Returned, Refreshed, Reworked

Well, hello there! How are all my lovelies? I’ve been doing splendidly. I just had a grand ol’ time out of town staying with my bestie for one of the best two weeks I’ve ever had. It was glorious, with much talking and laughter to the point where our throats were sore (literally), complete with a great amount of squealing over books, because we’re kindred spirits like that.

But I am officially home and attempting to settle back into things. Though I desperately miss my “second family” as I like to refer to my bestie and her family, being under the same roof of my own first and foremost family and being able to snuggle with my much missed poodle makes up for the melancholy that comes with farewells.

My inbox is close to exploding, I have a handful of new books calling my name to delve into their pages, half a dozen stories from friends are waiting to be critiqued, and my own stories are demanding to be told. It’s funny how much can pile up in merely a fortnight. But after days of carefree fun, it’s almost nice settling back into everyday life.

Stress over many silly things was threatening to crush me before my vacation. The chance to spend two amazing weeks with my best friend was beyond a blessing, and a wakeup call. It came at just the right time. That much needed vacation gave me a chance to step back and look at things from a new perspective, and before I knew it, all the stress was lifted, replaced with a drive to tackle all the demands of life with vigor.

I’m quite content back in my own house nestled in my green wing back chair with my laptop in hand, ready to take on those many projects I left behind. Back in the norm of life.

So what do we have on the menu?

Well, originally I was going to use the month of August to write my Beauty and the Beast retelling novella for the Rooglewood Press contest. Then, come September, at least get a good start on Fallen Matter edits. I need October to catch up on life and plan out everything for NaNoWriMo before, ya know, NaNoWriMo comes. And December I always like to just rest from writing after NaNo and enjoy the holidays. But now, well, September is only a few days away (WHAAAT????). So my plans are going to have to be reworked because, obviously, better plans came my way.

To be honest I’ve, shamefully, not gotten much done at all on my B&B retelling. It can only be 20k words long, yes, but I still need to write the whole thing, edit it, get my beta-readers to look it over, edit it again and again. . .and again. All before getting it sent out. So short or not, it’s still a bit of a process. And now that August is nearly done I realize September will be the month to focus solely on it. Which means no Fallen Matter editing. As I said, October and November are NaNo focused and December is rest time. That means Fallen Matter edits are getting pushed all the way to. . .January. As in 2015. o.O

I had really hoped to get a good start on it this fall, but I'm realizing that’s going to be impossible. When I do start editing it, it’s going to need my full attention. There’s going to be some major doings reworking that thing. Working on it in between projects won’t do. Besides, it deserves better than that. I love that story, and I really want to make it my best. So 2015 it shall be. And while at first that idea upset me, I’m realizing it’s probably for the best. The longer I step back from it, the fresher it will be when I return, giving me a better perspective on what needs changing. In the end, I think it will turn out better after taking a many month-long break from it. That might be just what it needs. I think my plans getting rearranged may be for the best all around.

Beyond my own writing, I also have other writings from some seriously (I’m talking seriously) talented people who have so kindly given me the chance to look over and critique their works. It’s such an honor! Hopefully very soon I’ll be taking on those projects as well.

So that’s my writing plans for now. But, as you’ve seen, plans do tend to erupt everywhere and make quite a mess. One can hope these will stay intact. I feel as though they’re more solid this time.

For the next few weeks I’ll hopefully be busy pounding out words for my B&B novella. I might even talk about it a bit, but since it is for a contest I’m being a mite secretive about it. I do apologize. Oh, and if I’m not writing continuously on it will you yell at me and tell me to do so? I fear I’ve been awfully lax about it. I seriously need to start putting most of my time into it now, so any prompting or a good kick will be much appreciated. Every writer needs ‘em sometime.

So what are your writing plans for September? Who’s all doing the Rooglewood contest? Can you believe it’s already time to start thinking about NaNoWriMo? Terrifying thought! Who’s all participating? Can you believe it’s almost SEPTEMBER??? Did you have a good summer?

Alrighty, off I go to start at least scratching the surface of that to-be-done pile. Farewell, lovelies!

Beautiful People - Tiff {August 2014}

Hey, Beautiful People! It’s time again for Beautiful People! (See what I did there?) I think you know the drill by now. Beautiful People is a blog linkup party for writers hosted by the beautimous Sky and Cait in which each month they give us 10 questions to answer for any character of our choice. *takes deep breath* Long sentence is long*

Want to join in and linkup? GOOD. You should! It’s ridiculously fun and helpful for us crazy writer folk. So get on over to Sky's post here or Cait's right heeere to linkup! It runs all month long with a new one on the 5th of each month, so plenty of time still to join in on the fun.

It’s always a battle in my mind trying to figure out who gets featured. Since I’m currently working on my entry for Rooglewood Press’s Beauty and the Beast contest I thought I should do one of my two main characters from there, but this month’s questions are a little too personal and spoilerific I fear. Sooo, you guessed it, I’m falling back to a Fallen Matter character. (See what I also did there??) Tiff gets the spotlight today because she’s a lot of fun and I really enjoy exploring her character.

So heeere we goooo!

 

"So they say you came in just yesterday." The girl stood up, stepped right on the cots, and sprawled herself across mine. Folding her arms behind her head, she peered up at me, eyes inquiring. "I'm surprised they've already let you loose."

I scooted closer to the edge of the cot, wondering if I should sit next to Fay on her bed since this girl, Tiff, apparently decided to take over mine. "Um...let me loose?"

"Yeah. Us enlisters always have to go through a testing process before being released in the public. Well, if you can call this place the 'public'."

"You're an enlister, too?"

"Yep. Tyran, Nuke, Fay, here, and I were the first to be rescued by the Purists. Been here for a year now. But don't worry, I ain't gonna ask what the gens changed inside your skull. None of us talk about that. The Enlighters say it's best for us to forget, to remember that we're ordinary human beings and not some revved up guinea pigs. I can't argue with that."

~*~*~*~

1) What does your character regret the most in their life?
There was an. . .incident a couple years back where the Intelligents (the government of her city I guess you could call them) threatened her grandparents (her only family) in order to get her to do something really, really terrible. They didn’t mean for it to go as badly as it did and she certainly didn’t! It just happened. But accident or not, it will never stop haunting her. It’s very spoilery so I can’t go into anymore detail than that. Sorry.

2) What is your character's happiest memory? Most sorrowful memory?
She absolutely loved the few times her grandparents took her to one of the Asian restaurants in the city. They were want for money, so when it did happen it was a very special treat. Sitting in the oddly lighted place, listening to Asian music and eating her favorite food, while getting real quality time with her grandparents and forgetting about the troubles in the world were priceless moments for her.

Most sorrowful would be the aforementioned “incident.” But also after she escaped from the Lab, a place where the Intelligents are giving teenagers unnatural abilities, and she came home to find her grandfather was dead.

3) What majorly gets on your character’s nerves?
Injustice. She can’t tolerate people who treat others cruelly, especially for no fathomable reason.

4) Do they act differently when they're around people as opposed to being alone? If so, how?
Tiff is Tiff. She’s pretty much always her casual self no matter what the circumstances are. But, when alone, her thoughts do wander from her as the regrets from the past show their ugly heads. Usually she’s a carefree, playful individual, but if she lets herself think too deeply, like she’s prone to do when alone, sorrow takes root.

5) What are their beliefs and superstitions? (Examples: their religion or lack of one, conspiracy theories, throwing salt, fear of black cats.)
Under the example of her grandparents, Tiff has learned to put her faith and trust in God. She’s actually the one that probably has the most faith over all the characters. And she’s pretty straightforward, not one to believe in superstitious things.

6) What are their catchphrases, or things they say frequently?
Often she’ll say “In a jife” instead of in a jiff. Actually, most of her speech is a little offbeat. She tends to use odd words and phrase things a bit differently from your average human being.

7) Would they be more prone to facing fears or running from them?
She’s actually pretty good about standing up to her fears, although there are some she prefer push to the back of her mind. But if she’s forced to face them, she’ll take them head on. Don’t let her lax attitude fool you. She’s not one to underestimate.

8) Do they have a good self image?
Tiff is quite comfortable in her own skin. Not prideful, not self-conscious, just comfortable with who God made her.

9) Do they turn to people when they're upset, or do they isolate themselves?
Definitely isolates herself. Or more like pushes the problem to the back of her mind and continues to keep her casual image.

10) If they were standing next to you would it make you laugh or cry?
LAUGH. A LOT. Because Tiff just makes people laugh, that’s her thing. Also I’d just be so giddy with joy to be with her I wouldn’t be able to hold in the laughter. Tiff would be SO fun to hang out with! (But I might also cry a little because of reasons.)

(P.S. I’m still currently out of town and will be for another week, so I may be a bit lax on comments and whatnot, but I promise I haven’t dropped off the planet. By next week I’ll start settling back into things.)

The Great Big Post of Awards {Part Two}

And I am back with yet more awards! In last week's post I explained how I’m a bad blogger and take ridiculous lengths of times to get to awards and tags, if I ever do at all. But I love these things and must start doing better! So I’m trying to catch up on them.

Back in May (yes, May) one of my favoritest peoples Deborah @ The Road of a Writer awarded me with the Liebster award. Thank you so much, Celti dear! <3

~Rules~

1. Thank and link back the person who nominated you
2. List eleven facts about yourself
3. Answer the eleven questions asked by the blogger who nominated you
4. Nominate 11 bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers (you can't nominate the blogger who nominated you)
5. Ask them eleven questions
6. Let them know of their nomination!

Or something like that. The rules seem to alter from blog to blog, but rules are meant to be broken anyway. Right? I do believe so.

~Facts~

1. I like breaking rules.
2. But I also tend to be a stickler for following rules.
3. I’m an extremely contradictory person. It hurts my brain.
4. Italian food is kind of the best.
5. I’m the only one in my family that can’t stand Asian food. I wish I did.
6. One time I brushed my hair in the dark and saw the static actually light up. It was awesome.
7. I’m easily amused.
8. L is my favorite letter. I don’t really know why, I just think it’s pretty.
9. When I was little I was obsessed with cats but now I’m way more a dog person. (But cats are still wonderful creations. <3)
10. I’m excellent at hula hooping. Or I used to be quite good at it. I haven’t actually done it in years.
11. I actually wrote this post days ago because I’m out of town staying with my bestie for a week or two and having a blast.

~Questions~

1. Do you name your electronics?
Hahahaha! I name everything. I’m rather obsessed with names. It’s a weird thing, I know. But yes, I definitely name my electronics! My laptop’s name is Larry. My smartphone is Lola (and my old phone was Lemmy). I have a little pink digital camera dubbed Lulu. My electronic piano keyboard is Lucille. And Lillia is my car. (Seeing a pattern here?)

2. What color is your hair?
Le blonde. *points at picture on the sidebar* It used to be super light when I was little. I miss that.

3. Do you prefer libraries or bookstores?
o___O Eeeeek. Wow. That’s such a hard thing to say! See, I like OWNING books. I’m a major rereader and I love collecting books, so it’s so hard for me to give books back to the library. But, on the other hand, I’m broke. All the time. So when I go in a bookstore it hurts to see all the pretty, wonderful books sitting there and knowing I can’t afford them. While in the library I can just take whatever I want. . .but then I have to give them back. AGH. I DON’T KNOW. Both are so wonderful! I could basically live in the library or a bookstore. Those are my happy places. How about secondhand bookstores? Yes! Those are the best. Because most of them have books under like $5 so it’s almost like the library but I get to actually keep the books forever. Win-win! (Although I still spend ridiculous amounts of money even when each book is only a dollar or two. . .)

4. At this moment, if you could magically have any kind of food (or drink) what would you wish for?
Cheesecake! I seriously want some cheesecake right now. With slices of fresh strawberry on top. Mmmm. That sounds magical.

5. If you had to pick between never drinking tea or coffee again, which would you choose?
Coffee, definitely. I’m not big on coffee but tea is quite nice. Used to I couldn’t stand coffee but I’m starting to get a taste for it. I’m quite proud of myself. But still, I’d be fine with giving it up if I had to.

6. Who is your latest favorite character that you’ve “met” and why?
I have so many favorites! But my latest favorite? ANGEL. From Mirriam Neal's current WIP Dark is the Night. Just. . .wow. You guys don’t know how wonderful this character is. And horrible, but we won’t hold it against him. Why? Because he’s ANGEL. Does there need to be a reason? He’s snarky and tragic and seems totally selfish and awful but you know deep down there’s good in him and just yes. He’s my favorite kind of character. <3 (Just don’t tell him that.)

7. Do you own multiple unused journals/notebooks and if so how many?
Yes I do! Pretty journals are my weakness and it’s quite hard to pass them up. I think right now I only have 3 entirely empty ones.

8. In your writing, are you a plotter or a pantser?
Pantser, most definitely! I do thorough plotting for my NaNoWriMo novels but otherwise I’m a natural pantser. I work better letting the stories tell themselves instead of following an outline.

9. What’s your favorite genre?
FAAAANTASY!!!!!!!!! (I think I answered this question last week as well. XD)

10. Favorite theme song from TV or movie?
Whoa. That’s. . .whoa. This is going to take some thought. There’s so many good ones out there. Maybe, possibly, perhaps the Doctor Who theme song. Specifically the season 4 version. I mean, who doesn’t get excited when that first dun dun dun starts?

Only whovians. . .

11. Happy endings? Tragic? Bittersweet?
HAPPY ENDING PLEASE. If I’m going to spend hours of my life with a story I want to feel satisfied and joyful by the end of it. I know stories supposed to be realistic and all that and reality isn’t always a happy thing, but don’t we read to escape reality for a time? To get to a world where there really are heroes and endings can turn out happy?

I’m a firm believer in happy endings. I’ll put up with bittersweet if it has to be that way. Some stories can’t always be “happily ever after”. But tragic? No. Just no.

Absolutely loved these questions, Celti! Thank you again!!! <3

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

And another one of my favoritest people Sarah @ Sarah Plain and Average awarded me with the Sunshine Award! This was in July so not too terribly awfully late, yeah? Yeah?? You’re a precious human being, Sarah. Thank you!

~Rules~

1. Thank the person who nominated you.
2. Answer the questions from the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate a few other bloggers.
4. Write the same amount of questions for the bloggers you nominated.
5. Notify the bloggers on their blog.
6. Put the award button on your blog.

~Questions~

1.  What color are your eyes?  What would your dream color be (if any)?
My eyes are, in fact, green. And, actually, I don’t think I’d have it any other way. Green things remind me of elves, so. *grins* But I do wish they were a bit more of a vibrant green. They’re kind of dark with brownish flecks, which is fine, but it would be cool if they were a super bright green. But if I could have ANY color. . . Violet! Can you imagine having violet eyes? That would be awesome. Fun fact, the main character of my first really big fantasy novel had violet eyes which was a key plot point. Someday I’m going to rewrite that thing. . .

2.  How tall are you?
5’5”. Yeah, not super tall.

3.  If you could be ONE fictional character, who would it be and why? (this applies to books and films)
THIS QUESTION IS NOT EASY. Any fictional character at all? MY. o.o Maaaybe Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle (the book specifically, but the movie is good too). She gets to go through all sorts of insane adventures and has HOWL, so. *cough, cough* Plus, I love her snark and no-nonsense personality. It would also be fun to be Lucy Pevensie though. Then there’s Rapunzel from Tangled! Her world seems pretty pleasant and she’s so happy-go-lucky, plus her parents are so nice. And then of course there’s Flynn. . . *griiiins* AGH. I DON’T KNOOOW. I think I’ll stick with Sophie, but it’s really, really hard to choose! D:

Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle (the movie)

4.  Would you prefer a walk in the sunshine? or a stroll by the light of the moon?
It depends on the temperature outside. If it’s a cool fall or winter day then definitely in the sunshine. I love the sunshine! But definitely NOT when it’s hot and the sunshine turns into a menace trying to melt my skin off. But a summer stroll in the moonlight would be pleasant.

5.  What would your dream profession be?  (For example, if my life had taken a different path, I would have wished to become a professional ballerina.) :]
Full time writer is definitely my dream profession! And I’m trying. . . I’ve always had a heart for troubled teenage girls as well though. I would love to become a counselor, or, I don’t know, something to help girls in need. It’s just a passion I’ve always had.

6.  What is at the top of your To-Be-Read pile, or skyscraper?
Definitely a skyscraper right now! o.O But I’m not complaining! Usually I always know what I want to read next but right now I’m not even sure. I have so many good books waiting on me. Possibly The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, the sequel to The Mysterious Benedict Society. (Which I read just recently and whoa, that book was awesome!) But I have a bunch of books on my tablet waiting for me that I keep putting off because I so rather read physical books than ebooks. But I have so many on there I’m dying to read. Like Merlin’s Blade by Robert Treskillard and A Cast of Stones by Patrick W. Carr or Purple Moon by Tessa Emily Hall. So many things to read!

7.  If you had a "pet" dragon, what color would he/she be? and what would his/her name be?  Feel free to be creative.
Now we’re talking! One day I’m going to have one. *nods seriously* I would totally want a pink one. *continues to nod seriously* As for a name. . . Well, if it was pink it should probably be a girl and need a majestic name. Like Pinkie Pie or something. Juuuust kidding! Maybe something like Sirith, which means flowing in Tolkien’s elven language. Something elvish and pretty like that.

I do sort of have a dragon. I tiny green dragon named Moseley who is my muse. And a mischievous one at that. >.>

8.  If you were to discover that you were the long-lost princess of a distant realm, what would be your first reaction?
LET’S EAT CAKE.

Ahem.

Okay, probably my first reaction would be, “WHOA. WHAT. THAT’S SO COOL.” And then about ten seconds later my thoughts would revert to, “Wait. . .what? I can’t make decisions and lead people!”

9.  What is your favorite book of the Bible? Favorite verse?
I absolutely adore Psalms. It’s so poetic and comforting. Whenever I’m struggling I can always go to psalms. But there are just so many good ones! Matthew is another favorite. It was the first one for me to read and so holds a very special place in my heart. And I love, love, love 1 and 2 Peter. Lots of good stuff there!

I really don’t have a favorite verse, there are just too many! But Psalm 18:2 is up there.

10. Do you have a dream car?  If so, what is it?
Indeed I do! I’ve always dreamed of having a Volkswagen beetle. They’re so adorable. I can never decide which color I like best. My taste changes constantly. Right now it’s the green ones.

So cute!

These questions were seriously way too much fun to answer. Thank you sooo much, Sarah! I had a blast with them. ^_^

And I’m going to cheat like I did last week and instead of passing these tags along officially, nominate anyone and everyone to snag these epic questions! I think I’ve nominated about everyone I follow multiple times, especially with the Liebster award, and since these awards are pretty old I’ll just do a free-for-all! So take them. Answer them on your blog. I’d be thrilled!

But if you don’t wish to then answer them here in the comments! Or just your favorites. Who is YOUR favorite latest character? What theme song makes your heart skip in excitement? Which fictional character would you love to be? And what are some good dragon names? I want to know these things, so share below!

Now that I’ve caught up on awards, hopefully I’ll start doing better and actually do them in a reasonable amount of time and stop breaking the rules. “Hopefully” being the keyword here. *winks*

Have a fabulicious week, lovelies! <3

The Great Big Post of Awards {Part One}

I fail at blogging quite often. It’s true. For example, if some sweet blogger passes an award my way, it may take me months to get to it, if I ever do. Which is silly, because I adore tags and am always so thrilled and honored to have one given to me.

Being as how I’ve spent the majority of the year so far writing, I’ve been setting aside all the wonderful awards passed my way for a time. And now, finally, I’m getting to some! There are four (yes four, I told you I’m horrible) so I’ll post two today and the other two next Monday (hopefully). And I do hope I haven’t forgotten any because that happens a lot too. My brain is hardly ever fully functional. But I’m a writer, so we’ll blame it on that, yes?

Firstly Kiri Liz @ Lianne Taimenlore awarded me with the Beautiful Blog Award all the way back in April! And yes, I’m only just now getting to it. I told you I fail at blogging.

Thank you so much, Kiri! I’m so happy I’m finally able to do this. I was extremely excited when you passed it my way. ^_^

~Questions~

1. Favorite superhero (any will do)?
That’s a tough question for me. My first answer usually is Iron Man. I seem to like the snarky ones, I don’t know why. But then there’s Captain America. He’s so nice and, well, heroic (ha ha) and just an all around great guy. But THEN you have Hawkeye who uses a bow and arrows. A BOW, PEOPLE. Bow and arrows is my weakness. If someone in fiction does archery, I instantly like them. It’s just how it works. And have you seen Hawkeye’s bow? So, yeah, I don’t know. I think it depends on what mood I’m in on who’s my favorite.

2. What color socks are you wearing right now?
Clear? Eheheh. I’m not currently wearing any socks. Sorry to disappoint, but it’s rather stuffy in my room and I have no desire to wear socks at the moment.

3. If I were to visit you for the afternoon, what would you plan on doing?
Kiri? Visiting ME?? IF ONLY. I’d probably take you down to the large pond just beyond our house and show you all the fun places there. I think you’d appreciate it. Then again, it’s awfully hot right now. How about we watch some LotR until the evening when it’s a bit cooler and then go to the pond? Or we could just sit around talking and squealing about being together and discuss everything under the sun. That’s my favorite thing to do with friends. Just talk. ^_^ And by talk I mean laugh hysterically at totally random and ridiculous things.

4. Best pizza topping?
PEPPERONI. It’s pepperoni. What else do you need? Except cheese. Cheese is good.

Yes, please.

5. Can you introduce us to your family in less than three sentences?
*blinks* You do like the hard ones, don’t you, Kiri? Okay, let me see what I can do. . . *deep breath*

A crazy bunch of five (including me) whose favorite activity is eating, is probably the most scattered family out there, but loves the Lord and works together to try to survive this insane thing called life. There’s also lots of donuts involved.

Good?

6. If you could be proficient (as Lady Catherine says) in any instrument, what would it be?
My favorite instrument is the piano, which I do play, but I don’t think I’d say proficiently. I’d love to be much more skilled than I am. So I’d definitely go with that. Although the violin is awfully tempting.

7. Five favorite Disney songs off the top your head. Go!
>.> <.< >.> <.< REALLY? Okay. . . I’ve Got a Dream from Tangled, Once Upon a Dream from Sleeping Beauty, Everybody Wants To Be Cat from The Aristocats, Winnie the Pooh (the theme song) from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid. I know for a fact those aren’t my total favorites, probably not even my top favorites. But you said off the top of my head so there we go. But gracious there are just so many good Disney songs!

It’s sad how accurate that is. And I am in fact 22. XD (Also I See the Light would be another fave.)

8. Your opinion of maple syrup, please?
YUM.

9. What's your favorite soup?
Mmm. . . I’m not much of a soup person. But Olive Garden’s Toscana soup is kind of to die for. I enjoy pretty much any potato soup. Mainly because POTATO. I love the potato in all its forms. <3

10. Which fictional hero/heroine would you want as a sibling?
My! As a sibling? I can only choose one? Can I just become one of the Pevensies instead? Okay, okay. For serious. . .um. . . *peruses bookshelves* Walter from Bryan Davis’s Dragons in Our Midst/Oracles of Fire series would be a delightful guy to have as a brother!

11. Peter Pan or Alice in Wonderland?
*blink*
Peter Pan or Alice in Wonderland?
PETER PAN OR ALICE IN WONDERLAND?!?!?!
Um. . .WHAT. WHAAAAT?!?!?!?!?!
You just broke me, Kiri. Totally and completely broke me.
DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE BOTH OF THOSE THINGS? THEY’RE BASICALLY MY LIFE. To choose between them. . .? No, I can’t. There’s no way. I love them both too much, and they each have a special place in my heart. I’m sorry but this question is impossible.

Okay, those questions were way too fun! Even though some of them broke me. *pointed look* Thanks again for the award, Kiri!

Next Candice @ O Ye Scribes nominated me for the Liebster Award. Back in May. . . Shameful. Thank you so much, Candice! You’re too sweet!

~Rules~

1. Thank and link back the person who nominated you
2. List eleven facts about yourself
3. Answer the eleven questions asked by the blogger who nominated you
4. Nominate 9 bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers (you can't nominate the blogger who nominated you)
5. Ask them eleven questions
6. Let them know of their nomination!

~Facts~

1. Pizza and I are soul mates.
2. I’m ashamed at how few books I’ve read so far this year.
3. I’ve been writing way more than reading, which I think is a first for me.
4. Cheese is awesome, just sayin’.
5. I think pan flutes are fabulous creations.
6. I’ve spent way too much time on pinterest the last couple of days (and, ya know, since I joined over a year ago).
7. I’ve been craving hotdogs lately, which is sad being as how I’m allergic.
8. I’ve been watching the My Little Pony Friendship is Magic marathon on The Hub Network some today. (Yes, I love that show. No, I’m not ashamed.)
9. Pinkie Pie is the best pony. Hands down.
10. I’m still a little kid at heart (if you can’t tell).
11. I think mushroom are cute but not to eat. Bleh!

~Questions~

1. What is your favorite thing about blogging?
Definitely meeting all the other lovely bloggers out there. I’ve made such wonderful friends through blogging.

2. What do you find most challenging about it?
I post weekly, usually on Mondays, and I get a bit stressed coming up with a post every single week. I don’t know how some of you awesome bloggers do more than once-a-week posts. I bow to your superiority. You’re truly amazing.

3. Suppose the authors of the classics were blogging today, whose blog(s) would you follow?
Oooh, interesting thought! DEFINITELY J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis! I’d be joining their blogs so fast I’d get whiplash. I’d love to follow a blog of Maud Hart Lovelace, the woman who wrote the Betsy-Tacy series, which is basically my childhood. I also seem to have a lot of similarities with that author. And oooh! What about Lewis Carroll and J. M. Barrie? Louisa May Alcott would be fun. And Jane Austen, too. Although I’m not a huge reader of hers. In fact, I don’t read classics much at all. Terrible, I know. They kind of bore me. . . With a few exceptions obviously.

4. What is your favorite genre of book?
FANTASY!!! Need I say more?

5. Name a book you have read over three times.
Hahaha! I reread so much there’s plenty. It’s sad really. How about The Hobbit? I’ve read that one about 10 times I think. I lost count somewhere around 7 or 8. . .

6. If you could change the ending of any book, which one would it be?
Goodness. Tough question. o.O Most books I’ve read I’m quite satisfied with the endings. I’m looking at my books and realizing I like the endings to basically all of them! Well, I think we all would have rather Laurie and Amy not gotten together in Little Women. Does that count?

7. Random, music-related question: what do you think about bagpipes?
Epicness all around! I mean, come on. Bagpipes are awesome!

8. Do you have a pet? If not, what animal would be your ideal pet?
Ooooh yes! I have a grey poodle named Navi who has full rule over me. I’m basically just here to serve her. Ehehe. No really, I love her to death, and I don’t know what I’d do without her. But if not for Navi an ideal pet would be a dragon. *nods* Then again, she has her days. . .

9. What is your favorite season?
This question always throws me. I LOVE spring. Seeing everything come back to life, fresh and new. It’s beautiful. And the weather is so nice. But I also adore cold weather, so fall and winter are both wonderful. Summer. . .well, I can’t stand the heat but summer has its own charm that can’t be overlooked. So I guess I’m basically happy whatever season it is.

10. Do you prefer an E-book or a traditional book?
Oh goodness, traditional book without a doubt!! I read ebooks sometimes, but pretty much only because I was able to get one for free. But I prefer reading a solid, smelling good, real book a thousand times more.

11. What is one piece of advice you would give to beginning bloggers?
Ready for some cheese? Here we go.
Just be yourself.
Yep. I’ve learned to not try to be fancy and over the top. Just be the real, beautiful YOU God created you to be, throw your personality onto those posts, and people will admire you for it.

Lots of great questions there, Candice. Thank you so much!!!

And since these are really old I’m going to cheat and skip passing them on to specific blogger. Instead I’m going to nominate everyone. Yes, YOU, there, reading this. Consider yourself nominated! But really, these are some amazing questions, so if you want to answer any or all of them please feel free to take them and answer them on your own blog. Be sure to let me know if you do so I can read your answers!

If you don’t want to go to all that trouble how about answering some (or all) here in the comments? Sometimes I read these things and think, “Wow, those are really fun questions. I wish I could answer them.” So if you’re doing that, answer them! Seriously, these were fun. Which fictional hero/heroine would YOU want as a sibling? Do YOU have a preference over Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland? Which classic author’s blog would YOU follow? I want to know these things. So TELL ME.

And do have a blessed week. <3