A little more about me...

Book Blogger extraordinaire and fellow Twitter Fiend Kara nominated me for a new award and evidently wants to know 7 more things about me. I'm not really certain I have 14 interesting things, but I've had just enough caffeine that I think I'll give it a go.

{Don't worry, my ordinarily ranty posts will resume in the next day or so, as I am beginning to feel somewhat human. :D }

Yay for colds! (No, not really... but I feel like if I wish them happily on their way, maybe they will listen?)

This is how this crazy bloggy award thingy is supposed to work:

1. Thank and link the person who nominated you (which I already did).

2. Share seven random facts about yourself.

3. Pass the award on to five new-found blogging buddies.

4. Contact the winners to congratulate them.

Like I said the last time, I know time is limited... Take this as the compliment it is and do with it what you will, my awesome nominated folks! (Keep reading to find out who they are!)

Anyhoo... 

7 more things, eh? Okay... here goes!

1. I don't like chocolate. It's weird, I know. A woman who really could give or take chocolate... But that's how I roll. For whatever reason, it's just sort of meh. I can take it or leave it and most of the time, I leave it. Especially if it's just straight up chocolate. Bleck. Now, add some caramel or sparkly something or others... I may give it a try. ;)

2. My favorite flower is the gladiola. Yeah... no funeral arrangement is complete without this flower. (What's up with that??) But I love them. They are simply amazing and don't stink up my whole house with some overbearing, nasty stench. (i.e. Easter Lillies) Besides, they're pretty.

3. My first concert ever was to go see Barenaked Ladies at the Excel Energy Center in Minneapolis a decade or so ago... 

You will notice these fine gentleman are not ladies. But they sure are naked. 

Not to mention, frickin' hilarious live.

4. When I was in preschool, my absolute favorite "station" was the hammer and nail station. I would hit those 10 very real nails with the heavy hammer over and over until I felt I had done each of them perfectly. (At least, according to my perfectionist 5 year old brain.) To this day, I love to build things. I love the accomplishment of turning nothing into something. Coincidentally, my husband gets out of a lot of household projects for this very fact. 

5. I freakishly love to mow. I think it goes back to the accomplishment thing. I like taking a tangled, overgrown yard and making it pretty. 

6. In the spirit of sorting things out... I will share a secret about my book: I did not do an outline. Now, I mapped and planned the world for a month before starting... I knew certain things that needed to happen (but not necessarily when) but I knew why. The rest of the story wrote itself. In fact, even some of my main characters, quite literally, popped into my head as I was typing. It was sort of a -- "Oh, who are you?" -- kind of feeling. But I found I liked it. By the time I got to the climax of the story, synchronicity that I couldn't possibly outline started to click into place. 

7. I'm a morning person. Always have been. I'm up between 5 and 5:30am to either sit down and write or workout. It depends on the day. However, I do not have the same bounce in my step to get up and workout that I have when I'm getting up to write. Huh... wonder why that is?

Anyway... here's the nifty award Kara bestowed upon me. (And some other amazing people who you simply must check out!)

Now, these are the 5 additional bloggers that I feel should acquire the same standing:

1. S.M. Reine (because her new book just came out and she's awesome.)

2. Kate Cox (because she's a dear friend and an awesome artist.)

3. Maggie Desmond O'Brien (because this 16 year old book blogger is smarter than most people I know.)

4. TL Jeffcoat (because he's awesome.)

5. Shay Millar (because he's a good friend and is working on his series right now - the Miasma Angels)

There you have it! You guys rock!