Liebster Award

I’m so excited. I received a Liebster Award! Thank you, BJ Sheldon, for nominating me. Please check out BJ’s blog, she’s got some great posts to read.

Here’s how it works:

- I list 11 random facts about myself.

- I’ll answer the 11 questions asked of me by the person who nominated me.

- I will then nominate my 11 picks for the award, along with my 11 questions for them to answer when they post a response.

- If you’re nominated, your name/link will appear at the bottom of this post along with the questions I come up with.

- Follow the same format; paste the award badge to your blog, give us 11 random facts about yourself, answer my 11 questions, and choose your nominees…but you cannot nominate the blog who nominated you.

11 Random Facts About Me:

1. I love chocolate, in almost any form. Dark, milk, with or without nuts. You name it, I love it. Love it so much I've had a chocolate themed birthday party- oh, and a Christmas party, too.

2. I've been married to the same guy twice. The first time for just over three years. We celebrated our nineteenth anniversary for the second marriage in December 2012.

3. I've had fibromyalgia since I was twenty-five.

4. I'm five foot, seven inches tall.

5. I'm not the best housekeeper, or the worst. My wretched oven only gets scrubbed about once a year, but I cannot stand a dirty microwave. Not sure why the microwave being nasty bothers me so much, it just does.

6. I sleep wearing a Breath Right nasal strip almost every night, looking hilarious, but able to breathe.

7. I have two daughters. My eldest, Alexandria, was born in North Carolina at Seymour Johnson AFB, in June 1995, after I received an honorable discharge from USAF active duty that same year. Karina, my 'baby', was born in November 1997, in Kemerovo, Russia (we adopted her in November 2005). Fact: I now speak more Russian than Karina does... this isn't saying much, trust me.


8. I have the ability to become so immersed in a good book - or movie- it's difficult for the people around me to get my attention. This is something I think my dear husband would like to change, alas he has yet to accomplish this.

9. I pride myself on being the kind of friend who can be counted on to tell the truth, even when it may not be what my friend wants to hear, because that's the kind of friend I want to have. So if you want to ask someone if your ass looks big in those jeans, unless you want the honest truth, don't ask me.

10. I'm super sensitive to odors... especially bad ones. My daughter, Alex, says it's my super power.


11. My toy poodle, Penny, makes me smile every day. She's not even two years old and I'm already worried about how I'm going to make it when she grows old and passes away... this is sick, I know, but I just love her so much. I've NEVER loved an animal the way I love her, and I LURVE my animals.

BJ's Questions:

1. Who is your favorite author?

Oh, I have so many…can I only pick one? Okay, if I have to choose, right now, today, I have to say Tahere Mafi (Shatter Me series). Her style draws me in unlike any other author I’ve read.

2. What is your favorite classic novel and why?

At the risk of scandal, I admit I’ve not read a lot of ‘the classics.’ I should, I know. Maybe someday I will… But one that I have read and loved was The Great Gatsby, by F.S. Fitzgerald. The reason it’s my favorite may be because as a teen, when I read it, it represented some themes from my life… a longing for escape from reality and disappointment when illusions are lost. (That sounds like a load of bull crap, but it’s true.

3. If there was one person, either dead or alive, you could spend the day with, who would it be and why?

Man, tough question. There are so many famous people I'd love to spend a day with,. However, if I could pick just one person, I'm gonna say my brother, Anthony. He died when he was only seven weeks old from complications of kidney surgery. I'd love to get to know him as an adult, find out what type of person he'd have become, get to know his likes and dislikes, and see what he'd look like.

4. Book or eReader?

I read both, but prefer print books. The feel of them in my hands, turning pages, beautiful covers; they seem so much more real to me than eBooks.

5. If they turned your life into a big screen movie, who would play you?

Julia Roberts, of course… Best compliment I ever received: I was laughing out loud, mouth wide open, and someone said I looked like her. I don’t, but it was nice to be told that I did.

6. What was it that drew you to become a writer?

There have been stories swirling around in my brain since I was in third grade. I guess it was inevitable they’d get antsy and bust loose. Creating a world where all my dreams can come true, a place I can face my fears and overcome them, bringing forth characters I want to hang out with - some of them absolute hotties who’re realistic and yet better than real life, well, there’s the draw.

I have the ability to become so immersed in a good book - or movie- it's difficult for the people around me to get my attention. This is something I think my dear husband would like to change, alas he has yet to accomplish this.

7. What is your idea of the perfect day?

The perfect day involves a warm place, friends, music, good food, and no dishes to wash. It could happen at the beach or in the mountains in front of a fireplace, doesn’t really matter to me, as long as I’m with the people I love, who love me in return.

8. Dogs or cats?

Both. I love all cuddly animals, no matter the species. But, for a pet, I’d say dog, because I abhor changing the litter box. I actually have two dogs and four cats, only one house cat though.

9. What is the name of the person who inspired you the most growing up? How did they inspire you?

That’s hard to say, I can’t really put my finger on one single person. There were a lot of people around me doing things I didn’t want to do. In a way, they drove me the opposite direction. Someday, I’ll write that book, but not today. ;)

10. Who is your hero and why?

Okay, I’m just gonna say it…My hero is Jesus Christ. That may seem hokey, but He loves everyone, even the unlovable. He forgives everything, including the unforgivable. He accepted me, when I couldn’t accept myself. Most of all He chose me and gave up everything to die for me, that’s why He’s my hero.

This may offend some people; others may think I’m crazy. You could decide you don’t want to work with me, because of my beliefs, and that’s all right; I wish you the best. I don’t think my beliefs make me better than anyone else or that I’m righteous, because Heaven knows, I’m not. So, don't judge me and I'll do my best not to judge you. ;)

11. Where do you hope to be as a writer in ten years?

I always say, if you’re gonna dream, dream BIG. So in ten years, I hope to be a New York Times bestselling author, have at least five novels on the market, and one major motion picture released, with another in the works. Too much? Maybe. But, hey, why not? Stephanie Meyer wrote more than five books and had five major motion pictures within ten years of the time she began writing Twilight.

My Nominees:

Eleven. Wow, that's a lot.

 

Of course, I'm going to nominate all my CPs from TheOffBeats (numbers 1-6) and a few more of my favorite bloggers. This is not to say I don't have other faves, I do, but I could be here for days, so I've kept it at the suggested eleven. Remember, just because I've nominated them doesn't obligate them to participate. If they choose not to it's all right; I still love them all. Click their names to visit their blogs.

 

1. Fiona McLaren

2. Lizzie Froehle

3. Catherine Scully

4. Katrina Sincek

5. Abby Cavenaugh

6. Amy Cavenaugh

7. Jessica Salyer

8. Kelley Lynn

9. Summer Heacock

10. Deana Barnhart

11. Kat Ellis 

 

Nominees, here are your 11 questions:

 

1. Chocolate or vanilla?

2. What inspired your latest WIP?

3. How do you get your creative juices flowing?

4. Any OCD tendencies? If so, what?

5. Would your MC want hang out with you and vice versa? Why?

6. Do you believe in love at first sight? Why or why not?

7. What is one characteristic about yourself that you love?

8. What character quality do you wish you could trade in? What would you trade it for?

9. Is there music or television on while you write?

10. Finish this sentence: If I could live anywhere…

11. Why did you decide to write the genre(s) that you do?