Mystery blogger: nine things about me

When I first started this blog in 2009, blog "awards" were all the rage. I think 2010-11 was a peak period, in which I received and passed along more than a dozen. By 2013 no one was doing them any more, and it made me a little sad. I can see how they might seem like public chain letters, but by golly they are fun. They give you something entertaining to blog about when all your creativity has gone into finishing a fantastic chapter the night before.

So I will not be joining the anti-blog-award brigade. Nope. I'll be having some fun. So here goes....

There are rules to this award, of course…
Rule 1: Put the award logo/image on your blog.

Rule 2: List the rules.

Rule 3: Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog.

Big thanks for the nomination to awesome A-Z Blogging challenge co-host J. Lenni Dorner, who I knew on Twitter for some time before becoming blog buddies.

Rule 4: Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well.
About the creator: Okoto Enigma’s blog 
The creator’s name, Enigma, means mystery, thus the title of the award.

Rule 5: Tell your readers three things about yourself.

1) I can identify nearly any early 1980s pop song within five measures or less. I was obsessed with America's Top 40 in my misspent youth. (I could have been memorizing Pi to the 400th decimal place or all the world capitals or something a little less frivolous). My husband sometimes makes me demonstrate my skill for guests.

2) I did props management and set decoration for about a dozen college productions, as well as for some community theatre shows. Once I'm an empty nester, I will likely take it up again. It is so much fun to build the material culture for a play.

3) I'm convinced that one of my childhood homes was haunted. We often heard movement in distant rooms, and one of the bedrooms had a distinct cold spot. I sensed the presence of our ghost more than once, particularly in the daytime when playing alone. My sense was that it was a young woman who'd perhaps died in childbirth and continued going about the business of taking care of her family, as if unaware she was dead.

Rule 6: Nominate other bloggers. (I'm going to cheat a little on this one. Twenty is a bit much).

Faith Hough
Jean Davis
Nick Wilford
Samantha Dunaway Bryant
Tyrean Martinson

Rule 7: Notify those people.

Rule 8: Ask your nominee any five questions of your choice, plus one weird or funny question.

The questions I have for my nominees are:
1) What are three things on your "bucket list"?
2) Which authors have influenced you in terms of genre, style, or theme?
3) What book's milieu (place, time, culture) would you most like to live in?
4) What are your favorite writing resources?
5) What's the best book you've read recently?
Fun/weird bonus:  Have you ever developed a "book crush" on a fictional character? Who and why?


I was asked
1) What is the most memorable trait or visual oddity of a fictional book character you’ve read?

Anne Shirley's intense flights of fancy into imaginary worlds (Anne of Green Gables series). I didn't read the books until post-college and felt like L.M. Montgomery could have been writing my girlhood (minus the orphan thing, and living in the 1880s, obvs).

2) What most motivates you to buy a new book to read?

New printed books are a purchase I have to justify because of the space issue and the expense. I have to be convinced I will read it more than once, use it as a resource or model text, or will likely share it. A great sale might also convince me. I'm freer about picking up used books and ebooks--the former aren't as big an expense, the latter less a clutter creator.

3) How do YOU make an educated guess as to if a book by an author you haven’t read before will be “good” BEFORE you read any of it?

The description has to grab me. I can more quickly get past an ugly cover than this. And I never buy or download stuff--even freebies--without reading a sample. Because a great cover blurb of an interesting premise sometimes doesn't translate into style that draws me in. I'm a voice-driven writer and tend to be a voice-driven reader also.

4) What’s your favorite comfort food?

Mashed potatoes. My husband has a killer technique of boiling garlic cloves with the potatoes, then hand-mashing the cooked garlic into the cooked potatoes, along with sour cream, butter, and white pepper.

5) Where do you look for blogging inspiration?

My monthly critique group meetings often provide fodder, as does Twitter--sometimes a random post will catch my eye, sometimes a grammar or spelling error in a tweet will inspire an editing topic.

Weird/funny question: Do you have a celebrity encounter story you can share?

I am almost phobic about rubbing elbows with someone famous and doing something stupid, so I tend to go out of my way to avoid contact, even when given special access, like at comic conventions. So if there's a celebrity around, I will be trying to quietly creep away.


Rule 9: Share a link to my blog’s best post.
Rebel that I am, I'll share two. :-)

One of my analyses of Harry Potter characters continues to get the most hits. It's third in a series

What makes a villain? Part 3: Hero in Villain's Clothing

A newer post with nearly as many page views is this one on my revision process:

How I Do It: Identifying Story Weaknesses

Q4U: Do you miss the "good old days" of writing blogs (before 2012)? 
Answer any (or all) of my six questions listed under "rule 8."

Read More

Sa-weet!

Thanks, readers, for weighing in on my new author photos. It was helpful to hear which photo spoke to you and why. With so many sites requiring a profile picture, it's nice to have so many good options. I can use one picture here, another on Twitter and yet another on Facebook. Variety is the spice of life, right?

My plan is to go to a Tuesday-Friday schedule here on Laurel's Leaves, so swing by this Friday for a brand new Phonics Friday for help with those pesky sound-alikes, homophones. This week, I'll be talking about a pair that one of my college professor authors mixed up: compliment and complement.

Several weeks ago, C.M. Keller passed along the Super Sweet Blogger Award

I have to answer five sweet questions and nominate five sweet bloggers

1. Cookies or Cake? Definitely cookies. I have far too many favorites among the from-scratch variety. Of the store-bought, I have found nothing as heavenly as these:

You can get them only in the UK. We ate through almost a tube a day when we were there in June!

2. Chocolate or Vanilla? I'm more of a caramel and ginger gal. I do prefer vanilla when it comes to milkshakes, dark chocolate in cakes and especially paired with coconut. Or malted milk. Or that crunchy stuff in Butterfinger bars.

3. Favorite Sweet Treat? These:

4. When Do You Crave Sweet Things The Most? After having spicy food. Doesn't everyone?

5. Sweet Nick Name? My dad used to call me honey, which is funny because I cannot stand the stuff. I think it's the concept that it's flower nectar that a bee ate and then barfed up. Eeeew.


I nominate these five sweeties:

Charity Bradford
Faith Hough
Mary Aalgaard
Melanie Schulz
Shannon O'Donnell

Are you passionate about one kind of sweet, or do you like a variety (like I do)?

Read More

Stylish Friday

Fellow poet/fiction writer Alberta Ross was so kind as to pass along the Stylish Blogger Award to me. Thanks, Alberta!

The rules of this one are to share seven things about myself and pass along the award to some other worthy bloggers. Here goes.

1. My black cat, Keats, looks just like Toothless in How to Train Your Dragon. Seriously. He even lost all his fangs due to gum disease, so we've taken to calling him Toothless, too.

2. Whenever I walk with someone, I'll usually be in step with them. It's one of those deep-seated marching band things.

3. Music that changes time signatures frequently makes me extremely anxious and agitated. Sufian Steven's latest album, for example, which my hubby adores, has this affect for this reason. After years in a drum line, you start to feel personally responsible for rhythms around you being "right." Weird, I know.

4. I like to read psychology books, style manuals and my rhyming dictionary for fun.

5. My favorite chore is doing the laundry, especially if I can dry things on my clothesline. Nothing is quite so soothing as sheets flapping in the breeze.

6. I have never broken my teenage habit of listening to the same album over and over all day long.

7. I know more about cars than my hubby does. He didn't have to take two years of classroom driver's ed. in which we learned why tire pressure is important, took written tests on engine parts and watched many grisly movies demonstrating what happens when you don't wear a seat belt or maintain your car or you drive too tired or tipsy.

I pass this one along to the following bloggers:

Bethany at Aspirations.
Karen at Novels During Naptime.
Perri at Lesser Apricots.
Saumya at Left and Right Brained.

What odd habits do you still have that you acquired in your teen years?

Read More

Wise and smiling

I am so thankful to be part of a community that supports and celebrates one another and even gives virtual pats on the back. Yes, friends, I'm talking blog awards.

Wise Writer

The effervescent Shannon at Book Dreaming gave me this flattering award eons ago. The two rules are to name one (or more) favorite writing resources and pass the award along to other bloggers who've stimulated your thinking and whose wisdom has helped you along the way.

These are some of the titles most thumbed through and scribbled in among my collection:

The Scene Book by Sandra Scofield
Manuscript Makeover by Elizabeth Lyon
Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell
Beginnings, Middles and Ends by Nancy Kress
Actually, all Nancy Kress writing books are gold. She's my hero.

I pass this one along to the following sage ladies (no offense to the gentlemen, I just liked the assonance):

Angela at My Poetry and Prose Place
Faith at Faith Elizabeth Hough
Mary at Play off the Page
Laura P. at Exercising the Right to Ramble
Saumya at Left and Write Brained


Making Smiles

The "Making Smiles on Faces Award" is all about happy (and a smidge wordy, but if there's one thing happiness makes us do, it's gush, right?) This one came from the lovely Lisa at Read. Write. Repeat.

I pass this one along to the following cheer bringers:

E. Elle at The Writer's Funhouse
Janet at Musings of a Children's Writer
JEM at Can I get a side of reality with that?
Laura M. at Wavy Lines
Lynn at Place to Create

What are your favorite writing resources? What made you smile today?

Read More

Change one thing -- thoughts on organic plots

Nearly two weeks ago, my hubby got into a low-speed collision that sent our car to the body shop. (Yes, it's still there if you're wondering.) We are a one-car family, so this altered our routine significantly the few days we waited for rental car coverage to be approved. Even though we live a half mile from a transportation hub served by a dozen bus lines, we felt like our wings were clipped. Our usual five-minute drive to the pool suddenly turned into a 40-minute, two-bus trip, with a mile of walking thrown in. A quick cool-off became a major journey.

This got me thinking about plot complications. Some of my favorite books have gripping plots that start with a small inconvenience or missed connection. That one small change ripples out. It might delay or halt movement. It might place the characters at an out-of-routine place at an out-of-routine time. It might weaken them. Place them in greater danger.

Think about your daily routine, and what it might mean to change one thing. A middle-of-the-night, two-minute power outage might make your alarm clock reset itself. When morning comes and you oversleep, suddenly your very livelihood is at stake.

Here are some other contemporary setting ideas:
~No running water because of a system shut-down
~Street is blocked by fallen trees
~Car won't start
~Cell phone battery won't recharge anymore
~Transit union strike
~Computer virus

For you historic fic and fantasy writers:
~Horse is lamed or has colic
~Can't find dry firewood
~Canteen leaks
~Guard dog ate half the rations
~Tiny battle wound gets infected
~Fleas or bedbugs infest your clothes
~Servant has the flu

The possibilities are endless to jack up the tension in your story, starting from the very smallest inconvenience.

Have you ever tried the "change one thing" approach? What worked? What didn't?

====

And it's award time!

Some time ago, I received the One Lovely Blog award from Christine at Christine's Journey and Lola at Sharp Pen/Dull Sword . Thanks, friends!

I pass this one along to the following lovely blogs:

Connie at A Merry Heart

Kierah at Kierah Jane Reilly

Margo at Writing at High Altitude

Theresa at Substitute Teacher's Saga

Victoria at Ron Empress

Go forth and visit these very worthwhile blogs. You'll thank me later. :-)

Read More

Sharing some love

I've fallen a bit behind with acknowledging and passing along blog awards, so today I play catch up.

Janet of It Is What It Is... gave me the elegant-looking Beautiful Blogger Award

I pass it to the following beautiful blogs:
Amy at The Invisible Sister
Christine H. at The Writer's Hole
E. Elle at The Writer's Funhouse
Laura at Exercising the Right to Ramble (just discovered we're both Messiah alum)
Stephanie at Hatsheput, The Writing of a Novel


Sarahjayne Smythe at Writing in the Wilderness passed along the cuddly Sweet Blogger Award.

I pass it to the following sweeties:
Janet at It Is What It Is...
Lynn at Place to Create
Kelly at Kelly's Compositions
Tyrean at Tyrean's Writing Spot
Simon at Constant Revision (Don't let his macho exterior fool you. He has encouraged me out of slumps many a time. I think that qualifies as sweet.)


Nicole of One Significant Moment at a Time named me a Blogger Buddy

I pass it along to the following buds:
Charity at My Writing Journey
Elle at Elle Strauss, author
Lola at Sharp Pen/Dull Sword
Jemi at Just Jemi
Tina at Sweet Niblets

These are no-pressure awards. Pass them along to one person, twenty or none. They're just my way of saying thanks.

I'm doing an epic amount of revising at the moment, so I'm a little short on time. Please bear with my distractedness. I'll visit and comment when I need a breather from the WIP.

If you are a new follower, please tell me a little about yourself! What's your genre, your stomping grounds, your favorite film?

Read More

Gift time

So I'm back, bearing gifts (don't worry, I'm not Greek) after an unplugged week that was medium-productive. I'm all set to announce contest winners beginning Wednesday, and I churned through a good pile of editing at my job. The novel revisions are coming. I wish I were a little less anxious about these last two chapters I need to rewrite and wasn't waking several times a night from subplot panics and fears I'll never finish. Then I remember I felt the same way before rewriting chapter 7 and chapter 8 and chapter 9 and I did some pretty bang-up rewrites of that chunk in under six weeks--my crit group had few changes--so maybe I should stop being such a neurotic idiot and get the sleep I need to be productive. Whew. My neurotic side thinks in the craziest run-ons.

So, back to gifts. I have some lovely blog awards to acknowledge and pass along!

The first is the "You Are My Sunshine" Supportive Commenter Award. I received this one from Sarahjayne Smythe over at Writing in the Wilderness.

I pass it along to the following supportive souls who never fail to give me a boost:

Amber at the Musings of Amber Murphy
Anne at Piedmont Writer
Charity at My Writing Journey
Karen at Write Now
Mary at Play off the Page

The second bit of blog bling, "It's Like We're Soulmates," comes from Nicole at One Significant Moment at a Time. With this one, I get to create fun fictions about each of the friends I pass it along to. So here goes.

Carol at Carol's Prints owes her willowy figure to titanium bone extensions implanted at Raidon Academy for Bionic Ninjas. Also, she can kill you with her brain.

Crystal at Write Because You Must developed a new type of watercolor paint that emits fragrance when viewed under a blacklight.

Karen at Novels During Naptime, a champion pairs figure skater, split with her partner when he admitted he prefered Tonya Harding's skating to Nancy Kerrigan's.

Expert hypnotist Sarahjayne at Writing in the Wilderness implants in all her students the suggestion to immediately read Shakespeare whenever they hear the phrase "ohmigosh."

Tricia at Talespinning earns extra spending money as a paparazzi photographer who stalks British ex-pat actors.

Wow, that was fun. Whoever came up with that award rule was a genius.

Which of these invented secret identites or abilities do you wish you had?

Read More

Fictional fun (in which I tell many lovely lies)

Thanks to Crystal at Write Because You Must for granting me the "Creative Writer" award. Boy, oh, boy, have I ever been jonesing this one--it comes with the stipulation I share some falsehoods and a truth. My mischievous side rubs her hands in glee at an opportunity to fool you all. Mwa-ha-ha!

Here are my five lies and a truth:

1. When I was 23, I dated a 37-year-old who worked in mergers and acquisitions and owned two Mercedes-Benzes. He asked me out for the first time at a funeral.

2. I wore a vintage wedding dress to the prom and my date rented a 1930's convertible to take us there.

3. During my brief stint as an Avon lady, I accidentally set off a house alarm: horns whooping, lights flashing. I ran and hid in a neighbor's doghouse for over an hour until the coast was clear.

4. I broke my collarbone at 17 during a riding lesson. The stallion I was riding got wind of a mare in heat and ran away with me, eventually bucking me off. Ow.

5. My mom brought some of our baby chickens to school to show my second grade classmates. The peeps got loose and my class spent three hours chasing them.

6. I was captain of my high school debate team. We made it all the way to state level championships, coming in sixth in Pennsylvania.

Pass it along to:

Alicia at Eyes 2 Page

Bish at Random Thoughts

Chasing the Moon at Dancing Down Seredipity Street

Holly at Scribbles and Splashes

Jenna at Writing in Dreamstate

Rhonda at Snarktastic Ramblings

Can you guess which is the truth?

Answers tomorrow!

Read More

Prolific

Many thanks to Jen Daiker of unedited for passing along the Prolific Blogger award to me.

The award is described thusly:
"A Prolific Blogger is one who is intellectually productive...keeping up an active blog that is filled with enjoyable content."

The rules for this one are as follows:
1. Every winner of the Prolific Blogger Award has to pass on this award to at least seven other deserving prolific bloggers. Spread some love!
2. Each Prolific Blogger must link to the blog from which he/she has received the award. (see above).
3. Every Prolific Blogger must link back to this post, which explains the origins and motivation for the award.
4. Every Prolific Blogger must visit this post and add his/her name in the Mr. Linky, so that we can get to know the other winners.

Here are my nominees:

-Anne at Piedmont Writer, who somehow juggles multiple writing projects and encouraging posts.

-Aubrie at Flutey Words is the epitome of prolific. She is on fire with submitting short fiction!

-Charity at My Writing Journey digs in to what makes fiction work on an emotional level.

-Crystal at Write Because You Must grapples so deeply with what it is to be creative. And she paints too!

-Mary at Play off the Page is another deep thinker whose posts stretch my mind, heart and soul.

-Roni at Fiction Groupie consistently encourages great discussions by tackling tough topics and her "Beta Club" is simply inspired.

-Sarahjayne at Writing in the Wilderness consistently knocks my socks off with her craft, especially her ability to write tight. Her snippets teach me tons.

Microfiction challenge update
Kudos to Michelle Gregory at Beautiful Chaos for getting two pieces accepted to Two Sentence Stories! You can go rate her stories here: You Can't Run Forever and Day Job. These e-zines often have very quick turn arounds. Hope that inspires you!


Tell me about a time when you were prolific. What was it that drove you to great heights of productivity?

Read More

An Embarrassment of Riches

I'm thankful to be the recipient of so much blog love lately. It's rather overwhelming, really. Here are some of the kind surprises I've received.

I received the Sugar Doll Award from Carol at Carol's Prints. She is an insightful reader, a stunningly talented writer and shares my love of word play. Thanks, Carol!

Since it is Lent, I'm going to half the recipe here, and share five things about me and pass to five blogging sweeties. You all are welcome to go for the full ten if you wish.

Five completely random things about me:

1. If I had the financial means, I would buy a marimba and a horse.

2. I am the youngest of five kids and my siblings are 5, 15, 17 and 19 years older than I am.

3. I got really terrible TMJ after having my wisdom teeth out at 13 and had to wear a night guard appliance for years. I named it “George.”

4. In high school, I dressed up one Halloween as the headless horseman, got my pal Sue to be the grim reaper and we spent the evening jumping out from behind bushes scaring little kids.

5. I toured one summer with a music ministry team from college. We decided it would be a great idea to adopt some kittens, and keep them in the van while we drove around all summer.

I pass the Sugar Doll award along to the following sweeties:
Amber at Musings of Amber Murphy keeps me young with her zingy humor and won't stop calling me "adorable." (blushingspice!)
Elle at Elle Strauss, author has been a consistent voice of kindness and support and I'm thrilled to my toes that she recently signed with an agent!
Jemi at Just Jemi takes proverbial Canadian niceness to new heights.
Shannon at Book Dreaming is always inspirational and a super-sonic encourager.
Tricia at Talespinning pairs poetry and photos with writing tips and keeps me in touch with all things lyrical.


I accept with thanks the Quillfeather Award from Jemi at Just Jemi, who is one of the coolest chicks in the blogosphere, IMO.

This one comes with a handsome rooster that reminds me of my farmy childhood. They are vicious critters, chickens, if you ever happen to get closely acquainted with them. You really don't want to watch them establish pecking order. Nor see a flock of chicks feed from a round dish instead of a long, skinny one. Not pretty.

The rules for this award are to share how you like your eggs cooked and pass the award on to some other cool chicks.

I like my eggs sunny-side up, with the whites nice and crispy. After a quick steam at the end to finish the top whites, serve with a buttery English muffin to dip in the yolk. (This is my supper most Sunday nights. Yum!)

I pass it along to the following cool chicks:
Aubrie at Flutey Words site is always piping up with a tuneful note of encouragement or praise.
Kristi Faith at Random Acts of Writing plays Mad Libs on her blog! Too kewl!
Nisa at Wordplay, Swordplay mixes funny kid stories with tales of valor.
Tess at Tess Himlo is full of inspiration and goes wild with fun font faces.


And thanks to Mediea at Mediea Sharif for the Creative Writer Award! Her YA novel The Bestest Ramadan Ever, due out in 2011, looks fascinating.

I hereby bequeath this award to the following creative souls:
Karen at Novels During Naptime always has some fun going on, whether nostalgia for 80s TV or snippets from her playful writing.
Mary at Play off the Page has journal prompts with every entry--a wonderful idea-generator when you're feeling stuck or burned-out.
Nicole at One Significant Moment at a Time knocks my socks off with teasers of her work every Tuesday.

These are no-pressure awards. Pass them along as you see fit. Just know I appreciate you all!

The anticipation builds for my Eleventy-one contest celebration. Part 1 includes a random drawing--all you have to do is be a follower. The first 111 automatically get two entries. Come join the party! I'll announce all the details once I hit eleventy-one followers.

Read More

Sunny side

I'm supposed to be cleaning my house right now (shhh!!), but thought I ought to not fall behind with acknowledging blog awards. And hey, I did find the bottom of my daughter's closet, which I think deserves some kind of reward.

This beauty came from my CP Simon at Constant Revision. I believe the only requirements are to acknowledge the giver and pass it on.

Because they made me laugh in the Whoops! Blogfest, and because it has brought a smile to get to know these new friends, I pass along the Sunshine award to the following (in alpha order):

AJ at Eyes 2 Page
Jenna at Writing in Dreamstate
Laura at Pray for Rain
Lena at The Writing Desk
Roxy at A Woman's Write
VR at VR Barkowski

And it looks like I'm just a few followers away from 111. I'll give a tiny spoiler about my Eleventy-one contest celebration. Part of it will include a random drawing for which you must do NOTHING but be a follower. The first 111 get two entries. So if you aren't already following, now's your chance to up your probability of winning. :-)

Read More

Fat and happy

What better day than Mardi Gras to belatedly acknowledge and pass along the Happy 101 award? My sassy cyber sister Rhonda at Snarktastic Ramblings gave me this lovely honor almost a month ago (sorry for the delay). So here's to happy on Fat Tuesday!

The rules to this award are to list ten things that give you happiness and pass along the love to five other bloggers.

Ten (of a thousand) Things that Make Me Happy

Trees. Nothing is more calming to me than time in the forest. It's a holdover from my rural childhood, I guess. I live in an urban row house, blocks from a train line and four bus routes, but just out my back door is America's largest urban park with miles of forested hiking trails.

Public transportation. I adore riding the train to work, and taking jaunts on a subway, bus or trolley. It's just the most awesome setting to people watch, eavesdrop, daydream.

Geeky stuff. I'm always happy to meet other fellow geeks who were in marching band and theater and art club and newspaper and read loads of SF and fantasy and played D&D and can quote Monty Python and understand references to Star Trek and Dr. Who and Battlestar Galactica.

England. I'm a diehard Anglophile. I studied abroad there and have been back a few times, most recently to do research for Bring to Light. I love the British sense of humor, the literature, the history, the mild weather, even the food. Roast lamb and Yorkshire pudding...mmmm.

Singing. I've been blessed with a decent voice that I've worked to train and maintain, though I don't do much public performing any more. There's something incredibly energizing about music making, especially creating harmonies with other voices.

Growth. Whether it's tender tulip tops pushing through the soil, my daughter reading books to me, one of my youth group girls having a lightbulb moment with God, or a critique partner finding her voice, signs of new and good things unfolding excites me.

My church. I couldn't ask for a more loving, vibrant faith community to be a part of, even if it's a little hard to share a building and meet Sunday afternoons.

The library. Three nearby branches offer loads of books and films to enjoy, all of them free. Does it get any better than that?

My family. Not only is my hubby a gourmet cook, he's scary-smart, artistic, funny and loves all the geeky stuff I do. My daughter can be a total goofball one moment, and a philosopher the next. She's imaginative and arty and has the most infectious laugh ever.

Writing. The characters I create are so real to me. It's a joy to breathe life into them and contend with the struggles of developing craft to make them just as real to others.

I pass the happiness on to the following wonderful blogs:

Tricia at Talespinning
Erin at Musings of a Writer Chick Living in Paradise
Roxane at Peace Garden Mama
Lady Glamis at The Innocent Flower
Nicole at One Significant Moment at a Time

Now I'm going to drink lots of tea to drown out this sore throat, watch some more LotR extras with my daughter (vacation day from school) and dig into the decadent torte my hubby made. Tomorrow we freeze the leftovers to enjoy on Lenten Sundays.

How do you like to whoop it up? Any Mardi Gras traditions?

Read More

Friday Fun: Off the top of my head

Thanks to Karen at Novels During Naptime, winner of my "name that allusion" contest, for giving me this lovely new award.

Rules: Answer the following questions with single word answers then pass this along to 5 other bloggers.

Your Cell Phone? Cheap
Your Hair? Average
Your Mother? Adventurous
Your Father? Deceased
Your Favorite Food? Popcorn
Your Dream Last Night? Stairways
Your Favorite Drink? Tea
Your Dream/Goal? Novelist
What Room Are You In? Office
Your Hobby? Indiefilm
Your Fear? Ridicule
Where Do You See Yourself In Six Years? Published
Where Were You Last Night? Fellowship
Something That You Aren't? Trendy
Muffins? Cranberry
Wish List Item? Horse
Where Did You Grow Up? Rural
Last Thing You Did? Photocopy
What Are You Wearing? Wool
Your TV? Adequate
Your Pets? Cuddly
Friends? Lifeline
Your Life? Growing
Your Mood? Mischievous
Missing Someone? Nieces
Vehicle? Vibe!
Something You Aren't Wearing? Tattoo
Your Favorite Store? Kohls
Your Favorite Color? Blue
When Was The Last Time You Laughed? Breakfast
Last Time You Cried? Writing
Your Best Friend? Hubby
One Place You Go To Over And Over Again? Blogosphere
Facebook? Burnout
Favorite Place To Eat? LemonGrassThai

I hereby bequeath this one to the following fun five:

Simon at Constant Revision (lover of the double dog dare)

Rhonda at Snarktastic Ramblings (sassy cyber sister)

Mary at Play off the Page (soul seacher)

Kelly at Kelly's Compositions (youth ministry maven)

Yat-Yee at Yat Yee Chong (girl percussionist club member)

Read More

If there is anything lovely...

In the season of giving, I've been hoarding. Or shall I put a more positive spin on it and say I've been saving up for a bleak time, when everyone could use a spoonful of sugar?

My post-holiday slump doesn't typically hit till after Epiphany (Jan. 6). Everything (except maybe the stockings) stays up through the whole 12 days. When the magi hightail it back to Persia by another route, the baubles go back in boxes. We return to "ordinary time"--liturgically and practically--and the usual business of looking past the everyday grace and humdrum miracles right under our noses: Heartbeats. Air. Blood that clots. Cuisine. Music. Dog at my feet and cat in my lap. Stop signs. Peaceful queues at the train station. Stories leaking out of every corner of creation.

January lingers long and cold here in Pennsylvania. You could almost forget that every morning, we're getting just a little more daylight. Those tulip bulbs under the soil are brewing deep, sweet hues inside them. January has its own kind of ordinary magic for which I am thankful.

In that spirit, I'd like to share my thanks for the following bloggers who bring loveliness to my world. I pass on the "One Lovely Blog Award" so graciously bestowed by Carolina at Carol's Prints to these lovely blogs:

Elle at Elle Strauss - Author
Susan at A Walk in My Shoes
Michelle at beautiful chaos
Rhiannon at Rhiannon Hart
Karen at Novels During Naptime
Donna and the gang at First Novels Club
Girl with one eye at A Squirrel Amongst Lions



I also received the Blogging Writer award from the always-generous Shannon at Book Dreaming. This "rule free" award is mine to do with as I please. I'd like to pass it along to two bloggers who are deeply committed to their craft and without fail have wonderful tips:

Katie at Step 1: Write, Edit and Revise
Roni at Fiction Groupie

Thanks for sharing your expertise!

Read More

Upcoming fun

Tomorrow is the No Kissing Blogfest, hosted by Frankie of Frankie Writes. Swing on by her blog to sign up and to see the full list of participants. I'm pretty excited to be joining in the fun. Hubby is proofreading my new scene as I write this.

I also will be posting on some new blog bling gifts bestowed last week, while I was skulking around the MLA convention for work. I've been busily neglecting my family visiting blogs recently to pick my victims recipients.

My next editor-on-call post will be coming up this week as well. If you have any additional grammar or style questions you'd like me to address, send them on over to lonexylophone (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Read More

Blog awards

From Shannon at Book Dreaming













From Jen at unedited















From Medeia at Medeia Sharif and Tyrean at Tyrean's Writing Spot


















From Simon at Constant Revision















From Janet at It Is What It Is

















From Tamara at Chasing Dreams and Kristi at Random Acts of Writing















From Shannon at Book Dreaming














From Rhonda at Snarktastic Ramblings














From Carol at Carol's Prints















From Sarahjayne at Writing in the Wilderness
















From Carol at Carol's Prints, Christine at Christine's Journey and Lola at Sharp Pen/Dull Sword















From Nicole at One Significant Moment at a Time













From Karen at Novels During Naptime and Kelly at Kelly's Compositions













From Simon at Constant Revision













From Sarahjayne at Writing in the Wilderness














From Jemi at Just Jemi














From Crystal at Write Because You Must















From Nicole at One Significant Moment at a Time

Read More

Gifts for the fourth day of Christmas (minus the calling birds)

My long-overdue thanks to Shannon at Book Dreaming for the Picasso Award!

This little beauty comes with the stipulation that I pass it on to seven other blogs and share seven things about myself.

My nominees, because they make me thankful to be part of the writing blogosphere, are as follows:
Kristi Faith at Random Acts of Writing
Nickles at Who, What, When, Where and Why
Sherrinda at A Writer Wannabe
Roni at Fiction Groupie
Natalie at Natalie Bahm
Tricia at Talespinning
Rhonda at Snarktastic Ramblings

A special thanks to Kristi for my second Honest Scrap award!

My seven things:

1. While taking a long walk in 1992, I "met" the protagonist of two novels I’m currently working on. Dani seemed to fall into step beside me and tell me her story of loss, family dysfunction and struggles to hang on to her faith. I filled pages of notes at the time, then stuffed them away. Those long-buried notes came out more than a decade later, after I, too, lost my father and felt a strong pull toward this grieving girl. I don't think I could have written her all those years ago.

2. When I worked as a reporter for an energy industry publication, I went by Laura just so I wouldn’t have to spell my name thirty times a day.

3. I owe my warped optimism when things go wrong to my parents’ guiding words. Mom: “It will make a good story later.” Dad: “It’s better than a sharp stick in the eye.”

4. I cannot stand the taste of honey, aka bee vomit. The whole concept is gross.

5. My stomach churns at the thought of riding a boat of any kind in the ocean. Boating on lakes and rivers? No problem. I chalk it up to disaster movies from the 70s like Jaws and the Poseidon Adventure.

6. I’ve had shingles twice, at ages 6 and 26. I’m bracing for the virus to re-emerge when I’m 46.

7. A more random aspect of my life is my checkered employment history. Some of the jobs I’ve had include tax prep clerk, Avon lady, cashier at McDonald’s, retail clerk, electronics and automotive clerk, clown, janitor, camp arts and crafts director, writing tutor, dispensing optician, reporter, graphic designer and magazine editor.

Read More

Scrappy-doo

The lovely, soon-to-be published Tamara over at Chasing Dreams bestowed my second blog award--The Honest Scrap. I blush, I swoon.... Seriously though, it was a wonderful treat to be so honored when I'm the new kid in this corner of the blogosphere.

That said, I'm going to bend the award rules a bit and name just a handful blogs, largely because I haven't yet ventured terribly far in writer-blog land. I'm working on it, folks. The introvert in me has a hard time doing something so forward as commenting.

So here goes. My nominees for the Honest Scrap are:

Candice, Suffering from Writer's Blog. She only posts weekly, but doggone is she hilarious and often touching, too. This post on the misuse of "literally" had me laughing so hard my ribs ached.

Heidi, Some Mad Hope. Her debut novel launches next week, and it looks riveting--a family's diabetic daughter develops an insulin allergy, and their best hope for a cure puts them at odds with their small town's conservative religious community.

Robyn, Putting Pen to Paper. I enjoy hearing about Robyn's life as much as her musings on writing and faith. I'll go dust off my Breyer models now and try to stop jonesing her horses.

Shannon, Book Dreaming. I think this is her third nomination, and deservedly so. She is a terrific encourager and asks great questions on her posts that spark some lively interactions. I've met a number of my most recent followers through her.

Apparently this award stipulates that I also share ten things about myself. So here goes.

1. I'm managing editor of a scholarly journal on modernist literature. This means I get to read some pretty cool scholarly work on the greats of the 20th century: Joyce, Woolf, Faulkner, Hemingway, Pound, Yeats, Beckett. I also have to copy edit the most egregious run-on sentences imaginable. And I get lots of e-mail calling me Dr. Garver, which is my philosophy professor hubby, you silly people.

2. I've nearly forgotten how to cook, because my husband has been the chef for the past 11 years.

3. My gateway drug to writing was...Dungeons and Dragons. Eek, gasp, run for the hills! I started playing in 7th grade--it was an enrichment activity we did in the gifted program at school. I continued to play on and off over the years, up until about two years ago. I liked to cross-stitch between bouts of smiting evil.

4. I played mallet percussion in high school (xylophone, bells, marimba, etc.) and marched in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin my junior year.

5. Besides being a band geek, I was also a choir geek, art club geek, lit mag geek and theater geek.

6. Speaking of geeking out, I love geeky TV like Dr. Who (especially the most recent incarnation) Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica. However...

7. I haven't read much Sci Fi or fantasy in about 15 years. Back in the day, I was ga-ga over Frank Herbert's Dune series and Anne McCaffrey's Pern books. At the moment, I prefer realistic fiction with psychologically complex characters and relationships.

8. I've only been a bridesmaid once, but I've sung in almost a dozen weddings.

9. From just a few bars of music, I can "name that tune"--and artist--for just about any pop song from the early to mid 80s. I was a "Top 40 countdown" addict in my teen years.

10. My favorite author is Susan Howatch. Her most recent St. Benet's series (The Wonder Worker, The High Flyer, The Heartbreaker) has intense plots and deep characterization, pulls no punches about the nature of evil and our own capacity for self-deception, and delivers mind-blowingly redemptive denouements. I want to write books for teenagers that are like hers.

Read More

I humbly accept...and sincerely shout out for some superior scribblers

Thanks to Simon over at Constant Revision for naming me a Superior Scribbler! He must've gotten wind of my love of jotting notes on ATM receipts and in el-cheapo spiral notebooks. I feel honored to be named among his fave blogs and so thankful to know him IRL. If you haven't read his blog, drop everything and go now!

With this award comes responsibility: I get to share the love with some blogs I enjoy, but, alas, only five. I thought I'd draw attention to a few you might not have heard of. Here goes, in alpha order:

Carolina at Carol's Prints writes YA fantasy and paranormal romance and blogs with feeling and wit about craft and how our imaginations run with us as writers. Plus, she's lived in Britain, which makes her all kinds of awesome in my book.

Elle Strauss - Author, writes YA chicklit and is fairly new to the blogosphere. I've enjoyed her posts on craft and her book reviews as well.

EspressoLatteMocha is a group blog of three writers, including two wonderful women from my children's critique group, Chrysa and Carmen. All three have loads of pointers for pursuing different paths toward becoming published. Carmen's Two Moon Princess was published with a traditional publisher, Chrysa started her own publishing venture, the Well Bred Book, and their friend MaryFran took the print-on-demand route.

Mindy Withrow has published five YA nonfiction books, co-written with her husband, that bring church history to life. She's an insightful reader and book reviewer and is working oh-so quietly on her first novel.

Scathing Reviewer reads widely in YA and has a no-holds-barred approach to reviewing I find refreshing. She'll be swinging by soon to do a guest Q&A that should be informative for YA writers hoping to engage even the toughest YA audience members.

Read More