The Versatile Blogger Award--Take 3

Gone from blogging for about two months, gain more followers and an award. I'm not sure how I managed that, but I am truly grateful to you all for following me.  There's been several reasons why I haven't been blogging lately (with the main one being outlined below).  However, now that I'm back in the swing of things, I hope to have regular posts once again whether you want me to blog or not ;-) 

Another reason why I haven't been blogging is due in part to my trying to finish the editing process for my book, Enigma Black.  Given some of the events of my life, I'm about a month or so behind schedule, but I am working to catch up quickly.  Writing, I'm beginning to learn, has a mind of its own.  The process works on its own schedule and you just have to deal with it and enjoy the ride.

With that being said, in my absence I was nominated for yet another Versatile blogging award by the wonderfully talented Robert Pruneda.  Rob recently published his heartwarming book (of which I had the honor of beta reading) entitled Victory Lane: The Chronicles--Pursuit of a Dream available on Kindle.  Pursuit of a Dream is the first book in Rob's series about young man's quest to become the next great NASCAR star.  It's a very well-written, wholesome family story with some of the best dialogue I've read in a long time.  Be sure to check both the book and Rob out at http://sharkbaitwrites.com/sharkblogs/ and the link listed above. 

Thank you, Rob.  Your support is always an honor that is greatly appreciated.

Now on to the rules of acceptance for this prestigious award:

Nominate 15 fellow bloggers for The Versatile Blogger Award.

1. Display the Versatile Blogger Award (see picture above) with pride.--Check
2. Thank the blogger who nominated you in the post with a link back to their blog.--Check
3. Share 7 completely random (and hopefully true) pieces of information about yourself.--See below
4. Include this set of rules.--Check
5. Inform each nominated blogger of their nomination by posting a comment on each of their blogs, tweeting them, or sending smoke signals. Whatever floats your pirate boat.--See below.  I prefer to include a blanket nomination. ;-)

Seven Random Facts About Moi:

1.  I'm a new Mommy again-Part of the reason why I've been MIA from blogging is because of Mia, my new daughter.  Mia (pronounced Me-a, not My-a) was born on February 22, 2012 and, needless to say, I've been pretty busy. *Contemplates whether the lack of sleep will make her blog posts a tad more interesting and slightly more coherent.* It's easy to forget how time-consuming babies are when your only other child is five-years-old. Of course, the sleep deprivation and constant worrying probably aided in my conveniently blocking those years out.

2.  I hate all reality television with the exception of one show...--Alas, it's true.  I am no fan of the so-called "reality" television shows that we seem to find ourselves inundated with. Why, you ask? Because, in my opinion, they are jam-packed with some of the most simple-minded, shallow individuals who have ever walked this planet.  For some, that translates into great television; for me, it translates into an hour (30 minutes if I'm lucky) of eye-rolling and flashbacks to middle school where even the most annoying kids were still leaps and bounds ahead on the maturity scale than the morons making millions off of these shows. Don't get me wrong, if someone dangled a multi-million dollar carrot in front of my face, there would be very little I wouldn't subject myself to.  However, I'd like to think that I wouldn't completely sell myself out and that I would maintain a certain level of dignity that would make my children/loved ones proud of me.  But, above all, if I wanted to watch scripted drama (and if you honestly believe these shows aren't scripted I have a timeshare in the Bahamas I'd like to sell to you), I would watch CSI, Law & Order, or Murder, She Wrote (don't judge) and not the fabricated, seemingly written by five-year-olds drama that comprises reality television.

3.  And that exception is Hoarders--The only way I can rationalize my fixation with this show is that it makes me feel better about my own inadequacies.  Because no matter how bad I am as a housekeeper, organizer, or at life in general, at least I know there are no dead cats, cockroaches, or rooms piled high with trash in my home.  For me, watching Hoarders is like watching a Michael Bolton concert:  I can't stop looking at it no matter how gruesome it becomes. (Show of hands.  Who among you would find a moldy refrigerator more entertaining than Mr. Bolton?)  All joking aside, it's not as though I like seeing how awesome my housecleaning  skills are compared to these obviously ill individuals.  There are those on the show who do change their lives for the better, and who doesn't love a heartwarming story?  Heck, if a person can overcome living in a virtual garbage dump, it gives me hope that I can overcome my own personal demons, too.


4.  I'm OCD with Skittles--Okay, so maybe it wouldn't be considered quite OCD-like, but I'm pretty sure it comes close.  When I get a pack of Skittles (or any other fruit-flavored candy for that matter), I immediately take out all of the red and purple (or pink) colored ones as they usually represent the flavors that I'm quite fond of (strawberry, cherry, or grape, for example).  If I'm still desperate for sugar after their consumption, I will then eat the orange, green and yellow ones.  Although the orange ones are okay, for the life of me, I can't understand why they even bother making lemon-flavored candy as, in my opinion, it always seems to taste like Pledge.  No, I will not tell you how I know what Pledge tastes like...


5.  I've been told that I resemble Susan Sarandon--I'm not sure whether I should accept this remark as a compliment or as an insult.  Personally, I don't believe the woman is particularly attractive.  However, she's a spokeswoman for a major cosmetics line--whose identity escapes me now--so I shouldn't be too ungodly angry about being compared to her, I guess.  I suppose it could always be worse...

                                                              You're looking very Jabba the Hutt today

6.  I'm a vampire--Okay, so I'm not literally a vampire. Given their popularity, though, that may not be a bad thing.  Lord knows I need all the popularity I can get my hands on. Although, in reality I am incredibly pasty and could probably pass as a member of the undead.   By the vampire statement, I mean that I'm more of a nocturnal creature by habit.  I function better at night than I do during the day. Otherwise known as being a night owl, I find that I gain a second wind during the late night hours and am absolutely useless any other time.  This is why most of my writing is done at night.  Well, that and the fact that I have a day job as well as a family to tend to while the sun's up.

7.  I believe that there is absolutely no sound worse than snoring--I love my husband to death, but there are just some nights where I want to smother him with a pillow.  It's not as though I'm an ultra-sensitive person who needs absolute silence in order to fall asleep.  Hell, I've slept through a storm that caused a tree to fall through our roof, house parties during my single years, and our neighbor's little rats', I mean dogs', incessant barking.  But there's just something about nasally, ear-splitting snoring that drives me Kathy-Bates-in-Misery-crazy.  I've tried earplugs, those nose strip things, background noises, and drugs, yet nothing seems to drown my husband out.  And, since murder is frowned upon, I've found myself spending plently of nights on the couch in order to catch some Zs.

Since I've been awarded this award a couple of times in the past, I won't be nominating 15 other bloggers.  Instead, I would like to extend this award to every one of my followers or readers who have not yet received this award and of whom would like to display it for bragging rights on their blogs.

My next post will focus on finding the perfect pricing points for indie authors (which hopefully will be ready in the next couple of days).  This is something that I've been personally grappling with and I'm eager to read your input on it as well.