Lit Savvy by S.K. Salazar

NOTE: Because my idiot blog decided to stop displaying text halfway through, the rest of the post is screenshots. Welp, I’m in the home stretch now, everyone! I knew I’d make it, but I didn’t realize how strenuous an experience this was going to be. As of now, I’m capping off Day 6 and getting ready to slog through tomorrow. Until then, let me dish about how the past couple of days have been…   Day 5   This was a particularly big day for me. Not just because it was June 20 th , otherwise know as World Refugee Day. But because I had quite a bit to get done throughout that day. Between going to Chino Hills (a city that’s approximately 30 miles away from my residence) and attending my job’s mandatory sexual harassment training, I still had to do my part to raise awareness about the struggles refugees face and the good they do for society once they’re integrated into their new country. Every hour, between my humble meals and the tasks that I had to cross off of my to...

Believe it or not, folks, I have made it to the middle of the challenge! (Forgive me if my writing sounds nonsensical right now. Brain fog is taking over me right now.) Since I used to have an eating disorder as a teenager and I’ve done religious fasts many times for Lent, I’m no stranger to what it’s like to be hungry by choice and to watch the world around you eating tasty treats. I must mention that on the night of Day 2, I started to feel leg cramps. (A result of potassium deficiency and a side effect of starvation.) I also had a fitful sleep. My stomach was turning with nausea and I kept burping up the taste of the flatbreads. But so far, that’s been the only awful experience at night that I’ve had so far.   Day 3   As of Day 3, there were still no severe cravings. (Maybe because I’m dead inside, anyways.) For some reason, the leg cramps were the most prolonged symptoms. I started to get them in my arms, too. Brain fog got pretty bad since I was unable to ...

In 2014, a group of Australians called Act For Peace decided to create an epic fundraiser for refugees. I imagine the conversation went something like this: An opponent: “I just don’t think it’s that important to feed refugees when we already have so many hungry Australians to attend to first.”   Act For Peace: “How can you say that? Do you even understand what refugees go through on a daily basis?”   Opponent: “I bet it’s not even that bad.”   AFP: “Oh yeah? Care to put a…wager…on that?”   All jokes aside (because this is a very serious matter), the Ration Challenge has ballooned in popularity and efficacy since that first year. Now, the fundraiser has been extended to New Zealand, the United Kingdom and for the first time in 2019, the United States. And you know that this rootin’, tootin’ American right here had to partake. It all started with a Facebook ad. A picture of two weather-worn Syrian refugees holding their ration packs was...

If you’re reading this blog, it’s probably because you know about my debut novel, Paradise in Flames . Now, you’re coming to your ol’ pal S.K. Salazar with your questions about it. Well, let’s start with the reason why I chose to write this story.             My initial spark came from watching The Phantom of the Opera . You know how it is. You’re watching a movie, you go down a rabbit hole, imagining yourself in the adventure or what kind of other adventures it could spark. Then, the movie has already moved along and you have to rewind it because you need to catch up on the juicy details.             Well, I liked the dark and light dynamic between Christine and the Phantom. I found it romantic. I imagined a person aligned with darkness learning kindness and goodness from their partner, who is aligned with light. And vice versa, I imagined a person aligned with light le...