Hello!

Hey everyone, Chantelle here, and after all of that prim & proper Bio stuff, I thought I'd tell you a little bit about myself in everyday life.
Most of my spare time (aside from practicing music (or just goofing around!) with the assistance of my trusty piano) is spent either reading or writing. I love the classic mysteries by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingam, and Dashiell Hammet-- not to mention the timeless Hardy Boys, Frank & Joe! I also adore the whimsical tales of A. A. Milne. In non-fiction, I love studying 20th century music history and criticism, especially books and lectures written by Leonard Bernstein! My writing has two outcomes: either fiction (generally a mystery, of course) or blog entries! I'm a fanatic blogger! In fact, I even have a special blog for the stories (or rather, pieces of stories) I write!
In my "down time," I like to watch classic films. Some of my many favorites are West Side Story, East of Eden, All About Eve, Arsenic and Old Lace, suspense movies like Gaslight and those by Hitchcock, and the slightly more modern Indiana Jones! The music I like to listen to, aside from the influences listed in my official bio, include Barbra Streisand, the rest of the Rat Pack, Leigh Nash, Eisley, TAIT, Nicole Byblow, Gardar Thor Cortes, All Angels, and many, many more! Of course, listening to "Leonard Bernstein" encompasses not only his compositions, but anything he conducted! I could have happily-- no, blissfully-- lived in the 1950s; in fact, I collect old movie memorabilia and vinyl records, and I looove retro fashion!
I have a variety of interests that I pursue/read about on the side, including astronomy, criminal investigation (my dream "alternate career"), conducting (like Lenny!), foreign languages, travel (I love taking road trips, and hope to travel the world some day!), the French Revolution, and studying "pop culture" history. When I really want to kill time, my favorite way to do it is with a cup of tea on a rainy day (preferably with a book, the older and dustier the better!), or by just malarking about on a hot July day.