*awkward wave*

Hey there everyone. My name is Jade. You can call me Raventongue, RT, J, or whatever else makes sense to you. I'm a 20-year-old, gay Canadian woman who hopes to go back to school to become a paramedic. I find enjoyment in (and deal with stress by) talking about books, writers, writing, philosophy, the social/political/historical aspects of fiction and other things I can just geek right out over.

In no particular order my favourite authors include Kurt Vonnegut, Terry Pratchet, Wilfred Owen, Dan Simmons, David Sedaris, Steph Swainston, Arkady Babchenko, Warren Ellis, M. T. Anderson, Adrew Davidson, Joseph Heller. I'm sure I'm forgetting about a dozen, but it really only takes one good book to win your way into my literary heart.

As for me, I write poetry that's been described as "combining f***-you-in-your-face sentiment with beautiful imagery", am working on a novel and occasionally dabble in other things. The novel's called Elysian Fields Surrenders, and to simplify things terribly is about a brilliant, closet-gay military tactician who hates war. It's a fantasy; the fighting takes place on dragonback. More abstractly it's about learning to conquer fear, stress, worry, anxiety and exhaustion.

I struggle with what's probably an undiagnosed case of depression or something. Recently, it's put a dent in my writing productivity, but that's picking back up now. My best friend is the most important thing in the world to me, and somewhere under my vinegar-flavoured exterior there's a diehard optimist.

So, yeah. Hi.