Apparently I’m Versatile

Sue Archer, better known as the Doorway Between Worlds, very kindly nominated me for a Versatile Blogger Award last week. I hadn’t heard of it before, but then I’m not really up to speed on the various blogging awards so that’s no surprise. Having now looked into it, it seems to be a reasonably major deal, so thank you very much indeed, Sue!

There’s two things you have to do to accept. The first is to nominate and share 15 blogs that you think deserve the title. The second is to share 7 things about yourself. So here goes.

15 Blogs To Read Before You Die

1. Mad Genius Club – a conglomerate of US writers, blogging about the trials of writing and publishing from multiple perspectives
2. Kirsten Lamb – the blog of WANA’s (We Are Not Alone) founder, guru of social platforms for writers
3. Writing & Rambling – an interesting take on fiction writing from the agent’s perspective
4. Andrew Knighton Writes – my long time friend, inspiration and professional writer, on how to make writing as a career work
5. Terrible Minds – Chuck Wendig’s hilarious blog, ostensibly about writing but actually about whatever wanders through his brain
6. EsoterX – invaluable resource on the myths of monsters and the science / history behind them
7. Creative Writing with the Crimson League – more tips on creative writing from author Victoria Grefer
8. Writerology – tips on character creation from the expertise of a psychologist
9. War of Memory – genre fiction reviews and musings
10. Often Clueless – tips and exercises for creative writing
11. Suffolk Scribblings – more tips on creative writing from author Dylan Hearn
12. Celine Jeanjean – yup, you guessed! Tips and reviews from another writer
13. Writing Excuses – if you don’t like podcasts, they do an update of the weekly discussion on the blog instead
14. Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows – forgotten words, poetically explained
15. Bridget’s Ceramics – okay, so this is cheating a bit as it’s my mum’s blog on her career as a ceramics artist, but she is awesome and totally deserves support

The Secret Seven

1. I am a lizard. True fact. I have no ability to regulate my body temperature, and heat up by basking. I can also run up vertical surfaces.*
2. The sound of mosquitoes terrifies me. As a child, I was once shut in a room for a night that contained 50,000** mosquitoes, and I didn’t get a wink of sleep. The noise of that whine still brings me out in a cold sweat.
3. I am an atheist who took Theology A-Level, run by a C. of E. priest and with four devout Christians as my fellow pupils. The main thing that course taught me was how to be contrary.***
4. I once broke my ankle by falling from the heady height of 10cm. Graceful, I am not.
5. I love bread sauce. I love it so much that I eat it despite a) being allergic to yeast, and b) having once mistakenly eaten a large dollop of horseradish sauce instead. See above RE contrariness.
6. I write my best dialogue whilst talking out loud to myself during a walk, and my best plot twists whilst swimming. The people in my neighbourhood stopped staring after about 6 years.
7. I don’t drink tea and I don’t like bacon sandwiches. Positively un-English. If it weren’t for the fact that I speak with an RP accent, I’d be concerned about letting the Empire down.

* This last bit may not be true.
** This isn’t untrue but may be a slight exaggeration.
*** At the end of the first term my school report said ‘Be more stubborn.’ My mother has never forgiven the teacher.

So there you have it! Thank you for the vote of confidence from my fellow bloggers, and to you – the reader – for continuing to check back in on these occasional ramblings.