Staff

Sky Destrian

Founder

I think I'll officially have to blame my dad for making me the nerd that I am today. Between The Hobbit and Star Trek at young ages, my whole life has been filled with the power of stories. It's stories that make me want to be a better writer, a better superhero, and a better person.

I'm living in the beautiful state of Colorado which, on its best days, looks like Middle-Earth and on its worst looks like a barren tundra. I'm almost graduated from high school and I spend the majority of my free time consuming stories, whether they're my own or someone else's. (I'm an addict, what can I say?)

My biggest fandom currently would have to be Marvel. I'm in love with Tony Stark, who has taught me a lot about the way I see life and the world around me. Marvel's stories are so well done, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they do as time goes on. I'm also a huge fan of Breaking Bad, The Big Bang Theory, The Flash, Arrow, and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Until I'm 23 and we've completed Phase II of Marvel's movie development, you can find me either blogging on Further Up and Further In, or on Twitter at @skyofthetiger. Oh, and here, of course.

Stats

Age: 18

Location: Colorado

Favorite superhero: Iron Man

Favorite book: The Great Gatsby

Sky Destrian will be posting miscellaneous posts every Sunday.

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Mirriam Neal

Weekly columnist

I have been obsessed with stories my whole life. I tell them however I can – to my nephew, surrounded by blankets; catching pictures on paper; and, which I do most often, writing novels. Naturally, one can't have a good obsession with stories without also obsessing over characters – being a fangirl comes with the territory. From Middle­Earth to the MCU, I was raised on surprising characters, twisted plots, and feeling my heart beat faster as someone proves even the worst people can do the right thing, and the best of people can make terrible mistakes. I'm a Northwest hipster living in small­town Goergia, where fantasy is not so much an escape from reality as a lens through which to see it. I will never stop obsessing over stories, and just wait – my fandom­named children will be just as in love with tales as I am. (“Bucky! Eomer! Kahlan! Say your prayers and get in bed!”)

Stats
Age: 20
Location: Georgia
Favorite Superhero: The Winter Soldier. (Does Deadpool even count...?)
Favorite Book: You're hilarious.

Mirriam Neal will be posting weekly recaps of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Wednesday) and The 100 (Saturday). You can find her blogging at www.mirriamneal.com.

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R. Wiersema

Weekly columnist

My parents got the idea for my name after hearing it in a movie. I will applaud if you can guess which one.

When I was two, my mother was driving home and enjoying the sounds of me playing contentedly in my carseat. When we got home, she turned around and saw that I was talking to a banana peel.

Whenever I played with my toys, I would come up with such elaborate stories that my younger siblings would rather sit and watch me than join in; as if I were the family television set.

For a large portion of my childhood, my siblings and I would counter the sweltering summer heat by lying on the floor of my brother's bedroom and do nothing (except perhaps fiddle with Lego® blocks) but listen to the magnificent Brian Jacques as he narrated his own audiobooks. We would then walk down to supper with our thoughts floating in a soup of Scottish brogue, and so when I finally did start writing, most of my early projects tended to ring with Jacques' narrative styles.

I currently follow Agents of Shield, The Big Bang Theory, Doctor Who, Last Man Standing, and Once Upon A Time. I've also seen every episode of Firefly (including the post-show movie, Serenity), Dollhouse, and Revolution; in my spare time, I enjoy the BBC's Earth series (which includes Blue Planet, Human Planet, and so forth).

I write books, screenplays, blogs, poetry, music, and fan fiction.

Age: 22
Location: Various
Favorite Disney Princess: Thor (Disney owns Marvel, Thor is now female, your argument is invalid).
Book[s] I Want You To Read: The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson. Narnia meets Dr. Seuss in a heartwarming, wacky, profound adventure that starts On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness!

R. Wiersema will be posting weekly recaps of Once Upon a Time every Tuesday.

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Bailey Bastien

Bi-weekly columnist

If you were to look up the word ‘nerd’ in the dictionary, my picture would be beside it. I blame my dad for my love of superheroes; my mom for my love of Hobbits, magic rings, dragons, quests to save Middle Earth, Samwise Gamgee, and just books in general; my sister for my love of Doctor Who; and tumblr for my love of Supernatural.

I’m a freshman in college and often times spend my homework time wondering if I could just squeeze in one more episode of whatever show I’m currently hooked on. I’m the second oldest of five children, and honorary mother to one extremely high maintenance beagle.

My current obsessions include, but are not limited to: The Blacklist, Marvel, Supernatural, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Arrow and The Flash, and Gotham. Also The Voice, but that’s mostly because of Adam Levine.

Sometimes, because I like to hear my own voice, I blog, but mostly I’m on tumblr. I also tweet (@lia_noel) when I’m not daydreaming about joining Sam and Dean on their adventures. Although if that were actually to happen I would most likely spend the entire time screaming and hiding under the back seat of the Impala. But we won’t talk about that.

Stats 
Age: 19
Location: California
Favorite superhero: Captain America
Favorite book: Lord of the Rings

Bailey Bastien will be posting about Supernatural every other Monday.

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Amanda Horn

Bi-weekly columnist

I think one of the reasons we all love stories so much is because we find in them a reflection of our souls. The things that our favorite characters are going through are a reflection of our own thoughts and feelings. Which is why it’s okay to be a nerd; our shared loves for books and movies and TV shows are part of what make us human.

I guess you might want to know a little about me. I’m a Minnesotan (bred, but not born), homeschooled (a junior) and I’m the youngest of three with two older brothers.

I’m most at home on the stage (despite the fact that I’m introverted) and telling stories through acting is what I’ve done since I was six years old. Characters are what speak to me and if I can relate to them in even a small way, they become entwined into my heart.

My current fandoms are NCIS, Psych, Lost, Lord of the Rings, Les Miserables and Marvel; however, my list goes on and on (some of my fandoms are probably pretty small; Next to Normal anyone?).

My stats:

Age: 16

Location: Minnesota, the land of ice and snow (or should I say Minnesnowta?)

Favorite superhero: Spiderman
Favorite book: The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

Amanda Horn will be posting character analyses every other Monday. You can find her on Pinterest here.

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Jaime Heller

Weekly columnist

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been infatuated with stories. I like to read stories, I like to tell stories, and I like to hear stories. There’s something about finding characters to love and relate to as well as getting swept off on an adventure one step away from your door. Stories run through my blood veins and I want to create stories so others can have the same thrilled and enchanted feelings I do when I dive into another adventure.

My first fandom ever and will always have a special place in my heart is Narnia. After that came Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Star Trek, courtesy of my dad and brother. Then my love for all things nerd skyrocketed. While I’m deeply entrenched in too many fandoms to count (name one and I’ve probably heard of it or indulged myself in it in some capacity), I have intense likings (okay, obsessions) over a handful that involve superheroes, hobbits, and a boy and his box (off to see the universe, yada yada yada).

I like stories. I have too much useless information about stories tucked away in my head. I connect with too many characters on a personal level (Bilbo Baggins, Eleventh Doctor, Rapunzel, Hiccup, to name a few). And I have a love for beautiful worlds created from someone’s mind. It’s all enchanting. So come, be enchanted with me.

You can find me blogging, tweeting about dorky things, pinning too many story ideas, occasionally spamming tumblr, and writing for my university’s online literature magazine, The Nerve.

Stats
Age: 20
Location: Usually Ohio, occasionally a realm outside of reality
Favorite animal: dragons
Favorite literary character aspect: Gandalf’s beard

Jaime will be posting every Thursday with a focus on DC's Arrow and The Flash.

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Paige Kelly

Weekly columnist

Never having lived more than four years in one place, I find that books are just as often my home as any place on earth has ever been. I grew up listening to and reading James Herriot and J.R.R. Tolkien, which made me fall in love with Britain and Ireland.

I’m a step away from finishing a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design and Studio Art. As much as I love words, I have love expressing myself in art, and particularly enjoy graphic design and typography, oil painting, figure drawing and sculpture, and photography.

Due to my love of travel and the UK, I spent a year studying abroad in Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland for the ‘13-’14 academic year. It was an experience unlike any other and fueled my creativity and love for travel and the new experiences and people I meet. Living there, surrounded by landscapes that inspired Tolkien and other classic writers, simply felt like coming home. After graduation I hope to return to somewhere in Ireland or Northern Ireland, and want to work as a missionary, or designer/artist, travel journalist, owner of a coffee shop, horseback riding instructor, or all of the above.

I currently live in North Carolina, rereading the Lord of the Rings every year, cuddling all sorts of animals, exploring and swimming/surfing/photographing the coast, and dreaming of the far corners of the globe. Christ is my foundation and passion, and I know He’ll lead me on a wild adventure!

(Some of my fandoms include J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit movies, Diana Wynne Jones (particularly Howl’s Moving Castle), Sherlock (BBC TV series, books too!), The Queen’s Thief, Parks and Recreation, The Mindy Project, Chuck, and more. 

You can find my blog here, my website, and my twitter.

Paige Kelly will be posting on Fridays about all things Middle Earth and Tolkien.

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Andrea Wiesner

Contributing writer

I'm the girl that proves you can be geeky and a fangirl even when you're "old". (not that I see myself as old, because I really don't.) I started on this road early, and you can fully blame my father… he had me interested in Star Wars pretty much since birth, and Star Trek since the age of four, when TNG first aired. Yes, I know most fans will say you have to choose one or the other. But I believe that there is a place for both in our hearts. I'm also odd, in that I don't hate Wesley Crusher. Deal with it! :P

I'm a born storyteller, small town/suburbs kinda girl, and proud pastor's kid… who dreams of someday being a published novelist. (I've been making up stuff since the days of the elaborate adventures I cooked up for my afternoons of Barbies and My Little Ponies with my younger sister) At heart, I'm just a proud member of Cardinal nation, who bleeds Blue, and loves visiting the Muny in the summertime. :)

My fandoms… if it can fit under the categories of: books, film, television, or theatre… it's a pretty good chance I love it. I mean, obviously there are some things I dislike, nobody likes everything. That said, if whatever it is happens to be well-written and is well acted, I'm pretty much a fan. Genre and targeted audience need not apply… I'll watch Ben 10 or Girl Meets World, just as readily as Doctor Who, The Flash, or NCIS. Call me crazy, but I think this quote by one of my favorite authors can fit more than just books… "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally- and often far more- worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond." (C. S. Lewis)

Stats:

Age: 31, but I'm the only one allowed to call me "old"!

Location: Illinois… the part that's NOT Chicago :P

Favorite Superhero: this isn't a fair question, I object! (translation: Don't make me choose, they're all great)

Favorite Book: Uhh… this post might be the best shot at answering that I can give you. And even it, isn't a full and proper response!

Andrea will be posting about movies and TV shows you should totally watch. She's like a ninja, in that you'll never see her coming.