15 Facts About Me

Hi! My name is Haley and I created A World Full of Scribbles to find a place to write freely, share my adventures, and make some sense of all my jotted down scribbles that define my life. While I’ve been writing for a few years now, I wanted to share a bit more about myself.

1. I love film and cinematography.

Back in high school, I was obsessed with writing screenplays and learning how to shoot films. I made a few book trailers and fun shorts in my spare time in the sparse woods in my neighborhood and behind the public library. This was also during the climax of Youtube’s 2000s popularity as I revered vloggers such as Joey Graceffa, Dan Howell, Rhett and Link, Luke Conard, Tessa Violet, and Ingrid Nilsen. After high school I shifted to photography. Now, I particularly enjoy taking portraits and street photography.

2. I love to write short stories (and hopefully one day novels).

I’ve been writing forever, ever since I was old enough to read stories on my own. I remember in middle school that I used to carry around a journal filled with stories influenced by the books I was reading, filled with fantasy and magical characters that weren’t exactly all original (every plotline was like Harry Potter/Goonies). I don’t have much writing kept from my middle school days, but I know that my obsession brought me to where I am in my craft today. I went on to university to study English literature with a concentration in creative writing, where I shifted my focus from writing novel-length ideas into eight to ten-page short stories; it was something that I had never tried before.

I published two short stories my senior year. I’ve been working on an anthology of literary fiction, one that focuses on the bizarre, dark, and macabre. Unlike me, my stories aren’t necessarily all that happy, but I absolutely love the art of language and putting words together to make something beautiful.

3. I love ramen.

I have had many a wonderful bowl of ramen in my life, but nothing truly compares to the ramen from Shoryu in London (as of yet). If I could eat ramen every day, I would. I cannot wait to travel to Japan to fulfill that dream. One day!

4. I enjoy studying history and legends.

Teaching does have its perks as, like the students, I get to continuously learn. I love everything about Greek mythology and had so much fun teaching Norse mythology last year. I’ve researched Egyptian and Native American deities and read more Chinese myths. This year we’ve dived into a bit of Yoruba culture before reading Children of Blood and Bone. I found a love for Arthurian legend and Russian history back in high school. Myths and legends are just a lovely way to read stories and learn a bit about history and culture at the same time – and there’s still so much I get to learn!

5. I don’t like chocolate very much.

Yep. Sorry. I never really crave it. I never get chocolate ice cream and double chocolate just makes my mouth feel heavy and sticky. Even the thought of it right now isn’t that ideal. I enjoy chocolate as a flavor in bigger desserts and dishes, but not as the star of the show.

6. I won runner-up in a Percy Jackson Mythology Bee when I was in middle school.

Thank you, Percy Jackson, for fueling my love for mythology. In 7th grade, I participated in a worldwide Percy Jackson competition, which was just trivia questions about gods, goddesses, demi-gods, and heroes. I made it to Runner-Up but I got a certificate, a pin, and an honorable mention in the school newspaper – very professional and very legitimate for middle school. It was at a time that I really started to develop a passion for reading and writing.

7. I like to paint in my free time.

It’s very therapeutic and very fun. After some trial and error, I found that I enjoy watercolors the most. I like the way it blends and builds color. About two years ago, I started bringing travel paints with me and enjoy painting what I see around me.

8. No matter what I do, I can’t stop collecting books.

My mother (bless her) moved my high school library over two hundred books from Texas all the way to Florida, where I did a purge and donated a huge chunk the day before I was offered a position as an English teacher.

Flash forward about three years, I still teach and my books have again doubled. I don’t think they’re totally back at their former glory as of yet, but I did take my inventory and build a rainbow bookshelf, which just means they are categorized by color. However, I don’t know how I totally feel about it yet. It looks charming, but all of my series are split up.

These are some of the books on my TBR list (aka my nightstand):

• Stardust by Neil Gaiman
• Wilder Girls by Rory Power
• Atonement by Ian McEwan
• Lovely War by Julie Berry

9. I drink my coffee relatively black (no sugar please!) and my tea with milk.

My Starbucks order is a grande iced coffee with cream (sometimes milk) but definitely no sugar. I love the taste of dark coffee. I also love white tea and solely buy milk for this purpose. When I’m feeling something a bit sweeter, I go for caramel macchiatos and foggy Londons. I will also drink iced coffee every season.

10. My Nextflix recommendations are filled with stand-up.

Jack Whitehall is a relatively new favorite at the moment. I loved the series Comedians Around the World. Other personal favorites include Daniel Sloss, Iliza Shlesinger, Gabriel Iglesias, Tiffany Haddish, Hasan Minhaj, John Mulaney, Trevor Noah, Mike Birbiglia, Rose Matafeo, and Bert Kreischer. When it’s not standup, it’s back to my Doctor Who, Pushing Daisies, or The Office marathon.

12. My go-to dessert flavors are vanilla, pistachio, and anything herbal.

Vanilla cake with vanilla or buttercream icing – yes, please. Pistachio ice cream – always. Lavender and rose macaroons are kind of like biting into a flower, but I still totally dig it.

13. I love learning how to mix drinks.

Making cocktails is an art form that I’m still perfecting. One of the perks of adulthood is my stocked bar and wine rack because I don’t feel the need (or want) to go out anytime I do want a drink. My favorites to make are margaritas (from scratch, of course), Moscow mules, and anything gin-based. I’ve branched out into fancier cocktails like Aperol spritz and brown butter old-fashioned. Recently, I’ve been trying out a few recipes in Tequila Mockingbird. The next bar investment I’ve got my eye on the color-changing Empress 1908 Gin.

14. Roses are my favoirte flower and scent.

Rose candles, rose body spray, rose soap . . . I love it all. Too much can be a sickly sweet smell, but when it’s not overpowering it’s a lovely scent. I also love red roses – so cliché, but true for me.

15. When I travel, I like to collect rings.

Usually, towns have lots of outdoor markets that sell everything under the sun. A few years ago, I bought a few rings from an Edinburgh market and then the idea stuck. Instead of getting souvenirs that added weight, I’d find some I could walk away wearing. I’ve got a few rings from places like England, Ireland, and Italy. Rings are one of my favorite types of jewelry.

If you’ve made it this far, I would like to thank you! I can write all day, but it’s always nice to learn a bit more about the person behind the words.

Until next time!

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