Everything you never wanted or needed to know about a neurodivergent GenX spinster writer and dog mom.
Well that unfortunately sums up too much. I'm also a birder, traveler, sister, auntie and wanna be hermit.
First I have to come clean, Adriana Gillander is a pen name. It came about from my middle name and what I thought it should have been. Adrien + Anna, a best friend of my parents that tragically and final destination-y lost his life in a logging accident and my middle name, and the name of a woman who helped raise both of my parents from a position of an indomitable auntie. And 'Gillander' is an old family name lost in the crossing from from the Irish potato famine.
Now that we have cleared the air. In my former lives I have studied, interned and worked in the environmental and wildlife fields, which we all know pay so well, have so many openings and don't at all ask for superhuman abilities to succeed. (If you are not involved in these fields - that was dripping with sarcasm. Most jobs are about as well paid as teachers -- ask that you have a Master's degree, can operate a tractor, drive a boat, are well versed in computer code as a GIS consultant, are happy to do manual labor, interact with the public as an educator, be a social media guru and photographer, write in the passive tense and of course have hands on knowledge with a specific species.) As you can tell, I did not succeed in this field. But next time you meet a ranger, environmental educator, wildlife biologist etc. I beg of you to listen and respect them. They have done far, far more work than what they are credited with. Oh and many have an exceedingly dry sense of humor.
On to the next diatribe...
I'm a tail end Gen Xer. We typically weren't diagnosed with things if ever until college or later. I've only recently/ finally been professionally diagnosed for ADHD and likely had slight dyslexia. But in the mean time of the 40 plus years my quirks spoke to a lot. I don't like hugs. Sock seams provided a battle of wills with my parents and every shoe I've worn. Justified text and san serif fonts present issues, and don't even get me started on food textures like mushrooms or bivalves. I've always been a slow reader, (like 10-20 pages and hour for comprehension), and honestly didn't think I liked books until I read "Pride and Prejudice".
Hello beautifuls! I'm glad you joined us!
Now 20 years (almost) too late, and during a pandemic, I've found an appreciation of whiskey and writing.
Dip a toe or a hog?
Unfortunately my personality or my anxieties drive me to one of the following with no to little middle ground. I can dip a single toe into something, nothing more. Or I can take a running jump and cannonball into a creek, like a fat hog fleeing a butcher. My leaps may be too shallow, too fast, too infested with scary water moccasin snakes, or just plain old icky feeling mud and grass. So that is what I have done. I dipped in a toe to write in flash fiction challenges, then leapt into writing novels during NaNoWriMo.
Newbies learning
Again we are just two friends that love writing and want to share. The first rule of anything I do is, "Google it.. just a little bit.." at least, then get moving (If you are old enough that should put a tune in your head:). We are both just learning here and hope to share any insights or follies we encounter or commit.
Welcome and we hope you enjoy your time here!
PS I almost forgot -- my dog Rory is a rescue, he was labelled "curious" by the nonprofit shelter. Translation: way too smart, conniving, cute, agile and in general- a trouble maker. However, he is super cute! So as he distracts me from work so frequently he will play a role in this endeavor as well, even if as a constant distraction.
Uhm yeah that is him in his Mrs. Doubtfire costume for my neighborhood Coffee Shop's Halloween Costume contest. He decided to lay on the floor and refuse to get up, and shook off the wig, and bit the glasses I'd adorned him with:)
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