Yay for blog fun! Thank you to KM Herkes and Mike Wolff for the nomination. I’m going to be terribly self-centered and answer the questions from both of them, because it’s my blog and I do that sort of thing here.
The Liebster Award is a way to give blogs more exposure and a greater audience. It’s passed from blogger to blogger and it’s a cool way to find new blogs to follow. I know I’ll be checking out the nominees on both KM’s and Mike’s blogs to see if there are any I haven’t followed yet.
A little bit about each author:
KM Herkes writes some fantastic, imaginative fiction, in addition to insightful and thought-provoking blog posts. Her Rough Passages Collection and Stories of the Restoration feature strong female characters who are well-rounded and beautifully flawed. Her men (Carl, oh Carl) are a lot of fun too. (If you want to know what I mean about Carl, then you’ll need to buy her books.) Her fiction is a mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and thriller. Cool, yeah. You can check out her website here: www.DawnRigger.com.
Mike Wolff writes modern-day fairy tales. His work is full of magical creatures undertaking grand adventures, with a good sprinkling of humor. He has two full-length novels and two short story collections. I’ve read one of the short story collections and the first novel to my boys and they thought they were the best things ever. (In fact, Luc was inspired to create his own novel based off one of Mike’s short stories!) You can check out his website here: www.metallicwolff.wordpress.com.
And now for the first set of questions from KM Herkes!
- If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be and why? (It’s a useless question for a job interview, but a fun one for showcases like this.)
There are a lot of cool and exotic trees I could choose (all parts of the manchineel tree are poisonous, which is kinda cool) but I’m going with the elm. I spent a lot of my childhood in elm trees. They were my hideouts and my reading spots and the solid, quiet, living things that could hold me when I was sad, angry, happy, or scared. - What’s one of your cherished habits, rituals, or routines? (writing-related or otherwise) A thing you do regularly for personal satisfaction alone.
I like to crochet and most of the time I make stuff to give away to friends and family. It’s relaxing and I get a lot of enjoyment out of creating something out of a skein of yarn. - What is it about your favorite color that puts it at the top of the list?
Purple is at the top (when I’m not digging black or red) because it’s a mix of red and blue, two colors I also like. Purple is a fabulous color. (My laptop is purple!) - Which six fictional or historical people would you bring together for a weekend house party in the big country manor you inherit from a long-lost relative?
Hrm. I’m going to choose Lestat (from the Vampire Lestat), Bo Dennis (from Lost Girl), Damon Salvatore (from Vampire Diaries), Pam (from True Blood), Chev Chelios (from Crank), and Sorcha (from Willow).
That oughta be a fun party. - Where would you go if you won an all expenses paid 4-week family vacation to anywhere in the world? Presume zero scheduling/school/medical conflicts.
England and Ireland. Close second would be Machu Picchu in Peru. - What would you do there once you arrived?
England=London, Stonehenge, Avebury, Grosvenor Park … Ireland=castles, Dublin, listen to the locals … Machu Picchu=climb, daydream, soak up the ambience. - When did you first show your writing to someone else, and what happened?
I wrote puppet shows and performed them when I was really little. When I was a bit older, I started writing with friends, so it was never something I wrote and showed to anyone, it was just a thing we did when we hung out. I guess I don’t have a memorable reveal moment. - What bit of writing made your heart bleed to write but clawed its way out despite the pain. Blog, fiction, Facebook post…nominee’s choice.
I hated writing the last big scene in Demon’s Cradle. It dug into a big fear of mine and it took quite a bit of mental preparation to get it down. :/ - Which blog post or fictional passage made you laugh most to write–which one did you had the most fun creating even if hardly anyone ever saw it?
I wrote a story from my fiction writing class about an old woman named Mildred Sterne who gained psychic abilities after being hit in the noggin with a can of Hormel Turkey No-Bean Chili. I loved that old woman and her story (and because of that, put her into my book Bug Queen.) My professor hated it. Another student loved it. As an ego-maniac, I listened to the guy who loved it. 😀 - Pickled vegetables: delicious or disgusting?
Delicious! (I had cucumbers & onions soaked in vinegar and dill tonight with dinner!)
Okay, have you had enough? well, too bad. Here’s the next set of questions from Mike:
- Are space aliens real? Give a compelling argument to support your answer.
Yes. They probably don’t look like our Hollywood imaginings, but they are out there. We haven’t even physically travelled out of our solar system yet (though we have had technology leave our little corner of the galaxy), we’ve barely managed to get into space ourselves, we haven’t inhabited any planets but our own and we think we know all there is to know about the universe to say that there aren’t any other living beings out there? Bah. We assume other life forms will have tech that is compatible with ours, we assume they want to talk to us, we assume they are advanced enough to even start doing their part to look for us. None of those things are a given, though.
Think of it this way, we’re still finding new species on our own planet. If we haven’t even cataloged all the life on our own planet, it’s not surprising at all we haven’t found alien life in the vast expanses of space. It’s a matter of time, the advancement of our own abilities, and luck. - What is your favorite genre to read and why?
I love fantasy because I really wish there was magic in the real world. Since there’s not, I must rely on books to fulfill my need for wonder, adventure, and magic. - If you’re not a vegetarian, what would you put on your burger? If you are a vegetarian, what would you eat instead of a burger? If you don’t like burgers, why not?
Bacon, avocados, onions, and ketchup! - Finish this sentence with a short paragraph. A little green alien, a panda bear and the Grim Reaper walk into a bar…
already three sheets to the wind. The alien looks nervous, probably because that weird guy from the History Channel has been stalking him. He talked Panda into accompanying him to the bar because watching the black and white creature puke helps him forget his troubles. Grim is there to scythe the History Channel guy if he comes around. Really, that’s the only reason why the little green alien invited him because Grim’s a bore. - What is your greatest professional accomplishment?
For writing, it would be publishing my first book. Dream come true.
For the day job, it would be winning the Prevention Advocate of the Year award, not for the award, but for the meaning behind it. - As a writer/reader/artist/creative-type person, what, if any, music do you listen to while you create?
All kinds. Any music that makes me see pictures in my head is the kind of music I listen to. I have Spotify and have a playlist for many of my books. Lookit! spotify:user:1262205526 - What is your worst fear? I’m talking clowns, spiders, rats, falling, etc… Why?
Anything to do with my kids getting hurt. Otherwise, I’m pretty chill. - If you could either be a highly successful author/artist with no ability to interact with your fans, or a slight to moderately successful author/artist with fan interaction, what would you choose and why?
Hrm. I don’t know. I like the idea of being a highly successful author and since I’m balls at small talk, that might be how I go. - I like myths and urban legends, you should all already know that. So, what is your favorite myth or urban legend and why?
My favorite myth of all time is the one about the vampire, of course! Would I want immortality? Sure! Then I could read all the books, visit all the places, and learn to speak all the languages. - What message about you and your creations would you like new followers to know? Get on that soapbox, this is your stage!
I write for fun. I also write to right the wrongs in the books I’ve read. What does that mean? I’ve seen lots of books that either don’t have any women at all, or the women are stupid and weak, or they get killed off or raped and it drives me crazy. My books might not be the bestest books in the world, but they are the stories I like to read, which is why I write them.
Phew. I’ll bet you’re tired of listening to me, aren’t you?
Good! There are other bloggers out there you need to see! Here are the rules, my nominations, and my questions for the nominees!
Nominee’s Rules:
- Thank the blogger who nominated you and link to their blog/website. My addy is: www.JenniferPonce.com
- Copy and paste the Liebster Award badge into your post.
- Answer the ten questions.
- Nominate ten bloggers and inform them of their nomination via social media methods.
- List ten new questions for your nominees to answer.
Here are my nominees:
M L John at http://mljohnauthor.webs.com
Xao Thao at https://xaothao.wordpress.com
Christy King at http://christy-king.com/index.html
Rose Campbell at https://aninsignificantlife.wordpress.com
Rick Rossing at http://umeabakearen.com
Maria Kay (aka Monster Maven) at https://mariakayblogs.wordpress.com
Elle Boca at http://elleboca.poyeen.com
Keith Manuel at https://borrowedworlds.wordpress.com
Sarah Jane Avory at http://sarahjaneavory.blogspot.co.uk
Laura Cowan at http://laurakcowan.com
AAAAND here are the questions!
1. What do you think about mistakes? Both in your art and in life?
2. Do you play video games and, if so, what’s your favorite? If you don’t play, what types of games do you like?
3. What kind of character would you be in a horror movie? The screamer? The cool one? The first to get murdered? The bad guy?
4. What are your favorite types of stories?
5. What’s your favorite fairy tale and what makes it so?
6. Do you like books that make you cry or ones that make you laugh and why?
7. You’ve just stumbled upon a portal to another world. What would that world be like and what would happen to you there?
8. Dragon or unicorn?
9. Would you rather make a lot of money doing what you hate or make a pittance doing what you love?
10. If you ever got arrested, what would it be for?
I want to go to that house party. 🙂
Thank you for the nomination and the great questions. Awesome!