"Liebster" Means Dearest...

Hey, would you look at that! The Liebster Award's coming around again, and I got nominated. Thanks, girls! You're just peachy! *grins*

Since I've already done this so many times in the past, I think I'm qualified to skip the 11 facts. I've answered so many questions, I'm running out of facts about myself. *winks*

First off, from Robyn Hoode:

1. Do you prefer Winter or Summer?
Whichever season I'm currently in. Right now -- that'd be summer. 

2. What is your favorite section of the bookstore?
Ooh! Good question! Probably the classics or fantasy or children's. What? Those are all excellent genres.

3. What is the most interesting non-fiction book you've read?
One that I really enjoyed was My Philadelphia Father based on the life of Mr. Anthony J. Drexel Biddle from which the old Disney musical The Happiest Millionaire came. You can read my review of it HERE.

4. What is the best writing prompt you've ever used?
Hmm... to me, everything is a writing prompt. I can get story ideas from the strangest places. One of the most recent came in this form from Pinterest:

And THIS was the story that resulted.

5. The farthest you've ever been from home (you don't have to say where you live)?
If I take one more step, it'll be the farthest away from home I've ever been. ~ Samwise Gamgee. 
From my current home under the maple tree, I've been 15 hours away for a four day period. I'm expecting to be about that distance again when my family goes to visit my grandparents for the Fourth of July.

6. What do you do to keep yourself from being bored on long car trips?
What? You mean people get BORED on car trips?? I'm never bored; you can't be with a car full of eight people. We read, sing, listen to music, play the alphabet game, snack, etc. It's one of our favorite things to do!

7. If you could go back in time, what time would you visit and why?
To visit? Oh... so many choices! Let's say medieval just because I love the costumes, wide open spaces, and adventures. 

8. On that note, would you consider yourself a Whovian? If so, favorite episode of Doctor Who?
Nope. Not a Whovian in any form. Personally, I can't understand the hype over reincarnated aliens with screwdrivers.

9. Favorite board game? Least favorite?
Favorite: CLUE. Because I always win. Least favorite: MONOPOLY. Because I always lose.

10. What is the longest book you've ever read and about how many pages long was it?
If we're just talking all books, it'd be the Bible with over 1,000 pages. I've read through mine... I think five times now. Other than that, I think the longest was probably Bleak House. My copy was 860-something pages.

11. Which famous author would you want to read your books and give you feedback?
Tolkien!! Oh, wait... he can't. But I still want his feedback.

~*~*~*~*~

For the second one, I wasn't actually awarded, but Michaela of Stepping Toward the Son kindly offered to let anyone who wished take her questions. Did I wish? Yes, yes, I did. 

1. Do you live in the country or the city?

Country. We're surrounded on three sides by asparagus fields. But we have a five minute drive into town.

2. Would you stay in bed all day if you could?

That depends; if I was sick, then yes. I'd rest, read books, and listen to Focus on the Family dramatized Narnia CDs. But... as much as I like my bed, I don't think I'd want to stay IN it all day. 

These CDs are almost worth staying in bed for.

3. Describe yourself in one sentence.
HA! Is that possible? Well, let's try.... I'm a Christian writing INTP with a love of classic books, good music, and gingerbread with a flair of obnoxious on the side.

4. What is your favorite social media network?
Define "social media network." I'm really not all that social. I use Facebook to connect with family who live in other states, and I have a Twitter account that I just set up this week, but I barely check it.

5. What would you do if you woke up one night, and there was the animal you fear most sitting on your sheets staring at you? (haha)
Umm... my brother? *winks* Joking. What animal do I fear the most? Probably some kind of wild cat, mangy, bad-tempered, and sporting razor-sharp claws. What would I do? Eh... roll over and go back to sleep.

6. What is your favorite song and artist?

Favorite song? Favorite SONG??? I can't pick just one! My favorite-of-the-minute song is, I think, Out There from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, so I guess the artist would have to be Alan Menken. I really don't follow modern artists and singers as they tend to be... well, not my style. And most of them can't even sing, so... *shrugs*

7. What is one of your fondest memories from when you were a little kid?
Too many! I don't know if I could pick just one... Where we live, it's rare for the sun to go down before 10 o'clock in the summer, so when my siblings and I went to bed, there was still plenty of light to read by before we fell asleep. Or... if we were lucky, our parents would let us stay up later, and we'd have a 9 o'clock baseball game or an energetic romp before it got dark.

8. What is one of the books you read (or had read to you) when you were little?
Make Way For Ducklings was a favorite. I memorized it and used to recount it to my sisters after we went to bed.

9. What was the last thing you ate?
Crackers. Plain crackers. 

10. What do you do when you wake up in the morning?

Examined my foot. I twisted it Sunday night fooling around with my brother, and have been stuck with Ace bandages, ice, and ibuprofen all week. It's not as sore as it was, but my foot is swollen pretty good and it's got a lovely purple color all over.

11. What is your favorite old movie?

One of my absolute favorites -- the Original Nancy Drew Mysteries with Bonita Granville. If you haven't seen them, you must. THEY ARE FANTASTIC!

~*~*~*~*~

And then, lastly, I was nominated by Katie from Cousins in Christ.

1. What's your best memory? Why?

I love remembering playing outside when I was younger. We didn't have TV or internet to distract us, and we were only hindered by our own imaginations. My siblings and cousins and I would do all sorts of creative and foolish games. It was so much fun. I don't know if I could pull out one specific instance as the best.

2. What book are you currently reading?

I'm currently reading three: The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo (first time and loving it! save for the essays on Paris architecture), Isle of Swords by Wayne Thomas Batson (re-read), and Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix (in preparation of Secret of the Hazel Tree's publication, I'm trying to read, review, and compare as many Cinderella stories as I can; this one, I can say honestly, is *not* a favorite).

3. Would you rather bathe in a pool of ketchup or mustard?

Probably ketchup.

4. How do you like to relax?

Read, write, play the piano, listen to music, watch a movie with my family.

5. Favorite childhood toy?

My Kirsten Larson doll. 

6. What genre do you like to write?

FANTASY! Most of what I write is fantasy. I've done a bit of historical fiction on the side, and I just started my first dystopian novel.

7. What's the best writing advice you've ever heard?

Don't ever fall in love with your writing. Always be looking for ways to improve because no writer is ever perfect. There's always room to grow.

8. Besides writing, what do you do in your free time?

Read. Play the piano. Didn't I answer this already?

9. What are your wall colors? (I want to do a random question like Athelas :)

Spa blue/green. I share a room with four sisters, and we had to compromise on the color; half of us wanted blue, the other half wanted green, so we went with this spa aqua color. We all love it.

10. Favorite Bible verse? 

Joshua 1:9

11. Why do you write?

Because I love it. Because I want to put the books I want to read into the world. Because I want to inspire and challenge others. Because I'd go crazy if I didn't.

And because I'm feeling lazy, I'm not going to tag anyone. If anyone wants to steal some/all of the questions above, go right ahead! Answer them in a comment or a blog post of your own! I'd love to read your answers! Just say Kiri Liz awarded you! *winks*

God bless!