The Murmuring Muse, a Blog Award, and Random Facts About Me

My Muse has been chatty lately...like all-hopped-up-on-caffeine-and-vegan-chocolate chatty.  I am not complaining, mind you.  Her hyperactivity has resulted in another chapter for the novel and a new short story that has grown to four pages since this morning.  So, really, I am grateful.

I am also grateful for the blog awards that Lauren and Alice and Jess have been gracious enough to bestow up me.  (The Versatile Blogger award and the Kreativ Blogger Award!)  It means a lot to me.  And with every blessing comes a responsibility.  Per the rules, I am obligated to share seven random things about myself and to, in turn, bestow this award on seven worthy souls.

Obligation #1:

Since my head to full of novel and short story stuff, I am afraid to think too much about anything else.  No, really!  I feel like my brain is at capacity, and I fear that if I put anything else in there I will lose something important (you know, like story stuff); therefore, I have asked my dear friend to offer up some randomness about me.  Here are her offerings (none of which I can deny):

In no particular order: 

1. You really like being random
2. Your top three  "some random number of" favorite writers are:  J. K. Rowling, Suzanne Collins, Hemingway, Norman Maclean, Neil Gaiman, Carson McCullers, Flannery O'Connor...
3. You have a cat named Sirius.  Maybe your readers have noticed?
4. You’re a ginger.  There, it’s out.
5. You have this weird way of hesitating dramatically whenever ordering food at a restaurant.  This is amusing to the company you’re dining with, and probably maddeningly frustrating to the person taking your order.
6. You bake.  A lot.
7. You believe that a hot toddy is the ultimate cure for all ailments. 

  Obligation #2:  I proudly nominate the below blogs as worthy recipients of the Versatile Blogger Award...

• Adam
• L. G. Smith
• Rena
• Laura
• Terri Rowe
• R. L. Smith

Now, take a minute to check out their blogs, if you haven't already!  Share the love!

Another Blog Award....(but no more new pages yet)

I was tagged by my fellow writer and awarded a new blog award!  I am so excited!

The Tag rules:

You must post the rules.

Answer the questions and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.

Tag your award winners and link to them.

Let them know you’ve tagged them.

This means I get yet another opportunity to talk about myself!

The Questions I Get to Answer:

1. What's your favorite letter of the alphabet and why? (you're not limited to the English alphabet)  I am going with Z.  Z is zazzy.  Z is in my name.  And Z is...not common-place.
2. What's the most disgusting/odd combination of food you've ever eaten? I have 18 food allergies, so I don't consider them odd combinations...I call that life.
3. Favorite word?  Hm, I like words in general.  "Circumference" is nice...and "luxurious"...and "tranquil."  I also rather like "dabble."
4. If you had to get a tattoo, what would it be and why? If you already have one, use that as your answer.  I have two already.  I want another...but I haven't decided what yet, because once I decide I will want to immediately go get it.
5. What fictional character is most like you and why? Could be personality or appearance, from a book, movie, graphic novel, whatever.  My entire family is gather around me and watching me type this and screaming "Sheldon Cooper" (from Big Bang Theory).  I do NOT see the resemblance.
6. The bitchy blond female character -> love? hate? overdone? (bonus points for including your favorite blond joke).  I have known a few bitchy blonds in my day...whether they were truly blond or not?  I couldn't tell you.
7. Do you usually write characters who are the same gender as you are? Ever tried the opposite?  Characters tend to come to me "as is."  I don't try to assign them one gender or another. 
8. If you could swap places with a character and live in their fictional world/universe for a day, which would you choose? I have been reading a lot of dystopian books lately...not sure I want to change placed with any of those characters.
9. What's your favorite fairy-tale/myth/folk-tale/fable/nursery-rhyme, and would you ever write a re-telling of it?  I do have a serious soft spot for Sisyphus.
10. If you could turn your significant other into an animal for one day, what animal would you choose and why? I would turn him into a German Shepherd dog for the day and scratch that spot on his back that makes dogs shake their leg uncontrollably.
11. Does Pluto deserve to be re-instated as a planet?  YES!  (In my head, it will always be a "real planet." 

I want to pass this award along to:

http://mittensmorgul.blogspot.com/

http://rosewoodpencilbox.blogspot.com/

http://sharppendullsword.blogspot.com/

http://laurajosephsen.blogspot.com/

http://thewritingdeans.blogspot.com/

http://noveliststhoughts.blogspot.com/

You should definitely check out their blogs and widen the circle of writers that you read and follow!

For those tagged, here are your questions:

1. What book character do you had a crush on?
2. What was the last book that made you cry?
3. What scenes are the hardest for you to write?
4. Are you superstitious about your writing methods, or do you have any rituals regarding your writing?
5. Do you listen to music when writing, or do you have to have silence?
6. What book antagonist do you love to hate?
7. What is the last  book that you stayed up ridiculously late to finish reading?
8. When was the last time that you waited in line for a book release?
9. What book(s) is/are currently on your bedside table?
10. What is your "guilty pleasure" book that you read and re-read?
11. How comfortable are you calling yourself "a writer/"

(If anyone else wants to play/answer the questions, go ahead! Just include the link, or answer directly in the comment section.:)

Dream Launching...and 162 Pages

I normally do not post much later in the week, but this week I have to make an exception.  You see, I received my first blog award for this blog recently. 

Jess, over at Write, Skate, Dream was gracious enough to award me this blog.  You see, this blog is awarded to people who help support you in your pursuit of your dreams.  I am humbled by this award, because I truly believe that writers have a responsibility to encourage other writers.  So, by receiving this, I feel like maybe I am helping to do my part.

I owe a debt of gratitude to so many people who have encouraged me in my writing.  Unfortunately, so many of them do not have blogs, so I can't give them a blog award.  There are a few, though, that do.  Some have been supporting my dreams for years, like my super wonderful friend over at Notes from a Sentient Observer.  When this book is completed, she really will have been mid-wife to it.

I have also received much encouragement from my dear friend over at Eat, Breathe, Drink, Art (a fabulous artist that I dearly hope will be lending her creative hand to my cover art) and, rounding out my list of blogging supporters, there is also Patrick Nelson over at Patrick Nelson Stories (who is a seriously talent writer and who you need to go read as soon as I shut up).

So, to these fine folk, I pass on the much esteemed Dream Launcher Award:


Lovely though this is...next time maybe an award with a big, blue police box???

 So for those of you worthy folk who have seen fit to offer me words of encouragement, who have nagged me to write, who have questioned my characters (and at times my sanity)...you are appreciated!  Now take a minute and pass this on to others who have helped you on your journey!