Belated Blog Awards

As many of you know, I spent the last several weeks languishing in the belly of a large ursine animal. I shared the space with one can of tuna, a jar of peanut butter, a belt buckle or two, and a very surly hiker who insisted on complaining and not making the best of the situation. I escaped, and returned to civilization to find that I had been given some lurvely blog awards. I now have the wits about me to bequeath them to other deserving ladies and gentlemen. (Or just ladies. It seems I have left the men on the sidelines holding their dance cards and their winkers. Next time, boys! It wasn't meant to be a slight. But you always tend to misplace my awards next to the urinal, you know.)

The Liebster Blog Award is given to bloggers with less than 200 followers, all in the spirit of fostering new connections. The rules are delightfully simple:

1. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Post the award on your blog.
4. Bask in the love from the most supportive people on the internet—other writers.
5. And best of all – have fun and spread the karma. 

I received this award from TWO people: The lovely Catherine Stine, author and illustrator and all-around talented individual, and Angela V. Cook, writer, great pal, and member of the nefarious #goatposse. Thank you both!
And from Lisa Ann, animal trainer and aspiring writer who snuggles with the four-legged and finned on a regular basis, I was also gifted with the Blog on Fire award. I had it, but getting it again means I am SUPER META ON FIRE AND LIKELY TO CAUSE A BIG CONFLAGRATION AND DRIVE PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR HOMES. So thank you, Lisa Ann!
I will re-gift the Liebster to the following people:
1. Tori: I dunno how I found her, but her writing is Grade-A, marvelous, amusing, and so weirdly original and offbeat that she needs a big fat following now. She's just sending out awesome beauties into the universe. I don't think she is an "awards" kind of person so she may trunk this award in a chest with some Fitzgerald and Hemingway novels.
2. Jennifer of Serendipity's Library: I cannot figure out how many followers she has because she is so durned secretive, she must have hidden them under a pile of Harry Potter paraphernalia! But she is lovely, and seems to write all her posts in verse, as they are center justified. Crazy! Cool!
3. Carissa Elg, who is the author of the Pendomus Chronicles, a sci-fi genre bending dystopian series that sounds fascinating! Follow her. I command this.
4. Riley Redgate, who is super-talented and funny and clever and also is, by all reports, a teenager. Wow! She is also a member of the Skeleton Key Blogvel crew.
5. Mary Frame. Mary, Mary, Mary! She is a goddess among men. Can it be that I am first to give you this award, or am I just too drunk and stupid to find it among your recent blog entries? Either way, to you it shall be given.