you didn't get to enter this for the Winter's Tales challenge! Once more you write about Remus and Tonks in a very familiar, heartwarming way. The idea of Santa bringing the trio home for Christmas is really nice, as were the actual gifts he gave to everyone. What he give Ron and Hermione?? ;) Nice job, I'm glad I got to read it so quickly after chatting about it yesterday! ~Gina :)
Author's Response: Thanks Gina. I meant to email it to you last night, but I just got distracted. I\'m very pleasantly surprised this was accepted so fast. Very cool! :) I\'m glad you think I have a good handle on Tonks and Remus. I love writing them. Hmmmm, I actually hadn\'t thought about what he gave Hermione and Ron. It had to be something useful...I\'ll think about it and try to get back to you! Cyns
Hi Ritta!
Lovely job, dear! You pulled off a difficult ship here - not difficult because Ron and Luna are so incompatible, but difficult because Ron and Hermione are *so* canon it's hard to picture Ron with anyone else sometimes. I like that you gave Ron/Hermione a background and a reason for breaking up, and when you paired Hermione with Harry I like that you acknoweldged the uncomfortable feelings that caused at first.
Your Ron is so cute, and you did a great job with Luna's character, inventing those crazy things she always talks about. Your humor comes through in this piece, and your writing flows very well. Nice job, what a lovely present for Danielle!
~Gina :)
Author's Response: Thanks, Gina. I understand about the picturing Ron with anyone else, but Luna has always seemed like a good candidate to me. =] Danielle really loved the story, and I\'m rather grateful she allowed me to pair Luna with whoever I wanted. Coming up with the \"Lunaisms\" wasn\'t as easy for me as it is for others...so it was the bane of my existence for a while there. But I\'m glad it all worked out. Thanks for your review! *hugs*
Hi there! The first of the turnip stories appears, and what a lovely one it is! I really liked what you did with this story. It was a sentimental look at a happy, heartwarming Christmas tempered by the somewhat bitterviewpoiint of Peter Pettigrew. Who would have thought to approach the former from the viewpoint of the latter! Yet you did a great job juxtaposing the cheery scene with Peter's sometimes sad reflections on it. You also did a great job with Peter's character, giving him much more depth than he is sometimes credited for. I loved the banter with Sirius, particularly the "mangy cur" line. And Sirius's line about the bull/bullocks was hilarious! You did really well with his sense of humor.
Great job with the minor characters and researching the original members of the Order! This story is sort of bittersweet in that we know some of these people won't be spending another Christmas together. I *loved* the joke that Gideon and Fabian played on Caradoc,it was just perfect. What a shame they didn't survive - imagine what they could have taught Fred and George!
Wonderful job, I really enjoyed reading this story! Happy New Year! ~Gina :)
Author's Response: Confession: \"Oops! That prompt called for a happy story!\" So it became flangst of sorts. I\'m not sure why it came from Peter. He just sort of settled into my fingers and started typing. That character interests me with contradictions. Making a Gryffindor make sense after he\'s gone bad is quite the project, and I think jealousy and obsessive love might just be strong enough to do it. I also figured that the Marauders saw something in the boy, and a sense of humour makes him interesting even if he\'s not very tough or cool otherwise. It\'s a common fallback in RL. Thanks for the review!
Jan! That was amazing! I loved it - it was absolutely gorgeous. What a wonderful beginning. I loved how you immediately set such a mysterious,magical tone - your imagery is beautiful! I also love Rowena's character, she was wonderfully done. The Sidhe and her visit was fascinating - I don't know much about British mythology, but you must have done some good research for this piece. It really lends the story depth. Fantastic job! *skips off to read the next part*
~Gina :)
This is just awesome! I've always like mythology and the way you have woven it into the Potterverse is brilliant! Even though he only made the briefest appearance here, I really liked Midhir. Rowena was well written as an adult. I can't wait to see how this all relates to Hogwarts! Wonderful job! ~Gina :)
Jan, this is just amazing, I love it! I had no idea Midhir would turn out to be Rowena's father. Now I wonder who the first visitor was, and if she has any significance. I also wonder about this third man who finally brought Rowena to the Sidhe. . . . Godric, perhaps? I assume part of her grand destiny is the founding of Hogwarts, and I can't wait to see how she meets the others.
I really like how well-rounded this story is. The description is lovely, the dialogue well done. Rowena is a plucky character but obviously has her faults. There are good characters like Medhir and darker characters like the mean Fuamhnach. And the research is still amazing.
Wonderful job, good luck as you continue! *clicks to favorites for the update*
~Gina :)
That was just wonderful! I loved it. =)
I loved all the small ties and connections you made to mythology; I don't know as much as you, but I recognized them all none-the-less. I loved your characterization of the founders, and of Rowena and Salazar in particular. I loved the wonderfully original plotline. I loved the description of the fairy world, and your lovely dialogue - old fashioned, but not stilted. I loved some of the foreshadowing I picked up on in this chapter, such as Rowena's dream and a possible relationship between her and Salazar. I loved it all.=)
I enjoyed reading this tremendously. You are so talented! Does this connect to your other founders fics? It was such a beautiful and magical story to read - fantastic job!!
~Gina :)
That was wonderful! I love how you introduced Helga, Salazar, and Godric. In one quick scene you established their solid characters. I was obviously wrong about Cuchulain being Godric. I recognize that bit of mythology though, lovely job weaving it into the story! So if Midhir is Rowena's father, is Etain her mother? I had to look him up, I haven't read his story before. For some reason Godric reminded me of James Potter, do you think there is a connection? I can't wait to see how this plays out for Rowena, with all these lovely men volunteering to escort her around. Plus she has a castle to build and a school to run of course. Just fascinating! Great job! ~Gina :)
HI there again!
I couldn't resist another comment or two. :)
ProfPosky wondered:
Is James suspecting Lupin? Was the ornament destroyed with the house, or might it yet turn up somewhere?
I wondered about the James as well! I didn't catch it the first time I read the story though, because it's rather subtle. I thought James was upset because of Lupin's cold! I almost PMed you about it, lol. But reading it again I started to wonder. Sirius tells Lupin in PoA that he assumed Lupin was the spy. Is this the beginning of that suspicion in this story? If so, it's brilliant! If not, just nod and say it is. ;) I also noticed that Peter was absent, visiting family - was that deliberate as well? Because it sets him up for suspicion also and is well done.
As for the ornament - it's a lovely touch, and you certainly could use it in other stories! Wouldn't that be neat if Harry found something special when he goes to Godric's Hollow in book seven!
Again, a lovely job - thanks!! ~Gina :)
Author's Response: Hmm! How much do you want me to reveal?
I\'m thinking of touching on this subject in another story. Yeah, I think I will.
Thank you thank you thank you! You know I love it, I think you did a wonderful job! I was worried that my prompt might be too specific, but you wrote exactly what I asked for and it's lovely.
First of all, I laughed because I had a cold for Christmas and was still sniffling and sneezing when I received the story. It was perfect - if only I had had a bubblehead charm myself. ;)
Second of all, I love your sense of humor. My favorite lines had to be:
Sirius whipped his wand out of his sleeve. “Let me think.”
“Please do. That’s my head you’re aiming at.”
That is so funny!
And then for Dumbledore to come in and turn Remus into a snowglobe - that is just such a funny picture! I would love to see that!
Third of all, I know you like cats and Harold/Haroldine was a lovely feline addition to the story. I'm a cat person myself, as opposed to a dog person. Very cute.
I really appreciate all the time and effort you put into this story, it was a lovely gift. Thank you so much, and good luck with your future writing!
~Gina :)
Author's Response: You\'re very welcome!
I\'m really glad you liked it. Remus\'s cold had to be part of the story. I had a cold, too, wouldn\'t you just know!
Good job! I love how you've summarized everything Harry has gone through in this ballad, and then ended it with hope (because of course Harry will win =) ) I think you did a fantastic job with the rhythm, it flowed almost perfectly for me. I love ballads - good luck in the challenge! ~Gina :)
Author's Response: Thank you! This is the first ballad I\'ve ever written so I\'m really glad to hear you like it. Thanks for the luck in the challenge, and I\'m guessing you enter challenges too, so luck to you as well!
xx GG
Hi Kim!
Wow, that was fast, this challenge just went up! You must have been inspired. ;) I like it alot, you did a great job with the prompt. I also like that this Snape is loyal to Dumbledore (I think so too!) This was a good idea for a ballad, and a great title. Good luck in the challenge! ~Gina :)
Author's Response: Thanks Gina! Like I said in the summary, I RARELY write poetry and I almost never share it, but I\'ll be darned if this didn\'t write itself! Thanks for your kind comments. :-)
Hi there! Nice piece, you do such a good job with these characters, I really feel like you've made them your own. I don't know how exactly, but you have! :)
I have a question about the middle of this piece: did you consciously decide to use only dialogue and no narrative, or did it just turn out that way? On one hand, the dialogue is great and absolutely conveys the action that is happening; on the other, I wonder how the piece would change and flow if the dialogue were interspersed with narrative describing the sisters - their voices, their faces, their actions as they speak, etc. An interesting little experiment, perhaps. ;) I was just wondering how you approached that middle section as it was well done and unique.
Nice job and good luck with your continuing stories of the Black family (since I sense they are your faves and I'm sure you will continue to write about them!) ~Gina :)
PS. We are side by side on the tens list today. *high five* :D
Author's Response: Hi Gina! Thanks so much for the compliments. I\'m glad you enjoyed the story.
As for the middle with all dialogue, I tend to do that during intense conversations. It\'s just a personal style thing. When I read intense conversations I tend to skip the narrative and read only the dialogue, I find that it\'s enough.
*giggles* And you guessed my deep \"secret\" love of the Blacks. Whatever gave me away? And yes, you can expect more stories from me about them. They seem to spend a lot of time in my brain. All their fighting gives me a headache. ;)
And yay for the tens list! I was so exicited when I first made it on there. Congrats to you, too.
Thanks again for the review!
Fantastic poem! I thought I had reviewed this already but apparently not. I love the repetition that begins each stanza. I think the way you described each person on the tower is wonderful. And the ending is great. Wonderful job! ~Gina :)
Author's Response: I\'m so pleased you liked it! This was one of those truly organic things that came to me in the Walmart parking lot and practically wrote itself. thanks for reviewing!