A lovely award from a lovely friend...

Friend of the blog, Al Diaz (aka Father Dragon), wrote an amazingly kind and uplifting post today.  As part of that post, he handed out this award:

In the words of Father Dragon, there is a responsibility that comes with accepting this award:

Displaying the Golden Scale Award on your blogs implies that you've promised to become your own hero. It means you won't wait for any special thing to happen so you can be happy (i.e. when I get this or that I'll be happy; when I no longer suffer this or that, I'll be happy).
The Golden Scale Award is not for the things you did, but for the things you'll be doing to be happy on daily basis. It's for the courage you promise to show when facing adversity. The determination you promise to have when standing for your dreams and for what you believe in. It's the wisdom of knowing life is sometimes way too difficult but overcoming those difficulties is the only way to grow into a better person and to learn something. We face our fears to find ourselves and our own worth.
There is no wisdom without experience, and knowledge is empty without wisdom. Accepting this award means you are willing to work hard to start working miracles in your own life. I want to make clear I am not suggesting you stop believing on a High Power. I believe too. I am just inviting you to take responsibility of your life, like I did, and release all your true potential.

I really appreciate the message behind this award, and I strive to live up to the ideals Al wrote.  Thank you, Father Dragon, for the lessons you've taught the blogging community and for the gift of your friendship!

You like me--you really like me!

Lots of love going around the blogosphere these days--I've got 2 more awards to share with you all!  Many, many thanks to both S.K. Anthony and J.L. Murphy for these awards--I really appreciate it!

First up is the Super Sweet Award!

Here are the questions:

What is your favorite dessert? Buttermilk pie
Cake or Ice Cream? Can I have both? :)
When do you like desserts most? Um, I don't understand the question.  Am I awake?  Because if so, I want dessert.
Would you choose cookies or cake? Depends... Are they chewy cookies?  'Cause that's the only way to go.
Vanilla or chocolate? Hmm... I like swirls, but if I have to pick just one, I'm gonna go with chocolate.

Next up is the Shine On award!

Here are my 7 facts:

1.  Pedicures are something of a guilty pleasure for me.  I have to wear closed-toe shoes most of the time, but I still like my feet to look pretty!
2.  I love musicals.
3.  I have yet to buy a smart phone--I still have a simple model that will talk, text, and take a picture, but I can't surf the internet or do anything fancy.
4.  I am mildly afraid of heights.
5.  Mosquitoes find me irresistible.
6.  My favorite season is fall.
7.  I haven't ridden a bike in about 20 years.  I know they say you never forget how, but I have no desire to test that theory...

I'm going to shake things up a bit--rather than selecting only a few bloggers, everyone who reads this post has been awarded!  Pick one, pick both--let's keep it going!

Liebster Award!

The lovely and talented J.A. Ward Writes has nominated me for a Liebster Award!  Thanks so much--I really appreciate it!

There are a few rules for this award, so before we get started, let me list them here:


1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog and link back to the blogger who presented this award to you.

2. Answer the 11 questions from the nominator, list 11 random facts about yourself and create 11 questions for your nominees;

3. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 11 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been chosen. (No tag backs)

4. Copy and Paste the blog award on your blog.

So without further ado, here are the questions from my nominator:

1. Who is your favorite author and why?  Diana Gabaldon.  She transports you to another time and place, and her characters are so vibrant and real--it always takes me some time to come back to the real world after I stop reading one of her books.  I basically want to be her when I grow up.

2. If you could hang out with one character from a book or TV show for a day, who would it be?  Hmmm...  I have to pick just one? Oh, fine.  Jamie Fraser from the Outlander series.  Or maybe Claire Fraser.  Or Gus from Lonesome Dove.  Or... :)

3. Edward or Jacob? Or neither? Or..both??  Neither, really.  But, if I'm forced to pick, I'll go with Jacob.

4. What was your favorite book series you have ever read that wasn’t Harry Potter?  Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.  If you haven't read this series yet, you must.

5. Do you have any pets? If so, what do you have?  I have two orange and white kitties.  They are stinkers.

6. What aspect of writing do you find the hardest?  Editing.  It can be difficult to see how to change a scene to make it work.

7. If you could live anywhere else for a year – all expenses paid – where would you live and why?  London.  I love that city--it's one of my favorite places in the world.  So much to see and do, so much history.  Just an amazing place.

8. Who is your favorite band/singer?  Probably The Old 97's.  I've really liked them since college, and I have all their albums.

9. Name a celebrity crush.  Just one?  Jeremy Renner.  And Bradley Cooper.  And Brooks Laich.  And... :)

10. If you could go back and change your name from birth, would you do it? What would you change it to?  Nah.  It's nice to have a unique name, even if no one ever pronounces it correctly.

11. Favorite vice or addiction?  Books!  I can't leave a bookstore without buying one or several books.

And here are my 11 random facts:

1. I grew up in Texas, but have never fired a gun.

2. When I was in high school, my winterguard team won the world championships.  I still have the gold medal packed away in a box.

3. My favorite color is green.  It used to be purple, and I still really like purple, but green has pulled ahead in recent years.  Purple is taking it well.

4. I am a huge Anglophile.  Almost to the point of obsession.

5. I hate to be sticky.  To the point that I will avoid certain foods if there is even a chance I might get sticky.

6. I am one of the few remaining people who has not read 50 Shades of Grey.

7. I can't watch scary/horror movies.  They bother me.  For some reason, scary TV shows don't have this effect.

8. My favorite sport is hockey.  Love to watch it on TV, love going to a game even more.  I can't ice skate to save my life, but I appreciate it when I see it :)

9. I love superhero movies.  This past summer was awesome, with Spiderman, The Avengers, and Batman all coming out in the same year. I was in nerd heaven!

10. If I wasn't a professor, I think I'd be a veterinarian.  Like J.A. Ward wrote in her post, I'm on my way to becoming a crazy cat lady.  I only have 2 right now, but I'm about to move into a new house (rather than an apartment), which means I'll be able to get more!

11. My favorite holiday is Halloween.  I haven't dressed up in years, but I always enjoy seeing other people's costumes.

Enough about me.  Here are 11 questions for my nominees:

1. What's your favorite writing/reading snack?

2. Where have you always wanted to visit?

3. What's your favorite accent?

4. What movie do you always watch when you find it on TV?

5. What's your favorite hobby?

6. Say you can quit your day job and do whatever you want.  What would you do?

7. What made you want to start writing?

8. What is your favorite genre?

9. Where is your writing/reading nook?

10. What book do you wish you had written?

11. Early bird, night owl, or something in between?

And my 11 nominees are... (in no particular order)

1. Deb's Writing Room

2. Amara Royce

3. Azia Said What?

4. Clover Autrey

5. Jen FitzGerald

6. The Reluctant Author

7. S.P. Bowers

8. Reading, Writing, and Everything in Between

9. Write Me

10. Writer in Waiting

11. What I Learned Today

All excellent blogs, and I recommend you check them out!

Thanks again, J.A. Ward!

You like me--you really like me!

The wonderful Candilynn Fite has generously given me several blog awards, and I wanted to share the love!

First up is the Booker Award.  This award is for blogs that talk about books, reading, or writing at least 50% of the time.  The recipient must share their five favorite books, and pass the award along to five other awesome blogs!

In no particular order, my favorite books are:

- The Outlander Saga (yes, all of them) by Diana Gabaldon

- Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
- Peter Pan by JM Barrie
- American Gods by Neil Gaiman
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard


Next up is the Be Inspired award.  This award comes with 10 questions, so without further ado...

1. What is the name of your book?  Edge of Trust
2. Where did the idea for your book come from?  I was waiting for the bus after work, thinking about writing a book.  They always say to write what you know, so I decided I wanted to write about a female scientist.  It all just kind of fell into place after that.
3. In what genre would you classify your book?  Romantic suspense
4. If you had to pick actors to play your characters in a movie rendition, who would you choose?  I've already cast Kelly and James--see here for their pictures :)
5. Give us a one-sentence synopsis of your book.  Doctor Kelly Jarvis is a microbiologist who has just been told that her boss is a terrorist; she must work with her former lover, FBI agent James Reynolds, to thwart a terrorist attack, but issues from their past conspire to keep them apart.
6. Is your book already published/represented?  No--I've sent out a query, but haven't heard anything back yet.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!
7. How long did it take you to write your book?  Probably about 9 months of stop-and-go writing.
8. What other books within your genre would you compare it to?  Or, readers of which books would enjoy yours?  Readers of romantic suspense--think Cindy Gerard, Maya Banks, etc.--will probably enjoy this story.
9. Which authors inspired you to write this book?  That's a tough one--there are a lot of authors I admire, but to list them here would take way too much space.
10. Tell us anything that might pique our interest in your book.  Let's see...  Edge of Trust has a little bit of everything--a damaged, alpha hero; a smart, independent heroine; explosions; kidnappings; an awesome setting; suspense and danger.  And cats. ;)

Moving right along, we have the Fabulous Blog Ribbon.  There are 3 sets of 5 questions for this one: 5 of your most fabulous moments, 5 things you love, and 5 things you hate.  Then, pass it along to 5 other bloggers!

Here we go:

5 most fabulous moments:
-The day I defended my Ph.D thesis
-The month I spent in London
-Meeting one my all-time favorite authors
-Buying my new car with my own money
-Finishing my first manuscript

5 things I love:
-My friends and family
-My kitties
-Books
-Tea
-Superhero movies

5 things I hate:
-Mosquitoes
-Mean people
-Headaches
-Scooping the litter box
-Sleep deprivation

And last but not least, the Liebster Blog Award.  This award is for small blogs with fewer than 200 followers.  I think I'm supposed to answer some questions, but Candilynn didn't have any for me, so I'm just going to post the award.  Thanks again!

Finally, here are the blogs I'm tagging for all these awards.

In the Shade of the Cherry Tree...
Writer In Waiting
Romance In Flight
Good Golly, Miz Molly!
Feel of Something New