Category / About Me

by Lexine

Tea Fiend

tea & cup

I haven’t been much of a writing fiend as of late (work and life got in the way), but if I’m unable to write my future New York Times bestseller (yeah, sure), one thing that stays constant in my life is enjoying a hot cuppa. If you saw my tea collection, you’d go guuuurrrl because yes I own that much tea. Not enough to open my own tea bar, but I’m pretty stocked, to say the least. (It’s also hard to turn down a BOGO Free sale on Yogi Tea at Sprouts.) What am I about to brew on this cold, rainy night is one of my all-time faves you see in the pic above, about to be paired with my Evil Queen mug. Trader Joe’s better not discontinue that tea!

by Lexine

Giving Thanks

To my true friends and family

For having this day off from work

To my day job that, despite it being a physical job, pays me well and my co-workers & management are all supportive

To all who voted for democracy during this year’s Midterm elections

To all who continue to fight for abortion/LGBTQ+/voting rights, gender equality, and abuse victims

To the scientists and medical professionals who helped create the Covid vaccines and boosters (happy to be 4X full of 5G microchipped goodness!)

To all the face masks I’ve worn that spared me from getting Covid (I still wear them in indoor public spaces and in large outdoor crowds and I’m not ashamed to do so…but I await the day when Covid becomes an endemic)

To anyone who asks me for an ID as I get another day older (I used to find it so odd when I was in my 20s, but as I near my 40s, I find it flattering)

For being a teen in the late 90s/early 2000s (my Xennial ass is showing here, but what a time to be young)

To all the low-carb websites for giving me all the recipes and carb substitutes when I went low-carb almost a year ago

To Yogi Tea (their teas are 🔥)

To Jackie Collins, Maya Angelou, Dorothy Parker, Sue Grafton, and Sharon Olds, for creating many of my all-time literary faves. My idols, all of them!

To The Simpsons (Seasons 1-10, to be exact), for all the LOLs

To jazz music and its artists, past to present

To thrift stores, where over half of my wardrobe and bedding came from

To the sport of hockey

To Lelo (I’m single; do I have to explain why?)

To Target for selling Lelo products 😀

To the fact that I live in a safe (and affordable) space, all to myself

For living in California

In knowing I had some things to be thankful for in this mixed bag of a year.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

by Lexine

Call Me Lex

Why Lex? Why not? It sounds cool and it’s also short for Lexine. I finally found my new pen name!

And don’t worry–I’m sticking with it this time.

I changed all my social media handles (see sidebar) to reflect my new nom de plume. I’m also on vacation at the moment, and I’ll be posting some pics soon, so come follow me!

by Lexine

(Pen) Name Change

The title says it all. As much as I liked “Bria Leone” as a pen name, I’ve decided to drop it in favor of another nom de plume…that I’m still deciding on. My reasons to ditch it are personal, and it’s a decision as tough as coming up with a new name. It’s not just finding a standout moniker; it’s also seeing if the name has been taken by others and taking the time to research it all. It may sound easy, but some of us have full-time jobs that keeps us away from the internet most of the time and also have an upcoming vacation to prepare. Like me. Oh, why couldn’t I have been born as Bria Leone? (Speaking of which, I’ll be keeping the blog’s website name for now until I settle on a new name.)

Ah well, time to hit up the ol’ trusty Pen Name Generator again.

by Lexine

That New Blog Smell

First off: hello and welcome, everyone! Try not to soak up all of the new blog smell.

Second, I intend this blog to be all about my writings and inspirations, and you’ll also get to know more about me and what/who my faves are over time. If you’re wondering if I’m on Twitter, TikTok, or Instagram, I’m not. (For now.) Maybe it’s because I’m an old but when it comes to blogging, I prefer the familiar yet cozy surroundings of WordPress.

A little bit about me: Bria’s Lex is my name, albeit part of a nom de plume. I was born, raised, and still live in the Bay Area, and have been a “writing fiend” since I was a pre-teen. Some of my prose, poems, and short stories have been published in local newspapers and anthologies since the late 90s, and “novelist” is my next accomplishment! I’m still doing some last-minute editing with my current story, and I hope to share it with you all soon.

**Update 9/6: I’m officially on Twitter! Now if only Instagram can hurry up with reviewing my account, so I can get that going. (They think my username is from a suspended account, which is so weird as this is my first time ever signing up with them.)

***Update 10/29: updated old pen name and Twitter link to my new name. Also, my IG is up and running!