Mystery Blogger Award (a.k.a. a bunch of random things about me :)
Thanks to Laurel Garver for nominating me for the Mystery Blogger award and giving me something to write about. :) Below are the rules... I always ignore the "nominate other bloggers" bit so that blog awards can keep being fun instead of stressful, but if you'd like to play along, leave a comment and I can officially nominate you. ;)
Rule 1: Put the award logo/image on your blog.
Rule 2: List the rules.
Rule 3: Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog. (Thanks again, Laurel!)
Rule 4: Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well.
Okoto Enigma’s blog
Rule 5: Tell your readers three things about yourself.
I. I love honeybees and can't wait to have a hive someday...yet my biggest irrational fear is of killer bees.
II. I'm a champion watermelon seed spitter. Have been since I was 3.
III. I make my children look things up in the encyclopedia instead of Google.
Rule 6: Nominate other bloggers. (See above)
Rule 7: Notify those people.
(Also see above)
Rule 8: Ask your nominee any five questions of your choice, plus one weird or funny question.
Here's what Laurel asked me:
1) What are three things on your "bucket list"?
I actually have a pretty long list. :) There are a lot of different kinds of cheese and sausages and breads that I want to learn to make well, not to mention those bees I want to get... but probably at the top (not necessarily in this order):
I. Learn how to make beautiful pottery.
II. Write a really good LOVE story...not a romance in the commonly considered sense, but a story about true self-sacrificial, self-giving love and marriage.
III. Knit a lacework sweater.
2) Which authors have influenced you in terms of genre, style, or theme?
My deep love for L. M. Montgomery, Jane Austen, and Dodie Smith will never die. :) They have probably influenced my style and genre more than most authors, although modern writers like Laura Amy Schlitz, Jeanne Birdsall, Kate DiCamillo, and Claire Vanderpool fall into the same category. Obviously these styles differ greatly, but they have an elegance and old-fashioned feel in common that constantly challenge me.
(I love male writers too, for the record. P. G. Wodehouse and J. R. R. Tolkien are just the best...but I have to admit I can't write humor OR high fantasy, so oh well.)
3) What book's milieu (place, time, culture) would you most like to live in?
I mean, turn-of-the-century PEI out of Anne goes without saying, right?
But to be more contemporary about it... The Awakening of Miss Prim, by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera. I actually loved the milieu so much more than the plot or characters: the old-fashioned town with crazy "modern" ideas like homeschooling children or feminists who think marriage is wonderful... the community centered around a monastery... the focus on arts and skills and wonderful food out of your own or your neighbor's garden, juxtaposed against a strong emphasis on classical education... It's pretty great, and made me think about the way I am crafting my own life.
4) What are your favorite writing resources?
Good books by good authors are the best resources! That and writing friends to lift you up, hold you accountable, and make sure you don't overuse the word "it" in your fiction.
5) What's the best book you've read recently?
I re-read Lilies of the Field, by William Barrett in April. The writing is so simple and meaningful, and even though I've read it three or four times and kept trying to just analyze the style/sentence structure/etc., I kept getting carried away by the story.
Fun/weird bonus: Have you ever developed a "book crush" on a fictional character? Who and why?
Oh, Myles Falworth. I fell hard for you when I read Men of Iron. But Mr. Knightley, David Balfour, Hillary Gordon, Teddy Kent, Faramir, and Mac Campbell also contributed to my idea of the perfect man. When I actually had a crush in real life as serious as my book crushes....well, reader, I married him.
Rule 9: Share a link to my blog’s best post.
I'm partial to this one: How I Don't Do It All
So here are my questions for you, whether you want to answer them on your blog or in the comments:
1) What was the first blog you enjoyed following?
2) What book has influenced the way you live your life?
3) What book do you dislike against popular opinion?
4) What's your favorite way to be creative, outside of something you might be pursuing as a career?
5.1) If you're a fiction writer: would your main character be your friend? What would they think of you?
5.2) If you're not a writer, what character in fiction would you love to have as a friend?
And a funny question... Choose a place to live: Middle Earth, Narnia, Avonlea, Hogwarts, or the Starship Enterprise.
Rule 1: Put the award logo/image on your blog.
Rule 2: List the rules.
Rule 3: Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog. (Thanks again, Laurel!)
Rule 4: Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well.
Okoto Enigma’s blog
Rule 5: Tell your readers three things about yourself.
I. I love honeybees and can't wait to have a hive someday...yet my biggest irrational fear is of killer bees.
II. I'm a champion watermelon seed spitter. Have been since I was 3.
III. I make my children look things up in the encyclopedia instead of Google.
Rule 6: Nominate other bloggers. (See above)
Rule 7: Notify those people.
(Also see above)
Rule 8: Ask your nominee any five questions of your choice, plus one weird or funny question.
Here's what Laurel asked me:
1) What are three things on your "bucket list"?
I actually have a pretty long list. :) There are a lot of different kinds of cheese and sausages and breads that I want to learn to make well, not to mention those bees I want to get... but probably at the top (not necessarily in this order):
I. Learn how to make beautiful pottery.
II. Write a really good LOVE story...not a romance in the commonly considered sense, but a story about true self-sacrificial, self-giving love and marriage.
III. Knit a lacework sweater.
2) Which authors have influenced you in terms of genre, style, or theme?
My deep love for L. M. Montgomery, Jane Austen, and Dodie Smith will never die. :) They have probably influenced my style and genre more than most authors, although modern writers like Laura Amy Schlitz, Jeanne Birdsall, Kate DiCamillo, and Claire Vanderpool fall into the same category. Obviously these styles differ greatly, but they have an elegance and old-fashioned feel in common that constantly challenge me.
(I love male writers too, for the record. P. G. Wodehouse and J. R. R. Tolkien are just the best...but I have to admit I can't write humor OR high fantasy, so oh well.)
3) What book's milieu (place, time, culture) would you most like to live in?
I mean, turn-of-the-century PEI out of Anne goes without saying, right?
But to be more contemporary about it... The Awakening of Miss Prim, by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera. I actually loved the milieu so much more than the plot or characters: the old-fashioned town with crazy "modern" ideas like homeschooling children or feminists who think marriage is wonderful... the community centered around a monastery... the focus on arts and skills and wonderful food out of your own or your neighbor's garden, juxtaposed against a strong emphasis on classical education... It's pretty great, and made me think about the way I am crafting my own life.
4) What are your favorite writing resources?
Good books by good authors are the best resources! That and writing friends to lift you up, hold you accountable, and make sure you don't overuse the word "it" in your fiction.
5) What's the best book you've read recently?
I re-read Lilies of the Field, by William Barrett in April. The writing is so simple and meaningful, and even though I've read it three or four times and kept trying to just analyze the style/sentence structure/etc., I kept getting carried away by the story.
Fun/weird bonus: Have you ever developed a "book crush" on a fictional character? Who and why?
Oh, Myles Falworth. I fell hard for you when I read Men of Iron. But Mr. Knightley, David Balfour, Hillary Gordon, Teddy Kent, Faramir, and Mac Campbell also contributed to my idea of the perfect man. When I actually had a crush in real life as serious as my book crushes....well, reader, I married him.
Rule 9: Share a link to my blog’s best post.
I'm partial to this one: How I Don't Do It All
So here are my questions for you, whether you want to answer them on your blog or in the comments:
1) What was the first blog you enjoyed following?
2) What book has influenced the way you live your life?
3) What book do you dislike against popular opinion?
4) What's your favorite way to be creative, outside of something you might be pursuing as a career?
5.1) If you're a fiction writer: would your main character be your friend? What would they think of you?
5.2) If you're not a writer, what character in fiction would you love to have as a friend?
And a funny question... Choose a place to live: Middle Earth, Narnia, Avonlea, Hogwarts, or the Starship Enterprise.
Faith! I LOVED The Awakening of Miss Prim, too! Such a great story. I haven't looked to see if the author has any other books out, but I definitely want to read more by her.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fun glimpse into your life. I admire you for wanting to make cheese and sausage. I'd just rather eat them. :) Hope you are well!
I know, right? Miss Prim was the author's first book, but I'm keeping my eye out for more...of course it was translated from Spanish, so maybe I'll have to brush up on my Spanish so I can read it without waiting for a translation. :)
DeleteI have a feeling you will accomplish all that's on your bucket list. You already live such a creative life. Your blog is well-titled.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Vijaya! I hope so...though the sweater one keeps getting put aside to knit things for the children. And then someday I suppose it will be grandchildren... Maybe I'll have to knit one of them a lacework baby sweater, though that wasn't exactly what I had in mind. ;)
DeleteI can help you with the lacework sweater anytime =). I used to design the things. I have a really simple vest in-the-round with an intuitive stitch pattern so you wouldn't have to be tied to a chart...Thanks for sharing, Faith.
ReplyDelete