And I thought I won a lobster…

The other day I found a comment on my blog telling me I was nominated for a Liebster Award.  Rotten speed reader that I am, I thought I’d won a free lobster dinner.  But this is even better.  It seems the Liebster Award is designed to promote the blogs of lesser-known writers.  A big thanks to my friend thecoffeefox for thinking of me, and especially for the nice things she said about me and Baker’s Dozen on her blog.

I guess I should post the award now.

Just what this place needed: more pink hearts. 🙂

Oh, the rules!  Here they are:

1. Each nominee must link back the person who nominated them.
2. Answer the 10 questions which are given to you by the nominator.
3. Nominate 10 other bloggers for this award who have less than 200 followers.
4. Create 10 questions for your nominees to answer.
5. Let the nominees know that they have been nominated by going to their blog and notifying them.

 

I hate talking about myself (lie), but if I must I must.  Here goes.

1.  Why do you write?

Because I’d rather not spontaneously combust.  I just took about a year off of writing to deal with personal changes; it was definitely making me hot under the collar.  I look forward to going home tonight and writing.

2. Who or what do you like to read?

I don’t read a fraction of what I want to.  I like to read within the genres I write (sci-fi & fantasy), but my tastes tend to wander.  I’m particularly partial to humor.

3. What gives you inspiration?

What doesn’t?  Whenever I say something stupid and face the consequences of it, I try to remember what great story fodder it will make later.  Or if I read a science article, it makes me want to write a science fiction story.  Or if I study a mathematical concept, I want to incorporate it into a magic system.  Every author hates the question, “where do you get your ideas?” Ideas and inspiration are everywhere.  The question is: how do you turn it off?

4. What is one thing you would like someone who reads your blog to know about you?

I started writing with no formal training.  I read how-to-write books and read good science fiction and fantasy and I wrote my butt off to get where I am.  And where is that?  It doesn’t feel like I’m anywhere when I look toward where I want to go, but looking back I can see how far I’ve climbed: 25 or so sales including Writers of the Future, being a panelist at cons, self-pubbing a book of my short stories (and actually selling some).  It’s not an easy road, but I love to write so I do.

5. What is your favorite color?  (Seriously.)

Purple.  Not exactly my favorite, but it’s my daughter’s favorite so it’s the color I respond to best.  Second is pink.  I’m kind of partial to black, green, red…but that’s all secondary.

6.  What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?  (You can use your imagination, offer the standard quote, or just smile.)

I know I swallow without chewing if I get in a hurry, so pretty fast I’d say.  (resisting…quoting…Python…)

7. Do you like your given name, and if not what would you change it to?

I like my name.  I contemplated a pen name, or even a nom de plume, but I decided against it.  I do wish more people remembered the W, though.

8. What is the dumbest or least favorite question someone has ever asked you?  (You can’t say #6. Unless that’s true.)

I once had a student ask, “Are there really space whales?”

9. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Home.  I am a bit of a homebody, but I’d love to go to Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and/or on a cruise to…anywhere really.

10. What is your favorite cartoon character?

Dr. Doofenshmirtz.  Raised by ocelots, had to be a garden gnome…backstory gold!

So, there you have it.  Looks like my next duty is to select ten more victims, er nominees.  Let me wander through my blogroll here and see who’s deserving…

1) Annie Bellet – Annie has been an internet friend since early in my writing career.  She’s a Clarion grad and has been seeing her share of success.  (It’s been a while, but Hi izanobu.)

2) Alex Kane – Alex is another old internet friend and also a Clarion grad (of the West variety).

3) Andrew C Porter – Andrew is a SF in the same state as me (disarray?).  He doesn’t update his blog often, but I enjoy seeing what updates he offers.

4) S.C. Wade – S.C. is a speculative writer and a devout Christian (which his Facebook posts regularly reaffirm).  He’s very much a community-minded writer and likes to help out other writers.  And a generally nice guy.

5) Diabolical Plots – This is one f my favorite blogs.  David Steffen and Anthony Sullivan (and occasional guest bloggers) offer interviews and reviews and lots of other good stuff.

6) Brad R. Torgersen – I met Brad at the WotF workshop several years back.  Since then, his career has exploded with award nominations and Analog publications out the wazoo.  Oh, he also has a novel forthcoming from Baen.

7) Jason Fischer – Jason is another bloke I met at WotF.  He has very quirky taste and an amazingly awful wit that always gets a laugh (horrible puns, anyone?).

8) Alex Black – Alex continues the WotF 26 trend.  I enjoy his blog, which recently has me itching to start watching short films.)

9) Tom Crosshill – Another WotF 26er?  Why not!  Tom had a Nebula nominated story and a good nose for story.  And I understand he’s an incredible ballroom dancer.

Last but not least…

10) Jordan Ellinger – I’ve known Jordan electronically for years and finally met him at the WotF 26 workshop (he was a winner for volume 25).  He’s a writer, publisher, and all around busy guy (maybe that’s why his blog seems a little un-updated).

Wow, I did find 10 people.  Now for their 10 questions:

1) What’s the hardest thing about writing?

2) What’s the best thing about writing? (It might even be the same thing as #1.)

3) What is your day job?  (If it’s writing, tell us how that happened.)

4) Think back. What book/story/writer/event made you decide that you could write?

5) Name your favorite villain (one from books/stories, one from tv/movies).

6) What was your favorite subject in high school? (Lunch doesn’t count)

7) What’s the best movie you’ve ever seen that other people probably haven’t?

8) What was the last book you finished reading?

9) iPhone or Androd?

10) If you could travel back in time and interview one person, what would the two of you have for lunch? (Hey, I have to give lunch some love.)

Wow, that makes for the longest blog post I’ve had in quite a while.  Thanks again, thecoffeefox, for involving me in this shameless promotion scheme.  This was fun, and looking for 10 blogs was a trip down memory lane.  I hope some of my nominees perpetuate the pyramid.  Have fun with it.  I know I did.