This weekend my husband and I were cast as extras in what's going to be a HILARIOUS documentary about a fictitious small-town mayoral race in Fort Faible, Pennsylvania.

I won't give away any details, but I do encourage you to check out the trailer below and consider supporting the project via Indiegogo, where the producers are trying to reach their goal of raising $5,000 in the next 15 days. This website will also give you some more information about the film, which I'm grateful to be a small part of. Click here to check it out.

And, as promised, here's the trailer. Soooooooooooooo funny!

It's hard to believe that we're nearing the end of July. Where is summer going?!

This month my work was published in three stellar online literary magazines. They included the newly formed Mixtape Methodology (though you would never know they're brand new judging by the professional look of their website and all the great stories they have posted thus far), the lovely Dublin, Ireland-based The Bohemyth, and the uniquely named Butterfly Knives and Sea Salt. I am grateful to the editors of these magazines for finding my work worthy of inclusion.

So, just in case you missed it, here are the links to my pieces should you be interested in reading them (and if you're also a writer, by all means: submit to these guys!):

Kill for Thrill--Kill for Thrill: Listen to the Goodbye Waves in Mixtape Methodology
Creatures of the Past in The Bohemyth
Warhola in Butterfly Knives and Sea Salt

Coming next month (as of July 25), I'll have other pieces featured in London, England-based Oblong, the funny-as-ever Defenestration Magazine and another piece in Mixtape Methodology! Stay tuned and, as always, thanks for reading and visiting my website! :)

This evening I had the pleasure to interview singer/songwriter and guitarist Jarekus Singleton. He's on the line-up for this year's AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival, and I thought he'd be a good artist to highlight for the next issue of Our Town's AMPED. (Spoiler: I was right. Be sure to pick up next week's paper if you live in the Johnstown/Somerset area!) Jarekus was such a great interview, and I'm so, so excited that he's coming to Johnstown at the beginning of August!

If you've never heard of him, I suggest clicking "play" on the video below. This guy is making some stellar blues music, and I think he's going to be around for a long, long time. Mark my words. I dare you.

For those of you who visit my website often, I apologize for not having updated it over the past week or so; my husband and I took a trip to Atlantic City for some sun-fun. It's been a rainy summer here in Johnstown, after all.

Anyway, here are some photos from our trip (the least I can do to make up for my lack of posts is by sharing with you some of my photographs, right?):

This is the Absecon Lighthouse. Tallest lighthouse in the state of New Jersey. First lit in January 1857. Takes 228 to reach the top. And the view is so worth it:

By "worth it," I also mean "such a good work out."

Later that day, I ordered a drink at Starbucks and my name was translated as:

Keile. Interesting. Makes me wonder why my mom didn't go with that version.

So I apparently can't visit a beach without feeding the seagulls. I think they are so fun and deserving of all my leftover oyster crackers.

I also feel compelled to share a photo I took of an enormous sand sculpture located near the boardwalk. How these artists make these daring sculptures baffles me--I mean, look at the detail!

Two things I need to say about Harrah's:
1. Their "Do Not Disturb" signs are the best.
2. Their pool is heavenly.

Check it out:

Yeah. Awesome freaking pool.

So that's where I've been: hanging out in Atlantic City, winning money and losing money, feeding seagulls and relaxing on the beach, eating lots of good food and cold treats, and walking the seemingly endless boardwalk that never seems to get old to me.

Glad to be back--stay tuned for new posts and, as always, thanks for reading! :)

-Kayla

P.S. While away, I had two stories accepted by two excellent literary magazines: Crack the Spine and Oblong. I'll post the stories when they are published!

Well, folks, it finally happened: I finally got to see Sir Paul McCartney live in concert. This has been an item on my Bucket List item for years and years. In fact, in 2010, I tried my darndest to snag tickets to Paul's back-to-back Consol Energy Center shows, but the tickets sold out within 5 minutes, no joke.

The fact that I snagged four tickets this time around bewildered me, and I paid a lot for them, but it was worth every penny. Every single Lincoln-graced penny. I mean, how often do you get to see a Beatle in concert? He's living history.

Spell it out with me now: L-i-v-i-n-g  h-i-s-t-o-r-y.

Paul's "Out There" tour came to Pittsburgh on July 7, and let me just say that it was FANTASTIC. The Beatle appeared on the stage at 8:30 p.m. and didn't leave it until 11:20 p.m. My mom was amazed that he "didn't even take a sip of water!" and I was amazed by how good he sounded, how enthusiastic he was. I think he was just as happy to be there as we were.

For those of you who missed the show, I've uploaded two videos and a photo for your viewing pleasure. (Also, if you're visiting the site as a result of reading my latest Our Town column, special thanks for stopping by!)

Ob-La-De, Ob-La-Da:

Two encores. Fireworks. Beatles songs. Wings songs. Solo songs. What an amazing night!

Yes, fireworks:

Did I mention that he played not one but TWO encores? Yes. Seventy-two-years-old and he played two encores. It's obvious that the guy loves what he does.

 See Paul McCartney in concert = check!

Next up (fingers crossed): Ringo!

Thanks to everyone who has tuned in over the past 35 days to view the photos I've been posting from my travels in Ecuador last summer. It's been fun, but today marks the last photo I'll post from my trip. I hope you enjoyed each photo and learned something new along the way.

If you ever have an opportunity to visit, I highly recommend it. Ecuador is a GORGEOUS South American country . . . I cannot wait to return! :)

Cheers,
Kayla

"I HAVE SEEN SO MUCH BEAUTY IT COULD MAKE YOU CRY."
-Brett Dennen

A dog walking along the beach, enjoying Ecuador as much as we were! :)

WHATTTTTTTTT!

Look at my hat!

Loved, loved, loved these flowers that we found near some Incan ruins!