I’ve been nominated for another blog award! The very kind J R Barker, the author of the children’s book The Adventures of the Frog Prince, nominated me for the Liebster Award. I am deeply honoured, and very grateful. There are, of course, some rules attached to this award, which I’ll do my best to obey. The hardest one is that those I nominate should have small blogs with less than 200 followers. It’s exceedingly difficult to be sure of how many followers any blog has, and the definition of ‘follower’ is a bit hard to figure out. I’m not clear whether that means ‘direct’ followers (who subscribe to a blog) or ‘total’ followers (including Twitter, Facebook, and other follow schemes). So, if you think I’ve got it wrong – I’m sorry, but I’m not a blog auditor LOL!
“The Liebster Award is a way for blogs with less than 200 followers to connect with other bloggers, share a little more about you, and a way to help promote other small blogs.”
How does this work? Here are the rules:
Post 11 Random Facts about Yourself.
Answer 11 Questions from you Nominator.
Visit the other 10 blogs that were nominated with you.
Nominate 11 Other Blogs with fewer than 200 Followers and ask them 11
Questions – NO TAG BACKS!
Visit your Nominees and Let them know they won the Award!
11 Random facts about myself:
I’m not a ‘teetotaller’ (though medication means I have to avoid alcohol) but I do strongly dislike drunkenness, over indulgence and drink driving of any kind (and yes – that includes disabled people who drink and drive electric scooters and such!). I have always felt the same way!
I don’t use strong language and I don’t really like hearing it, either. I understand its use in certain situations of extreme stress, such as combat. There are certain words I don’t even like having to type into word filters so they can’t appear on my sites!
I suffer from short term memory problems, to the point of forgetting what I’m saying! That said, I have a very good memory for some things.
I always wanted to be a full time author. However, if pushed into employment, I dreamt of being a landscape gardener or working with animals – neither ever got close to happening!
I detest being called “Stevie”!
I’m an animal magnet. I’ve never met a species that didn’t respond to me, though some individual animals have failed to do so.
I used to breed and hand rear cockatiels.
I despise any kind of prejudice.
I prefer toffee to chocolate.
I’m under orders from a dietician to eat virtually all the ‘unhealthy’ foods!
I love watching cricket, American football and ‘soccer’. I’d watch baseball too, but it’s on way too late here in the UK.
Questions for me:
1. What is your favorite children’s book?
That takes some mental dredging! I guess I’d have to say Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree.
2. Who’s your favorite story tale villain?
Believe it or not, I don’t think I have one. I certainly can’t think of one, not from a children’s book.
3. Who’s your favorite story tale hero?
Again, I can’t think of one, not if we’re talking about children’s books.
4. What’s your favorite fairy tale?
While I enjoyed them well enough, I don’t really have any that I’d regard as a favorite.
5. What’s your favorite childhood memory?
Christmas. Not the gift giving/receiving bit. The season – making things and decorating. They were always happy times.
6. Sweet or savoury?
Yes LOL. Very mood dependent! Mostly savoury, but sweet when the mood hits.
7. What genre of book do you prefer?
Tough one! I guess I’d have to say epic fantasy.
8. Watching sport or playing sport?
Now, I’ve got no choice – I have to watch. I was never sporty as a kid, but loved playing lawn bowls, cricket (well, bowling, anyway) and table tennis.
9. Cats or dogs?
Dogs! No good telling cats that, though – they come to me whether I want them to or not LOL.
10. Name one story/ book that you feel has touched your life or changed it in some way.
That’s a difficult one. How do you judge if a book has had a profound effect? I mean, I learnt from George Orwell’s Animal Farm, my own attitudes were reinforced after I read Alan Paton’s Cry The Beloved Country, but my early writing was influenced by J R R Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, however that’s only partially true because I loved reading myths and legends.
11. Name one act of kindness that you have witnessed.
Myself being courteously assisted through a very difficult shop doorway by two youths, after they had checked with me that I required their assistance. Why are shop doors so often on such tight springs that you need to be a muscle bound wrestler or a football lineman to open them?
My Nominees:
- Bite Size Canada
- Posed and Written
- Chris Allen: The Blog
- Lizzie Baldwin of mylittlebookblog
- Kathy and Sue-Ellen of Tartan Ink
- My Side of the Story
- Books are my Drug
- stephenedgerauthor
- DeAnna of Mommy’s Reading Break
- Luna’s Little Library
- Stories Are Forever – Mary Meddlemore
My Questions for Nominees:
- What’s your favorite colour, and why?
- Who has your favorite storyteller’s voice?
- Who’s your favorite children’s book illustrator?
- Do you have a favorite kind of non-fiction book?
- What was your favorite book you received as a gift?
- Black & White or Colour photographs?
- What’s your favorite movie, and why?
- Who are your favorite movie acting partnership (any genre)?
- What’s your favorite plant?
- Do you believe books should be compulsory reading just because critics have labelled them ‘classics’?
- Can a book be so morally bankrupt that it should never be published?
