Over the Top Blogger

I am pleased to announce that TK Richardson over at Evening Masquerade has awarded me with the Over the Top Blogger Award. As a recipient, I must answer the following questions about myself. Oh yes, we will plaster the blog-o-sphere seven or so blogs at a time. (But TK said I didn’t have to follow the rules and I’m kind of pressed for time, so I’m going to do the unmentionable (winces and checks for lightning about to strike) and not pass it on. (Sorry)

Here goes…

Where is your cell phone? uh? My bag?
Your hair? getting curlier
Your mother? alive
Your father? alive
Your favourite food? Mom’s spaghetti
Your dream last night? I dreamt?
Your favourite drink? Water. Straight up.
Your dream/goal? get my stories in bookstores
What room are you in? living room
Your hobby? reading, writing, but not arithmatic
Your fear? Loss.
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Happy
Where were you last night? Why do I need an alibi? (Buying a car)
Something that you aren’t? Mean
Muffins? Sure, thanks
Wish list item? Those flower clogs, Disneyland
Where did you grow up? In a schoolhouse
Last thing you did? Breathed
What are you wearing? work outfit
Your TV? off
Your pets? 2 cats
Friends? Yes, I have some. Thanks for asking.
Your life? It’s gooooood
Your mood? It’s good, too
Missing someone? Sure, it I think about it.
Vehicle? ’94 Dodge Shadow Selling it.   (See above)
Something you’re not wearing? men’s underwear
Your favourite store? MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op)
Your favourite color? Blue
When was the last time you laughed? today
Last time you cried? Uh? December?
Your best friend? My husband
One place that I go to over and over? bathroom
One person who emails me regularly? Lots of people, I’m lucky that way.
Favourite place to eat? At the table

Thanks!

An Honest Scrap I Am, I Am… Maybe

Okay, the past few days have been pretty serious here on the Jean-o-blog-o-rama. Thank goodness Yvonne Osborne has stepped in to save you all. Yes, Yvonne very kindly awarded me with the Honest Scrap (Writer’s Edition) Blog Award. Aw. Warm and fuzzy butterflies tickling my tummy’s insides with drizzles of Bailey’s.

Is it too early to drink? Oh, heck. I’m a writer–drinking ‘rules’ don’t apply. (#1)

In accepting this award, and in lieu of sharing my prepared speech, I am to be ‘honest’ and tell you ten things about me and my writing. (But what in the heck am I going to do with this lovely acceptance speech?)

Because it is Friday and I am trying to convince you all that I am a drinking writer, I am going to play this award’s little game, but I am going to tinker with the rules. However, before I do that, I would like to point the finger at Yvonne as she broke the rules first. Those rules about honesty are useless in their shattered state on the floor, their little shards digging into my knitted granny slippers. (#2)

That’s right. Game on.

Your job is to determine what is actually true (or ‘honest,’ if you must) facts about me and my writing. Do I really drink early in the morning? Do I wear granny slippers when I write/blog?

In case you think you ‘got’ me, those are not my feet, carpet, socks, ankles, nor slippers.
(My ankles are shaplier and my legs hairier.)

Hmmm….

Here are 8 more questions to ponder with correct (and incorrect) options provided for your choosing convenience. And I probably don’t need to warn you that these options may be completely misleading or incredibly accurate in many ways, shapes and forms. Good luck!

#3) When I can’t think where I should go next in a story, I:

a) go for a walk
b) stand on my head
c) look at my outline
d) brainstorm in a notebook
e) all of the above

#4) While I write, I like to listen to:

a) my own breathing to ensure I am still alive
b) Frank Sinatra
c) talk radio
d) a variety of music
e) all of the above, or none of the above–your choice

#5) My biggest fan is:

a) my mom
b) my grandma
c) my cat
d) I don’t actually write, it is all a ploy to gain my own reality TV show

#6) I am penning an exposé about aspiring writers and the shenanigans they perform in their misguided efforts of attaining literary agent representation:

a) true
b) false

#7) I love to help out other writers in any way I can:

a) true
b) false

#8) When I put down a first draft, I:

a) crank it out in a few short weeks, errors be damned
b) carefully fix all errors as I go
c) research everything I need to know ahead of time so I don’t have gaps or holes in my story that need to be filled later
d) go slightly insane and find I can’t think of the right word for things when I am living outside my work in progress
e) forget to bathe in anything other than the vodka that dribbles from my slack lips

There you have it. Feel free to leave your guesses in the comment section. I bet you feel as though you know me quite well now. I’m off to go to a different town to pick up a textbook for a student I don’t know. Believe me?

You should.

P.S. In a day or two, I’ll leave my answers in the comment section.

P.P.S. I forgot to pass this on. I’m supposed to pass it to 7 people. Because I am efficient, I am going to award this to the bloggers over at Good Girls, Bad Juju. There are is a lovely group of bloggers over there (Calista Taylor, Erin Kellison, Nancy Holnzer, Nicole Peeler, Rita Vetere, and Sean Cummings) and I feel that they could have a lot of fun with this little game, er, award. Enjoy!

Kreativ Blogger Pass Along

Yesterday I mentioned I had been awarded the Kreativ Blogger Award. I also mentioned that I was having troubles figuring it out. However, I failed to mention that I am a good sport and would be passing along the honour.

Therefore, I participate to the best of my abilities.

Here’s what I have to do:

1) Copy the Kreativ Blogger Badge onto my blog.
2) Thank the person who gave it to me and link to their blog.
3) Write 7 things about myself that my blog readers don’t know.
4) Choose 7 other bloggers to pass the award to.
5) Link to those 7 other bloggers.
6) Notify my 7 bloggers.

Sooo…without further ado:

1)

2) Thank you to Jemi Fraser and Cate Woods. I appreciate you both thinking of my blog. I’m flattered, to tell you the truth.

3) Seven things you don’t know about me:

I still have baby teeth (in my mouth). My favourite colour is blue. In my years as a volunteer at the Humane Society, I used to let all the cats loose in the back room. Freedom! They all got along remarkably well, believe it or not. My favourite board game as a kid was Trouble. I hate shopping for clothes. My favourite flower would be daisies because they are unassuming and beautiful, as well as cheery. And finally, I’d rather have a few really good, true friends than many false friends.

4 & 5) Seven great writing blogs for you to discover. Some have been around a long time, some are new:

Amy Sue Nathan –A chick lit and women’s fiction.

J. Lea Lopez — A commercial fiction writer.

Matt Sinclair — A writer, editor and freelancer with several blogs.

TK Richardson — YA author.

Rhonda Stapleton — YA author and one of AgentQuery’s first chat guests.

Robert K. Lewis — I think this badge will look lovely on his gritty, noir blog.

Prairie Chicks Write Romance — I have no clue how they will handle part 3 of this as it is a communal blog–and a cool one at that.

Enjoy!

Kreativ Blogger Award

Until a few days ago, I had never heard of the Kreativ Blogger Award. Then I had two lovely blogger buddies award me with the award. Aww. Thanks, guys! (Despite my questions and internal debate below, I am honoured and flattered that you thought of my blog.)

But I was curious about this award. Who created it? Where did it come from? How long has it been around? Etc, etc. So, I did what I do when I get curious. I Googled.

What did Google tell me about the Kreativ Blogger Award (other than the fact that the award’s name makes my internal speller turn herself inside out)? Well, that others have gotten it too. And that’s about it. I found out very little in my three, 30 second searches, so I did what I do when I don’t get quick results. I gave up and went away to think about it.

So what is this award? I still don’t know. Who created it? I don’t know. Is there a headquarters? What are the criterion for awarding the little badge? I dunno. Can it be awarded to men? (It looks a little girly.) Will eight of my best friends be struck down if I don’t pass it on within seven days? I’m not really sure, but the award does sort of smell like a chain letter. (Part of the deal is that you share 7 facts about yourself and then award the badge to 7 blogs.) But you know how I really know that this thing must be a chain letter? Because all my blog buddies have already had it and I’m at a loss on who to send it on to. It happens to me every time.