Very Inspiring Blogger Award!

The super sweet and fascinating blogger and author, Shanah Wooldrage, just nominated me for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award! She said this when she nominated me: " I love reading her blog. You will too. I like almost anyone who can hug cats, but this blogger is special."

See? I told you. Super sweet! Also? Her blog is awesome! And she has a hedgehog! And loves Celtic stuff with a passion that rivals my own - what's not to like?

I'm supposed to come up with 7 interesting things about me, and then tag 15 more inspiring bloggers. I've got a few in mind, but I'm not sure I'll make it to 15. Actually, I'll be honest - it's more like 5.

For some reason, my blog is misbehaving and the links don't show up until you hover over them. However, you can click out to check out these other spiffy blogs. 

Okay 7 things, huh...lemme think.

1.) When we were little, my younger brother had an imaginary friend named Bob Hook and I was totally jealous because I didn't have an imaginary friend. I have no idea why it didn't occur to me to make up my own imaginary friend. But alas. It didn't. Also? Bob Hook hated me.

2.) I make personalized cross stitch stockings for everyone in my family (mom, sibs, kids, nieces and nephews and in-laws). I made up the patterns for most of them because I couldn't find what they wanted. Seriously, try to find an iguana in a Christmas tree licking an ornament. I couldn't do it. This is my son Killian's. Yep - that's Santa flying on a dragon's back.

 3.) In addition to cats, I adore bats. If I could have a pet bat, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Especially with that awful White Nose Syndrome that's decimating bat colonies across the US and Europe.

4.) I was a singer in a garage band in high school. We were called Rebel and the Ions. :)

5.) Instead of the typical bridal party dance at our wedding, my husband and I insisted on dancing around a maypole. So, yeah...about that...sorry to everyone I coerced into participating...

6.) Ever since I was a kid, I've always wanted a VW Microbus. The first time I went to my friend's house in high school, there was a blue and white one parked in the driveway - complete with little gingham curtains. I was in love with it. And also jealous. I still want one.

7.) I collect a lot of things - mostly rocks, really, but I'm also really fond of English Cottage Ware. One of my lovely friends who lives in Wales sends me pieces for my set when she finds them. This is the first piece she ever sent me, and I treasure it.

 Okay, now it's time to tag my lovelies!  

Award Rules:

1. Display the logo in your blog to show you’ve been nominated.
2. Link back to your nominator.
3. Share 7 things about yourself.
4. Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award - or, you know, less if that's what you've got.
5. Notify your nominees.

If I nominate you and you don’t want to play, no worries. If you do decide to play, please let me know so I can learn 7 interesting things about you!

My lovely nominees...in no particular order.

Leigh Jones - CP extraordinaire and fellow cat lover and fort builder.

Tess Grant - Forensic anthropologist, werewolf author and coffee lover.

Lynn Dozema - All around sweetheart and fellow Monday Muser.

Kel - A superhero who's too cool to wear her undies on the outside.

Ali Seay - Spectacular author in whatever genre she touches - also she's my kind of crazy.

Actually, to be fair, all of these women are my kind of crazy.

Monday Musings - My Dream Vacation

This morning we're talking about dream vacations with the Monday Musings crew. Be sure to check out the posts by Leigh Jones, Tess Grant and Lynn Dozema.

I'm sad to say I haven't really had the opportunity to travel much, but I'm hoping to rectify that in the nearish future. I don't even want to go all that far away - at least not for my first overseas trip. My dream vacation would be a week each spent in Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. And I'd have to at least take a few day trips to the Isles of Skye, Wight and Man.

I have friends in England and Wales that I'd love to meet in real life as opposed to just over the phone or online and also family in Wales I'd love to actually meet. Even if I didn't have those personal connections, I still feel drawn to these places. Ever since I was little, I've felt a deep connection to these places, and I hope I get to experience the reality of them sooner rather than later.

These are just a few of the spots I'd like to visit. If money and time weren't an issue, where would you like to visit?

Monday Musings - What I Need to Write

It's Monday Musings time and I'm late because of the day from hell. Seriously, it's a wonder I'm still awake. But anyway, be sure to check out the other Monday Musings Lovelies, Kirsti Jones, Tess Grant and Lynn Dozema and  see what's on their lists.

I don't really need much to be able to get down to work and start writing. Mostly, I jut need my computer. It's gotten to the point where I have trouble composing away from the keyboard. At this point, it feels like an extension of my brain. I *can* write on paper, but I find that it tends to be more of an outline as opposed actual writing.

Other than that, I don't need much.

Except, you know...tea. I need a lot of tea.

And sometimes coffee.

I'm not one of those people that needs complete silence to write. After all, I did daycare for years, so typically chaos doesn't faze me. But every once in a while, I have a day where I can't focus, so if it's one of those days where I'm easily distracted by the outside world, I need headphones and music.

And the last thing I need are friends. Friends to bounce ideas off of, share excitement with and yep, sometimes to whine to when things aren't going as well. Writing is a very solitary profession and friends are one of the biggest necessities of all.

Monday Musings - Favorite Movies and TV Shows

The Monday Musings authors picked favorite movies and TV shows for our topic this week and I know that by the time I'm done narrowing it down, It's still going to look like I do nothing but watch TV - I promise that isn't the case, though.

You can check out my fellow Monday Musings authors by clicking on their names: Kirsti Jones, Tess Grant, and Lynn Dozema.

Okay - let's get on with the entertainment.

The TV shows I've listed are there primarily because I love the characters. I've loved watching them develop over the years - or, you know, season, in terms of Firefly. And looking at the list, it's really no surprise that most of them have paranormal elements. It's what I love best, and I love these show in particular because of their character and story arcs. So in no particular order are my favorite shows.

And I can't forget the movies I love. There are so many more, but in the interest of time and space, I'm trying to limit them somewhat. Again, in no particular order...

So, I'd love to know - what are some of your favorites?

Thursday's Children (and also Monday Musings) - A Virtual Tour of My Office

This has been sort of a hell week for me, so at the lovely Rhiann Wynn-Nolet suggested that my office post do double duty for the Thursday's Children post. I thought it was a brilliant idea, so we're going with that. Below, you can see some of the things that inspire me in my work space!

And you can also see the work spaces of my Monday Musings writers - just click on their names to check out their offices, too! Kirsti Jones, Tess Grant and Lynn Dozema.

Okay, so it's clutter. No, really cluttered. But it works and it's home.

This is my desk. Actually, it used to be my husband's when he was a kid, but I cleaned it up, put new hardware on it and adopted it. It's where I keep my journals, rocks and whatever reference material I'm using at the time. Oh yeah, and the computer.

My office also doubles at my sewing room. I have, what one would consider, an unhealthy addiction to fabric. But I'm working on purging a bunch of it this year. If I don't have very specific plans for it, it's out. Oh, and the old treadle machine under the new one actually works. It's gorgeous, too.

This is one of the bookcases. As you can see, it's overloaded and also in need of purging. And that's Thelma, my dressmaker's dummy wearing a shawl my mom made me. The harp was given to me by a friend. One of these days I'll learn how to play it. You know...in my spare time.

This is just some art I like. Or, more art I like. My kids call them "The Butt People." The unframed print is by a very talented local artist named Gary Elderidge and the print is called The Muse of Art and Literature. It's absolutely beautiful up close - I wish I could get a better picture of it.

I've ended up with a lot of instruments in my office - some are mine, some not so much. The three hand drums, harp, dulcimer, recorder, trumpet and bamboo flute are mine. The two guitars, concert flute and violin are not. And yet...here they are in my office. Hmm...

This is a gorgeous Victorian chemise that I rescued from a house that was scheduled to be destroyed back when I was in college. I wish I'd had the foresight to pry out the fireplace mantles and take the old glass doorknobs and other fixtures. Unfortunately, I didn't.

Anyway, this is my little chaos corner. Hope you enjoyed the tour. :) 

Don't forget to check out the Blog Hop, and join in, too!

Here's the code for the Linky to put on your own post.

New Blog Award!

Thanks so much to Tamara of the One Magic Bean Buyer Blog! She awarded me the Cutie Pie award - which I cheerfully accepted!

And I get to nominate other people, too. So my nominees are Kirsti Jones, Lynn Dozema, Tess Grant - my fellow Monday Morning Musers! Please click on their names and check out their blogs! :)

Monday Musings - Where I'd Like to Live

This week, we're talking about the places we'd like to live. Be sure to check out my fellow bloggers' posts. Kirsti Jones, Tess Grant and Lynn Dozema.

There are a ton of places that I'd like to visit, but I love my home state. I even love my house. I don't, however, love my current neighborhood. It's not terrible, but the houses are close together. So close, in fact, that if I'm not careful, I can see right into my neighbor's bathroom from my kitchen window.

So. Not. Cool.

For any of us.

But like I said, I love my house. It's a cottage style home that was built in 1927 and still has the original hardwood floors and gorgeous red oak woodwork and tons of character. However, I would like it better if it were situated in the woods bordering the shores of Lake Superior. I'd be thrilled to wake up every day with this as my view. Think of all the writing I could get done!

Instead, I'll have to be satisfied with my once a year writing retreat. But hey...better than nothing!

Monday Musings - Genre Fiction vs. Literary Fiction

Genre fiction is often used as a derisive, dismissive term, and that annoys me. I don't have anything against literary fiction, I even read it from time to time, but unless I'm really in the mood for it, it's not my first choice. Mostly it's because there's enough crap going on in the world, and frankly when I sit down with a book, I want to fall into a new world and escape.

For me, genre fiction is the best way to do that. I don't mean to imply that genre fiction is nothing but feel-good fluff - it definitely isn't. But I know that I can count on a journey and an ending that's satisfying and won't leave me weeping - unless it's the good kind of crying.

I have a dear friend who almost exclusively reads literary fiction. She'd been bugging me to read a certain book. I thought it looked like a terrible idea, but she'd loved it and wanted to share it with me. So I made her a deal. I told her if she’d read the genre fiction of my choosing, I’d read the literary fiction of hers. Thus, the arrangement made in hell was born.

This is what happened:

Her: OMG. This is actually really good. Why didn’t I know this?

Me: ‘Cause you’re a fiction snob.

Her: Oh right. I forgot. So, is book two out yet?

Me: Yeah and book three. Four will be out later this year.

Her: Cool. I feel a trip to Barnes and Noble coming on.

Me: I thought you might.

Her: You don’t have to gloat.

Me: I’m not gloating...much.

Her: So, how are you liking your book?

Me: Meh...but, I’m not very far into it yet. It’s pretty cumbersome prose. Also, it’s depressing as hell.

Her: I know, right?

Me: Bitch.            
                                  

I bet you’re wondering if I finished that book, aren’t you? Oh, I finished it, all right. Every morose, depressing tear-jerking page. This is how it went for me.

Like a moron, I came to the end of this miserable book in the waiting room of a doctor’s office. So I’m reading, trying to be all discreet while wiping away my tears and blowing my nose, and I hear this little girl say:

“Daddy? Why dat yady cryin’?”

He glances up from his magazine, looks at me like I’m a freak and says, “I don’t know honey.”

So the little girl stares at me for a while, walks over and says, “Hey yady, why you cryin’?”

So I shut my book and say, “I’m reading this book, and it’s very sad.”

She wrinkled up her nose and said, “Then why you reading it?”

Good question, kid. I said, “Well, my friend read it and really liked and told me I needed to read it, too.”

She stared at me for a minute, put her hands on her hips and said, “Your friend is mean!”

So there you have it – out of the mouths of babes. Literary fiction is mean!

I know there's great literary fiction out there. I'm sure it's probably not all gut-wrenchingly sad. And I'm equally sure that, Margaret Atwood aside, I'll be reaching for genre fiction 99% of the time.

Kirsti, Tess and Lynn are all sharing their takes on literary vs. genre fiction. Click on their names to see what they have to say. :)

Monday Musings - Self Interview

Tess Grant, Kirsti Jones and I are trying something new in an attempt to blog more regularly and we're calling it Monday Musings. Basically, we'll be posting about our own takes on a different topic each week.

This week, it's all about the self interview. And of course, if you have any other burning questions, please feel free to ask! And be sure to check out Tess' interview, here and Kirsti's interview, here! And Lynn's joining us, too! Her interview is here!

Here are the questions.

What do you like best about writing?
I love falling headfirst into a story and giving life to the people wandering around my head. And on a pragmatic note, I love working from home and having the flexibility to be home with my kids.


Do you have a day job aside from writing?
I do. I'm the executive editor for a small press where I  oversee three departments. But happily, I can do that from home.

What’s your favorite word?
Actually, it's more like a favorite phrase - "Once Upon a Time..."

What’s your least favorite word?
Phlegm. Ewww. Even typing it gives me a full body shudder.

What sound do you love?
Rain, waves crashing on the shore, thunder, big baby belly laughs and purring cats

What sound do you hate?
Overly loud motorcycles, my neighbors yelling, whining

What’s your favorite curse word?
Fuck. It's just so versatile and useful.

What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?
I often think that being a high school English teacher would be a great job.

What profession would you not like to do?
Pretty much anything involving math.

If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
Hey, great job with that whole mom thing - your kids turned out brilliantly!

What’s your favorite animal?
Cats! Followed closely by bats, foxes and squirrels.

Favorite color?
Browns and greens - I'm an earth tones girl.

Coffee or tea?
Both, please. But I do prefer tea.

City or country?
Definitely the country!

Star Wars or Star Trek?
Love them both, but Star Wars wins.

Buffy, Angel or Firefly?
Buffy and Firefly - I cannot choose.

Pirate or ninja?
Pirate! Seriously, like there's any question about that?

If you were a book, which book would you be?
I would be The Paper Bag Princess. If you can't slay the dragon, out think it and above all, always be yourself.

I Just Got a Nifty New Blog Award

The talented and fascinating Rhiann Wynn-Nolet just awarded me the One Lovely Blog Award! You should definitely take a peek at her blog and learn a little bit about her.

In the meanwhile, here are seven facts about me.

1.) My college job was working as a seamstress and makeup artist at the university theatre.

2.) I once had a poem critiqued (in public - eep!) by Allen Ginsberg.

3.) I used to run a small business out of my home making bridal dresses, veils and bridesmaids' dresses.

4.) I collect rocks. No really. They're all over the house. I bring them home from wherever I go and people bring them to me when they travel. One of my favorites is a piece of mortar from the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey a friend brought home to me.

5.) I was jealous of my little brother because he had an imaginary friend and I didn't. True story.

6.) I can knit - but only slippers.

7.) I collect fairy tale books - picture books, antique volumes, modern - you name it, I want it on my shelf.

Now, I'm tagging  a few awesome people for you to get to know better. Check them out!

Kirsti Jones

Tess Grant

Patricia Kiyono

Stephanie Michels

Lynn Dozema

If your name is on the list and you'd prefer not to participate, it's all good. :)