Catching up on Thursday

I've been having a sort of off-week. Maybe even an off-month. I just haven't gotten around to posting my updates when I'm supposed to, and it's so frustrating! So it's nice when something happens to make everything better. First off, I won the giveaway over at Kelly Hashway's Books! Thanks, Kelly.

Second, I watched Real Steel (twice) and that made me realise how much the depiction of a strong movie character can influence my writing. My favourite characters are the ones that "grow" during the course of the film, that make a slow alteration between the (possible) jerk that they were at the beginning of the film into that person you can respect, admire, even love.

Actually, not only movie characters either, but other book characters, singers, songs, anything can tug at my emotions and make me really feel. Usually it's a character that's depicted so well I get this weird, protective surge inside me, and if such a character (book characters usually, and any character in a ballad song) were real, I would do everything in my power to try and get him/her to heaven. With movie characters and singers, at least they're real so I can pray for them. :) I know, it's funny, but the movies and songs and books I like best are the ones that make me wish I knew such a person, and that I had someone like that to love.

Here is a list of some of the people, songs, and characters  that have made me feel:

1. Josh Groban. He first did it with his song "Remember When It Rained," and he's been doing it to me ever since.
2. Morgon in the Riddlemaster of Hed trilogy, a character written by Patricia McKillip.
3. The Highwayman, written by Alfred Noyes and put to music by Loreena McKennit.
4. David Wenham as Faramir in the Lord of the Rings movie. (In the books, it was Gandalf.)
5. Tom in Fire and Hemlock, by Diana Wynne Jones
6. Steve (Chris Evans) in Captain America
7. James Braddock (Russell Crowe) in Cinderella Man
8. Mark Williams, my music teacher, who will also be playing the Phantom in a production near Tahoe.

There you go! Hope you enjoyed reading, and sorry for the delay. God bless!

Contest winnings!!

I am notorious for NEVER winning something I participate in. Ever. Never ever ever.

But today, in my inbox, I received an email from fellow blogger friend Sheri Larsen, and I happened to be the winner for her blog contest! How cool is that?! The contest featured my fellow critique partner Kelly Hashway, and I was the proud winner of Kelly's SWAG giveaway for her picture book May the Best Dog Win. I'm so excited. I've been wanting to win her book for a long time, but I just never win anything! However, in this past month, I've actually won two giveaways. It's awesome.

So, that's my news for the day. Thanks for popping in to see how excited I was. :)

God bless.

Another Award

It was terribly exciting to see this. I'm here in Scotland. Local time is 8:45 in the morning, and I got a Powerful Woman Writer Award from Deirdra Eden Coppel over at a Story Book World. Thanks so much, Deirdra!

Scotland is very beautiful. I saw Edinburgh Castle yesterday, and today Stirling Castle is on the agenda. I'm looking forward to it. All those old castles and stonework is fantastic. I just love castles. :) I believe Scotland's appearance is going to be the foundation for a story I've been thinking about. It has the right flavour and look that my story needs. Isn't it fun when things like that come together?

Again, thanks to Deirdra for the award. It is so very much appreciated. And thanks to everyone for checking in. I'm still a little thrown timewise, so it is Thursday today, right? The 28th? I think so. Heavens, but I'm not SURE!! It's disconcerting.

Lovely writing to all youse all. When I start getting pics on the 'puter, I'll try to post some. Until later, then, God bless!

The Versatile Blogger Award.

Today is Holy Thursday, the day Our Lord's Passion is to begin.

On this day, I was honoured to receive The Versatile Blogger Award from Kelly Hashway. Thank you so much, Kelly! When you get a moment, please head on over to her blog. She is an amazing writer, and someone I aspire to imitate.

Now, in order to accept this award, I have to pay it forward to other blogs of my choice (easy), AND reveal 7 things about myself (not so easy)!! I'll do the hard part first.

Seven Things About Me That You Never Knew, and May Wish I'd Kept To Myself.

1.) I like snow between the months of November and February. After that, where the heck is spring?!!

2.) I like sewing, but I hate cutting out the patterns, pinning the material together, losing pins, accumulating mounds of scraps to be thrown away, and the all-around general messiness that goes with sewing. The actual sewing part I like. :)

3.) I love singing, especially sad love songs.

4.) I am passionately fond of clay. Premo! is the best.

5.) I enjoy writing so much that, if I could, I would probably spend half the day writing and the other half thinking about other things to write about. In between times, I try to do everything else that I love - singing, drawing, clay, music, etc.

6.) I generally expel my emotions (anger, sadness, etc.) by crying. It's really embarrassing. "You are the meanest person ever! **sob** I'm going to tell on you! **sniff**" See? Embarrassing. I'd prefer to get mad, and LOOK mad, not cry. Oh well.

7.) I do not do things on my own. Ever. If I go anywhere, I try to make someone come along with me. It's a comfort thing, I think.


Okay, now to pass on the award!

1. Anne E. Johnson - Jester Harley's Manuscript Page
2. Debra Elliot - Writing With Debra
3. Allyn Stotz - Allyn's Blog: Dreaming with Words
4. Deirdra Eden Coppel - A Storybook World
5. Anna Staniszewski - Anna Staniszewski
6. Krista V. - Mother. Write. (Repeat.)
7. Amber Polo - Wordshaping
8. C. M. Villani - C. M. Villani
9. Stephanie Perkins - Natural Artificial
10. Antimony - Thoughts, Musings, and Broken Promises

Congratulations to all the winners! Thanks for stopping by. Have a very holy Thursday.