And the Award Goes To…

Hey there! So this week I was honored to be nominated for the Liebster Award by both John Guillen, and Mahrukh on Only the Lonely. Thank y’all so much! I’m flattered, really 🙂

Some of you are probably familiar with the  Liebster Award. But if  you’re not (like me before I was nominated, haha) here are the rules:

 

11 Facts about myself:

1. I grew up in Seattle, Washington. Probably a huge part of my addiction to coffee.
2. I love videogames. I grew up playing them with my dad and my siblings, it was how we bonded. My favorites are Skyrim and the Elder Scrolls series, Mass Effect/Dragon Age series, and Guild Wars.
3. I have a maltese/yorkie doggie who is actually a person. She is also 13 pounds, when she’s supposed to be 7 (whoops)
4. Even though I am extremely pale, my dad is from El Salvador. No one ever believes me.
5. I am a psychology major with plans to become a pediatric occupational therapist (if the writing gig doesn’t work out 😉
6. Did I mention I love coffee?
7. I started college when I was 16 (was homeschooled senior year so I could take college classes full time)
8. I hardly ever cry about myself, but I break down when I see other people cry. This means I tear up at inspirational movies, Oprah, and Budweiser horse commercials. Even though I know it’s meant to manipulate my emotions, it still works (darn you)
9. All of my friends are at least a couple years older than I am. I joke a lot that I’m actually 30, but I really am an old soul.
10. I hate swimming/hot tubs/baths for longer than 30 minutes. The second I start to get pruny, I’m out. Also, people touching me underwater or even the thought of it makes my skin crawl.
11. I am always taking in animals. Probably going to end up on Animal Hoarders one day.

 

11 Questions to answer:

1. What kind of music do you like to listen to while writing, if any at all?

I almost always listen to music when I’m writing. It varies a lot, depending on my mood and what I’m writing. Usually I listen to EDM or downtempo on Pandora. My favorite stations right now are Crywolf (for writing) and Raindrops by Fytch, Captain Crunch & Carmen Forbes (for writing and then getting distracted by the urge to dance). I also love Blackmill and Glitch Mob. My more boring normal stations include Agnes Obel, Of Monsters and Men, and Imagine Dragons. Basically, anything.

2. What is it about writing that keeps you going, even when you’re not sure you want to continue?

Writing, like books, are an escape for me. They’ve helped me deal with a lot of difficult emotions and things in my life, in an abstract way, and are an outlet for me.

3. Who is your favourite author?

Everyone knows this is a reader’s least favorite question haha. My childhood favorite was Tamora Pierce. She was and is a huge inspiration to me. As of right now, my favorites are Juliet Marillier, Kristin Cashore, and CJ Redwine.

4. What genre do you read, but swear you’ll never write?

Probably fantasy. I love fantasy, but don’t think I could ever do it justice. I applaud the authors who do.

5. What do you do when you tell yourself something along the lines of ‘I’ll only procrastinate a little bit longer’?

Netflix. The “next episode starts in 14…13…” will be the death of me. Or I have to be very careful about getting caught up in a book when I have things that need to be done, because I know once I reach the point of no return, I won’t be able to put it down, whether I have a final in the morning or not.

6. What brings you right into a writing mood, and how do you keep it that way?

It’s random, really. I used to be much more dependent on inspiration and being in a “writing mood” and wouldn’t write unless I was inspired or “felt like it” but I don’t know how much I believe in that anymore. Sometimes you just have to sit down and plug away, especially if you have plans of turning this into a profession. But I still absolutely have moments where I’m completely struck by inspiration and it’s all I can think about and I’m just counting the minutes until I can write it all out. It hits so unexpectedly, during class, while driving, whenever. It’s like the story or characters open my eyes to their world and are just screaming write me. I love that.

7. Favourite series, and favourite stand alone?

Again, this is pretty much an impossible question. There’s the classics like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, which I will always love. I loved Tamora Pierce’s series, especially Song of the Lioness, The Immortals, and the Tricksters’ duet. Right now I’m in love with Juliet Marillier’s Shadowfell trilogy, and am looking forward to the next in CJ Redwine’s Defiance trilogy. Standalone would probably be Peeps by Scott Westerfeld.

8. Have you ever seriously screwed up your sleeping schedule because of a book? Was it worth it, and what were you reading?

What sleeping schedule? No, seriously. I swear I was built to be nocturnal, so it’s always a battle between what my body naturally does and being functional in society, haha. I probably couldn’t count the times I’ve stayed up all night reading a book. Like I said, when I reach the point of no return, I can’t put it down, no matter how exhausted I am.

9. What do you do to remember those ideas you come up with when you’re not able to write?

I keep notebooks everywhere. In my car, by my bed, sometimes even in my  purse. And if I’m somewhere without one, I type it all as a note in my phone until I can get somewhere to write it out. I try to stay as absorbed in that idea as possible to keep it fresh and alive until I can write it.

10. Are there any books or series that you thought were great, and then the ending just ruined everything for you?

Honestly, no. There’s been books without happy endings, or endings I wouldn’t have expected, but I was able to recognize the purpose and the message and why the author chose to end it like that.

11. Why do you write?

Writing is as much a part of me as my heart is. It is something constant, no matter how crazy or overwhelming life gets. I have stories and characters in me that need to be told. There’s no reason why I write–I could just never not write.

 

Nominations:

1. The Road Jess Traveled By
2. My Personal Fairytale
3. Ginz&Tonic
4. Books Are Delicious
5. Brownedeyedgirldotcom
6. Musings From a Ragged Soul
7. Rebekah Faubion (one of my fabulous CPs!)
8. Katy Upperman
9. LoritheBrave
10. Lethargic Smiles
11. Looking for Lukah (10 & 11 are POTS-related blogs)

So there you have it! These are some of my favorites that I follow. They are all definitely worth the click 🙂

But now, I must get back to my beta reading and put down some words for today. Happy Easter weekend everyone!