Howdy Folks! Long time no see! I can’t believe that it’s been nearly two years since I last posted. Crazy!
But fret not, I’M BACK!!
Well, to defend myself, I will say that I’ve been hard at work on graduating (’cause yeah, I’m in school) and I’ve also been working on a separate book series that is taking a lot of time to complete. IN ADDITION to all of that… I’ve been writing another one-act play (I’ll talk about that shortly!).
And since writing the above bit of information, a couple of month have passed… so yeah, it’s been a busy time!
But now, it’s summer and besides working three jobs, I’ve got all the time in the world to get back to being a writer!! Yay! So first, I’d like to give y’all some updates before I get to some news!
I Graduated College!!! 🎉🎉
Y’all, somehow, I DID IT! I graduated college (magna cum laude, might I just add…) with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biomechanics with a Sports Medicine Concentration and Spanish Minor.
When I tell you that the ceremony lasted FOREVER, it truly did. At some point I was playing some Puzzle Seventeen on my phone (highly addicting btw but super fun!) to just pass the time. I did like the student speaker and man, did it feel good to walk across the stage. Not going to lie, there were some points where I questioned my skills and abilities, wondering if I was truly learning something or just going through the motions. However, now a few months post-graduation, I can safely say I actually do think I learned some valuable skills and then some.
If you have the time (or patience lol), here’s the link to the livestream: UMARY 2026 Commencement (Best of luck finding me!)
Will I miss undergrad? Kind of.
I had to say goodbye to many friends, which was definitely hard to do. There were so many of my dearest friends who were also walking with me and it’s still weird to think they won’t be in Bismarck this fall when I return. We’ve all moved onto our next adventure, but a lot of us remain in touch which definitely eases the pain of being so far from one another.
In addition to saying goodbye to friends, I did have to say goodbye to my Presidency… which was TOUGH, let me tell ya. After pouring four years of my life into a club, it was heartbreaking to let it go and have to realize it’s time to move on. I’m glad it’s in good hands and maybe I’ll just be that weird graduate who pops into a meeting or two to just say “hi”…
Oh, I almost forgot to mention – your girl has graduated with some awards!
Okay, maybe just like two awards but still!
You are reading the blog of not only the Outstanding Biomechanics Senior Award recipient but also one of the 12 nominees for Outstanding Senior (and although I didn’t win, I did get an award!)
I am very grateful that I was chosen by my professors (especially Janelle – she’s the professor who nominated me!) for these honors! Truly, it’s an honor to be recognized and I never thought I’d be picked from awards like these. I suppose I don’t think of myself as someone truly outstanding usually and mostly live in my own world most of the time, but I suppose what people say is true – you never know who notices you!
So now, onto grad school! Yay!
Playwright/Director… AGAIN!
So, as I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I’ve been working on my next one-act play and it ended up once again being performed on stage! Thanks to SPARK Student Theatre Company, I was able to hop back into the role of director and have a very talented group of individuals perform my one-act, “The Accidental Kidnapping”.
Here’s a little blurb about the one-act:
The Accidental Kidnapping is a one act play that follows the comedic events of a phone-prank gone horribly wrong. A simple phone call, a misunderstanding, and all-too-convincing fake threat led Detective Cakeman and Officer Hawke on a search for the “kidnapped” Jared Gray. This once act also tackles an interesting stage concept – split stage – to tell both sides of this dramatic investigation at the same time. It was performed on April 11th at Arno Gustin Hall, University of Mary, Bismarck ND.
The pictures above give a little snapshot of what the production looked like during our dress-rehearsal period! Unfortunately, due to technology issues, we didn’t have a livestream and although I was promised a recording… well, I haven’t seen one yet… so, until then, use your imagination! I was very blessed to have a very talented cast and crew working on this production, namely my Stage Manager/SPARK President/Friend/Now-Roommate/Super-Cool-Person, Carmen, working endlessly behind the scenes so that, in her words, I could “just direct.”
Did I do more than “just direct”? Maybe, but it was certainly less of a drama behind the scenes this time around than last time, all thanks to the amazingly talented Carmen Pustejovsky. Everyone should have a Carmen in their life, just saying.
So now, I’m a 2x Playwright and Director at 22… Is that crazy or what??!!
If you’re trying to remember what other play I did, here’s the post I made about the previous play, back in 2024! A Play About… Something?
So… What’s Next, Striving Author??
Your best guess is my best guess lol.
But no, like seriously, I have a few things ahead.
Y’all remember “Secrets of the Forrest”, right? Well, she’s getting edited… like really edited now. She was a bit of a hot mess, but she’s a work in progress. Since Kindle Vella is dead (RIP, you were wonderful), I’m having to now put all of that into a regular book format and hope to publish that as a full novel by the end of the year.
It’s a hope… a bit far-fetched, but a hope nonetheless.
I also have another project in the works… it’s a three part series once again, though hate to dash any hopes, it’s not historical fiction. Not really. It’s really a mix of fantasy and historical fiction, but not set during a specific time period. Think, Medieval kingdoms but like modern medicine, but horse and buggy, but modern lingo. Yeah, it’s a bit confusing, I know.
So far, book one is written, slightly edited, and needs some revision. Book two is like 85% written, 10% edited, and now at an impasse. Book three is 100% an outline.
So maybe that series will make it out into the public eye sometime… or never. It’s hard to tell sometimes as an author what is actually good material and what is something that can hide away forever.
But outside of the writing realm, I’m also getting into some new/old things once again and will update once I’m ready!
I’ll also try to update a bit more regularly on here. Maybe I’ll start some advice bits on writing? We’ll see!!
But fret not… I’m back, baby!
So, until next time!
See Ya Next Time! (Oh yeah, I work at a Kwik Trip now lol)
L.A. Grabins
Striving Author
