Tuesday – Anything Possible – Mystery Blogger Award.

Mysterious Blogger Award

 

A couple of days ago I was tagged in Lennon Carlyle’s Blog for the Mystery Blog Award. I normally do not do awards, but since I have enjoyed Lennon’s blog so much I should recognize her efforts to make me famous. Also, her questions are a whole lot of fun so let’s get started

Rules for nominees of the Mystery Blog Award:

Put the award logo/ picture on your blog – Done
List the rules – Done
Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog – Thank you, Lennon Carlyle.
Mention the creator of the award and link their blog too. – See below
Tell your readers three things about yourself – See below
You have to nominate 10-20 people – I nominate all my followers. (Now I’m in no trouble with anyone and in trouble with everyone)
Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog – Here is the notification
Ask your nominees any five questions of your choice, weird or funny question (mention)
Share your link to your best post
Thank you to Okoto Enigma for creating this award.
Three Random Facts about me:

1: Writing is my passion, and I do it every day. I have to meter the time I spend writing since my family has hinted at some comparisons to “The Shining.”

2: I enjoy walking on the beach and feel very fortunate that I can do it every day. The time spent there is golden regarding creativity.

3: I hardly ever wear shoes. The only time I’m forced into shoes is when I have to travel or attend a meeting. I try to stick to boat shoes but occasionally I must follow convention and put on shiny black cap-toed oxfords which are just not me anymore.

 

Here are the questions that Lennon Carlyle has asked.

1.) What’s your favorite concert you’ve ever went to and why is it your favorite? I attended an Elvis Presley concert that proved to be my favorite. He was the Elvis that we came to know toward the end of his life. He was overweight and appeared a little uncomfortable but did he ever sing his heart out. His rendition of “My Way” brought the house down as it was so sincere and from the heart. He died shortly after.

2.) Have you ever done something shameful but don’t regret it? If so, feel like sharing that deep secret with us? It is not such a deep secret but was shameful. I slapped a guy who was hitting his young boy. He was a neighbor, and I could not stand by and witness his so called discipline.  I asked him to stop, and when he told me to mind my business, I hit him. This was at a neighborhood function, and I was criticized for interfering. I never regretted it for a moment.

3.) If you won the lottery what would you do? Where would you live? What would you buy? Would you give some to charity and if so, what would that charity be? If I won the lottery, I would donate a fat percentage to Austin Boxer Rescue. They do so much good work on behalf of abused animals that I would like to support further efforts. I think I would establish a legal fund that could be used to prosecute those who believe animals are inferior to humans and therefore okay to mistreat. The rest  I would save and spend a little on advertising in the New York Times on behalf of my books. I don’t need to move or buy anything so that would be about it.

4.) Do you cook? If so, what’s the best thing you cook and can you share the recipe with us possibly? Please???? I do cook. I have been told the best thing is Clams Linguini. Here is the recipe.

Although fresh clams and clam juice are the best, this also works with the canned variety. This recipe serves two

Ingredients:

Four cloves of garlic smashed and chopped

Two small cans of Snows clams

About two tablespoons of olive oil (I usually do two turns around the pan

One-half teaspoon salt

One-eighth cup of Kosher salt

Two tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Heat the olive oil on medium high in a ten-inch pan and add the garlic. Keep stirring to make certain the garlic doesn’t burn. Open the cans of clams and add the liquid to the garlic. Reserve the clams for later. Add the teaspoon of salt and reduce the heat to low and cook until thick (About fifteen minutes). Use a small spatula to continually pull the sauce from the sides of the pan. In the meantime get a big ole pot and bring the water (at least two quarts) to a boil. Add the kosher salt and when dissolved the Linguini (enough for two). Cook according to directions on the pasta box. Once your sauce is thickened, add the clams and allow to heat. (Two minutes) Add the chopped parsley and cook one more minute.

Drain and rinse your Linguini, Spoon into two bowls, top with the sauce divided evenly. You can also put parmesan cheese on the side. I would sever with a simple salad and crusty bread. Oh yes, also a terrific bottle of wine. If you use fresh clams buy a bottle of clam juice and make the sauce as above. Steam the clams until opened then chop all but a few. Add the clams to the sauce and serve with the remaining shelled clams.

5.) Do you have any special plans for 2017 or hopes? I am relaunching my first book My GRL in March and then my fourth book titled Circumstances of Childhood assuming it survives the beta readers. My hope for 2017 is that life becomes better for all of us. Although maybe not possible I can hope, can’t I?

Here are my questions for anyone who would like to participate.

  1. What is the best thing you ever ate and why?
  2. Who has helped you the most in figuring out life in general or a skill specifically?
  3. What is your greatest pleasure and why?
  4. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
  5. If you could, who would you want to be for a day?

Thursday – A Little Personal – Sunshine Award

 

Charles Yallowitz nominated me for this award. I have been pretty much an award free blog unless someone wants to give me a prize, food, or money. I thought about avoiding this with some excuse like a broken finger, working on a big project, or having trouble with my computer. Then I looked at the questions connected with the award and happen to enjoy Charles’ books and blog. So I said what the hell I might as well do the questions. Now as to naming other sunshine winners, I will do it, but they are not obligated to acknowledge the award or answer the questions. So let’s go. Here are the questions: (A reminder Charles is a fantasy writer, so his questions by custom are a little fantastical)

  1. If you could have only one enhanced sense, what would it be? I think I would enjoy having an enhanced sense of hearing. As I get older sounds become a little more muted and I would love to be able to catch a question on the first ask. Of course, it might help is others wouldn’t mumble when they speak. With enhanced hearing I could do away with the “huh” factor.
  2. Are you going to eat that? Yes I’m going to eat that, and I would appreciate you taking that dirty dagger out of joint of dragon, (notice the tie into Fantasy)
  3. Do you think a stubbed toe or a paper cut hurts the most? I think it is the paper cut. Since I’m a writer and have paper editions of my books, I believe paper to be part of my family. A cut by a member of the family is the unkindest cut of all.
  4. What is the one thing you wish someone told you about being an artist? I wish they told me how to get all the paint out of those little tubes. You can stand on them and still not get it all. Those suckers cost a bundle. Wait…your’re talking about writing right? Oh, in that case, I wish they would have told me how hard this job is. When I considered being a writer, I thought it all looked so easy. Write a little, drink a little and answer fan mail. No mention of hours alone, word struggles, book promotion, and reviews.
  5. The protagonist of your latest book is at your door.  Is this a good or bad thing? What will you do? I will open the door and invite him in for a drink. He is a good guy and although a little confused about what is going on, a brilliant person. It would be a good thing.
  6. Is there one aspect of your personality that you’d never wish on a fictional character? I think a fictional character would be driven mad by my need for perfection. The sad thing for the character is the fact that perfection is seldom reached so they would be driven in pursuit of a rarely accomplished goal. I’m totally comfortable with it as I have been this way my entire life and believe it to be a personal challenge.
  7. What animal would you want as a totally tame, will never hurt you pet? I would love to have a lion. I have always admired their dignified air and the fact that they look like they would enjoy a nice scratch behind the ears. I happen to love cats, and this would be a logical extension of my current crowd.

Here are my award nominations

Dalecooper57

Kim Cox

Sally Cronin

Michell Clements James

Dan Antion

Teagan Genevieve

Linda G. Hill

Here are the questions:

  1. Have you ever fallen in love with a character (Yours or someone else’s)?
  2. What is the hardest part of a story or an article for you to write?
  3. Do you ever get into a “writer’s block” situation and if so how do you get out? If not how do you avoid it?
  4. What is the best part of being a writer or blogger?
  5. How do you keep yourself motivated to write?
  6. Do you need noise or quiet when you write?
  7. What is the way you celebrate when you write something that makes you proud?

Versatile Blogger Award to me from Guy Portman

I am honored to be nominated by Guy Portman for the Versatile Blogger Award. Although I technically don’t qualify for this award since I’m not new to blogging, I did want to acknowledge that I am honored to be thought of by Guy as versatile.

Guy Portman is the author of two interesting books Necropolis and Charles Middleworth.  Click on each book to check them out.

 a necropolisa Charles Middleworth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a versatile blogger

Here are the rules for the Versatile Blogger award

Nominate 15 other bloggers relatively new to blogging. Well, I can’t do that since it would be playing favorites. I would say to anyone reading this you are worthy of the award and should take the image and follow the rest of the rules.

Let the bloggers know that you’ve nominated them. Read the above statement and raise your right hand and swear I told you so.

Share 10 random facts about yourself

1 I love dogs and cats

2 I write every day and am committed to one thousand words on my current WIP not including blogs or e-mails or tweets

3 My John J. Cannon Trilogy is complete and now have to wait for the publisher to publish.

4 I drink serially one bottle of high-quality beer a week. The current six weeks it is Guinness Stout.

5 I have begun another book and at 80,000 words. Another ten days or so.

6 I read about one book every ten days. I wish it could be more, but I only get less than an hour a day to read.

7 I buy only books by authors with which I have had some contact. I no longer buy books by the big successful artists. They don’t need or appreciate my support. Time is a premium for me, and I don’t have time for the commercial successes anymore. My TBR list is all indies or those traditionally published authors who know who I am.

8 I do reviews of the books I finish. I give a book fifty pages. If it is not good, I don’t go any further, and I don’t write a review.

9 I read all kinds of genres. I write fiction Thrillers but enjoy many more genres. If the book is good, the type doesn’t matter. I find I don’t have to understand all the conventions of a genre to enjoy it.

10 I am becoming less tolerant of people who are extreme in their belief systems. I no longer tolerate reading blogs when I see a phrase containing the words hate, all and those in referring to people on the opposite pole.

Thank the blogger who nominated you.

I thanked Guy above

Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your post

Done

One Lovely Blog Award – Presented by Shannon A Thompson

 

Normally I don’t do awards. Not because I think they are not really nice, I have a great deal of trouble trying to select award winners. This week I’m making an exception due to the fact that the person nominating my blog for this award is someone I have watched grow from over the last two years. She published her debut novel in 2007  to a full-fledged  powerhouse in the blogging and writer world. She has a gazillion books (okay seven) currently available and about fifteen-thousand followers. She is Shannon Thompson and you can visit her here. here. Before I list my nominees, I have to tell seven things about myself. Here goes:

1. I have a book published by Martin Sisters Publishing named My GRL (in case you haven’t heard)

2. I live on the Gulf of Mexico

3. I write Thriller Fiction and short stories to relax from thriller fiction novels.

4. I am halfway through the last of the John J. Cannon trilogy (Should be done by November 1)

5. I will be writing a new set of thrillers which will have new characters and a different setting

6.  I plan to start the new set on January 2nd (I put this in here so I won’t slip the date)

7. I write every day and have been doing it since April of 2012

My nominees have been chosen due to the short time they have been following my blog. I hope you will visit them and build them into the kind of powerhouse which has become Shannon A Thompson.

http://paulinekingblog.wordpress.com/

http://silverthreading.com/

http://lovehappynotes.com/