Author: Sara Mazariegos

Nerdfighter. Writer. Obsessed with everything.

“Remember the night we broke the windows in this old house? This is what I wished for.”

Sara Mazariegos

When I was in seventh grade, at the start of middle school, I decided I wanted a nickname. The trouble was that I didn’t really have a nickname, so I tried to test one out by only telling one of my classes — Intro to Foreign Languages — to call me Shelly. I didn’t count on one of my classmates in that class being in one of my other classes… She approached me and said something like, “You told us to call you Shelly in one class, but you don’t go by that name in this class.”

So, Shelly never really caught on.

It’s funny how I don’t remember the girl’s name. I remember her as Spoilsport. 😝

Growing up, I always wanted a nickname. My name is so short that I don’t really need one. I invented all my own nicknames. Other ones are Sar Bear, Sar Bear Extraordinaire, SBE (all the same, and all used by a specific friend group but 100% invented by me.) I also got one friend to call me Pizza for like a year. And Luis just reminded me about the time when I was twelve and told a friend’s visiting friend (from England!) that my nickname was Gadget. I was big into Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers at the time. This friend’s friend went along with it because he’d just met me and had no reason to question me. My friend called me out on it right away. Curses! I still think it would be so awesome to be called Gadget.

But Sara, stop trying to make “Gadget” a thing. It’s not a thing.

Speaking of nostalgia, I finally started clearing out my emails in my main inbox. I had nearly a million (I know!) so it’s, uh, past time for this. I went all the way back to my oldest emails in 2009 and I’ve been working my way through, only keeping emails I want to keep for sentimental purposes. I’ll probably eventually still delete many of the literary roleplaying game ones, but for now, they can stay.

I found the Facebook notification from when Luis added me, back in January 2012. 🥲 And his messages on a dating site (after we met in person, at a Nerdfighter gathering!) Those will all definitely be kept in my virtual shoebox.

I don’t know why I’ve been so nostalgic lately. It might have something to do with the fact that the future is looking more scary…

Anyway, in writing news, I got to 74,000 words yesterday. It’s going so well, it’s almost boring to blog about, haha! Everything’s falling into place, unlike last time I attempted writing this novel. I’ve deviated slightly from my outline, but only because other ideas came to me that move the story forward in a better way. I’m looking forward to being done (tentatively on Monday!) And then I can read the thing, after a Christmas/New Years break.

Do you hang onto anything because of nostalgia? At least emails don’t take up space in my house, though I only have so much space in my inbox.

Nostalgically yours,

“Georgie, don’t you ever get tired of just reading about things?”

Sara Mazariegos

I got into work on Monday after a nice, relaxing four-day weekend and my cousin Alex texted to tell me he was able to get Luis and me tickets to Universal Studios Hollywood for when we plan to be there! Fancy!

I also looked at my calendar and decided to take two extra days off the week of Christmas. I would have only worked on Monday and Friday that week, and that’s just silly. Those two plans started out my week with positive vibes.

We had a nice Thanksgiving time. I even managed not to eat too much, and I discovered I no longer hate green beans. Luis is always teasing me about my hatred of vegetables, but it’s not like I never eat them. I’m just picky about the ones I want to eat.

Now we’ve kicked over into Christmastime thoughts. We’re going to host Christmas Eve at our house, for the Guatemalan tradition of opening presents at midnight. It’s going to be cute to see the cats’ reaction to people being in our house with food and wrapping paper. Leo might be all over everyone. We’re not going to set off fireworks, though. That’s illegal in Maryland. Then, the next morning, we go over to my parents’ house for more Christmas festivities. My parents book us a hotel room so we can stay for the night and not have to rush back home late on Christmas. It’s fun how these traditions have kind of just taken shape over the last few years.

Thinking about the holidays is helpful while writing my novel. As it’s inspired by It’s A Wonderful Life, it takes place during the holidays. I reached 60,000 words yesterday, with help from my old draft. I used as much of an old chapter* as I could, tweaking it here and there to make it fit this new draft. I’m a fan of doing that. Maybe I’m a rare breed of writer who actually enjoys revising?

* And it’s an important chapter!

“Oh, why don’t you stop annoying people?”

Sara Mazariegos

First of all, a photo of Boo Radley so you know who she is since I’ve been talking about her so much. This is not a recent photo. She doesn’t want to be seen with her cone on. She’s embarrassed about it. But she’s hanging in there.


On Monday, they removed some of her stitches from her ear and tail. They will see her again in two weeks (with her brother Leo who already had a checkup appointment scheduled) to remove the rest. She hates going to the vet, but the medication that sedates her really helps her relax. (She still swiped at the vet once, to let her know she was done with her.)

Daily writing prompt
If you didn’t need sleep, what would you do with all the extra time?
View all responses


I’ve thought about this before, though it’s not sleep I would skip. I love sleeping. If I didn’t need to be at work for eight hours, I’d have more time to write, which would make me happy. I’d mostly write, but I’m sure I’d end up watching Internet videos. I wish I had more balance, so I could work but also write.

Thanksgiving is coming up on Thursday (and Friday if you go to two separate meals like Luis and I do.) People always talk about the awkward conversations or the big arguments that happen on Thanksgiving when families get together. Fortunately for us, we don’t have a lot of family members who disagree with us and pick fights. Our extended families don’t come over for Thanksgiving, which means things aren’t as stressful too. I can’t imagine having everyone in my family over for the holidays. A lot of people like it, I guess, but… No thanks. I’ve rarely done that.

I have vague memories from when I was little of spending Christmas in Tacoma, Washington, with my extended family there. Grandma accidentally bumped the tree, and it almost landed on my head. I know this from stories I’ve been told.

Having the holidays with the family we usually see is nicer and easier, so it doesn’t feel like such a performance. Better to see the extended family at other times, when we can focus more on seeing them and less on making a bunch of food or decorating. Then again, a lot of the time we’ve seen them has been at weddings…

For my writing update, I reached 50,000 Words! 🎉

I enjoyed writing the scene I wrote yesterday. It helped me easily get to this milestone. Hopefully, the rest of the writing will go as well as writing the first portion. It’s currently 56% finished, according to Pacemaker.

After today (overall goal: 52,000 words) I will have a mini break for Thanksgiving and then I’ll jump right back in.

I plan to fill myself with sweet potatoes, as I do every year.

“Do you know how long it takes a working man to save five thousand dollars?”

Sara Mazariegos

Caring for pets is expensive, but worth it in the long run. Boo had her first follow-up appointment on Monday, and it was funny because it was speedy and she was sedated, so she was so calm and sleepy. Her incisions are healing nicely, and she can get her stitches out next Monday.

We probably should’ve been sedating her for appointments the whole time. 😅

Her biopsy results are inconclusive, so we’re going to monitor her for changes and see what happens. We don’t want/need to put her through any unnecessary surgeries if she’s just got inflammation from allergies. She’s already been through a lot. We don’t want to make her miserable. The good news is that the vet didn’t sound concerned. They didn’t find anything bad.

I bit the bullet and ordered a copy of House of Leaves from Bookshop.org so I don’t have to keep returning it to the library, waiting for my hold to come in, and getting it again. It’s too complex of a story. Even if I don’t lose my place, I have to go back and read what was happening to know what was going on where I left off. Luis always recommends these smarty-pants books to me*. I’m excited to own it, so I can stare at the pages for hours like a mega nerd.

If you’re unfamiliar, and you probably are because it’s a very strange book, House of Leaves is written in a very all-over-the-place way. There are footnotes that lead in all kinds of directions, including going back pages instead of forward. Sometimes, they’re vertical, too. It’s easy to get lost in. This is why a slow reader like me can’t just get it from the library and have any hope of reading it in three weeks! I really like it, though. It’s inventive.

My writing is going well. I’m currently resting at a little over 37,000 words – I will write more tonight. I wrote less last night because the vet called. I’m still feeling much better about this draft. I’m getting the story out and then I can go back in and polish it instead of having to rewrite it extensively. I feel like I’ve improved, which is a great feeling. ☺️

I got us tickets to see Wicked this weekend. I’ve never read the book or seen/heard the musical, so I’m excited to see what it’s all about. I’ve seen/heard two of the songs, so that’s the knowledge I have going in. I own the book but it’s on my massive shelf of to-be-read books. Apparently, the book is very different from the musical and a lot of people don’t like it. It’s curious how that happens… How a disliked/controversial book begets an adaptation people love. Gregory Maguire seems happy with it.

I’m sure he’s happy to have found an audience.


* He got me to read Vonnegut, Philip K. Dick, and more Alan Moore than just Watchmen.

“Gives me a chance to tell you what I really think of your wife.”

Sara Mazariegos

This year just keeps getting tougher. Our cat Boo went to the vet on Monday for a dental cleaning and a biopsy on a mass that comes and goes on her ear. We found out she has an ear infection, so she was sent home with pain medication (she got lovely stitches on her ear) and ear drops. She was so loopy and lovey, which was cute if concerning. Her new best friend was the animatronic skeleton we got this year for Halloween. She kept sitting on the floor in front of him and gazing up at him, rubbing her face against his feet and licking his pants.

She also spent most of the night growling at our other cat because she was closed in our room for safety and he waited outside the door. He usually sleeps with us on the bed. He’s so confused.

Fun times!

I hope the results from the biopsy are good. I’m hoping it’s just skin allergies we can treat more intensely. We have to take her to the vet again on the next two Mondays to check that she’s improving and see the next options.

As if I don’t have enough to worry about. 😓

I can’t believe it’s almost the holidays. I say that every year, but, every year, they creep up on me. This year has been rough, so I’m ready for a new one. Not that I think the next four years are going to be great… I mostly can hope they might be okay? I hope they can at least be okay.

Writingwise, my It’s A Wonderful Life-inspired story is going well. I keep hitting my writing goals for the day, which is more than I could say for the last story I was working on. I think I was ready to think about this one. If all goes well, I’ll be at 30K words by Friday.

My voice is finally back to normal(ish.) I’m still a little coughy, but some of that is because I’m allergic to Fall leaves (I’m pretty sure.) Let’s hope I don’t get sick again like that for a long time. Or never. Never would be better.

“Say, brainless, don’t you know where coconuts come from?”

Sara Mazariegos

Welp.

There’s not much to say. The election yesterday has shown that there are too many misguided, uncaring people in America. I’m doing my best to keep taking deep breaths and focusing on my own life, the things I can control. And yes, I will vote again in two years. We have to keep going. We have to keep fighting.

My illness last week turned into laryngitis this week, so on top of everything else, I haven’t been able to talk much for the past few days. I finally got a bit of my voice back last night, but it’s raspy. I’m pretending I sound like Maya Hawke (Anxiety) so I feel better about it. Her voice is cute; my voice isn’t supposed to sound like that.

I’m resting my voice as much as possible. I put up a sign at work to let my coworkers know I can’t speak right now. So far, everyone’s been nice about it. I’m glad I don’t have a job that requires talking. I’d have difficulty with a job like that anyway, though.

Luis and I are watching this silly reality show called Claim to Fame — it features celebrities’ family members in a house and everyone’s objective is to guess who everyone else is related to. The hosts are Kevin Jonas (from The Jonas Brothers) and Franklin Jonas (a Jonas Brother.) Like all reality shows, it’s cheesy, but the mystery-solving aspect is fun.

I’m now convinced reality shows are as popular as they are because they’re comfort television. They don’t involve as much emotional attachment as scripted shows do. I’m not attached to any of these celebrity relatives*. That’d be kind of embarrassing.

As far as the writing’s going… It’s going pretty well so far. Speaking of comfort, my It’s A Wonderful Life story is comforting to me. It’s uplifting and warm and fuzzy, much like the film. That’s my goal, at least. So far, I think I’m tackling this draft better than the last one. It’s funny because no one else read my first draft, but I knew it needed retooling. Usually, I’d at least let Luis read it, but I didn’t want to waste his time when I knew it was going to be overhauled. I’m proud of myself for having the sense to just say, “You know what, this needs to be redone entirely. I’m going to take a break and try again.”

Last November was not a good time to try to write it, but this November might give me way more motivation. It’s certainly looking that way.

Ha. Heh. Haaaa. 😞


* Except for Pepper. She’s my favorite and I hope she wins, but she probably won’t.

You only meant well (well, of course you did.)

Sara Mazariegos

We had an awesome Halloween party last weekend. “Awesome” in the original meaning of the word.


Luis created a Riddler (and Batman) themed escape room with a bunch of riddles and puzzle boxes. Everyone had a lot of fun. I was mostly proud and in awe of him. He made videos for the introduction and the ending, and everyone thought they’d been provided by an escape room company or the company that made one of the puzzle boxes. But it was all him. 😊 I helped, but it was awesome because he is awesome.

FRIEND AT PARTY: Are you anxious?
ME: Always.
FRIEND: No, but like, not just because you’re Anxiety. Are you feeling anxious?
ME: Yes.
FRIEND: Would you like a hug?
ME: I always want a hug*.

Halloween being on a Thursday is a bummer, though. I’m not wearing my costume at work, because I think it’ll become uncomfortable (especially the boots) after eight hours in an office and I’d want to just change out of it when I get home. Instead, I’ll change into it when I get home, and be Anxiety for a few hours. Mostly while watching Arachnophobia with Luis. Seems fitting.


On Sunday night, we watched Late Night with the Devil, which was a perfect movie to watch for Halloween. I wish it embraced the 1970s aesthetic more, and I thought the introduction “documentary” wasn’t necessary, but otherwise, I liked it. I had no idea it was mostly Australian, too. Indie films like that are always good to promote.

We’ve been watching a lot of movies that take place in the 1970s lately.

I caught a cold and took the day off yesterday, sleeping as much as I could and being generally lazy. For some reason, at about five AM, I was having panic attacks that kept me from being able to fall back asleep. I’ve never experienced THAT side effect before. I definitely do not recommend it. I had to go downstairs and read a book for a while, next to one of our cats, in the cool living room. Then I was able to take a nap and eventually go back up to bed.

I made the executive decision to stop writing the cat romance novel for now (after giving it an ending that works, even if it’s at the 76,000-word point instead of the 80,000 I was going for.) I was feeling pretty burnt out with it. I plan to fix it and retool it next year unless a newer, shinier idea presents itself.

For now, I’m taking a brief break. Next week, I will resume the rewrite of my It’s A Wonderful Life-inspired romance novel.

Hopefully November will be calmer.


* Unless you’re a stranger. I don’t want hugs from people I don’t know.

Bark at the moon.

Sara Mazariegos

Am I the only one surprised that Halloween hasn’t happened yet?

It’s not that I’m in a rush. I’m excited about our party this weekend, and I’ve even considered wearing my costume to work this year (a slightly toned-down version to not be distracting.) But October has been dragging its feet. I say that as someone who’s had a hectic month.

We watched the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions last weekend, with a break to see Saturday Night. It was great to see Peter Frampton finally get honored. He and Ozzy Osbourne could commiserate about their muscular ailments; it’s sad to see inclusion body myositis and Parkinson’s disease affecting such energetic, youthful rock stars. I know they’re getting up there now, but still! I wish them both well. Combined with the fact one of the other inductees (Phife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest) died of diabetes complications and another (Jimmy Buffett) died of cancer, I kept thinking “I wish we could find cures for all of these things.”

Saturday Night was delightful. It left me wanting more, which is a good thing. We came home and I just had to watch the very first episode of Saturday Night Live, so I could see the moments referenced in the movie. I’ve been a fan since the early nineties when Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman were on. Some of the movie felt a bit like a play, which works since it’s all about live performance, and some of it felt a bit like parody. Some of the impressions were better than others. For example, I liked the Jim Henson guy as Jim Henson, but his Andy Kaufman was a little off, not least of all because he’s even ganglier than Kaufman. It’s a shame Benny Safdie had to drop out. I bet he would’ve been good.

On the writing front, I’m clawing my way to the finish line with my magical cat transformation romance story. One thing I’ll need to work on with it is tightening that description. 😅 Then, almost immediately after finishing that one, I have my It’s A Wonderful Life-inspired romance to rewrite. That will be nice during the holidays.

I’m going to use the NaNoWriMo method of writing around the same amount each day, although skipping Thanksgiving because I do have a life. Honest. I’m avoiding the actual NaNoWriMo site this year, though. I don’t support what they’re doing lately. Since my novel is longer, the draft will be “finished” in mid-December. And then I can breathe again before the edits! Weee!

Before you ask (why would you ask?) I’m planning to take a mental break from the cat story until sometime next year. It’s messy. I always knew it would be. Don’t all novels start out a bit messy?

Trying to find something between a strict writing schedule and a looser one that still doesn’t let me just, you know, stop writing. It’s dangerous to become too lax.

I like the word “lax.”

“I, myself, am… strange and unusual.”

Sara Mazariegos

Coming back to work is difficult, especially with how busy I seem to always be these days. I’m doing my best to take deep breaths and handle tasks one at a time, so I don’t feel so overwhelmed.

Our anniversary trip to Cleveland was nice! We ended up having an impromptu day on Sunday because it was rainy and we didn’t feel like trudging through a cemetery (as fun as that can be). We ended up going to the Museum of Natural History instead, which includes a wildlife center with foxes (red and gray!), bobcats, a raven, and even an adorable albino raccoon. It was a highlight of our trip, for sure.

The Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame was also a lot of fun. It’s changed quite a bit since I was last there in the 2000s. Many of the people I like don’t have much in the way of displays anymore, except for The Beatles, of course. The Beatles will always have a big display there. I was a little sad to see Kate Bush’s display is already gone, to make way for this year’s inducted people, I suppose. There was also nothing about Peter Gabriel. But it’s still a great museum! I might have to hunt the archives to find out where certain memorabilia can be found…

Something that might have been predictable: I didn’t write very much on my vacation. I wrote approximately 400 words yesterday before my brain said, “No! I want to relax!” So, now that I’m back to work, I’m going to play catch-up this week. I’ve already thought of changes I want to make in my story, but I’m determined to complete this draft first, then I can make changes… After working on my other story. I can rest again when it’s Christmas. 😅

We’re looking forward to hosting our annual Halloween party soon. Luis worked hard on creating an ‘escape room.’ We’ll have to double-check that everything still works before the party and that the cats haven’t moved things out of position (as cats are wont to do.) I’m eager to see our friends solving the puzzles. It should be so fun. We’ve done murder mystery parties before, but never a full at-home escape room.

October is our busiest month. Can you tell? It’s also my favorite!

“Have you ever talked to a corpse? It’s boring!”

Sara Mazariegos

Happy John John Sean Day to all who celebrate! Today is the birthday of John Lennon, John Entwistle, and Sean Lennon, in that order.

Our trip to Tacoma went well. The ceremony was brief and not as overwhelming as I thought it might be. We also went to the zoo and spent time with my cousins and my cousin’s son, so that was nice. I’m realizing now that it’ll be slight whiplash going from that trip (which involved long flights) to going on our next trip this weekend (shorter flight, but literally this Saturday so not a lot of time between.) At least I didn’t experience much jet lag.

Being back at work has been a drag thus far, though.

I wrote a decent amount on Monday, largely because I took a sick day to recuperate. I highly recommend giving yourself a day after your vacation to rest. Better chance of mentally preparing.

Yesterday, I was so slammed with work that I couldn’t write very much, which made me feel bad but I don’t write well when I’m already feeling burnt out, so I let it slide. I’ve reached 60,000 words though! I’m within the last 20% of my story. The path forward is clear. And then… my reward is more writing because I want to rewrite my holiday story in November-December.

Am I crazy? Yeah, maybe.

I just got an email from the library. I have to return House of Leaves way before I’ve finished it. I’m not surprised. I’ll just put it on hold again. 😅 It’ll give me time to finish the other two books I’m reading. I definitely overdid the library books last time.

Maybe I should just buy it. It’s such a slippery slope.