The Liebster Award!

I was tagged for the Liebster Award by Jade Sky from Stepping Stones Book Reviews (https://steppingstonesbookreviews.blogspot.com) this past week. The Liebster Award is just a way for bloggers to give nods to other bloggers, and for you readers to learn a little bit more about us and find some more fun blogs!

Here's the official rules (if you believe in official):

1. Thank the person who nominated you, include a link to their blog, and add the Liebster Award badge to your blog and/or post.
2. Answer the eleven questions from the person who nominated you.
3. Give eleven random facts about yourself.
4. Nominate 5-11 fellow bloggers with less than 200 followers.
5. Notify your nominees that you nominated them for the Liebster Award.
6. Ask your nominees eleven questions.

So, many thanks to Jade Sky for the honor! Without further ado, here are my answers to her questions!

What was your goal/purpose when you first started blogging? Do you feel that goal or purpose has changed in any way?

I started out blogging (or rather as an email newsletter) just wanting to connect with other writers and encourage them. As I worked on these posts, I realized it was kind of hard for me to brainstorm ideas in the strictly encouragement category. It was just not a style of writing that worked for me. But the few posts that I had written that drew lessons from books or movies that my peers had read/seen and applied those lessons to the writing journey resonated with me. So I decided to do those types of posts all the time. And I actually got a website! So I wouldn’t say my goal has changed, but my means definitely have.

What’s your favorite part about blogging?

Because of the types of posts I do, I love getting to analyze books and movies with other people and learn from them.

What’s your go-to comfort snack? Why?

I’m not really a comfort snacker, but I love most anything pretzel. On the sweet side, I love Reese’s peanut butter cups, peanut butter Snickers, and Hershey’s Symphony bars. Popcorn would make the list as well.

If you could go see any movie in a movie theater, what would you want to see and why?

Just one? Alright . . . Call me weird, but the original How to Train Your Dragon (can you imagine the flying and battle scenes on the big screen?!), Big Hero 6 (because all the detail is so neat already, I mean, really, those tiny little microbots), or Beyond the Mask (because it’s one of my very favorites).

Do you consider yourself an introvert, an extrovert, or a mixture of both?

Die-hard introvert. To the extreme!

Who’s your favorite music artist?

I’ve got a nice handful, including Natalie Grant, Point of Grace, Mercy Me, Jeremy Camp, and Matthew West. But I also like listening to epic orchestral covers while I write.

What’s a funny memory from when you were a little kid?

My very first story was one I wrote in the first grade. It was about a bear who left his cave to go to the library. Only I wasn’t the best speller, so he was going to the “libeary.” My momma thought it was hilarious. I couldn’t fathom why.

Are you a morning or night person?

Neither. A permanently exhausted pigeon, perhaps?

If you could immediately learn to speak any new language, which one would you choose? Why?

Gaelic would be really cool, because I’m super intrigued by the Scottish and Irish. But for my current work in progress, Russian would be helpful, too.

If you could donate a million dollars to any charity or nonprofit organization, which one would you pick?

I would look for one that either supports literacy for kids, or one that centers on helping teens going through hard situations.

What’s the best thing you’ve learned from 2020?

It has actually been an opportunity to learn so much about my writing—I look back at my writing from last January compared to my writing now and am amazed. But I also feel like I learned a lot about myself, how I operate, and what I need to keep myself going so I can be myself.  

And now for the random facts! (Cause we love random here.)

1. I learned to read when I was three years old.
2. My last name comes from the word “leecher” which was an old word for a doctor.
3. I work as a general paraprofessional at an elementary school.
4. I love old things. (Or things that at least look old.)
5. My favorite color is purple.
6. I’ve seen one PG-13 movie in my entire life.
7. I cannot remember for the life of me how to spell “guard” or “Egypt.”
8. I entered three article contests before I was published at age 15.
9. I have a Great Pyrenese puppy named Herbie.
10. I love playing the piano.
11. I originally thought I was going to write teen suspense books, but now am wholly devoted to historical adventure (with a dash of fantasy every so often).

There you have it! And now I will nominate a handful of fantastic bloggers! (Disclaimer: I have no idea how many followers they have by the way. I'm completely guessing.)

1. Allison Grace (https://allisongracewrites.com)
2. Anna Knipe (https://annaknipewriter.wixsite.com/blog)
3. Hailey Huntington (https://haileyhuntington.com)
4. Hannah (https://www.precariousbookstacks.com/)
5. Hope Ann (https://authorhopeann.com)
6. Ryan Elizabeth (https://ryanelizabethwrites.com/)

Should they choose to accept, they will then answer these questions:

1. What is your favorite book and why?
2. What is your favorite movie and why?
3. What is your favorite bookstore?
4. What books got you started into the world of reading?
5. Who is your favorite character of any book and why?
6. If you could choose one historical era to visit, which one would you choose and why?
7. Which is your favorite to read: hardcover, paperback, or e-book?
8. What is your favorite blog post you’ve ever written?
9. What is the book release that you’ve anticipated the most ever?
10. If you could turn one book into a movie, which would it be?
11. What word is impossible for you to spell?

That's all from me! Go ahead and enjoy some of those fantastic blogs listed!