My Winners and New Book Trailer

Time to announce the 3 winners of my 50,000-blog-visitors celebration. We had such a grand time chatting with each other. Your well-wishes were greatly appreciated. I'll be contacting the winners today. They are: Christine Elaine Black, Georgie Tyler and Maggie Toussaint.

I hired Theresa McClintock of Making it Reel(dot)com to design a book trailer for RAIN IS A LOVE SONG. She did a fantastic job. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE2F3BCp_es

When Spring Temperatures Rise, I Get a Sunshine Blogging Award.

I’m tickled to announce that dear friend and sister Wild Rose Press author, Calisa Rhose, has awarded me and several other deserving recipients with the Sunshine Award! I met Calisa when she sold her first book, HOME our shared publisher last year. She’s a kind and very talented writer and has an amazing blog I’ve been invited to many times. She deserves this award and I’m honored she passed it on to me.

The Sunshine Award is a lovely sunny flower that bloggers give to other “bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere”.

Thank you for your thoughtful gift, Calisa!

Here are my answers to the questions:

Favorite Color: Pink, lavender, aqua, red. OK, anything but tan and brown.

Favorite Animal: Cats, Giraffes and Koala Bears

Favorite Number: 3

Favorite Non-alcoholic Drink: The cappuccinos Calvin makes me every afternoon. He whips the milk until it gets frothy.

Facebook or Twitter: Both, though I don’t use either enough.

Your Passion: Writing.

Giving or getting presents: “Giving. That’s not to say I don’t like to receive! I just like to watch someone’s face when they open a present from me” (I copied this verbatim from Calisa. She voiced the sentiment so well).

Favorite Day: Any day I get to see one of my six grandchildren.

Favorite Flowers: White tulips, purple lilacs and peach or pink roses.

As with most awards, the Sunshine Award comes with a few simple rules:

(1) Thank the person who gave you the award in your blog post.
(2) Do the Q&A above
(3) Pass on the award to 3-5 deserving and inspiring bloggers, inform them and link to their blogs.

And these are the 4 fantastic bloggers I’m tagging for this award (Now, I’m off to tell them, so maybe they’ll have posts up in a few days. If not, at least you can look around some terrific sites!):

Mackenzie Crowne
LaVerne Clark
Christine Elaine Black
Dixie Lee Brown

Liebster Award From Awesome Author Christine Elaine Black

My friend Christine Elaine Black nominated me for the Liebster Award. Apparently in German that means loved one, or favorite.

 

So this award is all about blogging and answering questions and also a game of "tag you're it". I love nominating people for awards and that's why I agreed to play and pick four of my favorite colleagues. So read the rules and the facts and then check out some blog links of other players.

Rules:

1. You must tell 11 things about yourself.

2. Answer the questions your nominator gives you.

3. Create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate.

4. Choose new blogs with fewer than 200 followers and link them to your post.

5. If you’re nominated, please leave a comment on this post with the URL of your Liebster Award post.

 

Here goes:

 

Eleven things about me:

1. Close friends call me V.

2. My husband calls me Angel.

3. I took accordian lessons for 3 years until my boobs started to grow and kept getting caught in the billows.

4. I started college at 44.

5. I made my daughter's wedding gown.

6. I once worked on the assembly line at Mack Trucks.

7. While at Penn State, I wrote a play put on by the drama department--"Family Secrets."

8. I used to teach classes in reading blueprints.

9. I once got thrown out of a high school wrestling match for yelling at the ref. And he was TOO a "blind idiot."

10. The year before Calvin and I met, I went on a Women of Faith Cruise to the Carribean and was accosted by a Jamacian native who told me I was taking him back to the States. He had more hands than a spider.

11. I can run fast for a fat, old woman (see #10).

 

 

Here are my eleven questions.

 

Hot and sexy or sweet and romantic?

 

Can I have hot, sexy and romantic?

 

Where would you live for one year if you had the chance to take on a whole new culture?

 

Paris, for sure.

 

Do you have any talents besides your amazing writing skills?

 

I’m a great cook, or so my Calvin tells me.

 

One thing you could change about yourself?

 

I’d be much thinner. See above answer.

 

How many children do have or want to have?

 

I have three grown children (Amy, Steve and Mike) and a step-son Kelly, who falls between Steve and Mike, age-wise.

 

What were the best years of your life?

 

These are the best years, by far. I’m with my soul-mate, another published author, who encourages me in my writing. We laugh every day. We grow closer every day. I love my Calvin to pieces.

 

Favorite author and why?

 

I can’t name just one!!! I’ll give you the qualities I look for: someone who’s obviously studied her/his craft and can make me laugh, sigh, get angry and cry. Pull me in. Hold me there. Make me yearn to get back to reading the next chapter while I’m moving about the house doing other things and I am yours.

 

Pizza and beer or Champagne and strawberries?

 

Pizza and Champagne. What? That wasn’t a multiple choice question?

 

How often do you visit your hair stylist?

 

Every two months

 

Married or single?

 

In May, we’ll be married 11 years so we’re still in our honeymoon stage. Two senior citizens holding hands wherever we go.

 

Favorite activity other than writing romance?

 

Getting hugs from my grandchildren.

 

I’m nominating these four bloggers: Carolyn Sullivan(Liberty Blake), Dani-Lyn Alexander, Lilly Gayle, and Jill James.

 

 

Ladies, here are your eleven questions:

 

1. Compact, SUV or pickup?

 

2. What is your favorite breakfast?

 

3. Do you buy the majority of books off the net or in a brick and mortar store?

 

4. What was your favorite subject in school?

 

5. Did you play a sport in school? If so, what?

 

6. What sub-genre of romance do you write and why?

 

7. As you’ve studied your craft, what’s been your biggest help? An online course, a book of elements of craft or working with an editor or agent who taught you writing tips?

 

8. Other than romance, what do you like to read?

 

9. Do you work outside of the home?

 

10. What keeps you awake at night?

 

11. Where’s your favorite place to vacation?