The First Bi-Annual Wonderland Bloggy Awards

Last week there was a BLOG AWARDS BOOM and I was so thrilled to receive three (one of which was triple bequeathed to me--squee!).

But even more fun than receiving them, was anticipating who I'd be giving them out to in return. I had blogger buddies all lined up, and then KABAM, several of my nominees started getting the same awards that I planned to give out -- from one another no less. Hmm. I'm sensing a conspiracy here. ;)

Well, since I had a QueryTracker interview with a very special guest, and didn't want to horn in on her weekend highlight spot, it gave me some time to make my own awards and sets of rules.

So, in honor of my Alice In Wonderland spinoff which is out on sub, I decided to bequeath some Wonderland themed awards. :)

First, I need to take care of the awards I received, then we'll move on to the Wonderland nominees.

Thank you, Deirdra, for this lovely award with no stipulations other than that I enjoy it.

Make sure you hop over to Deirdra's blog, A Storybook World. She's incredibly talented, does all of her own artwork, and also has interviews with literary agents and authors, scheduling them in advance on her side bar so you can watch for when your favorites will be guests.

The next two awards I received share the same rules (or at least close enough for passable), so I'm combining the requirements which I'll spell out after the presentations. I'd like to thank all of the gracious ladies who nominated me!

Bequeathed to me by: Bluestocking Mum,

and bequeathed from me to:

1. Ashley Graham

2. Anna Zagar

3. Jennifer Archer

4 & 5 go to the combined blogging efforts of:

Jessica LeSaicherre and Kaya Koban

Bequeathed to me by: Robin Weeks, Lori M. Lee, and Jenny Phresh 

and bequeathed from me to:

1. Rachel Harris

2. Kayeleen Hamblin

3. Mandie Baxter

4. Kaylie Austin

5. Pam Asberry

Here are the rules for both awards:

1. Thank and link to the person who nominated you.

2. Share seven random facts about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to five buddies whose blogs epitomize said theme.
4. Contact those buddies to congratulate them.

Okay, now here are my seven random things...

1. When I was three, I fell down two flights of stairs at church and amazingly survived without even a scratch. My older brother was there and screamed for my mom who had just turned her back for a second. I have no memory of the event, but I firmly believe that I didn't fall ... I was shoved. It was an intentional bid for attention from BIG BRO because I was the cutest of the lot.

2. I have freaky feet. My second toe is longer than my big toe. My brother always teased me about them and I'm still self-conscious today. So forget fitting into those stylish flip flops with the slanted soles; in the summer, it's crock shoes all the way for this girl.

3. I had pet guinea pigs growing up. My brother mastered a squealing technique that could set them into a high-pitched-fever-fest, and they wouldn't shut up until I fed them some lettuce. Have any of you ever heard a guinea pig squeal? It will set your teeth on edge. Are we seeing a pattern here? Yes, my brother was the bane of my childhood. I still love him, though I'm open to creative outlets for my pent up frustration. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and actively considered.

4. At the age of seven, after watching a Twilight Zone marathon with the family -- the highlight of which was an episode about a murderous talking doll, a pre-cursor to Chuckie fame -- I went in my room to get ready for bed. I used to collect dolls and one of my favorites, a Spanish beauty in a lace and satin dress, sat on my dressor.  As I put on my pajamas, I couldn't stop staring at her, noticing for the first time how creepy she was. Maybe it was a result of staring too long without blinking, but the edge of her mouth appeared to wriggle, forming a sneer. I screamed at the top of my lungs, tossed her in the closet, and decided that I would never like dolls again. We got rid of the collection shortly thereafter, and to this day, dolls still creep me out.

5. I had an imaginary friend named Zalicah when I was three. In spite of the intricate story I wove of her demise involving a runaway cat and a car without breaks, she was rumored to have been seen honeymooning with Bart Simpson somewhere in the Poconos just last month.

6. My family lived in Ohio during my Kindergarten through second grade years. The snow storms were legendary. We once had drifts so high they formed a ramp that reached over and above our six foot fence. Our Irish Setter scaled it and slid down the other side to play with the neighbor's Chihuahua (who just so happened to be his best pal).

7. The first time I ever went snow skiing, I plowed down a woman on the bunny slope. As I watched her laying there, crying and screaming that I'd broken her back, I made a vow never to ski again. So shaken by the incident, I rode down on a snow mobile with one of the workers. When I saw the same woman be-bopping around at the bottom of the slope about twenty minutes later, flirting with the ski patrol dudes, I decided, "Oh YES. I will ski again. And I will be BETTER THAN YOU." And I did, and I was. Knowing what I do about publishing now, I can see that was just a taste of the tenacity and courage I would need to make it in this biz.

WHEW! This is one long post ... and we're not done yet.

It's time for the Wonderland Bloggy Awards presentation.

I've met so many incredible bloggers over the last few months, so I'm going to be very generous with the awards (this is a bi-annual event, after all), in hopes you might meet one another and see the unique sparkle in each blog that makes it shine.

And the nominees are:

1. Cherie

2. Lori M. Lee

3. Carissa ELG

4. Deirdra Eden Coppel

5. Rebecca Dupree

These talented bloggers not only rock at writing, but they're artists, too. Better I give them this award than attempt to tell them how impressed I am by that. Otherwise, I might start babbling like a crazed groupie.

 1. EEV

2. Katey Taylor

3. Sophia Richardson

4. Dawne Webber 

5. Huntress

Simply put, these ladies are confident, savvy, and have attitude -- all of which comes across in every post. (BTW, Katey could also have been a recipient of the Artistic award, but I could choose only one. I chose wisely, I think.)

 1. Robin Weeks

2. Sophie Li

3. Marewolf

4. Marybk

5. Keriann Greaney Martin

These blogs are sometimes thought provoking and informative ... sometimes whimsical and witty. But whatever the case, I leave each post looking at the world or my writing craft with a fresh and new perspective.

1. Jessica Nelson

2. Angela

3. Bluestocking Mum

4. Katelyn Torrey

5. Lisa Ann

What can I say but that these blogs always inspire me! They spark my writer's soul with their poise and optimism, and nurture my spirit with wisdom and encouragement.

 

1. Nina Badzin

2. Jen Daiker

3. Leigh T. Moore

4. Mindy McGinnis

5. Krista V. 

These blogs provide a service -- be it agent interviews, writer interviews, or informative posts -- that offer insights and advice to up and coming writers. They are instrumental in helping others navigate the choppy and murky waters of both publishing and public image.

   

1. Bethany

2. Kalen

3. Jenny Phresh

4. Jenn Johansson

5. David Kazzie

I always leave these blogs smiling, sometimes even doubled-over laughing. Their farcical, droll, and eccentric ramblings are one of a kind, comparable only to the Hatter himself.

And there you have them: the First Bi-Annual Wonderland Bloggy Awards nominees. Congrats to all of you!

As for rules, there aren't any. Just take your award with you and display it on your blog as a tribute to your talent. You work hard on your posts to give us informative and entertaining reads. This is my way of showing my appreciation. If you find or know of another blog (or five) that's worthy of your award, feel free to share it with them, although it's not a requirement.

Here's hoping I didn't forget anyone. But if I did, I'll be passing out another award on Wednesday which I received over the weekend, not to mention, we'll be having another Wonderland Awards presentation in six months. :)

Until then, happy blogging, and congrats to all of the recipients!


P.S. To post your award on your blog, just right click on the picture here and "save picture as." If you're on blogger, from your dashboard go into 'design' and 'add a gadget' and download the picture. I'm not sure how to imbed it on other blog formats. But with a little experimentation and ingenuity, you'll figure it out, because you're all a bunch of smarties. :)