A Blogging Award? For Me?

Well, I guess I'm doing something right out here in the blogging world because pal Cathy C. Hall has awarded me The Stylish Blogger Award. (Apparently, Cathy has never actually seen me because stylish I am not.) But thank you, Cathy! Really! 

 

Now I have to link to the person who gave me the award. (See Ms. Cathy C above.) Next, I have to pass the award along to another deserving blogger or two (this is easy - Stacy and Arlene!) and congratulate them - I'll do that when I'm done here. And, lastly, I have to share seven things about myself. Here goes...

1) My two favorite books are A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and The Stand.

2) When I actually met Stephen King, I acted like a complete dork.

3) One of my favorite TV shows is Law & Order: SVU and when I found out the two main characters/actors were changing roles and leaving, I just about cried. (See above:  Dork. Big dork.)

4) I don't lend out books. (If I loved a book, I will give it to you as a gift or tell you about it so you can go get your own copy.)

5) One of my guilty pleasures is Hamburger Helper. (Yeah, I know.)

6) My husband proposed to me while we were riding in a horse drawn carriage.   

7) As a kid, I used to put on magic shows for my parents and grandparents, and I would make my sister hide under the table so she could lift it and make it look like it was levitating. (Of course, it barely left the ground and when it did, it was crooked but she tried. She tried.)

Motivational Monday!

For this week's motivating mojo, I present a giveaway, a question for all the book lovers out there, and some laughs:

Mystery author Blaize Clement is giving away her signature catnip bookmarks to everyone who pre-orders her newest book, Cat Sitter Among the Pigeons.  All the information can be found here.

I don't know many people who can write a post called "Make it Work:  Tim Gunn as First Reader."  But Gay Degani did just that.  Not only did I laugh, but I learned something.  (Of course, if Tim Gunn stopped by my desk, he would probably run away screaming at the grungy t-shirt and baggy shorts I usually wear.  I'd have to dress up.  Maybe a less grungy t-shirt?  Or nice pajamas?) 

I cracked myself up over at Arlene's Warped Wednesday post this week.  Not only was the photo a riot, but I thought my caption was pretty good (in an oh-that's-so-bad-it's-actually-kind-of-good way.)

And literary agent Nathan Bransford asks, "Which Writer Would You Most Like to Meet?"  You can choose one living and one dead.  I would choose Betty Smith and J.K. Rowling.  (I've already met Stephen King but I acted like such a geek...oh, let's be real.  I'd act like a big geek no matter how many times I met him.)

Happy Monday!  Hope it's a great week of reading and writing!

Motivational Monday!

Well, here it is, the last Monday in August.  For most of the country, summer is just about over but here in Florida, let's just say, it's still summer - or as my husband calls it, "Melt Your Face" Season.  We also have "Hurricane" Season and "Snowbird" Season and what I call, "Walk On The Beach When Most Everyone Else Is Walking Through Snow" Season.       

Here are a few items from last week to get this week off to a positive, fun and funny start:

Pal Cathy C. Hall's humorous essay, "On Being Ugly," invokes something called "the last child rule."  Made me laugh and I don't even have kids!

Over at Adventure Salon, Arlene presents Warped Wednesday where she gives us a funky photo and we provide the caption.  I rather like mine, although it did remind me of all those years scrounging for quarters so we could do laundry.  Ugh.

Holli Moncrieff of A Life Less Ordinary has a guest post called "The Naysayers" over at WOW!'s The Muffin about how to handle some of the negative people in your life.  A good reminder for us all!

I know I'm not the only one looking forward to fall fiction.  The Book Case's post "The Hottest Novels for Fall" has me sweating (yes, I know I'm in Florida but this is different) about what to read first!  Sara Gruen's Ape House?  Emma Donoghue's Room?  Stephen King's story collection Full Dark, No Stars?  I'm going to have to pace myself.  Check out the list for yourself, then come back and let us know what you're looking forward to reading.

Happy Monday!