The Liebster Award

Fellow blogger and writer Bethany Jennings tagged me for this fun “award”. Thanks for thinking of me, Bethany. She has some fascinating book concepts — you can check out the blurbs about her works in progress on her website.

Bethany shared this about the Liebster Award:

“A Liebster is a ‘pay it forward’ sort of blogging chain mail. Liebster is German for some lovely traits such as endearing, welcoming, and valued. Those are kind compliments to pay via this nomination! It is also to encourage readers to discover new blogs.”

Here are the rules I need to share:

– Answer the 11 interview questions
– In that post, link back to the person who awarded you.
– Choose 11 other bloggers to award, focusing on those with 200 followers or below.
– Link to those bloggers in your post, then go and leave them comments to share the good news!
– Be sure to ask them 11 original questions.

So, here are the 11 questions Bethany asked me and her other nominees!  At the bottom I’ll tag some bloggers and ask them 11 questions of my own.

The Questions

What is your favorite blog post you’ve ever written?

I don’t have a favorite. I do enjoy going back to see samples of my photo-editing work. Even though I was the one doing it, it still looks like magic to me.

What makes your heart sing about your current WIP or creative endeavor?

It’s a story that never gets old for me, how a divine prince finds his true love in a young woman who committed murder and is being shipped out of the kingdom, banished for life. He leaves behind his status, his superpowers, and his kingdom to go after her. Along the way he finds a young man from her village who loves her so much that he also is leaving the safety of the kingdom for her sake. What will happen to these three — the broken girl, the devoted would-be boyfriend and the prince who gave up everything?

Stories of love and loyalty in the face of hardship always get me.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

The answer to this question hasn’t changed since I came up with it as a kid. The ability to change my size — as giant as I like or as tiny as a microscopic cell. This power would translate into so many things: strength, speed (if you’re big enough, you can take one long step over the Atlantic, right?), invisibility (get small enough and no one can see you), etc.

Where’s your favorite place you’ve traveled to, and why?

Hard to choose. I like so many places. The Northern California coast is probably my favorite, though. And let’s say Prairie Creek Redwoods specifically. Fern Canyon is amazing.

Speaking of travel, what’s your favorite mode of transportation?

Walking. It’s so relaxing and you have time to take everything in and people-watch. But driving is nice, too, because long road trips lend themselves to either great conversation or great brainstorming of stories.

What is your ideal dinner/supper?

Tacos!

What was the first story you ever wrote?

I don’t remember. I started pretty young. There was one called “The Cygnet” about a baby swan. I’m especially fond of my early attempt at crossover fan fiction in 6th grade: “Indiana Jones in Narnia”.

Do you like poetry? If so, what kind?

All kinds. Free verse can be great, but I like forms, too. Sonnets and haiku and all that. I don’t often go out of my way for it these days, but I like it.

Tell me about a treasured childhood memory.

Summers at a ranch in Napa. The orchards had so many kinds of fruit: cherries, tangerines, oranges, pears, blackberries. There were lizards to catch and long grass to hide in. A creek with clay in the banks so you could line the sand and make water channels and pools that didn’t sink into the sand and disappear. There was a circular driveway, so I would get a bag of cherries and ride my bike around that circle with no hands (because my hands were busy with the cherries). I was about 10-11 years old and it was wonderful!

Now tell me about a moment in your life that changed you forever.

I have these moments daily. I am changing continually (hopefully for the better), and although there might be some moments that make bigger shifts than others, I value the many, many little moments where my choices are taking me where I want to go. Yes, the moment I met my husband was a forever-change, but so was choosing to marry him. So was choosing to stay with him when other options presented themselves. So was having my first child. And my second. So was recognizing God was really interested in me, personally, and choosing to give Him my allegiance.

Every day I believe we make choices that affect our eternity. (The song below reminds me that no matter where I’m at, I can make a turn and go in a different direction. All it takes is one choice in one moment. And course corrections can happen as often as needed. Plus, it’s fun to dance to.)

If you could become an expert in anything overnight, what would you choose?

That’s a tough one, too. Either playing the piano–no, the guitar (because it’s more portable)–or speaking another language. But I don’t know which language.

So let’s stick with the guitar. Here’s a picture of me not knowing how to play the guitar:

The 11 Nominees & My 11 Questions

Joseph Brassey
Grace Bridges
Kat Heckenbach
Rachael K. Jones (I’m a new fan of her short fiction!)
Rob Kroese
Stant Litore
Mirtika
Melissa F. Olson
Lori Stanley Roeleveld
Kory M. Shrum
Andrew Winch

If you’ve been tagged above, here are the 11 all new, original questions I have for you to answer if you choose to participate in this Liebster Award posting party.

When did you know that you were really a writer?

What would it take for you to quit writing?

Favorite music for writing? 

Favorite music for working out or waking up or partying (whichever of those three you do the most)?

What things in life make you feel most alive?

What is the deepest relationship you’ve had with a fictional character (yours or another author’s)?

Whose fiction did you enjoy the most growing up?

What new author (first published in the past 5 years) do you admire the most, and why?

If you could gather a dream team for life or business, what kind of people would you surround yourself with?

What do you secretly wish would happen to you someday?

Tell us about a tender moment with a family member.

Thanks again, Bethany, for tagging me. And thanks to everyone I am tagging for being who you are and enriching my life with your fiction and/or your presence. Let’s continue to make the world a better place — together!