"Two wrongs may not make a right but a thousand wrongs make a writer.”

Monday, May 31, 2010

Bloggers From Around The World

Memorial Day is special to Americans and usually spent close to home with friends and family at picnics and parades, as we remember those who came before, but first I would like to take you on a little world view whirlwind. Starting off relatively close to home, I'd like to introduce Helen Ginger, writer and freelance novel editor extraordinaire who writes a great interactive blog at Straight From Hel . Helen recently passed the Sunshine Award to me.

As I understand it, this award is passed on to five followers who bring a ray of sunshine to your blog. That would include ALL of you who follow and/or comment here but I'd like to follow Helen's example and award it to five new followers. Gabriela Abalo who lives in Lusaka, Zambia and blogs at Embracing Who We Are, gives us a different perspective from a faraway land. Suzanne Casamento at Question of the Day has my vote for the most unique blog with her thought-provoking questions. Jo Schaffer at Shoveling in a Jo Storm has had a lifelong love affair with books. Read her amazing "life list". Cynthia Reese, who not only writes romance, but Southern Style Superromance, blogs at her self-proclaimed undisciplined blog, and finally, my newest follower, Julie Musil, who just posted a moving tribute to veterans.

And then there is Mary Anne Gruen who lives in the Adirondacks and writes at Starlight Blog . Mary Anne just made me her singular recipient of the Blogger BFF Award and paid me the most wonderful compliment at the same time. Mary Anne, you rock! I just love these two little girls sharing a drink.
(Two little novelists in the making, don't you think?) Sometimes it is nice to be singled out. Thank you Mary Anne. I am going to follow your example also, because I like the idea of "one". I would like to bestow my BFF Award on Annie who blogs at Wine and Words She writes amazing poetry and is one of my most frequent commenters, and you all know how much needy writers need reinforcement. As an example of her powerful poetry, check out this. Thanks Annie for following me.

Finally Al at Publish or Perish tagged me a couple of weeks ago. Al shares amazing "piccies" from Down Under on his blog. If I never make it to Australia, at least I'll have Al's piccies. Check him out if you haven't already done so.

In this game of tag, one must answer the following five questions five times and then tag five people. I'm "it" and having procrastinated long enough, here goes:

Question 1 - Where were you five years ago?

Living in a little cottage on a hill of sand.
Painting the flag pole with my father.
Writing on an old desktop computer and saving my words on floppy disks.
Spending a weekend by myself at a friend's cottage on a lake with my manuscript spread out in beautiful disarray, listening for the loons and counting water lilies.
Unpublished.


Question 2 - Where would you like to be five years from now?

Published.
Visiting a Gulf of Mexico free of oil rigs.
Writing full time and growing clean vegetables for healthy people.
Repainting my father’s flag pole. With my father.
Spending a weekend at the cottage on the lake.


Question 3 - What is (was) on your to do list today?

Weed the vegetables and pray for rain
Call my son to wish him a happy birthday
Send out a query letter and raise a flag.
Comb my hair and scrub my nails.
Lay a bunch of irises on my grandparent's grave.


Question 4 - What 5 snacks do you enjoy?

Peanut butter and chocolate ice cream
Nuts
Michigan blueberries
Michigan strawberries
Michigan Duchess apples


Question 5 - What would you do if you were a billionaire?

Gather the best minds in the world together to figure out a way to plug the BP oil well.
Use my money and influence to get the rigs out of our coastal waters and BP out of America.
Open an independent bookstore and sell fair trade coffee.
Work to preserve farmland and educate kids about where their food comes from.
Rest.


I tag five very special bloggers:
Talli, my blogging friend from London has has a book coming out in 2011!
Liza Carens Salerno, the amazing author of Middle Passages.
Samuel who is simply fabulous with spot-on advice in his daily pep for writers. IN EVERY POST!
Tricia, one of my oldest blogging buds. A must-read blogger.
Carolina, who only asks that you take off your shoes before you enter here.
Amy at She Writes who has a way with words not often found in today's fast-paced world.

Oops! That's six. What was that rule about rules....

If you haven't yet checked them out, I highly recommend that you do so. Happy Memorial Day to all. Raise a flag. Whichever one is in your heart. I have to get started on my "to do" list.

16 comments:

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Congrats on all your well-deserved awards. And thank you for thinking of me. I always feel so honored. I confess I've answered the five questions before. I was a bit flip and certainly not as fierce as you. I loooooove your answers. The flagpole, listening for loons (I have a plush loon with an authentic call when you squeeze--so haunting), free-trade and local, and plugging the leak! You're awesome.

Julie Musil said...

Yvonee, thanks so much for thinking of me! I appreciate it.

I'll check out each and every blog you listed.

Suzanne Casamento said...

Hey! Thanks for the Sunshine Award! I really appreciate the compliment, the link and all your comments.

Great post. Very touching lines about your father.

Wine and Words said...

BFF Award!!! I won something, I won something (she jumps up and down) I never win anything but another chance to win (she giggles with delight)

No, seriously, thank you so much. I am greatly honored. Undeserving, but honored none the less. ((HGUS))

- Annie

Jemi Fraser said...

Congrats to you and your awardees :)

I love your answers - the oil situation is totally mind-boggling. Unbelievable!

Helen said...

You deserve all the awards. And I love your answers to the second award.

Helen
Straight From Hel

mary.anne.gruen@gmail.com said...

Congratulations to Yvonne and the new winners! I'm off now to visit the other blogs!

Unspoken said...

I had no idea I was one of your frequent commenters :). That's nice to hear. But what else you wrote was really sweet! THANK YOU!

Gabriela Abalo said...

Thank you Yvonne for the sunshine award, I’m touched by your kindness!!
I’m going to visit all the blogs you have recommended.
I enjoyed reading through your answers. I’m sure that 5 years from now you will get published; I’m sending all my positive energy to the Universe so you get all your wishes granted!
Thanks for supporting my blog; I highly appreciate all your contributions.
loveNlight
Gabi

Talli Roland said...

Happy Memorial Day, Yvonne! Thanks so much for the tag and the link love.

I *love* blueberries, too, by the way! YUM!

Ed Pilolla said...

what to do if i was a billionaire still gets me through some tough days. it's funny how when i was a kid i probably thought i would outgrow that daydream, but no, haven't.

Cat woods said...

Yvonne,

Congrats on the recognition from your fellow bloggers. It is nice to find that your voice strikes a chord with other writers.

You are definitely a bright spot on my blog rounds.

Keep up the good work and thanks for introducing me to some new bloggers.

~ hugs

Jo Schaffer said...

Thanks, girl! (= I will be pickin' it up and passing it on as soon!
Enjoying your blog!

Yvonne Osborne said...

Tricia,
Thanks! That loon call thingee sounds great. I would love one of those. It's the most haunting bird call in the world. And I like being called fierce. Yeah...I kinda like that. Thank you.

Julie,
You're welcome. Thanks again for following my blog.

Suzanne,
Thanks! You truly are a spot of sunshine.

Annie,
You're so welcome and hugs back at you! You are very deserving. Very much indeed.

Jemi,
Thanks. Yes, it is sad. It is sadder today than yesterday. What if they can't stop it?? Thanks for sharing my concern.

Helen,
Thank you and thanks again for the award.

Mary Anne,
Thanks again for giving me this award. I love it and was very touched that you thought of me.

Amy,
You most certainly are. And thanks for that.

Gabi,
Thanks! Positive energy coming my way? Hands out and face uplifted...

Talli,
Thanks! Yes I love blueberries and they're soooooo good for us!

Ed,
Hi and thanks for visiting my blog. Nothing wrong with a little dreaming. I guess I'll never outgrow that.

Cat,
Hi! What a nice thing to say. Thank you so much! And I can say the feeling is mutual. You are an inspiration when it comes to blogging.

Jojo,
Thank you. I'm glad you like it. Thanks for joining up here.

Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said...

There isn't another person who deserves these awards more than you. Congratulations, luv. And thanks so much for tagging me, and with such a kind introduction as well. I will try to get on this ASAP.

As for this oil spill...ugh, it's awful, isn't it? I fear we'll be living with the aftermath of this chaos for a long time to come.

Yvonne Osborne said...

Carol,
Thanks a bunch!