UPDATE: I have an agent!! + blog changes!

HELLO DENIZENS. Your resident writer has news to announce, gather around with hot chocolate and takeout ramen!

I'm so so so thrilled to announce that I have signed with the amazing Kiana Nguyen at Donald Maass Literary Agency!

A little about my manuscript:


When sixteen-year-old thief Mo stabs a runaway witch-princess, she’s cursed to wear her face. To break the curse, Mo braves the unfamiliar world of witchcraft where she must survive the assassin hunting the princess—and equally dangerous, her own desire for power.

Also featuring: demons, a curse, magical food, Chinese folklore, and a villain origin story buried somewhere.


Stay updated here!



And check out our Twitter announcements, too!

I am literally beyond thrilled to announce that I've signed my first client @HKAlyssa 🌸✨She wrote a KILLER YA fantasy that blends Swan Lake with Mulan. It's dark, it's queer, and oh so delicious! Welcome to the DMLA team, Alyssa 💜

— Kiki Nguyen (@kianangu) January 10, 2018

TWITTER. I am overjoyed to announce that I'm now represented by the amazing @kianangu at Donald Maass Literary Agency!! #PitchWars

full blog post w/ more about my Mulan + Swan Lake retelling: https://t.co/sqJBioYmzS

— Alyssa Carlier ♠️ 愛玲 (@HKAlyssa) January 11, 2018

I'M SEVENTEEN! I shriek thank you and hold a giveaway!

It's time for partying! And thank you's! And a scavenger hunt! And a giveaway! BASICALLY ALL THE FUN.

Because it it my birthday! Rejoice, blookunity!

Okay, I think we've had enough excitement and exclamation marks. This has been an amazing journey — three years, blookunity! — so let's look back:

• I changed my name to The Devil Orders Takeout and celebrated my second blogversary. Also known as this blog finally got decent.
• I did ONE WHOLE YEAR of #WatchMeWrite, aka uploading videos of me writing.
• I wrote my Mulan translation and you can still get it immediately here
• I started writing Chinese Culture posts, my trademark post series!
• I began to co-host Snazzy Snippets — wherein writers share bits of their WIP — with the wonderful Emily
• I first hit 50 comments on one post when I introduced my witchy Mulan + Swan Lake retelling. If this still intrigues you, scroll on for something exciting!
• I passed 100 followers on Bloglovin' and 500 followers on Twitter!! YOU GUYS ARE CRAZY AWESOME.
• And most importantly ... my takeout army is 1 year old! Join our community of book bloggers who love YA fantasy and takeout + receive my Mulan translation and an action guide for developing your book blogger trademark!

My ginormous thanks to my beta readers for various WIPs:

Aimee Meester: your support and enthusiasm for my WIPs blows me away // Alex McCarron: I adore your aesthetic // Asha: your feedback is always so helpful // Anastasia Hart: You were one of my earliest writing inspirations. just, thank you. // Christina Im: you made me love myths and retellings so you are my queen. Also credit to you for inspiring Kim who remains my own favourite character! // Eve @ Appletaile: your poetry has grown by truly breathtaking amounts and I am always blown away // Heather Hufford: you have the greatest sense of humour; all the best with your WIPs, esp bagel-loving Death // Nivedha: thank you for being one of my earliest Figment friends. I would not be here without you. // Rae Oestrich: your writing advice and beta help is so awesome // Topaz Winters: your gorgeous poetry inspires me so much!

(Psst, if you're interested in reading my manuscripts ... there is a special opportunity in this post. Keep scrolling!)

Equally huge thanks to those around the blookunity:

Aentee @ Read at Midnight: I've seen your blog grow from its itty bitty stages to its glorious present self and it's just so fabulous! // Ava Jae: your writing advice is THE BESTEST and I loved Beyond the Red! // Cait @ Paper Fury: thanks for breaking my heart with Tremolo please write more // Chiara Sullivan: love your important opinions on LGBT+ fiction // Emily Mead: thank you for agreeing when I basically flung myself in your face to co-host Snazzy Snippets with you! // Jayvee @ Writer for Misfits: you brighten my Twitter TL every day // Kelly & Kynndra @ Diva Booknerd: your reviews are glorious and your Tumblr edits slay me // Kwan Ann Tan: but okay?? your poetry??? is just???? aslkfjdlkjasdf // Mishma @ Chasing Faes: #DiverseReads2016 is the best thing ever, thanks for featuring me // Rachana @ Addicted to YA: your comments make me smile, your poetry makes me keyboard smash // Shannon Miz: you're such a vivacious presence in the blookunity // Shar & Shanti @ Virtually Read: You two have the most fantastic blog post ideas!

But basically thank you to EVERYONE who's ever read, commented, or shared a blog post, or replied to, faved, or retweeted my tweets, or followed me in any of the ways available. You are THE AWESOMEST.

A scavenger hunt! Win the giveaway!

Basically, scavenge all around the blog for the answers to these questions! Then copy the questions into a comment, answer them, and enter for MOAR entries in the giveaway. They may have more than one answer, so don't fret.

1. Who is my favourite author (of 2015, anyways)?
2. Which extremely-hyped books disappointed me?
3. Which is my favourite Sylvia Plath poem?
4. What is the colour of my laptop keypad cover?
5. What was the original title of Matryoshka?
6. Name/describe a character who died in Shadowplay.*

Search around on the blog (and for the more challenging ones, other sites I'm on) for the answers! These increase in difficulty, so good luck! Then answer the questions in a comment of this post and enter the giveaway.

*Shadowplay is the Matryoshka prequel, chronicling the civil war. Theoretically you need to have been around really long to know this, but think about it and there's actually a loophole.

ALL THE GIVEAWAYS.

In both these giveaways, you get ALL THESE FOUR THINGS: (a) commissioning a custom "bubblehead" portrait from me, like this one:

Twitter, I did an artsy THING instead of rewriting. Should I make more of these? OR SHOULD I GET BACK TO THE WIP? pic.twitter.com/RWMABdZA8o

— Alyssa Carlier (@AlyssaC_HK) February 12, 2016

(b) commissioning a quote poster from me, examples below (c) getting to read Matryoshka in April once this giveaway ends ans (d) getting to read Witches Black and Silver when I finish the second draft in June/July.

On the left, a quote from revenge WIP Matryoshka; on the right, the opening line of Witches Black and Silver. Both of these are quote posters designed by moi!

I should also add that there are no more open beta rounds of both Matryoshka and Witches Black and Silver in my current writing plan -- which is up to May 2017! I will personally invite betas that have relevant diverse experiences to fact-check, are fabulous people, or plain threatened me with dragons and pineapples. But even those people will be reading a much later draft, so if you're impatient, you should join!

Besides, there is zero obligation to give any kind of feedback, so for those too busy to beta-read -- this one is for you.
a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway
This is your earliest chance to read these works and quite possibly your only chance too. Go forth and enter! One winner is from general blog readers, the other two from my takeout army. Not yet a member? Join now and triple your winning chances.

Oh, and a surprise giveaway! I won a Society6 coupon from the ever-lovely Bhavya, so I'm giving it back to the blookunity. Yay!a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you, lovelies, for staying around The Devil Orders Takeout so long! What takeout do you bring to this party? And tell me your answers to the scavenger game!

Join my takeout army to get extra entries in the giveaway! Yay!

What I'll do in 2016 (Survey Results!)

NEARLY HAPPY NEW YEAR! As you read this, I am screaming and dying as I study for exams. Don't worry, I've saved up a few clones for the blookunity.

As we officially close this year, a few people I am massively thankful for:

• Topaz Winters // seriously, Topaz is one of the most amazing people I've ever met, online or offline. Her poetry is basically WITCHCRAFT and I've learned so much from her blog, writing-wise or just life advice.
• Christina Im // Christina inspired me to be the writer I am today. Her book recs are on point, her writing is on point, and her blog is on point. One day she'll be fabulously successful and I'll be saying to you guys, "I told you so."
• AnQi Yu + Taylor Lynn // the other two of the lovely ATTAC crew. #LitLove has made this year so very fantastic.
• Emily @ Loony Literate // she's the co-host of Snazzy Snippets (coming back in TWO DAYS!) and a fabulous person all-around. One of the sweetest people in the blookunity.
• Cait @ Paper Fury // she makes me want to be a better writer + reader + blogger ALL THE TIME. Her book photography is as magical as her writing, which has made this Vulcan tear up a little bit.
• And like so many more people! Especially my 100+ Bloglovin' followers and 350 Twitter followers (hit that literally a few moments ago)!
• I'm probably going to do a full thank-you post for my blogoversary in February, but I appreciate everyone who's ever read or commented this blog. I LOVE TALKING WITH THE BLOOKUNITY.

So what shall we do next year?

Here's a summary of my plans after receiving the survey results (thanks, blookunity!)

• We'll try book photography. I'll post on the blog, and I'll also post in my newly redesigned, soon-to-be-bookish Tumblr. Check my bookblr out?
• We'll try book reviews — I know a couple of you said no thanks but I'm thinking of a review-discussion mashup. We'll see how it goes.
• There will be no more #WatchMeWrite videos on the blog. I might still send a couple to my takeout army. But this is funny because in last year's survey, y'all wanted more #WatchMeWrites.
• Instead, we'll have a monthly recap called Dim Summary. I know, my punning skills are fantastic.
• There will be a giveaway for chances to read my WIPs and custom-made quote posters during my blogoversary in February! Watch out for it!
• I will continue to reply and comment back! And if I haven't commented on your blog before, leave a link in the comments and I'll get to it once exams are over. I PROMISE.

2015 survey results
Create your own infographics

Any advice for book reviews and book photography? What do you want to see at TDOT in 2016?

For a 2016 with more exclusive bookish takeout, join my takeout army to receive monthly letters of magic, madness, and murder!

RIP 2015, Hello 2016 (Takeout in 2015)

Hey blookunity! So it's not exactly the end of the year, but I thought I'd do my wrap-up post early so I can reveal the survey results and the 2016 plan at the real end of the year.

However, I've already decided some things.

• there has been a minor blog redesign — what do you think of the header? My takeout army helped me pick it out!
• I will change to posting weekly on Saturday — starting immediately, unfortunately, because I can barely write posts fast enough, let alone keep up with comments

But the rest is entirely up to you! Just fill in this survey below or click here to answer the survey in a new tab:

And now, some blog stats time!

2015 in takeout
Create your own infographics

How was your year, blookunity? Thoughts on the new header? And don't forget to fill in the survey!

Join my takeout army to receive monthly letters of magic, madness, and murder + early Christmas present next Saturday!

Real Neat Blog Award + New Discoveries Tag

So today is awards and tags day, again with many gifs. Be warned.

First up, the Real Neat Blog Award from Deadly Darlings! I love their (consistent) posts, and they always have such thought-provoking discussions. Thank you, Aimee!

1.) Which author do you think would be the perfect fictional main character? Victoria Schwab. I mean, she writes fabulous books and I love all of them, but her Twitter is no less wonderful. Her tweets alternate from extreme Britishness to writing woes to incredibly infectious enthusiasm about her upcoming releases.

2.) Is there a fictional character you wish was your child? I wish Tom Riddle was my child, because (a) I don't want to wish my parenting skills on any decent character and (b) I would be a better evil genius than Riddle. I mean. Do not hide your soul in such painstakingly obvious relics! Use a Nokia!

3.) Do you want to be an author? Why or why not? If by that you mean whether I want to publish novels, then yes, I do want to be an author. I love love love writing, even though it may be weird at times.

4.) Do you believe in true love? Why or why not? I believe that people can love one another and their feelings can be genuine, but I also believe that love is dynamic and it can reach a fulfilling end without either party dying or swearing to celibacy or something. True love as media understands it is far too absolute.

5.) Which author do you think is most likely to survive the Hunger Games and why? Are we talking about an author plus twenty-three normal people Hunger Games, or an all-authors Hunger Games? Either way, I sure hope Suzanne Collins can survive her own imagination.

6 + 7.) Name 3-5 bloggers you look up to. + Name 3-5 fabulous people you met because of blogging.

These are also my nominees, because I will always look for shortcuts.

I'm also going to try and not name the people I always name, because I hate to be dull and everyone deserves recognition.

• Jo @ the bearable blog
• Aentee @ Read At Midnight
• Melanie @ YA Midnight Reads
• Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight
• (what is it with book blogs and midnight?)

Then we have the New Discoveries Tag by Ally @ The Scribbling Sprite!

The rules:
1. Share the picture above in your post and link back to the person who tagged you.
2 + 3. Share at least one blog you've recently discovered. + Share at least one blog you'd describe as a new favorite.
4. Share at least one blog you'd describe as an old favorite.
5. Tag however many people you like.

New Favourites (new is a term being used loosely)

• Nova @ Out of Time
• Chiara @ Books For A Delicate Eternity
• cw @ Read Think Ponder

Old Favourites: see questions 6 and 7 above. Seriously.

That's it for today — if I haven't done your tag yet, hang in there because I promise it is coming. I PROMISE.

Okay, grasshoppers: what are YOUR favourite blogs? Give them a shout out in the comments!

Join my takeout army, become friends with moi, and receive my exclusive monthly musings!

Liebster & Infinity Dreams Award + Blogging Community Tag

SO. Today I am here to do a few long-neglected tags and awards, with copious gifs and gratitude. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

First off, thank you to Opal for nominating me for the Liebster + Infinity Dreams Award! I am to link to her, which I have done, answer 11 questions, and tag 11 people.

1. What do you miss about your childhood? Having enough time to sleep, no question.

2. Lots of friends or a few good friends? But why can't I have lots of quite-good friends and a few extremely-good friends? Why do you assume people with large social circles don't have deep intepersonal relationships? Because I think they do, it's just I don't have large social circles.

3. Winter evenings or Summer mornings? Winter evenings. I cannot tolerate the heat.

4. Coast or inland? Coast, definitely! The sea is a lovely monster of epic proportions.

5. Where and what would your dream house be like? It would belong to me and have appropriate hygiene conditions and enough space, and really, that's an impossible dream in Hong Kong.

6. Do you tend to organise or leave mess? ALL THE MESS. (I'd show you a photo, but I can't find my phone in the mess.)

7. What sort of music do you like? All the Star Wars soundtracks, absolutely. I also love a smattering of Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars and Lorde. Imagine Dragons and One Republic, sometimes.

8. Do you have any pets? I have Matryoshka, the WIP I'm sure you've heard a lot about if you've been here for any length of time.

9. Do you live in the country or city? City! I am a proud resident of Hong Kong and a city girl through and through.

10. Do you play an instrument? If so, what? I used to play the harp. Now I try to play my readers like a fiddle.

11. Would you like to visit New Zealand someday? I have, actually! ... I was in the Auckland airport for a transit. Hehe.

I'm not tagging anyone for this one, but I will tag people for the next one, so scroll on :)

Next up, we have the blogging community tag created by Jo! Thank you for creating such a lovely tag and nominating me :D :D We are to nominate awesome bloggers in several categories.

Dedicated blogger?

Aimee @ Deadly Darlings and her co-bloggers definitely take this one -- they post like every day and with amazing quality.

Blog with nice design?

I'm going cheat slightly here and nominate a journal instead of a blog: Half Mystic is a music independent journal by the lovely Topaz Winters. Her aesthetic taste is off the charts.

Awesome review/book blog?

Bookish and Awesome is one of the best book blogs out there—it's only been around since February, but Shelumiel is a wonderful blogger (who supports LGBT+ books SO MUCH, yay!) and basically convinced me to read my first ever contemporary, Simon Vs. Moral of the story: Listen to Shelumiel and eat Oreos.

Deep and thoughtful blogger?

Opal @ Opal Swirls offers up philosophy, often with a side dash of humour. I'm not much of a Deeper Meanings in Life person, but her thoughts are so relatable.

A blog you always enjoy reading?

Christina @ fairy skeletons literally writes awesome posts every time. It's a smattering of her own writing and other people's writings and writing tips and tricks and they are all. so. fabulous.

Blogger with a great sense of humour?

Heather @ Sometimes I'm A Story takes the crown here. Her humour is basically based on mashing incompatible subjects together into something compatible, and her writing style is so distinctive. It's weird and wonderful.

Blog that inspires you?

Topaz @ Six Impossible Things (aka the founder of Half Mystic mentioned above), no question. First off, she writes wonderful words that should not even be legal because they challenge my Twitter blurbing skills so much. Every line deserves to be quoted. And she has a weekly poetry series. On top of that, she shares her experience with mental illness on the blog, and really she's an amazing person and you should check her out now.

I tag everyone who I nominated above! Have fun, remember to use the tag image above, and nominate people for all seven categories :D If you feel like it, that is.

I have a couple more unanswered tags/awards, which I shall do soon. I PROMISE.

Do you share any of my answers to the questions? And give a shout-out to a blogger in the comments!

Find out even more about me by signing up for monthly letters from me to you!

Snazzy Snippets: Share Your Writing With the World

WRITERS, GET EXCITED.

I'm beyond flailing to be co-hosting a brand new bimonthly link-up with Emily @ Loony Literate, called Snazzy Snippets. What's that, you may ask?

It’s an opportunity for writers! Every two months, we post a prompt or question for you to share a snippet of less than 500 words. It’s designed to let you have fun, analyse your work on a smaller level, or just write something to join in.

If you’re not a writer, or aren’t working on anything, don’t go back up the rabbit hole just yet. Read everyone’s wonderful snippets on the linky!

This is your chance to shine, grasshoppers, so comb through your WIPs for a snazzy snippet that fits one of our themes:

A snippet that shows your MC’s personality

or

A snippet featuring the villain

or

A snippet that’s mostly dialogue

And of course you can do more than one in one or more snippets. It can be something you whipped up at 3AM yesterday, or lingering in your ms for a year. There are no rules. Just have fun, and remember to include your post URL in the linky!

Whether or not you're taking this chance to shine (pfft, why wouldn't you though), do take a look around everyone's links! I'll be sure to visit your snazzy snippets.

Does this sound like a cool idea? Which WIP would you excerpt if you join?

Twitter-sized takeout:

• #amwriting lately? It's your chance to shine in @AlyssaC_HK and @thelooneytuney's Snazzy Snippets link-up! (Click to Tweet)

Survey results // Blog Awards and Tags

Once again, I'm posting several housekeeping items together.

First, thanks to everyone who filled in my flash survey! Since quite a few said you were interested in the results, here's the infographic for those interested:

flash survey result | Create infographics

Next, I've been nominated for a Liebster blog award by Cindy! Thanks!

What inspired you to start blogging? All the awards ask this, have you noticed? This place started out only as somewhere to share writing and random thoughts, more of a personal blog. Then it shifted towards a writing blog when I picked up some readers from Figment, but now I'm slowly switching to a more reader-friendly content.

What would you consider to be the genre of your blog? Just answered that :)

Name Three Pet Peeves? Institutionalised prejudice, standard answers, and not writing my novel when I'm supposed to.

Typical Order From A Coffee Shop? *gulps* I don't drink coffee. Probably a plain hot chocolate, or if I'm feeling rich, a smoothie.

Top 5 favourite bands/singers? Hmm ... I have favourite songs more than favourite singers, so let's list those. Blank Space, Skyfall, Rains of Castamere (which should count for like four because there's the National, Sigur Ros, Karliene, and Paola Bennet.)

If you had to live off three foods and drinks, what would they be? Cake. Chocolate. Takeout. (You can have anything for takeout, right?)

Where do you intend on travelling in the future? London, Dubai, Russia. Probably a few more countries in South America and Africa, too.

Name four of your favourite possessions? Body and all organs (that counts as one), laptop, phone, a still-empty Sherlock notebook.

What three things could you not live without? Oxygen, water, evil.

(What, did you expect a straight answer?)

How long do you spend on the Internet every day, average? Too much.

Favourite memory of this year? I ... I don't really know. I have really poor memory. I did have a few joke-sharing sessions with my mum that left me choking for breath because I was laughing too hard.

I think the rules got lost with this Liebster chain, because the last couple times I wrote questions for the nominees. Which I'll continue doing. Nominees can be found at the bottom, so scroll on!

1. What First World problem would you solve?
2. You have the magical power to create any one drink you want. ANY. Which drink?
3. Best life hack you've learned?
4. Ice cream or cake?
5. Chocolate or coffee?
6. Which tribute in the 75th Hunger Games would you sponsor and why?
7. Weapon of choice?
8. Describe your ideal pet dragon.

I've also been nominated for the Creative Blogger Award by Adriana Gabrielle! Thanks!

Rules:

~Nominate 15-20 blogs and notify all nominees via their social media/blogs

~Thank and post the link of the blog that nominated you (very important)

~Share 5 facts about yourself to your readers

~Pass these rules on to them

1. I slept 2 hours after my bedtime yesterday because I was wrapping up WTA rewrites.
2. I recently got a Pinterest but am too lazy to add it to my blog.
3. I cut my hair short so I don't look like my profile pic anymore.
4. I have a Sherlock notebook.
5. I have yet to receive anonymous hate.

Nominees still at the bottom, so scroll on!

Thanks be to Jo at the Bearable Blog for tagging me! The original tag is by Noor at A Little Bit Of Sunshine.

Rules, as always:

• You must answer all the questions 
• Repost the picture with a link to Noors blog and the persons blog who tagged you
• You may tag people if you would like, but it isn't required.

1. April current TBR? 

I bought a couple books off The Book Depository back in April, including Code Name Verity, Gilt and Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda (SQUEEEE, read these last two already).

But I'm sort of holding off on Code Name Verity for now, because A Court of Thorns and Roses has just arrived!

2. Book (series) you would like to see as a movie? BLACK WIDOW. (Oh wait, that's not a book? Kay then.)

3. Overhyped book/author? John Green. He's an awesome vlogger, but his books just don't click with me.

4. The best book series you will ever read? Probably GRRM's A Song of Ice and Fire, although I have a sneaking suspicion that it may be superseded by Victoria Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic and sequels.

5. Book to movie adaption that was really bad? The Hobbit. LOTR was great, but honestly Hobbit was way overstretched. Unexpected Journey had Gollum and no other plot.

6. Last book that made you cry? *tilts head* I do not understand this human action. (But to be honest, it was my own WIP.)

7. Book you're reading right now? Give it a quick rating. Just started on ACOTAR, about 3.5-4/5 I think.

8. A book series that you just didn't like? Hmm ... I don't normally read past the first book if I don't like the series. I do think Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo was a tad overhyped.

9. Book that you haven't read yet, but really need to? Anything Stiefvater, I suppose. And Laini Taylor. I swear, I need to try them out.

10. All-time favourite author? This is just evil. But see question 4.

Nominees for both the awards and the tag: Rae @ The Wallflower | Briana Mae Morgan | Shelumiel @ Bookish & Awesome | Appletaile @ Twist in the Taile | Heather @ Sometimes I'm A Story | Precious @ Clockwork Desires | Topaz @ Six Impossible Things | Opal @ Opal Swirls | Ana @ Butterflies of the Imagination | Jo @ The Bearable Blog | Susanna @ The Misadventures of a Globetrotter in Training | Vlora @ Reviews and Cake | Brett Michael Orr | Alex @ Third Star to the Right | Shar and Shanti @ Weaving Waves Words | The Fangirl Initiative

As always, don't feel obliged to do these if that's not your thing; it's just an expression of my admiration of you :)

Cake Book Tag + Addictive Blog Award

Cutting corners today and lumping two things in one post :D

I'll be honest. Ever since I glimpsed the Cake Book Tag on Paper Fury, I KNEW I WANTED IT. And lo and behold, the amazing Shar and Shanti have tagged me for a whole. post. on. CAKE.

Flour: A book that started slowly but turned out amazing.

Several cups of psychopaths, a pinch of unhealthy relationships, and ... lots and lots of diary entries. Of Gone Girl fame. I won't deny it, I LOVE this book, but it did drag a little at the beginning. The real fun starts when the eponymous girl shows up.

Butter: A book that had a thick, rich plot.

Even more cups of psychopaths, a spoonful of ice zombies, and a dragon caketopper! I know you're probably sick of me ramble about this series, but no one can beat how layered these books are. Granted, it'll boggle your mind a little, but everything smooths out in glorious order.

Eggs: A book you thought would be bad but turned out great.

A gallon of beating hearts, a dash of terrorism, and just a pinch of religion. Unwind tackled all the right issues in all the right places and pulled all the right heartstrings. I was expecting some elements with horror and an ethics lecture. I WAS SO WRONG.

Sugar: A sugary, sweet book.

A base of political marriages, a sprinkle of teen romance, and a nice Tudor court setting. Yeah, I wasn't expecting something so NICE, considering how evil I am, but the romance managed to sort of interest me. Which is saying something, since I don't read much romance.

Icing: A book that covered every single element that you enjoy about a book.

Stir in a few apocalypses, bake in the oven for years, and serve with Shakespeare. Fantabulous setting? Check. Fascinating secondary characters and subplots? Check. Morally grey villains? Check. It was one of the first books I read this year and absolutely fabulous.

I wanted to put another book here, actually. But it's coming up in a moment.

Sprinkles: A book that always cheers you up.

Acquire oven of galaxy far far away, set timing to a long time ago, and add blue skin and red eyes. The Star Wars spin-off, The Thrawn Trilogy, is about the mopping-up action the Rebels face after killing Sidious (whoops, spoiler). They encounter Grand Admiral Thrawn, incredible tactician, art lover, and A BETTER VILLAIN THAN THE EMPEROR. I insist. I was rooting for this guy, dammit!

(And I also have a penchant for Pellaeon, Thrawn's second-in-command who ... worships his superior. Go forth, slashfic writers.)

The Cherry on Top: Best book of the year so far.

3 kg of magic, a dash of sprinkles, and hide it with a colour-changing cape! I was going to put ADSOM under Icing, because Lila's sass destroyed me, the Londons enraptured me, and Holland broke my heart. But let's not fool ourselves; I still am suffering mild book hangover from this, so yeah. IT'S THE BEST.

Cupcakes: An awesome short with the epicness of a book.

This is my special addition, but hey, all cakes need a little innovation. The Lottery, which might have been The Hunger Games inspiration (I swear I read that somewhere?), is a fantastic dystopian story with lots of moral grey area and challenging superstition.

(My nominees are the same people as those for the blog award; scroll on!)

Addictive Blog Award

Thanks to Precious @ Clockwork Desires for nominating me for the Addictive Blog Award! Takeout is, of course, emotionally gratifying.

Rules:

1. Thank the person awarding you.
2. Share a little about why you blog and how the journey started.
3. Paste the blog award on your page.
4. Nominate 10 other bloggers you feel deserve the award.

Where the takeout began

Goodness, this is embarrassing. It all started when I wrote a parody of a couple of poems, which I believe still languish in the archives. I randomly made up a blog title (which still languishes in the URL), customised a random theme, uploaded my parody, and waited for the crowds to flock here.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

The real journey began when I went to Figment, met a bunch of amazing people, and started to make my own way around the blogosphere. Eventually, we went from Random Morbid Insanity to Insanity Inc. to The Devil Orders Takeout, with all the styles of takeout you expect today.

Addictive blogs: fairy skeletons // Sometimes I'm A Story // Opal Swirls // Almost Completely Mad // To the Barricade // Six Impossible Things // Third Star to the Right // It Starts At Midnight // Bookish and Awesome // Teens Can Write, Too!

Birthday/Blogoversary Giveaway + Blog Party

GUYZ. It's my birthday! It's also sort of my blogoversary; the oldest post dates to 20th March 2013, but I'm 90% certain that I deleted previous posts. AND IT'S MY 99TH POST. So ...

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<a href="http://randommorbidinsanity.blogspot.com/2015/02/birthday-blogoversary-giveaway.html" title="The Devil Orders Takeout - Birthday Giveaway 2015" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3s8niTO9BRDqpqwBO09K22-MOpTMqeEBdiB9dh9J9jZMfzzkfqv7BIbeos-UmLaQh5RkHhfQ8aCQcjcHvQW1iyFX6c9Ow2kuIWTfjH_FOkbI3EuEuS6DUxmBj_PCVO3RJnZlAMD-lHew/s1600/TDOT+party+button.png" alt="The Devil Orders Takeout - Birthday Giveaway 2015" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

This heralds a brand new system for the blog:

• New blog name and design, with help from the wickedly talented Topaz Winters
• New posting schedule: I'll be posting every Wednesday and Saturday
• I'm starting a free bimonthly newsletter! My newsletter subscribers will be updated with breaking news on what I'm up to, book and blog recommendations, and subscriber-only content such as bonus #WatchMeWrites, writing snippets, and sodium for explosions.

RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE TAKEOUT JUST FOR SUBSCRIBERS!

Email Address

First Name

Because this very giddy blogger has the most amazing support imaginable from you guys, she wants to give back to you. I'm giving away any novel from the Book Depository under US$10. This giveaway is open internationally, insofar The Book Depository ships. It lasts for two weeks, or until 13th March 2015. Winners will be contacted via email and announced on the blog.

a Rafflecopter giveaway And now, for the blog party! I've never hosted or even joined one before, so I'm winging it here. In your post, please (1) include the party button and invite everyone to join the party, (2) answer the five questions below, and (3) link to this post and announce there's a giveaway!

1. If you win, what book would you like?
2. What would your ideal bookmark look like? (If you own it, show us a picture!)
3. What's a book you want to read/write but have been putting off forever?
4. One urban myth you've heard about China? (Because CHINA. I'll drop by and clear it up :D)
5. List your blogging inspirations.

Add your post URL and blog name on this link-up so I can check your post out and dish out virtual birthday cake and takeout!

And finally, thank you for an amazing two years on the blog. *group hug* Thank you for staying with me through inconsistent posts and awkward bizarreness, for following me and my rambles, and for commenting with similar weirdness. I have been blessed to know all of you.

Make a girl's (birth)day and join my new mailing list? You'll receive announcements about events like this before anyone else!

Chinese Culture [1]: How Our Kids Get Rich

Quick note: yesterday I posted some writing tips over at Brett Michael Orr's blog. If you have any questions, drop them in the comments there and I'll answer!

Chinese Culture Appreciation is a blog series that aims at explaining tidbits of, well, the Chinese culture. As a girl from Hong Kong, I really hope to share more of my amazing, historically rich world with you.

Right, I think that paragraph explains it pretty well. I've been embracing my own culture more and more when it comes to writing — Winner Takes All's Delenno is based more or less on China — and I feel I should share with you guys some of the more interesting and amusing aspects of my culture.

Chinese New Year is essentially the start of spring, or the holiday in February that never hit my birthday until this year (next week!). This year, CNY was on February 19th, two days ago. This is the year of the Ram -- we rotate on a twelve-year basis on a Zodiac-like system with animals like dragons, rabbits, etc.

What normally happens: first, a Chinese New Year family meal (sorta like Thanksgiving reunion, now I think upon it):

We eat un-eco-friendly stuff like shark fin and seaweed hair things.

Then, a parade of dancing lions *cue rains of Castamere*

But most importantly, kids get money! (I'm always so happy around this time of the year.)

Married adults put new banknotes in red packets — red symbolises good fortune in China, and I even call scarlet "fortune's red" in Winner Takes All — and distribute pairs to kids. It has degraded from a custom wishing people luck to a method of gauging how generous other people are.

Not even kidding. This makes me a little sad, because it's a really great tradition that teaches us how to share our blessings, both monetary and spiritual. This sort of change is also what prompted this series.

This year, I'm going to embrace my own culture more, and stop thinking so much about myself and more about everyone else. And yes, that includes you: I've got two posts coming up next week that explain how!

That's enough from me: what do you think of this celebration? Does your culture have any special way of celebrating spring or the new year? What should I do with all this money!?* Let me know in the comments!

*You'll find out how I'm spending it next week on my birthday, 27th February; so do drop by! Trust me, you'll want to. 

Share the fortune and love on Twitter:

• It's Chinese New Year! Or, when Chinese kids like @AlyssaC_HK get rich. (Click to Tweet)
• Chinese New Year is changing, says @AlyssaC_HK, and not for the better. (Click to Tweet)

    

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

I'm so excited to announce that Heather @ Sometimes I'm A Story has nominated me for the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award!

Rules:

• thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site. (done!)
• put the award logo on your blog. (yep)
• answer the ten questions they’ve set you.
• make up ten new questions for your nominees to answer.
• nominate ten people.

Questions:

1. You’re about to be thrown in jail with a fictional character of your choice—who is the character and how do you escape? Oh, goodness. I would pick Aragorn from Lord of the Rings, because he's awesome enough he should be able to break out of jail, while nice enough that he won't leave me there. We'd probably escape because Aragorn does all the work (ha!), or Gondor and/or Imladris sends troops to free him.

2. What is your favorite social media site? If blogging doesn't count as social media (because blogging is fun!), then I'd say Twitter. I've met lots of lovely people there and it's great to promote others with.

3. If you were a deity [YOU], what sacrifices would you demand from your pilgrims? ME. KNEEL BEFORE YOUR QUEEN. *cough* sorry, got carried away. Other than gold & other pretty gems, which are sort of obvious, I would also demand books. In return, I shall gift them with my writing. (I can't be worse than the Vogon.)

4. Which is more important to you: a satisfying ending or relatable characters? Relatable characters. If the characters are such a turn-off that I stopped reading, I won't get to the ending. And characters make up much of the story, unlike the ending which makes up, well, the end.

5. What is the hardest thing for you to write about? I find it very difficult to write anything set in the real world, even urban fantasy or historical stuff. I like to defamiliarise the problems around us in imaginary world, explore different dynamics of what exists.

6. What are the top seven ways you would repurpose a lonely sock?

• Match with another sock for home use
• Art practice; time to whip out those plastic eyes!
• Towel?
• If I had a dog/cat, as a toy?
• Confidante?
• ack, I really don't know.

7. Do you have a favorite archetype to read or write? I like monarchs/leaders who at least to some extent have their people's best interests at heart. I see them a lot, but I'm not sure what it's called.

8. Has a book ever given you important wedding planning advice? Actually, yes! The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket taught me that it doesn't count if you sign with your off hand. Ha!

9. In the event that you were forced to take a ride on top of a car, how would you secure yourself? I don't know ... stretch myself on top, wrap those rope things around my torso and cling to the front?

10. What is your favorite story no one has ever heard of? Ooh yes. A story written in ancient Chinese. Quick summary: due to the Emperor's poor policy, a guy dies. He asks his friend to take his body to the Emperor. The friend chops his head off and presents it to the Emperor on a dish. The Emperor repents, of course. It's morbid and delightful.

x

And now my questions for my nominees:

1. Would you be a wealthy-beyond-belief merchant, a priest, a king, or an assassin? (Kudos to those who recognise the reference!)
2. High/epic fantasy or urban fantasy?
3. What was the last classic you read? Did you enjoy it?
4. What was the last book you read that was out of your comfort zone but enjoyable?
5. A book series that you are dying to finish? (reading- or writing-wise)
6. A book you really really want to read/write?
7. You are about to be marooned on an island. You get a pistol and a book. Which book?
8. Which subject would you love to read/write a nonfiction book about?
9. What do you drink when you're reading or writing?
10. Favourite book-to-movie adaptation?

Drumroll please, for the nominees!

• Christina @ fairy skeletons
• AnQi @ Page Eight Hundred Ninety
• John @ Teens Can Write, Too!
• Cait @ Paper Fury
• Taylor @ Paper Daydreams
• Appletaile @ Twist in the Taile
• Wild Horse @ Opal Swirls
• Ana @ Butterflies of The Imagination
• Melanie @ YA Midnight Reads
• Sky @ Further Up and Further In

Don't feel obliged to do it, only if you want to. Most important thing: have fun!

What did you think of my answers? Are any of yours the same, or wildly different? Answer a few of them below in the comments!

Did my answers make you laugh and/or concoct evil plots based on my weaknesses? Then share it on Twitter!

• .@sisterofsilence won a blogging award! Go read her post and congratulate her. (Click to Tweet)
• Check out ten random writing/reading secrets on @sisterofsilence's blog. (Click to Tweet)

    

EEK. Or, Double Publication News

I'm so excited to announce TWO new publications! First off, before I start, I want to thank all my lovely followers on Twitter who read and congratulated me on the first pub when I announced it there: Topaz, AnQi, John, Taylor, Christina, and Sam. These people are the best and I'm so lucky to have their support.

Corium Magazine is a literary magazine that "publishes stories and poems with substance and connection. Words that touch on nerves and stay." For the non-scientifically minded, they further explain, "The corium is the dense inner layer of skin beneath the epidermis. It includes connective tissue, blood and an elaborate sensory nerve network. What’s going on beneath the surface."

My contribution to this issue, "On the Bus Stop", is actually a translation of a Chinese assignment which was translated from a decidedly English mess of ideas. During the summer, I came upon this and spent a few hours translating and polishing it, and I'm so excited how wonderfully it's turned out! Here's a quote:

I touch his wrist with a pinkie, and he takes my hand immediately. The buses fill the silence, whistling to a stop and then off again. He adjusts his collar and licks his lips. He’s always so confused, as if life is a mystery he cannot unravel.

I love him for the birdcages barring the world from his eyes.

Read the rest of it here!

From their site, "The Glass Kite Anthology was founded by Margaret Zhang and Noel Peng on July 9, 2014 in order to fulfill their goal of bringing public attention to literary works written by teens that they found to be extraordinary, yet undiscovered by most.

We're looking for fresh perspectives on what we thought had gone stale. We want work that makes us see the world in shades of sleepy periwinkle and tints of forest wildfire. We want the moving, the authentic, the raw; we want the powerful, the breathtaking, the invigorating. We want to feel alive, or like we were a corpse all along."

The work that's been published is "Chiaroscuro", a prose poem depicting five different colours in terms of senses other than visual. An unedited version was on Figment a while back, and a huge thank you to everyone who's read it! Here are the first few lines:

White is the cleanest color of them all. It is the color of milk, the color of new-fallen snow. It is a warm blanket on a winter night, your mother's first and last kiss.

Check out the other colours, ranging from red to brown to grey to black!

I'm so happy with how these two works have turned out, and delighted that I can share them with you all. Hope you'll enjoy reading these as much as I enjoyed writing them!

The Consequences of Sciencing

As some of you might know, if you paid attention to my finished-WIP celebratory post, that I am currently in Argentina participating in a science comp. In light of the occasion, I'm sharing some of the consequences of a fifteen-month-long training courses which have eaten up my Saturdays.

Note: the "we" in this post refers to my fellow teammates going to this comp, and there's a post featuring them soon.

1. I shall never eat potatoes again.

We were doing this experiment where we were boring strips of potatoes -- it's a pretty standard bio experiment, but for those non-science people, here's a picture I grabbed off the Internet:

How the potato ended up. Mine was a bit messier, of course. (Source)

Basically we were trying to get potato strips out to test the plant cells. But so much potato juice and potato bits ended up on my hands and clothes, and we were all so sick of the taste. Not even French fries, ever again.

2. Scratch that, I won't be eating anything without biology thoughts.

We had a chapter on carbos and proteins and stuff, and now I can't eat my vegetables without thinking "cellulose" or my meat thinking "lipid". I swear, this is traumatising. I literally can't eat anything now. I mean, we bake bread using living sacrifices of yeast. How the heck am I supposed to eat that lump of corpses.

3. Taking the train.

So I'm standing there, and there's the announcement for the next station, and my mind automatically starts calculating vectors to avoid me tripping over, so I spend ten seconds muttering to myself about Newton's laws of motions and momentum. And everyone's staring at me. And I still fall over.

4. Going on Tumblr without demanding a source.

Basically one of the most important things I've learned to ask is how do you know. Not how does it work or how can I make this better, because those questions are in the future and to paraphrase one of the awesomest scientists ever, those we find those out on the shoulders of giants. But first we have to find the giants and climb on their shoulders. How do you know is the best question a science student can ask.

Predictably, this leads to several difficulties on social media sites, especially Tumblr. I mean, it's cool to see all these animal pictures and facts floating around, and they are awesome, but without a source I just can't click reblog. This results in much longer time on Tumblr as I frequently stop and go look for a source. (By source I don't mean "the original person who took the photo", I mean "a scientific paper which actually confirms and explains this".)

5. Being terrified of flu-like symptoms.

Apparently when you're initially infected with HIV, you'll have flu-like symptoms for a week. Cue extreme horror whenever I sneeze/cough/feel a bit overheated.

6. As I mentioned, no Saturdays.

It's a 9 am to 5 pm weekly training session in a university, so basically I don't have that extra crucial day for homework or whatever. It's so draining that sometimes it takes the fun out of the science — but not today. Not that, you know, I don't look forward to getting my Saturdays back.

Despite all these consequences, I'll close with a gif which adequately expresses my feelings for life:

Originally reblogged here.

That's it for today: please do leave a comment whether you laughed to death, were shocked by my ridiculous comments, or simply awesome enough to make my day by saying hi :D And don't forget to subscribe for more random morbid insanity!

P.S.: Bonus very short post tomorrow — if you follow me on Twitter, you'll know why. Otherwise, sit tight and wait for it!

Three Blogging Awards

The incomparable Heather Hufford from Sometimes I'm A Story nominated me for three blogging awards, so first of all, a HUGE thank you to Heather! Go check out her blog, where her updates are frequent, insightful, and incredibly helpful.

The Rules:
♥ Thank the person who nominated you and include a link to their blog.
♥ List the rules and display the award.
♥ Add 7 facts about yourself.
♥ Nominate 15 other bloggers.
♥ Follow on blogger the person who nominated you

Facts about me:

1. I sleep at 9:30. Failing that, 10 pm. Failing that, I'm obviously on Twitter or Tumblr.
2. I've burnt my fringe in a Bunsen burner before.
3. I'm taking English Literature, Chinese Language & Literature, Maths (sigh), Economics, Chemistry, and Biology in my preparatory year for IB. (Hey, they didn't have to be interesting facts.)
4. I'm from Hong Kong and detest that in Hollywood, we're either a centre for mafia or triad operations, or just smashed up (re: Transformers).
5. I hate maths.
6. I listen to very, very few songs; I generally prefer instrumentals. But I'm on 8tracks and trying to change that.
7. I'm an aspiring novelist, writing on Figment and currently working on a project you can glimpse here :D 

Best Blogging Buddies Award

The Rules:

☼You must make a post to show your award on your main blog.

☼You must tag the person who nominated you in your post.

☼You must nominate all of your best buddies, and those whom you want to become best buddies with, who, to your knowledge, have not been nominated for this award.

☼You must ask your buddies at least 15 questions in your post.

☼You must answer all of the questions your buddies ask you on your post.

Who is your favorite author?

Oh my goodness. This is hard. Right now, probably George R. R. Martin, because A Song of Ice and Fire is pure divine awesomeness. Politics and conspiracy and DRAGONS and ice zombies and prophesies, what more can you ask?

If you could meet three people (dead, alive, fictional, etc.) who would you meet?

Future me, which I'll assume is categorised under "etc." I'm really curious how I'll turn out, and I'm willing to kill the cat. Because I'm not a cat. Then Christina from fairy skeletons, who was probably the first internet friend to encourage my writing and blogging, and I'd really love to meet her in real life. And I'd really, really love to meet all the interviewees from World War Z, but if I had to pick one, I'd go with Sensei Tomonaga Ijiro, the blind Japanese ... uh, awesome sensei. Really, I can't define him better than that because he is sheer perfection. "We might be facing 50 million monsters, but those monsters would be facing the gods."

Have you ever written a book?

Yes! I haven't published it, granted, but I've finished Shadowplay, a novel about a politician's rise to dictatorship against a backdrop of civil war and betrayal and intrigue and assassins. Okay, one assassin. But still. And I'm now working on Winner Takes All, a novel about how a peasant girl makes the climb to queen regnant in a world segregated by social convention more than blood. A sneak peek is available here, and I'm still looking for beta readers, so do let me know if you're interested!

What are your top five favorite blogs?

Um, Heather, you know you're on that list, right? Anyways: Heather @ SIAS, Christina @ fairy skeletons, Sam @ Her Inklings, Topaz Winters, and Rona @ It's Rona. Actually, there are like so many more, but these five come to mind straightaway.

Would you rather read an eBook or a paper book?

Paper! Nothing beats the feel of the edges or the smell of ink and paper. That said, I have a Kindle and am not conservative with my purchases.

Do you spend more time reading or writing?

I spend more time doing homework, but within this week probably more reading. But since for Sept-Oct I was chugging away at my WIP one hour per day, every day, for that period it would be more writing. Really depends on what I'm working on. 

Has a book ever made you cry?

... No. I can haz all teh FEELS, but tears don't come to me easily.

Have you ever read a book in another language (other than your mother tongue)?

Haha, I'm bilingual (English and Chinese), so I can immediately say yes since I feel English is my mother tongue and Chinese teachers adore pillow-thick novels.

What is your least favorite fairy tale?

... That's so hard. Um. Ummmmm. Probably Red Riding Hood. The entire story felt really weird to me for some reason. But it's still fun to play with.

Have you ever broken a bone?

My own? No. Other people's? ... I reserve the right to remain silent.

Do you see yourself blogging in the future?

How do you define future? I've got blog posts lined up till the New Year. (On a more serious note, definitely. Blogging's become so much more fun in this year, since I'm learning how to actually connect with readers and other bloggers.)

Who used to read you books when you were little?

... No one? My mum isn't very good at English, and I only liked English books, and my dad worked late at the hostpital, so I read myself books? Or listened to cassette tapes?

Do you belong to any fandoms?

YES! Sherlock, Star Wars, A Song of Ice and Fire, Marvel, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Lord of the Rings.

How many books are you reading right now? What are they?

I normally actually read books one at a time. I'm reading the Silmarillion right now, and I really really really want a Christopher Lee voiceover. It's amazing read out but I don't really have the voice for grand, majestic prose.

To whom do you recommend your favorite books?

... I don't recommend favourite books normally? Although I do review books occasionally at Literoses.

Questions for nominees:

1. Imagine a door. Any door. Describe it?
2. Pick up the book nearest to you and read the fifth sentence on page seventy-six.
3. What's your favourite colour? What's the nearest object to you that is this colour?
4. Which is your favourite literary character?
5. Subject you're taking that you hate most?
6. When did you sleep last night?
7. The most amazing thing that's happened to you in the last week?
8. Who's in your profile photo? If it's yourself, what's special about this photo?
9. Favourite OTP ever?
10. Which fandom are you not in but you admire a lot?
11. Favourite fairytale from a country your parents/grandparents/known ancestors were from?
12. What do you find lacking in your life?
13. What are you going to do in the next five minutes, other than answering these questions?
14. What's the one thing you want to change in the world?
15. Freeform — tell us anything you want to say.

The Rules:

♥ Thank the person who nominated you.

♥ Leave a link to their page.

♥ Give a brief story about how you started blogging, and share some tips.

♥ Nominate 15 other bloggers

♥ Notify your nominees by email or comment

How I started blogging:

It's ... sort of embarrassing, but also very brief. Essentially, I started to write, and thought, "Well, a blog's good for that, right?" After a while, I realised that wasn't working and started to share tidbits of my life. Since I'm a generally snarky person, this means a lot of my blog series are snark-based. And then I met a lot of awesome people — whom I'm not naming here but instead nominating in a moment — and this thing started to work. Yeah. That's it. My life is not very scintillating.

Tips

• Remove the Captcha function from comments! It's really annoying to do that, and I've received only a couple of spam comments ever since I disabled it.
• Don't just ramble, have some sort of point you're driving towards. Lists are great for this.
• Reach out into social media with your blog! Twitter, Tumblr, or even other blog memes are great for this. Participation is central!
• Don't just be a blogger — be a reader. 

Okay, and now drumroll please for these amazing people I nominate for all three of these awards:

• AnQi @ Page Eight Hundred Ninety
• Christina @ fairy skeletons
• E. R. Warren @ Rabbits in the Roses
• John Hansen @ Teens Can Write, Too!
• Lydia @ Ink-Stained Hands
• Nivedha @ Infrared Pedestrian
• Rona @ It's Rona
• Sam @ Her Inklings
• Topaz Winters
• Taylor Lynn

Not quite fifteen, I know, but these people are all incomparably lovely and you should check them out. And I'd love to hear your thoughts on my answers; I reply to all comments and would love to start chatting!