Elliot's Tough Questions

The charming Elliot Grace over at So Close, But... has tagged me with the Liebster Award! The rules are simple, offer 11 fun facts about yourself, answer 11 questions provided by Elliot, pass the award on to 11 blogger pals, answering 11 new questions from yours truly. 

On to Elliot's (really hard!) questions...

1) What is your favorite genre to read?
I love so many genres! Currently my fave is definitely contemporary romance, but I also love fantasy, sf, mystery, YA & MG (I know those last 2 aren't genres--humour me) and more!
 

2) Pizza or pasta?

This is another hard one! We live in a town with a TON of fantastic Italian restaurants. I've been to bigger cities with more famous places and tried a variety of popular chain restaurants, but there is nothing that beats our local pizza & pasta. Nothing! My heart is a little torn with this question, but I think I'll go with pasta!

 

3) If you were to be stranded on an island and could choose one book to take with you, which would you choose?

AHHH! Can I have an easy question please??? Okay. I'd bring Lord of the Rings. I never tire of Tolkien's characters!

 

4) If you could choose to have dinner with one writer, in order to pick his/her brain, who would you choose?

Nora Roberts! She is such a prolific author. She's written a mind-boggling number of best-selling romances and each character is unique and intriguing. Her In Death series has an incredible cast of repeat characters and each book keeps getting stronger!!

 

5) Who is your choice of musician for inspiration while writing?

I never listen to one musician at a time. I always set my iTunes to shuffle. My tastes are pretty eclectic with music too - I've got everything from classic rock to easy listening to jazz to blues to country to Motown to pop... So it would depend on the scene I think!

 

6) The Walking Dead, or Breaking Bad?

Sadly, neither. I've stopped adding new TV series to my schedule. There's just not enough time to watch and do everything else I want to do so I haven't seen either of these.

 

7) If you could choose an actor to play the part of lead role in your book, who would it be?

Another tough one! I actually think Chris Pine would make a pretty good Jaz in the book I'm hoping to pub later this year.

 

8) Do you prefer writing in the a.m or p.m?

Both! I am a morning person, but for most of the year, the job gets in the way. During the school year I tend to write after 9 p.m. once family life has slowed down. In the summer I have more freedom and write whenever I can.

 

9) What is your best antidote for writer's block?

Try something else. I currently have 4 stories in various stages of editing and another one I'm drafting. For a person who thought she was a one draft at a time writer, it's a bit of a shock, but it works!

 

10) When going on vacation...drive or fly?

I'd love to fly to more places but the wallet usually says we drive. My hubby likes to drive so that leaves me free to read too!

 

11) Name the city that tops your bucket list to visit.

So many! Probably Hong Kong. Or New York. Or Rome. Or Cairo...

 

And 11 fun facts about me...

1. I hate/despise/detest/loathe housecleaning
2. My dad and I used to always shop for bonus 'as is' presents for people for Christmas on Christmas Eve when the stores were nuts and the crowds desperate. We got some really strange items and had a ton of fun!
3. I used to walk along the tops of swing sets as a kid
4. I've never owned a pet even though I love animals
5. Although I'm Canadian, I'm a rotten skater. Actually I can skate pretty well, it's the whole stopping thing I never mastered
6. I make an awesome lasagna!
7. I want to go on an African photo safari one day
8. Although I don't watch too many TV series, I'm kind of a sports nut and often have sports on in the background when I'm writing
9. I LOVE teaching Math!
10. When I'm baking/cooking I rarely measure anything - that would take the mystery out!

I won't tag anyone specifically, but if you'd like to play along, please do!

Tell me one fun fact I don't know about you!

Look!

The sweet and talented Stephanie Diaz tagged me the other day. This is another fun one!

RULES:

If you are tagged, do a search for the word "look" in your work in progress. Copy that paragraph, along with surrounding paragraphs, to your blog, to keep the game afloat. Don't forget to tag others.

Gotta say, I was kind of nervous about this one. Look/looked are words I tend to overuse. They show up whenever I wordle my stories to find those overused words. Anyway, here we go...

***

“Hey there, pretty girl. You hungry? Does that grass really fill you up?”

The chuckle behind her made her jump. “That’s a steer, not a cow. A male. Cows are female.” Hawk walked up beside her and grinned. “Steers make the best meat.”

Terrific. First she nearly fainted on him, then she babbled. Now he finds her talking to herself. Worse, to a cow. And insulting the animal into the bargain. “Steers? I thought male cows were bulls.”

He grinned and walked up to the fence, leaned his arms against the top rail. “We don’t raise bulls. They’re for stud work. We raise steers.” Her confusion must have shown, because he continued. “Bulls are all male. Steers are castrated. Makes them get along better.”

Castrated? She looked again at the cow – steer – on the other side of the fence. “Poor guy.”

 ***

Once again, if you'd like to play along, consider yourself tagged!

Is 'look' one of your overused words?

Comfort

The always lovely Laurel Garver tagged me with the Lucky 7 meme that's been floating around. Thanks Laurel :)

The rules are:
1. Go to page seventy-seven of your manuscript.
2. Go down seven lines.
3. Post the next seven lines, sentences, or paragraphs on your blog for all to enjoy/laugh at/whatever.
4. Tag seven new writers.
So, here we go...

Some people ate comfort food, she sang comfort songs. Dolly Parton, Shania Twain, the Eagles. Because she’d been thinking of her dad, she also played Willie Nelson and good old Johnny Cash.

            The clock showed four o'clock when she decided she might be able to sleep. Besides, her numb fingers and aching shoulder needed a break. She reached for a light, hesitated, then left them all on.
            Curled into the comfortable chair, she kept her eye on the door.

I didn't even cheat - that's the right page and everything! I won't tag anyone specifically (that would be following one too many rules for me!), but I'll leave it open. If you'd like to play along, consider yourself IT!

So, what comfort songs do you have?

Tag!

The lovely Jacqueline Gardner tagged me while my computer was away in the hands of the Repair Gods & Goddesses - the first time. If you haven't met Jacque yet, please pop on over and introduce yourself! :)

1. What is your dream vacation?
I'd love to go on an African photo safari. I'd especially love to see the silverbacks in the Rwandan mountains, but there are so many amazing sights to see there. We're doing so much damage to our planet and our fellow species, I don't know how much longer they'll be around.

2. Are you spontaneous or do you like to plan ahead?
A little bit of both. In my job, I'm an overplanner, but I don't always follow the plan. As long as I have the plan in place in my head, I have no problems changing it. That gives me the best of both worlds. :)

3. Tell us one thing you want to do but don't dare do it.
I'm not the bravest person in the world, so this changes. But I never thought I'd write a manuscript or a blog either - and I certainly never thought I'd be brave enough to query an agent, so whatever's on that list, might not be there for long!

4. What's your biggest phobia?
Snakes. *shudder* They don't have legs! 'Nuff said.

5. If you were stranded on a desert island-what three things would you want with you? (Not including your laptop or family)
My Kindle, my iPod (both with neverending batteries!) and a barrel full of sunscreen!

6. Name three blessings in your life.
My family, my job and my imagination.

7. What was your nickname in High School?
Finnegan. Long story :)

8. If you could meet the President of the United States, what would you say to him?
Hmm, I think I'll add the Canadian Prime Minister into the meeting. I'd ask them both why kids and their welfare aren't the number one priority. And I'd tell them to start fixing that.

9. If you could be any literary character, who would you be?
Tough one! I think I'd choose to be Lessa - dragon rider of Pern.

10. What is your favorite quote?
Be the change you want to see in the world. - Gandhi
I've had this quote up in every classroom I've had. Love it!

So, choose one question and tell me what your answer would be.
My computer is back in Repair Land *sigh*, so I may be a little slow responding until it returns!

Oh no - I'm It!

I've been tagged by two lovely ladies: Janet Summer Johnson and Shannon O'Donnell. If you haven't met them yet, you've really got to visit - they're terrific! :)

Okay, here we go...

Are you hot?

Nope. Not a chance. I have a thyroid disorder & I'm always cold. :)
 
Upload a picture or wall paper you are using at the moment.

 Nope - he's not mine, he's the son of a family member. And he's the cutest cutie-patootie going! :)

When was the last time you ate chicken meat?
Last night. Delicious! Marinated & bbq-ed. With new potatoes, mushrooms & zucchini - awesome!

The Song(s) you listened to recently?
Beautiful by the Barenaked Ladies
California Dreamin' by Queen Latifah
Take it Easy by The Eagles
LOVE my iTunes - it's always on shuffle and you never really know what's coming up next!

What were you thinking as you were doing this?
Help! I'm terrible at these things!

Do you have nicknames?
Not really. Finnegan for some strange reason when I was a kid, but that's it.

Tag eight Blogger friends.

1. Riley Redgate
2. Laura Pauling
3. Lisa Gail Green
4. Laura Marcella
5. Julie Musil
6. Susan Fields
7. Rosalind Adams
8. Beth

Who's listed as number one?
Riley. I met Riley over at Agent Query Connect. She's an amazing teen writer who's got a great eye for detail and a very generous heart!

Say something about number 5.
Julie is one of the sweethearts of the bloggy-verse. She always makes me think and her approach to life is full of optimism.

How did you get to know number 3?
It's been such a long time, I'm not really sure. Lisa is always so much fun on Twitter! Love Lisa's twisty takes on all things paranormal over at her blog!

How about number 4?
Laura's zebra always makes me smile! I think I met Laura through her Monday quote posts - love them!

Leave a message for number 6.
Susan - I love your "about me" description on your blog. I used to think I was the only one with eclectic ideas all over the spectrum. So glad to know I'm not alone!! :)

Leave a lovey-dovey message for number 2.
Laura - you're a total sweetie! I love the way you break down plots - your analysis style totally rocks!

Do number 7 and number 8 have any similarities?
Aside from being 2 of the sweetest people in the bloggy-verse? They both have open, generous hearts and are kind and wondeful ladies!

(Please feel no pressure to complete the tag - it's all about fun, not to cause stress!)

Phew! I made it. I have the HARDEST time with these things. Hope you enjoy meeting 10 of the nicest people in the bloggy-verse (don't forget Janet & Shannon up top!).

So, what's on your computer's background right now??

5 Times the Fun

I recently got tagged by my good bloggy friend E Elle at The Writer's Funhouse. This is a fun game where I get to answer 5 questions 5 times.

Question 1 - Where were you five years ago?
1. Same house
2. Loving my day job
3. Watching my kids enter their teens
4. Writing some stories in my head
5. Not even considering attempting to publish any writing.

Question 2 - Where would you like to be five years from now?
1. Same house
2. Loving my day job
3. Watching my kids settle into their grown up jobs & lives
4. Writing stories on paper
5. Publishing those stories.

Question 3 - What is (was) on your to do list today?
1. Get students to understand surface area & volume of triangular prisms
2. Lit circle discussion in class: what makes a really good lead?
3. Hope to fit in lunch
4. Watch son play hockey
5. Revise 2 chapters

Question 4 - What 5 snacks do you enjoy?
1. Chocolate of course :)
2. Raspberries
3. Rolo ice cream
4. Strawberries
5. Popcorn

Question 5 - What would you do if you were a billionaire?
1. Give a couple million to cancer research
2. Create a really cool and fun and safe group home for kids needing foster care & pay the staff really well

3. Build a really awesome school for kids with learning differences - lots of hands on labs, workshops, kitchens, studios, computer labs...

4. Go on an African photo safari

5. Go whale watching in one of those teeny tiny boats

Thanks E for letting me dream a little! If you haven't checked out her blog, make sure you pop over. She's got a great place :) She also passed me the Blogger Buddie award when my laptop was down and out. Thanks E -- You're a great buddy to have!

I'm going to pass the tag game along to a few bloggers I've met recently. I'm looking forward to finding out more about you!

Rayna at Coffee Rings Everywhere

B. Miller at B. Miller Fiction

Melody Green at Melody's Musings

Laura Marcella at Wavy Lines

Lydia Kang at The Word is My Oyster

I've got a few more awards to accept. Susan Fields was kind enough to pass me the Sugar Doll award - most appropriate because she is a sweetie! Check out her blog for lots of great stuff!

Mary at the appropriately named Mary McDonald Has the Write Stuff passed the Most Excellent Blogger Award my way. This is an award Mary created with some help from her talented daughter. Thanks Mary! She's a true fan of Friday Night Lights and a lot of fun - make sure you look her blog up too!


Hope everyone enjoys a wonderul weekend - I do believe we've earned it :) Anyone have exciting plans?

Blogging Buddy News!

There's a great new blog popping up in the blogosphere! 4 amazing writers have put together The Secret Archives of the Alliterati. These are great folks and the blog looks like a lot of fun. They've put together a unique prize package too. Let me know if you follow them from here :) Check out their initial post to see why!


Another blog buddy, Karen Denise over at I'm Always Write... But Often Wrong tagged me for the following game. Karen has a great sense of humour and she's a lot of fun to follow!

• I like spring break! I can do bloggy things during the day :)
• I like my teaching job & "my" kids
• I like animals and considered becoming a biologist to study animals. My first choices were whales, wolves and gorillas
• I like teddy bears of all kinds
• I like the Space Channel
• I like sunshine
• I like so many kinds of music
• I like baking

• I love my family - I have the best kids & hubby ever!
• Today is a glorious, sunshin day - seriously it's the middle of March and the snow is almost gone!! In Canada - Northern Ontario no less!

• I hate when my kids are hurt
• I hate watching people I love suffer with illness
• I hate racism and prejudice
• I hate meanness and small-mindedness
• I hate child abuse in all its many forms
• I hate rotten celebrity role models
• I hate when money is more important than people

• I (secretly) like brussel sprouts!
• I love writing. Creating new people and forcing them to suffer through all kinds of torture is so much fun! :)

On another happy note, I've received a few more awards from even more great blogging buddies.  Shelley over at Stories in the Ordinary awarded me the Creative Writer Award. Shelley's fun perspective on life makes her a great bloggy friend.

Susan Gourley/Kelley over at Susan Says awarded me the Sunshine Award. Susan has published some great books and her blog is full of fun advice.

Helen Ginger over at Straight From Hel awarded me the Prolific Blogger Award. Helen's blog is chock-full of great industry tips.

The delightful Suzette & Bethany over at Shooting Stars awarded me the Butterfly Award. You have to meet these ladies is you haven't already done so!

Thanks to all! I'm going to pass along these awards to a few more bloggers who are new to me. Once again, these are no pressure awards. Choose whichever award you like - or play the tag game at the top. Have fun!

Tiana Lei at Spilled Ink
Rosalind Adam at Rosalind Adam is Writing in the Rain
Shelley at Stories in the Ordinary
Kathi Oram Peterson at Kathi's Writing Nook
Erica at write.laugh.play
E. Elle at The Writer's Funhouse
Marisa Birns at Out of Order Alice
Shawna Weeks at The Forever Blog

Have a great day everyone - I'm going outside to walk in the sunshine. And maybe rake a little too - I can see grass!

I'm It!

I've been tagged & now I'm it! Nope, I haven't been playing with the students at school. It's a blog game. Julie over at The Climb tagged me, so now I have to answer the following questions and then tag someone else! Thanks, Julie!! :) This is making me a little nervous - I'm not always good at the whole sharing personal info thing. But I AM a good sport, so here we go!

1)What's the last thing you wrote? What's the first thing you wrote that you still have?
The last thing I wrote was a scene for my wip in which the male mc is creating a tracking device in Steampunk England. Fun stuff. The first thing I wrote that I still have (at least I think I have it...) is a sappy story about a gypsy man playing his violin while his caravan burns. His wife has died & he can't live with the memories. (I know, I know, but I was little!)

2) Write poetry?
Not a lot anymore. I wrote a lot in high school and college.

3) Angsty poetry?
Of course, I WAS a teenage girl for a few years :)

4) Favorite genre of writing?
Romantic mystery, with steampunk running a close 2nd!

5) Most annoying character you've ever created?
A very arrogant English Lord. It was from a short historical romance story I wrote years ago. He was a real creep, and annoying to boot. He gets killed in a rather horrific manner at the end. Felt good :)

6) Best plot you've ever created?
The plot from the ms I've completed is fun with a couple of intertwined subplots. I really enjoyed weaving the plots together.

7) Coolest plot twist you've ever created?
Can't tell you that, now, can I?

8) How often do you get writer's block?
I'm lucky. That rarely happens. There are so many stories yelling at me, I never have time to write them all down.

9) Write fan fiction?
Not on paper. When I was younger I "wrote" Star Trek episodes in my head when I was trying to fall asleep at nights (well, still do actually)

10) Do you type or write by hand?
Always on the laptop. I'd lose papers.

11) Do you save everything you write?
Yup. I'm a very organized file maniac. Sad, but true.

12) Do you ever go back to an idea after you've abandoned it?
I'm a pack rat. Don't throw anything out. So, nothing's ever abandoned - just waiting for me to get back to it :)

13) What's your favorite thing you've ever written?
That's hard. Probably a completed ms. Even though it needs another round of revision.

14) What's everyone else's favorite story you've written?
I haven't shared much writing yet. My 2 crit buddies have only seen parts of 1 story so far. :)

15) Ever written romance or angsty teen drama?
I enjoy romance, especially with a mystery or some suspense added in. My completed ms is a romantic mystery.

16) What's your favorite setting for your characters?
That's a really hard one. Settings aren't as vital to me as characters or plot. Yes, they're important, but not enough for me to have a fave.

17) How many writing projects are you working on right now?
Two on paper. I'm finishing the first draft for my nano, and beginning another round of revision on my completed ms. Two stories are running around in my head as well.

18) Have you ever won an award for your writing?
I haven't entered any competitions, so no :)

19) What are your five favorite words?
Almost anything Italian - such a beautiful language! In English: love, peace & hope for the meaning, discombobulated for the sound. Recess for rather obvious reasons! :)

20) What character have you created that is most like yourself?
None of them really. Although bits and pieces of Ali in the first half of an ms are like me.

21) Where do you get your ideas for your characters?
Everywhere and who knows. They just "are".

22) Do you ever write based on your dreams?
Sure, but not often. My dreams are generally too crazy, disjointed & scary.

23) Do you favor happy endings?
YES! The world is so often unhappy. In my job, I see a lot of kids who don't or can't believe in happy endings. They need to have access to them somewhere. They need to believe and hope.

24) Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?
Yes. I think it's automatic. As a teacher, it's just part of me. It's not even conscious most of the time.

25) Does music help you write?
A most resounding yes. I put the iTunes on Shuffle and enjoy a wide variety of music. No playlists, just mix it all up.

26) Quote something you've written. Whatever pops in your head.
"It's my first mutilated mammal by mail."

Phew! I'm exhausted. You probably are too :)
So...

Calista Taylor at A Steampunk Reverie,
Jenny Martin at Book Binge,
Cat Woods at Words from the Woods...

TAG, you're it!! These wonderful writers/bloggers are some of my cyber-friends from AQ. There are so many more I could mention, but I'll limit myself to just 3. Enjoy their fantabulous blogs :)

P.S. If you haven't checked out Julie's blog, scroll back up and click on her link - you won't regret it!