ALL AUTHORS BLOG BLITZ
Special guest author Alayna-Renee Vilmont
When
I was asked to write a piece for this blog, I was concerned that somehow, I
couldn’t come up with anything that would fit well. I sat with a blank screen
and an internal monologue that went something like this: “OMG, I’m too boring for this blog, and I don’t read romance novels.
Eeeeee!!! This blog is about erotica.
Are they all going to find out about that post I put up bashing “Fifty Shades
Of Grey”, even though I only read 5 pages? Help!”
This
is a rather ironic concern, as I’ve been blogging since 2000, and never once
have I been shy about discussing my personal life. In fact, stories and
anecdotes regarding my personal life and colourful misadventures are standard
dinner party fare for me. I pride myself on being able to make grown men blush,
and dressing up in costume and dancing in a cage to gothic/industrial music is
a monthly outing.
At
one point in my life, my entire world turned upside down because I happened to
be the type of girl that was “scandalous”. Scandal, of course, is relative to
where you reside and the company you keep. I currently live in Atlanta,
Georgia, right smack in the middle of the “Bible Belt”. It’s not terribly
difficult to be scandalous here. In fairness, I’ve been scandalous other places,
too, but most of those stories are things I like to put in a category labeled “Not At All My Fault”. It’s a large box that sits next to a smaller
box labeled “Life Experience That Will
Make Funny Stories One Day”.
All
in all, it seems like I was teamed up with a great blog for my personality and
style. Yet, when I found out I’d be posting a guest blog on a site that
discussed romance, erotica, and was filled with poetic and gothic
overtones----well, I drew a complete blank. I had no idea what to share.
I
mentioned this conundrum to a friend of mine, who laughed in response. The
problem with being a snarky person is that people do not take you seriously
when you have a conundrum.
Conundrums
are often serious.
I
may need new friends, the sort who are less snarky.
Now
that I’ve gotten the angsty bit out of the way, I suppose I’ll introduce
myself! “Hi, I’m Alayna, and I’m a
writer.”
(Brief pause for room to say hello,
while looking around for booze and cookies.)
I’m
originally from the Northeastern U.S., and have lived in Philadelphia, New
York, London, Los Angeles, and the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area. As mentioned
above, I currently reside in Atlanta. My plane ticket for moving here was dated
September 12th, 2001. As you can imagine, it took a few days and a
lot of frustration and being frightened out of my mind to get here. I moved
here because I met someone online I believed to be a soulmate, and after
knowing one another online for many years and having a brief fling in New
Orleans, I came for a “visit”, which is code for “moving in with a guy you
barely know”. I did not realise that my impetuous love affair would be
interrupted by a terrorist attack, but when I’m determined, I’m determined. Terrorism
will not deter an adventurous 21 year-old on a mission to keep life
interesting. On my way here, seventeen canceled flights later, I made a deal
with any omniscient being that may exist that if my plane didn’t crash, Atlanta
would be my new home.
I
didn’t keep the guy, but I kept the city, which has been my home for over a
third of my life. I may not be terribly good at romance, but I keep my
promises. J
I
hold a degree in opera and musical theatre, and have performed professionally
since the age of six. Writing has always been a creative and secretive hobby
for me. I published my first poem at the age of seven, in a literary journal
that made me sign a release saying I was 13, so I didn’t have to get parental
permission. I’m not sure whether I was simply rebellious, or I didn’t want my
mother to read my poem. Maybe a bit of both.
In
any case, I studied writing throughout the years, participating in Johns Hopkins
Center For Talented Youth program as
a teenager, and eventually minoring in creative writing. In 2000, I started a
blog, known today as Jaded Elegance: The
Uninhibited Adventures Of A Chic Web Geek. Honestly, it was not out of any
great desire to share myself with the world, but because I was dating a guy who
was involved in getting the idea of “blogging” off the ground, and it was
expected of me to be supportive and put myself out there.. Whether because of
the frankness and openness with which I was willing to share my stories, or
because of my personal connections, or because people already knew me from the
acting world, my personal blog sort of took off and never looked back. At the
same time, I was still writing poetry and short stories and hiding them under
the bed. It took a long time before I felt confident in myself enough to
explore the possibilities of melding the two forms of self-expression together.
It
wasn’t until 2008, when the recession hit and I needed a career change, that I
began to work professionally as a freelance writer. I started to become more
confident in my work, and became active in the Atlanta literary scene. In 2012,
I published my first book, an anthology of poetry called Ophelia’s Wayward Muse,
which is why I’m here chatting with you today.
Ophelia’s Wayward Muse is a coming-of-age story in poetic form.
It’s about how the connections we make, positive and negative, form who we
become over time. It’s about the idea that even in this day and age, women are
supposed to be one-dimensional in a world that offers so many layers of being
to explore; the age-old Madonna/whore paradigm. As an actress, you learn
quickly that you will be typecast, and you’re expected to always play your
type. Your type is usually determined very quickly by things like how you look,
how you carry yourself, and the vibes others get from you. In the real world,
it happens much the same way. We love to put people in simple boxes and
categories, in order to make sense of them, and then part ways when we fail to
understand one another.
The collection is largely
autobiographical; many people in my life received a copy with a dedication that
read “There’s a poem in here inspired by you”. I purposely didn’t tell most
people which one it happened to be. The reaction that accompanied other trying
to figure it out was curious and amusing in itself.
Poetry
is a difficult medium to get others interested in reading, understanding, or
wanting to learn about. There’s this preconceived notion that it is something
largely cerebral and inaccessible. I’d like to think that my personal style and
unique voice is something that can help break past that barrier. I don’t think
of poetry as an intellectual form of artistic creation, but a way of telling
stories that relies on imagery and word choice to evoke an emotion from another
person. One of my reviewers remarked that I don’t write poetry that’s about
sunshine and rainbows and puppies, and that’s true. I’m not afraid to write
about things that are raw and lack grace or delicacy, because they can be
beautiful, too. On the other hand, I also don’t write things that should be
turned into emo songs and can only be understood by 15-year-old girls shopping
at Hot Topic. I think I use my poetry as a way to share myself and my emotions,
but also as a way to explore what I observe and intuit about human emotion, the
eternal struggle we all have when it comes to connection and disconnection, and
the desire for something more---whatever
that means to you as an individual.
I
write about love and romance, sexuality and attraction, cynicism and
detachment, and everything virtually every person goes through during the
course of becoming a complex, self-aware human being. Most importantly, I write
about the ways in which each person passing through our lives leaves an
imprint, and that imprint helps to shape us, even in the most subtle of ways.
I’ll
leave you with one of my (shorter) favourite poems, because it was suggested
that I share. If you’re interested in reading more, there are links to “Ophelia”
on Amazon, as well as my blog, and other ways to network with me. Thank you so
kindly for having me as your guest today, and I do hope some of you will visit
me soon!
"Ophelia's Wayward Muse"
Ivory-sculpted woman,
Tainted muse of Circe’s jaded beauty
Hiding behind the concealed grace
Of that beautiful, cherished innocent,
One who supposedly only thought to ask
For love and honour, and faithfully practiced
Obedience, drifting toward tomorrow
Upon her impenetrable curtain of destiny.
Yet, one cannot fail to notice
The silently provocative curve of a back,
The practiced, submissive gaze
Burning within dark liquid
Eyes of fire.
Fallen angel,
Have you been so betrayed
That you are forever unable to feel?
And she, being the gilded, precious type
Who so often lost her own thoughts
Amidst the chaotic hue of her own sparkle,
Was not at all impressed by
That world’s twisted inspiration.
It is a heavy burden,
Being that a muse only ever exists
For the use of man;
And used she was,
For the beauty and longing her girlish passion
inspired,
The secretly irresistible Madonna-whore
With a spirit moved only by
Her inevitable destruction.
Oh, to be fixed in history
As something that was;
Ageless and screaming with the power
Of her own indestructibility
Through seemingly acquiescent obliteration.
Descartes comme femme;
Because I am desired.
Alayna-Renee Vilmont is a freelance writer, blogger,
performer, and modern-day Renaissance woman currently residing in Atlanta,
Georgia. Her first book, “Ophelia’s Wayward Muse”, is a poetic anthology
based around the many facets of human relationships and experiences. Alayna is
also the voice behind Jaded Elegance: The Uninhibited Adventures Of A Chic
Web Geek, which has been entertaining readers since 2000. She maintains an
active presence on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, and almost every other form of
social media out there. If you’d like to follow the adventures of this
modern-day wayward muse, please stop by and visit at www.jadedelegance.net
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