I’m a Sunshine Blogger!

My bloggin’ friend, Jeri Walker-Bickett, awarded me with a Sunshine Blogger Award! It actually made me smile since I’ve been slacking in my blogging duties. I met Jeri through Goodreads after she offered to read and give my book Net Switch an honest review. Formerly a teacher, and after reading several of her book reviews, I definitely jumped at the opportunity since I felt she was more than qualified and would give me an honest review. If interested, you can go here to read her review of Net Switch. I suggest you hop on over to her blog and take a look. She has lots of things going on and she is currently working on her novel, Lost Girl Road.

Now back to my Sunshine Award. To accept this award, *takes a bow and blows kisses to the fans*, I must thank the person who gave it to me, answer some questions and then select 10 of my favorite bloggers and let them know I’ve passed it on (the award, nothing else) to them.

1)  What is your passion? My passion is to learn how to write. Not just write, but be able to transform my readers’ lives. I want incredible prose. I don’t want to fall into the self-published crack; I want people to know and remember my writing long after they turned the last page.

2)  Favorite time of the year? Autumn is my favorite time of year. I love everything about the autumn months. Here are a few things I associate with autumn: crisp weather, burning leaves, hot chocolate, mulled wine, sweaters, football, popcorn, Halloween, hay rides, changing leaves. It’s a beautiful time of year to reflect on what you accomplished, and to look forward to future goals. It’s winter and the New Year's prep time.

3)  Favorite book? I have many favorite books, but I’ll choose the one that made me say, “I want readers to feel this way about my writing”, which is The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

John Irving’s, A Prayer for Owen Meany, also has to be added to this question. The way he hit upon sensitive subject matters without forcing his own beliefs, and the way he wrote his characters in this book is like no other.

4)  Favorite movie? Another tough question, especially since I’m not a huge movie buff. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s probably the only movie I’ve seen a gazillion times and I’m still not sick of it. What can I say, I'm an old romantic. In my opinion, it has one of the most romantic scenes in the history of film.

 

5)  Favorite animal? Since my birthday month is August, I’ll have to go with a lion. They’re strong and beautiful creatures.

6)  Favorite time of the day? Early in the morning, when many people are still sleeping. I think it’s so peaceful then. It’s a great time to enjoy a nice cup of coffee, write in a journal, and think about the coming day.

7)  Favorite Flower? My favorite flower is a Calla lily. I think they’re beautiful flowers. To me, they look delicate, while at the same time, somewhat obscene. Or maybe it’s my dirty mind.

8)  Favorite nonalcoholic beverage? Water. I drink water all day and night. I’ll drink coffee in the morning, maybe a tea in the afternoon, but the rest goes to water—and sparkling water. In Germany, sparkling (gas) water is popular and I’ve succumbed to their likings.

9)  Favorite physical activity? Riding a bike. When I moved to Germany, I bought my first adult bike. There are so many bike trails around where we live. Where we used to walk, now we ride. It’s great to ride around lakes and near forests, feeling the wind, my lungs and legs aching, and actually getting somewhere. It took a week for me to be able to ride 4 miles on a constant incline. The longest we rode our bikes was 15.5 miles. I’m looking forward to riding my bike again.

10) Favorite vacation? My favorite vacation was at Lake Garda, Italy. One weekend, we flew to Bologna and drove to Lake Garda. It was dark and I couldn’t see a thing…but when I saw the sunrise over the Alps, I fell in love.

I will now pass The Sunshine Award to 10 of my fellow bloggers, who may or may not claim the award, but at least they’ll know I think they’re special.

Pat Ruppel – Plain Talk and Ordinary Wisdom

Connie -  Crafty Home Cottage

Pat Newcombe – Thriller Writer (aka Writing saved my life)

Peggy Eddleman – Will Write for Cookies

Brandon & Bryan – A Beer for the Shower

Renee, Dakota & Jessica – Books and Booze

Angie Mansfield – Adventures of a Grown-Up Band Geek

Libby Heily – Libby Heily

A League of Extraordinary Writers

Haggis – What do you mean, I should start a blog?

Blogging Friends and Awards,

Bea