This is pretty awesome, because as a blogger, I’ve never been nominated for anything before. As far as I can tell, this is not exactly an award that one person will win, but more of a thumbs up from a fellow blogger, which I certainly consider an honor! Here are the rules, as I understand them.

1) Thank the person who nominated you.

2) Answer the 11 questions you were asked.

3) Nominate 11 other bloggers and let them know they were nominated.

4) Ask the nominees 11 questions.

Thank you so much, Jeanne! It really means a lot that you thought of me. Here are my answers to your 11 questions!

1. All super heroes have their mild-mannered secret identity, what is yours?

A cheerful greeting card writer.

2. What is your favorite game?

Hmm, the game I play most is “Where the Heck Did I Leave My Phone,” but it is most certainly not my favorite.

I would say gin rummy. Before Mr. Donovan and I were married, we were playing it at a cafe right on Venice Beach, and I told the server, “He won!” He said, “Looks like you both won.” True enough.

3. If location and money were immaterial and you could live anywhere, where would that be?

Munds Park, AZ. It’s beautiful–in the mountains and pines, not far from Flagstaff. And it’s close to a lot of family, including bunches of nieces and nephs!

 

4. If you could relive your life, would you make any changes? If yes, what?

I would say “getting an MFA,” except I never would have met Mr. Donovan, so that would have been awful. If I could do it all over, though, I definitely would have seen Pacific Rim while it was still in theaters. And I would have suggested a black tux instead of a cream-colored one for Mr. Donovan for our wedding, but I was a poor young bohemian who didn’t know how weddings worked, and he was just going along with whatever.

 

5. What would your ideal meal be and who would you share it with?

Gourmet cheese and fancy snacks with wine, with Mr. Donovan and a bunch of friends. I’m actually hosting a little get-together like that in a couple of weeks!

6. What’s in store for you in the future? Do you have any big projects on the horizon?

Yes! This fall, I’m going to have a novella in a Halloween-themed romance anthology. There’s going to be a big range of stories. My piece has a Southern gothic feel and there’s a ghost. (Both my hero and heroine are alive and well, however.)

7. What/who was your all-time favorite pet?

Oh gosh, I can’t choose between all of our dogs, past and present. We have two little dogs now, a terrier mix and a rat terrier. They are both rescues who had a harsh beginning  to life.

 

 

 

8. If you had the power to change the world, what would you do?

I would clean up the oceans and transition us to greener energy sources. That would be super easy, right?

9. What has been your best/most memorable experience along the way?

Ohh let’s see, getting my first novel published was a fantastic experience for me. So was donating a kidney to a stranger, which I’ve written about a lot.

My trip to Ireland with Mr. Donovan, about eight years ago, was the best vacation of my life. I didn’t have the chance to travel much at all as a kid — there was no money for that kind of thing — and so going to a foreign country is all the more thrilling for me as an adult.

 

10. What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

“F@#$ the naysayers cause they don’t mean a thing.” Okay, that’s from a 90s song, but my mom said it, too. In different words.

11. All super heroes have a special power, what is yours?

Gratitude. I never take anything I’ve got for granted! My husband, my family and friends, my dogs, my job, my house, my health, my car… I’m grateful and appreciative for all of it, every single day.

~

Okay, it’s time for me to nominate 11 other bloggers! Here’s who I choose! But listen: many of you are prolific bloggers, and if this doesn’t fit into your schedule, or you already did it because someone else nominated you, no worries. Just know that I appreciate you. 🙂

Laura Michaela Banse

Chris

J.A. Stinger

Nurse Kelly

Rachel Creager Ireland

A.E. Ash

Cassandra Chandler

G.G. Andrew

Holly

Nicole

Kim

And here are their questions!

1. What’s the name of a book that had a big impact on you? (It doesn’t have to be the one that had the most impact ever — just one that comes to mind.)

2. What’s the best thing about winter?

3. What wild animal do you relate to, and why? 

4. What’s one of your favorite things about your city/town/part of the country?

5. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

6. What’s one movie that you love?

7. What’s one song that gets you motivated?

8. If you could travel to one time and place on earth, when and where would you go?

9. If you could spend some time in any fictional world or story, what would you choose?

10. What’s something you’ve gotten way better at over time? It could be a tangible skill or more of a personal thing… big or small!

11. What are you looking forward to this year?

~

If anyone else wants to answer one or two (or all of them!), in the comments, I would love that. Thanks for reading!