Recently, my
friend Sandra Nikolai nominated me for the Liebster award. Sandra is the author of
False Impressions, her first mystery novel in a series featuring Megan Scott
and Michael Elliott. Thank you for the nomination, Sandra!
As
required of the Liebster nominee, I have pasted the Liebster award in my blog post
and will provide a link back to the nominator's blog. In
my case, it is
Sandra
Nikolai
Next I am to answer the 11 questions asked by the person who nominated me, Sandra Nikolai, then compose 11
new questions and nominate 11 more friends to join in the party. The idea is to
have fun and introduce new people to your blog site. Sounds like a win-win
situation to me!
Here are the 11
questions Sandra posed for her 11 lucky Nominees, along with my responses:
1. Are you a
morning person?
Yes,
I am awake by 6, just takes awhile to get oriented enough to make coffee!
However, I am also a night person. It is the in-between hours that are not
always so productive.
2. What inspires
you to blog?
Questionnaires
like this one are inspiring. I also like to talk about things related to my
home state Wisconsin) and adopted home state (Hawaii.)
3. What is your
current or next WIP about?
My
current WIP is the third novel in my Pepper Bibeau mystery series. The story is
set in Hawaii. I did much of the initial research several years ago when I
visited The Big Island, specifically with a novel in mind. I participated in
NaNoWriMo for the first time in 2012 and used that research material as the
basis for writing this first draft.
4. What is the
one thing you’d like to do but haven’t had the opportunity?
Study
the stars. When I moved to Hawaii, it seemed inevitable that I would become an amateur
astronomer. But after settling in Honolulu, I quickly learned one thing it had
in common was any major city was too much artificial light to see stars.
5. Name one of
your favorite fictional characters and explain your choice.
Huckleberry
Finn has always been one of my favorite characters. To me, his name represents independence.
I often dreamed of floating down the mighty
Mis’isip, stopping to visit towns along the way, and living a thoroughly carefree
life.
6. What is your
pet peeve?
Sudden
unnecessary noises, like a slamming door or squealing automobile tires.
7. What would be
your ideal holiday getaway?
A
spa retreat with no set schedule - I could choice what I wanted to do when I
wanted to do it.
8. Who/what did
you want to be when you grew up?
Connie
Stevens in the television show ‘Hawaiian Eye’. She was talented, independent,
beautiful, and always smiling! What more could a girl ask for?
9. What is your
biggest regret?
Aside
from not being Connie Stevens? No regrets. The mistakes and misfires only make
the successes stand out that much more vividly.
10. Name two of
your favorite cities in the world.
Paris
and Bruge (It’s in Belgium . . . that’s a line from the movie, In Bruge.)
11. What are the
best five words that would describe you?
Happy;
Motivated (sporadically); Chocolate-addict; mystery-lover; Aloha
Now, here
are the 11 new questions I complied for 11 of my friends:
1.
As a writer, do your male characters more often resemble Tom Cruise or Tom
Hanks?
2.
For the majority of the novels you read, do you prefer the print or ebook format?
3.
If your latest novel were made into a screenplay, would your story be best
served by hiring director Steven Spielberg or Ang Lee?
4.
Knowing you must travel to the location for research, where would you set your
next story?
5.
Is sending a written letter via the postal service a thing of your past?
6.
For 50% of the DVDs you rent or buy, what is the genre?
7.
Would you walk a mile for an ice cream cone or reach for an apple in the refrigerator?
8.
What is your favorite part of attending a carnival?
9.
Most tempting: Banana Split or Hot Fudge Sundae?
10.
Do you buy gifts for others that you would like to receive?
11.
What is your current or next WIP about?
And now, the list of Nominees I have chosed to accept this challenge:
Valentine’s Day hearts conjure up memories of love. One heart with two wedding rings brings a smile to a couple wed on Valentine’s Day. A cross-stitch of red hearts reminds a daughter of a mother’s gift; a royal flush to the Ace of Hearts has a Vegas winner beaming. Others get all fuzzy over a heart-shaped box of chocolates, a grinning cupid, or a pair of cooing love birds. Hearts on Fire can only mean young love, and boys naturally love heart-shaped balloons.
A heart surrounding a globe brings a tear to the eyes of grandparents whose families live far away. The mantle holds a framed purple heart of a loved one lost in battle. Flowers and an arrow-pierced heart represent a lifetime spent with a childhood sweetheart, the memories bittersweet. The Sacred Heart means salvation for many, and bright lockets remind one of a young girl’s special day.
