Liebster Award & A Quick Thank-You

Hello, my dear readers!

It’s been a while since you’ve heard from me… (Well, actually only a few hours ago, but still.) Today is a rainy, hurricane-ridden day in the Southeastern United States, which provides a perfect moment to stop, reflect, and take a breath. Over the past week, I have been struggling with some calendar-related stresses, and now that it is a peaceful Sunday afternoon my spirit is more relaxed. And a big part of that relief is from this blog.

I just want to take a moment and thank all of you for supporting me on this journey. You guys don’t have to read my materials or follow my blog–but you do, and for this I am forever grateful.

As a young writer with no traditionally published credits to her name, I sometimes struggle with the idea that I will never “make it.” What I mean by this is successfully navigating the publishing world and seeing one of my books in print. But two years ago something changed. My aunt asked me to start a travel blog documenting my year abroad in South America. I relented, but barely posted anything. A year ago I started to implement more focus into what this blog is, and it took off from there. You guys are the catalyst, and my heart goes out to you–wherever you may be in this beautiful world we get to call home.

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LIEBSTER AWARD.

This morning I was nominated for the “Liebster Award” by FantasyNovel1. Please check out FantasyNovel1’s blog if you can and help support another burgeoning writer. (To do so, click here). Thank you again, FantasyNovel1.

I’m not exactly sure how these awards work, but I’ve seen a few examples on other blogs, so I’m going to try my best to answer questions and nominate three other blogs. We will see what happens!

11 Facts About Myself

1. I can’t roll my tongue.
2. Thunderstorms are my favorite type of weather activity.
3. I have a weird “ghost spot” in my mouth. It’s like a ghost tooth, if that makes any sense at all. It shows up on X-rays but nothing else.Weird, I know.
4. My sister/best friend/redonk person is eight years younger than me. Sometimes I am mistaken for her mother, which INFURIATES me, but I understand.
5. I was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, but only lived there for a year.
6. Growing up I lived on a “farm.” While we didn’t have a barn or animals (allergic, unfortunately), my childhood was invigorated by acres and acres of Tennessee land.  This really instilled my love of storytelling. (Maybe a blog post on this soon?)
7. My favorite movie is Pan’s Labyrinth (El laberinto del fauno) that was directed by Guillermo del Toro. The movie is an example of magical realism that incorporates the Spanish Civil War into a redemption story for the books. (While I am not as enchanted by this movie now, it definitely inspired me to try my hand at magical realism, so I will forever be indebted to this guy.)
8. I am a Southern Baptist. (This is a denomination of Protestant Christianity for those of you who don’t know.)
9. I am going to be a bridesmaid in my best friend’s wedding in a little over two weeks!
10. I developed my “allergies” when I was eighteen. Now I cannot be around pets for extended periods of time. 😦
11. Currently I am writing this blog post at a burger joint in the middle of a hurricane.

Questions asked by FantasyNovel1

1. What do you admire most about yourself? Shoot. All ready starting out with a tough question! Hmm… I think I enjoy helping others as much as I can, even when I receive pushback from it. (INFP, anyone?)
2. How many languages can you speak and write? English is my native language, but I am studying Spanish in college and learned to speak/write it fairly well in Argentina, where I lived for eight months. However, my Spanish is getting rustier now that I do not use it as much in my home state of Tennessee. Maybe I will write a blog post in Spanish soon.
3. What is your favorite quote? “The darker the night, the brighter the stars. The deeper the grief, the closer is God!”–Fyodor Dostoevsky.
4. Favorite book and reasons why? People love to ask this question and I never know how to answer it. I’ve read a lot of books, so how could I possibly choose one? But for the sake of this question, I’ll choose… (Got you there, didn’t I?)
5. Favorite actor? Daniel Day-Lewis, hands down. I love his acting, and I’m so sad he is retired, though I can understand why, as Hollywood doesn’t produce that many quality films anymore. Check out some of his classics: The Last of the Mohicans, There Will Be Blood, Lincoln, My Left Foot.
6. Which countries have you been to? The United States, Canada, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Perú.
7. Who inspires you the most? My parents. They’re not perfect, but they’re close to it.

Questions For Nominees

1. What is your favorite book and why?
2. If you could go anyplace in the world, where would it be and why?
3. Do you believe in love at first sight?
4. Why did you start blogging?
5. When did you discover your love of writing?
6. What author has made the most impact on your writing abilities?
7. Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

Nominees

1. http://johnwhowell.com
2. https://tutoringyoudotorg.wpcomstaging.com
3. https://wonderblogz.wordpress.com

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THANK YOU GUYS!

I know this blog post is not my normal setup, but I thought I would participate in this chain. Thank you for viewing, and be prepared for some Heavenly Virtues poems beginning tomorrow…

You guys are the best!

-K.