Thanks to Meradeth Houston over at the Write Stuff for passing on the Liebster Award to me.
What is The Liebster Award you ask?
Well, it’s an award given to up-and-coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. Think of it as a virtual pat on the back. A bit of recognition for doing a good job and encouragement to keep going.
And let’s not forget the bloggers that have been blogging for a while and have great blogs.
In the spirit of the award, let me just take a minute to plug my blog. I’ve added a bunch of sharing buttons all over the Observation Desk, so I encourage you to click on those. Also, note the sidebar where you can subscribe to the blog. All you have to do is type in your email address and you’ll receive an email when a post goes live. I promise I do not use your email address for anything else. Finally, you can click on the RSS feed in the coffee cup up in the right-hand corner to add the Observation Desk to any reader. Okay, on to the questions!
1. If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would purchase?
Definitely a Ferrari…a red one, like Magnum P.I. drove.
2. Is there something unique about you that you’d like to share with the readers?
I used to be quite the jock. I earned 12 varsity letters in high school for soccer, basketball, and track.
3. Where is your dream place to live and why?
Well, I actually like the small city I live in now (corny, right!). There’s a nice green downtown, lots of beaches, and most importantly my family is nearby. But if I bought a second home, I think it would be in London.
4. What do you find is the most difficult part of the writing process?
For me the hardest part right now is breaking through all the fear and self-doubt and just getting the story written. Writing for publication is a tough, tough business to get into, and it’s hard not to let the fear paralyze you.
5. Tell us something about yourself that we don’t know.
I get very, very nervous about showing my emotions in public.
6. Do you have any pet peeves?
When you smile at a stranger to be polite, and they don’t smile back. So rude!
7. Do you have any special habits you do when you write?
Unlike with sports, I really don’t have any special habits for superstitions when it comes to writing. I do like to have tea while I’m writing, but I don’t absolutely need it.
8. Did you ever write your friends or family members in your books?
Yes. 🙂 *evil laughter*
9. What is your favorite drink?
Well, tea I’ve already mentioned, so I’ll say that Riesling is my favorite wine.
10. Who gives you the best encouragement to keep writing?
My 13-year-old nephew, who is also a writer (and his mom, my twin-not-twin sister).
11. Do you have a critique group or a special author circle?
Yes! I have a local critique group I meet with once a month and a few writer friends online as well.
Okay, the last part of this award is to list 11 random things about myself.
My favorite Harry Potter book is Goblet of Fire. I used to be a puzzle magazine editor. When I was three years old, I told everyone I was a boy because I wanted to play baseball for the New York Yankees. My elbows are double-jointed. I once pierced my own belly button. The last book I read is Kimberly Sabatini’s Touching the Surface. I have really weird dreams all the time, some of them lucid. My favorite artist is Vincent Van Gogh. I could eat pizza every day. I publish under my maiden name. How many is that? Apparently I’m not very good at counting…okay one more. My favorite person in the world is The Boy, of course!
I now have the pleasure of passing this award to two fabulous bloggers and authors: Kay Lalone, author of “Ghostly Clues” (who you met earlier this week on the blog) and Tonja Drecker, author of “In the Shadow of the Eagle’s Eye” in the upcoming anthology “Real Girls Don’t Rust.”
I’ve asked them both to answer the above questions, and instead of giving 11 random things about themselves, share their 11 favorite books!
Katora Kase is next in line to take over as guardian to a secret and powerful healing Elixir. Now she must journey into the wilds of Faway Forest to find the ingredient that gives the Elixir its potency. Even though she has her sister and brother, an old family friend, and the handsome son of a mapmaker as companions, she feels alone.
