I got a Nomination???

Thank you, Lydia Matlock!

First off, thank you Lydia Matlock for nominating me for the Sunshine Blogger Award! I’m grateful to be part of this beautiful Substack tradition.

Please check out my wonderful friend’s blog, The Open Book! Lydia posts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and her posts never disappoint. If you are a beginning writer, she will definitely help you get on your feet! She even has a free character guide that you will get as soon as you subscribe to her blog to help you build your characters!

Have you subscribed to her yet? If not, go back and click that button!!!!!

Ah, before we continue, I must lay out the rules:

• Display the Award’s official logo somewhere on your blog.

• Thank the person who nominated you.

• Provide a link to your nominator’s blog.

• Answer your nominator’s questions.

• Nominate up to 11 bloggers.

• Ask your nominees 11 questions.

• Notify your nominees by commenting on at least one of their blog posts.

Now that we have that out of the way, we can move on to the questions!

Lydia’s Questions:

1: What makes up the idea of your perfect day?

Oh, a perfect day… Most of it would be spent outside. It’d start at 4am and be full of music as I wrote my deepest thoughts out. I’d probably take a hike through one of my state’s beautiful state parks during the day, then maybe snuggle with a friend watching a movie together as it grew dark. Then, after the stars all came out, I could lay under them and watch for a falling star or two. That sounds like a beautiful day.

2: Who’s your favorite author?

I have to narrow it down to one???? How cruel of you, Lydia…. Hmmm…. I think that I might chose Jeff Shaara at the moment, but that’s always subject to change. I really wanted to say God was my favorite, but I figured you meant mortal authors on Earth. XD

3: Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Morning person all the way! I even naturally wake up at 4am every day. I love the quiet and peace of an early morning. Sunrises are my Eden.

4: Which meal is your favorite?

As long as there’s something fried in the meal, I’ll love it. I’ve got a soft spot for fried fish, fried chicken, fried okra, mashed potatoes - basically a good, Southern potluck. That’s a pretty good meal to me.

5: What is your dream car?

First, my dream truck: a 1970’s Ford pickup. Light blue with silver or red with gold. For a car, a Mustang from the 70’s too. I like the older vehicles way more than anything you could get today!

6: What is your favorite word?

Us. There’s nothing more satisfying than us. Just the thought of someone and me side by side, doing what we love together, being us is so calming. Now, not ‘us’ as in a person with a crowd, but ‘us’ as just two people connecting, building each other up.

7: What is your favorite format of book (hardcover, eBook, etc.)

Oh, hardcover all the way! I'll be forever an old book, yellowed pages, and worn cover sort of girl! If new books still had that charm and character, maybe I’d like them more.

8: When did you first start writing?

Oh goodness, I started writing when I was pretty young. I started writing poetry when I was maybe 10 or 11. Actual stories came around a year later. My first stories were terrible, but that’s how every writer starts, I suppose.

9: If you owned a newspaper, what would you call it?

The Wayfaring Times. :)

10: What are your current writing projects?

So far, I’m working on the sequel to my book Of Words and Wishes. It will be (as of now) called Of Vows and Valor and will be the conclusion to my series that I’ve been working on since I was maybe 15 or so. I’m also planning a spin-off of it as well, but in the form of a collection of backstories and continuations of certain characters. I can’t wait to write it! I also have other stories in progress, but they haven’t moved past pre-planning. The one that I’m looking forward to the most is going to be called Maggie, and it will be about a little mute girl in London during the Blitz. It’ll be my first historical novel, so I’m really looking forward to it! The final one will be called The Hanging Balance. It’ll be a dystopian novel about a world where anything that pertains to art is forbidden, including reading.

Nominations:

I haven’t been on Substack for too long, so I don’t know a ton of writers or bloggers yet, but I do know a few! I’m sure some have gotten nominations in the past, but I think that they do such an amazing job with their writing that they deserve another nomination. :)

Noah Ballard, author of the Substack page for writers, ENDGAME: FASTER@FANTASY. Noah shares super helpful tips and tricks on speeding up your writing, while also keeping it beautiful and detailed at the same time! He also has two YouTube channels: Indy Wild and NoahBallardIllustrator.

J. Ekpo, author of A Song to Silence the World - a literary journal that’s a beautiful collection of pure, Christian stories, poems, and other thoughts. She recently invited me to share some of my writing in the journal, and I plan to do so again when I get the chance to. If you’re a reader or a writer, you’ll enjoy her journal!

Briar Albaugh, author of The Grazing Daisy. She runs such a beautiful blog that just shows her life and all she does. Right now, she is taking a little break from writing, but she plans on returning to share her journey through life.

My Questions:

1. What got you started on your writing or blogging journey?

2. If you were to travel to one place you’ve read about, real or fictional, where would it be?

3. What is one song that you could play on repeat forever and it’ll never get old?

4. What is the one (or more!) Bible verse that you try to live by and apply to yourself?

5. What’s your biggest struggle as a writer?

6. What would you say is the coolest thing about you?

7. If you were born in another time period, what era would you prefer?

8. What’s your dream job?

9. Do you play any instruments? If so, what do you play?

10. What’s the coolest place you’ve traveled to?

11. Coffee or tea?

Thank you again to Lydia Matlock for nominating me! Once again, please check out her blog if you haven’t already!