But I first started seriously writing when I was thirteen. I still remember writing about my first fully developed character, Candace, through eighth grade science class while Mr. Hagen talked about infrared lights, wavelengths and natural disasters. Don't worry, I had an A in that class all year.
However, writing books and science is not all I do.
I don't just find creating stories and developing characters fun. I love to express my thoughts in other beautiful ways, as through music and lyrics. I've written the lyrics for probably twenty songs (not to say they're all going to make it onto Saturdaze's demo CD) and my best friend and bandmate, Missy Minor, has written full-fledged songs (that definitely WILL make it into the demo).
Saturdaze is a band the two of us have been working on since late eighth grade/early ninth grade (I'm not entirely sure). We've played with the lineup until we got it perfect with two of our best guy friends, we've played with our sound until Missy eventually just wrote a song to give us an idea and we've dilly-dallied around until our guitar teacher, Brent Phelps, finally shoved us onto the stage under the lights for an open mic. We've been doing them and loving them ever since.
The band name itself was probably the most difficult part thus far. We'd been through the band-generating websites and we'd been through the lyrics of all of our favorite songs with no luck. We'd been named Stitch Hearts, The Geronimos, The Kitsch and Happy Medium. One day, I read a tweet from a band boy on Twitter that simply stated "Saturdaze on rooftops." And at first, the idea simply formed its way into a song I wrote about (believe it or not) Jay Gatsby. But that changed. Upon reading my lyrics out loud to our bassist, Konrad, (yes, he's really 1/2 German) in his van on the way home from school one day, he stopped me after my explanation that "Saturdaze" wasn't spelled "Saturdays," but instead with "daze" at the end. And for some reason, he thought that was so cool. He kept saying it over and over on the way home. I jokingly exclaimed, "Band name!" as the four of us did at the most ridiculous phrases. But then he said, "No, really. That would be so cool."
Later that night, after thinking about it, I texted (or tweeted, I don't remember) our singer, Missy and our drummer, Brent about the name. They both loved it. So I changed @thekitschmusic on Twitter to @SaturdazeBand, changed the picture and before the night was over, three of us had tweeted or retweeted "We are Saturdaze." None of us have been more happy with a name.
However, I don't just play music. I listen to a lot of music. My preferred variety ranges from Fall Out Boy to Smash Mouth, including Panic! At the Disco, Phantom Planet, The Young Veins, fun., Foster the People, The Brobecks, Black Gold, My Chemical Romance, Gold Motel and Christina Perri. (I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot, but I won't overwhelm you with my ridiculously long list of favorite artists) I absolutely adore going to concerts. My first "real" concert was a Smash Mouth one at a fair in the Tri-Cities years ago, and the most recent one I've been to was a Panic! At the Disco one with fun. and Funeral Party at the ShowBox SoDo in Seattle in June.
I also really enjoy movies. I love going to the movies, staying up and watching movies and especially watching new movies with friends. Just over Christmas break, I went to the movies five times to see Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows twice, Mission Impossible IV: Ghost Protocol twice and New Year's Eve. I recommend every last one! My absolutely favorite movies are the two Sherlock Holmes ones with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. My other favorites include the Inception, The Mission: Impossibles, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Cloverfield, Midnight In Paris and Sweet Home Alabama.
As a writer, I read a lot. I'm currently reading Hamlet for my AP Literature class and The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes for fun. Some of my favorite books include Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, Rockettes, Rockstars and Rockbottom by dancer Keltie Colleen and (obviously) The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. I actually did enjoy the Twilight series before it turned into a huge fiasco and the movies came out (I've only seen two, so I can't judge too hard). But my absolutely favorite book is F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. I don't know if it's the love story or the great carefree-ness the 1920s gave off, but I adore that book and cannot wait for the new movie with Leo DiCap to come out in December!
I live in Maple Valley, Washington, a suburb off of the beautiful city of Seattle. I really don't like living here with the rain and the cold, dry winters, but having the ability to visit the Emerald City whenever I want is definitely a pro. I live with my mom, dad and three younger brothers, Bronson, Jackson and Carson, and we don't have any pets. Actually, I'm allergic to anything with fur, which is probably a good factor in explaining why my characters have so many dogs. If you can't have it, you write it, right?
My favorite color is red, my favorite food are ribs, my favorite drink is Cherry Coke, my favorite city is Las Vegas, my favorite season is summer and my toothbrush is purple. It's also a spinbrush.
What are YOU like?
-mp.
