The Liebster Award

So, the Often Clueless, Always Shoeless wonder that is Olivia nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award! Thanks, Ols!

For those who don’t know, the nominees have to follow the rules above and spread the word, finding new blogs in the process. I think it’s a brilliant way to communicate with other blogs, so I’m excited to be a part of it!

To start, here are some fun tedious random facts about Herself:

1. Despite being incredibly white, I am actually half (Asian) Indian on my mother’s side.

2. I sang “Don’t Stop Believing” to confused tourists in Wells Cathedral in England.

3. The Lord of the Rings is my favorite book(s) and movie(s).

4. I freak out (in a good way) over miniature things.

LOOK AT THEM. THEY ARE SO TINY.

5. I have a tattoo of my writing symbol on my upper back, and I plan to get a tattoo symbolizing each of my writing projects.

6. I once snuck out of my aunt’s security-locked house in Virginia to meet friends.

7. One of my favorite places in the world is Disneyland.

8. I briefly sang opera in college.

9. My father once convinced me there was a monster in the garage. To this day, garages freak me out (in a bad way).

10. I regularly check in on my characters outside their stories.

11. I often wish I had red hair. This is probably why several of my characters have red hair.

Parte Deux involves me answering my nominator’s questions, which I have to admit are quite unique:

What is your best tip for Writers Block?

A: This is a question that really depends on the day and the writer. For me, I back off. I read books. I research. When something gives me that spark again, I dive in. Reading is a great way to get the creative energy back on track.

Pick a random word from the dictionary. What does it mean to you?

A: Sinuous – Winding, or having a curve. This is actually a “sexy” word to me (dork alert). It makes me think of a flowing line, something that doesn’t end, but instead is continual in its curves and waves.

What are you most likely to plant in a garden?

A: Other than the obvious (flowers), I’d say herbs, both for cooking and medicinal uses. One of my main characters relies heavily on these sorts of plants to heal others, and I’m really interested in that stuff now.

If you could live in the fictional world from any book, where would you go?

A: This question always makes me wary, because a lot of worlds I read about are not desirable in the least. For instance, who in their right mind would want to live in Westeros, or Panem? I’d say it’s a tie between the Shire in Middle Earth, from The Lord of the Rings, or the Harry Potter world, the latter because I could be a witch and I already know most of the spells already.

What do you do to get yourself into ‘writing mode’?

A: Daydream. Imagining my characters in fun or dangerous situations is the equivalent of warming up at the gym—I have my goal, now I gotta run for it.

What is the closest green object to you right now?

A: A Post-It note I stuck on my bookshelf. It reads: “Know what you’re meant for, not just what you’re built for.”

What is a skill you’ve always wanted to learn?

A: I’ve always wanted to learn to draw better. I want to draw my characters, but my skill in that department is sadly lacking.

What office supply could you absolutely not function without?

A: Post-It notes. I don’t know what I would do if I got an idea and couldn’t jot it down somewhere.

What is your favorite activity that does not require any kind of technology whatsoever? And just to make it interesting, let’s exclude reading or writing.

A: Singing.

What fictional character (either your own, or someone else’s) would you most like to accompany you while doing the above activity?

A: A startling number of my own characters aren’t musically inclined, which is sad. There’s a Neil Gaiman character, Fat Charlie from Anansi Boys, who can alter reality by singing stories. I think it would be pretty cool to sing with him.