Liebstered!

I’m feeling good right about now, now that I’ve finished my two-books-a-month quota for this month. I was a little worried there, but I made it. I’m still debating what to begin next, it’s a cross between Iain Bank’s Consider Phlebus or L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. Or something altogether different, as I feel I’m in no mood to make a decision yet.

However, I’m feeling even better, due to another fact.

I’d like to extend a most gracious thank you to the beautiful soul from A Writer’s Heart blog, who’s recently nominated me for a Liebster Award!

The Liebster Award’s a way of getting to know our fellow bloggers, so what better way than through a questionnaire? So without further ado, I’ll present 11 facts about myself, then answer my nominator’s personal 11 questions, and then I shall proceed to nominate a few folks (who are under no obligation to respond!) and give them 11 questions of my own. And so we pass it on! If you want to learn more, you can always peruse this explanation.

11 Facts About Me

1. I am half-Japanese and half-Swedish/French/English,
2. Which means that I am 59″ tall. A little less than 160cm.
3. I’ve been married for 10 years this May, and my family of four is the love of my life.
4. I was born in San Francisco, but grew up in New Jersey. And despite the cost of living here, this is where my heart is.
5. For the longest time until my mid-20s, I was an artist first, and a writer second.
   

   Consider this an open advertisement for my favorite sour cream.

6. I wrote my first “book” at the age of 9. A piece of construction paper folded in half and stapled together with the pages inside, and voila, the Irish Setter Lavos was born, with all his adventures with his owner. Inspired by Lassie and Lad.
7. I love stationary.
8. I will analyze your handwriting…secretly.
9. I love cooking. And sour cream.
10. I am an Ox,
11. and I am also an ISFJ.

The 11 Questions

1. What made you start writing?
   1. My love for books. I didn’t grow up with computers until my mid-teens, so the only entertainment we had was the outdoors and books. No TV, no Sega Genesis, no nothing. And I also competed with my brother (whose eye prescription is worse than mine) over who could read the most the fastest.
2. What is your biggest pet peeve for your significant other, or your dream date? Why?
   1. I’m sure it’s a common peeve: never putting water in the dirty dish when it goes in the sink. I loathe crusty dishes.
3. What would be your dream vacation?
   1. A month-long tour of all the breathtaking cathedrals in Europe. Specifically the Gothic, Baroque, and Romanesque styles. Vienna, Prague, Koln, Chartre…
4. What band would you love to see in concert?
   1. Well this was a hard question, since all the bands I like aren’t around anymore. I suppose I’d like to go back in time to see Deep Purple. And then move up a bit to the 80s for a bit of Venom. And Manowar.
5. What is your favorite quote of all time?
   1. It’s not a deep one, but it’s always been my favorite: “Bad artists always admire each other’s work.” –Oscar Wilde
6. What is your favorite book?
   1. Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky. I could write an entire essay on the depth of how that book impacted me. It is one of, if not the greatest, masterpiece of Dostoevsky and his reflection on materialism, faith, and family. Les Miserables is very close behind it.
7. Who is your biggest inspiration? Why?
   1. In the writing department: Dostoevsky and Ann Rice. Strange combination, I know, but they are two writers I admire and aspire. Dostoevsky for his beautiful reflections of the human soul, and Rice for her captivating prose that has always instantly inspired me.
8. Who was the first Author you read?
   1. I can’t recall the very first book, but I know that as a child, I fell in love with The Baby Unicorn and must have borrowed it from the library about a thousand times. Ma, why didn’t you just buy me the book?
9. What makes you laugh more than anything else?
   1. My husband. In a good way, of course. No one and nothing’s ever made me laugh into uncontrollable tears and hyperventilation like he has.
10. Do you ever want more than what you have for you life right now? Why? What would it be?
    1. I really don’t. Life has its ups and downs, but I’m not in any need of anything. Except maybe a few extra dollars for the bills. Or an extra hour or two a day on my days off.
11. What is your favorite thing about yourself?
    1. My patience. And my eternal hoping. That’s all I have to say about that.

Nominations

I nominate:

• The Kat’s Mews
• Maggie Madly Writing
• Andi Loveall
• Dominika Lein
• Elegances Icy
• The Crumbs of My Life
• At Milliways with a Pen
• (and if she feels the want) A Writer’s Heart

And your 11 questions are:

1. How old were you when you began writing?
2. If you could move anywhere, where would you go?
3. Do you have a familiar–I mean, a pet?
4. What is your favorite book, and why?
5. What are your other hobbies?
6. If you become any age you wanted, what age would that be, and why?
7. If you could travel to any time or place, where would you go?
8. What is your strength?
9. Do you have any tattoos?
10. What is your favorite food/dish?
11. What is the most recent book you’ve read?

As mentioned before, nominees are under no obligation to respond! Thank you for reading!