CapGirlCanuck

So this is the same name I publish under on Archive of Our Own.
It says a lot about me: I love Captain America, or more accurately Steve Rogers (there is a difference), I’m a girl (no matter how old I get), and I am a proud Canadian.

The first time I met Steve Rogers (though I didn’t know his name) was when our pastor played the grenade scene in a sermon on courage. I remembered two words from that sermon: Captain and Courage. :) 6 or 7 years later… Captain America: The First Avenger was the third superhero movie I ever saw, and as the final credits played, my list of heroes read something like:
Dad
My boss
Terry Fox
Rev. John Foote
Haley Wickenheiser
the Humboldt Broncos
Steve Rogers
(Note: It's a very select list)
Every movie just added fuel to the fire. He’s so strong, and yet so human, and his friendship with Bucky Barnes is basically the embodiment of that verse: ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.’ John 15:13. Plus I’m a World War II junkie so to me it was historical fiction, heavy on the fiction. I am Team Cap, all the way.

I’m also a farm girl, born and raised in southern Ontario, lived in the same house for 18 years. Love horses, cows, sheep, hay, and hard work. Proud of blood, mud, and sweat. I drive a truck, enjoy (good) country music, and have been to the mountains. A home-school ‘graduate’, who will never graduate from learning. Constructive criticism and good advice are always welcome. Phased out of schooling to work. Writing is breathing, God is the oxygen.

I love winter, hockey, Tim Horton’s and toques. Seeing the red-and-white blowing out in the breeze makes me heart get big. Even if I’m not proud of some of the things my country does, I am proud of who we are and who we can be. I do not live in an igloo, only know the really important French stuff like ‘Fabriqué au Canada’ (Sorry), and don’t really say ‘eh’. Ever.

I’m part Estonian, which means I like the outdoors; part German, which means I’m stubborn as a tree root; part British, which means I’m loyal; and half Scottish, which means I’m frugal, fiery, and know how to have a good time on the battlefield even if I'm losing. And I'm stubborn.

Fave colours? Sky blue and sun-on-the-other-side-of-grass green.

My friends say I’m a lot like Steve. Wonder where they got that idea?

Inspiration

I write like I read, listen and watch.

Here are some of my most influential authors/books:
Enid Blyton
Hardy Boys mysteries (old ones)
G. A. Henty
C. S. Lewis
Ben M. Baglio
L. M. Montgomery
Louisa May Alcott
Jan Karon
Max Lucado
Griselda Banks
and most recently the Fullmetal Alchemist manga series

Sometimes I think I was born singing and music often sneaks into my work. I always have an earworm. Some favourites:
Chris Tomlin
Steven Curtis Chapman
Tim Neufeld (& the Glory Boys)
Paul Brandt
John Denver
Jason Gray
Amy Grant
NEEDTOBREATHE
Celtic Woman
The Afters
Switchfoot
and Classic composers like Beethoven, Vivaldi, and Handel

I also enjoy gorgeous photography, like Bob Langrish and anything Canadian, and a good movie. Besides MCU flicks I like inspirational sports (When the Game Stands Tall, 42), a feel-good family tale (Ferdinand, Frozen) or a get-up-and-dance musical (Meet Me in St. Louis, The Greatest Showman).

My Writing

I wrote my first story when I was 10 or 11. Now of course I think it was pretty bad, but I can see that I had some idea of what I was doing. My mother laid the ground work and I took it from there. I’ve never taken a course or a lesson, but I read every good book I have time for and am thankful for a handful of friends who’ve been around the block with words.

I recently finished my first novel, a hockey story for kids, and have plans to make it a series. I love life and the ‘ordinary’ things; you can expect a lot of that. Swearing is basically non-existent and only guy-girl couples. I somehow still have my innocent ideals intact, but have sure gotten better at writing angst over the last few years.

As for fanfiction, it was early last year, when my writing was at its lowest ebb, that I saw Black Panther, and before the summer had started I’d seen every MCU movie. A friend introduced me to Archive of Our Own and the rest is history.

I am devoted to canon and consider my stories filler. I see those gaps in the movies, and ask, ‘What could have happened there or then?’ and go about answering my own question. I will only be bringing over completed projects. Most updates will be on Saturdays.