Wow, can we say impulsive?  As someone who usually blogs when the mood strikes me, which isn't very often, I've jumped in with both feet. In a moment of supreme overconfidence I agreed to blog for 26 days in June.  Each day's topic will be associated with a letter of the alphabet.

My plan is to blog Sunday through Friday, starting June 1st, saving Saturday for the Saturday Spanks Blog Hop, if my brain doesn't self-destruct.  The cool thing, and what made me accept such a crazy challenge is that I can talk about anything I want.  Anything!  I can talk about spanking in romance novels, sex, post excerpts from my books and what I'm working on.  I can post pictures, ramble on about my dog or my family and I could even post my Grandmother's secret recipe for Molasses Cookies if my sister, Keriann McKenna, doesn't kill me first. 

Thankfully, my mind rarely shuts off. I don't take naps or lay on the couch and watch TV except during football season.  Even then I stay awake unless Payton Manning is calling "Omaha", then for some strange reason I'm instantly asleep.  Makes me wonder if someone hypnotized me when I wasn't paying attention. "When you hear the word, Omaha, you will fall into a deep sleep and you won't wake up until you've missed the entire game." Damn.

So join me when you can in June.  If you stop by every day I'm sure you'll get to know me better and probably acquire tons of totally useless information, but hey, you might just be inspired to sit down and write something yourself. 

Thank you Casey McKay for nominating me for this award! I am answering the questions that Casey provided for me.










 If you want to learn more about Casey McKay, please click here.

What does one do when nominated for the Liebster Award?

•  Thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.
  
• Display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”. (Note that the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog post.)
  
• Answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.
  
• Provide 11 random facts about yourself.
  
• Nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have a less than 1000 followers. (Note that you can always ask the blog owner this since not all blogs display a widget that lets the readers know this information!)
  
• Create a new list of questions for the blogger to answer.
  
• List these rules in your post. Once you have written and published it, you then have to:
  
• Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!)
  

Here are my answers to the 11 questions Casey gave me.

1. Why did you start blogging and what do you like about it?

I started blogging about a year or so ago as I wanted to connect with readers and other authors.  I'm not very good at it, being technologically challenged, but I try.  Yesterday I bought, HTML for Dummies, if that tells you anything. 

2. What was the best vacation you ever went on?

My husband and I were never really in a financial position to take many vacations.  With five children we did a lot of day trips to amusement parks, picnics and field days. For a while we tried camping but really, isn't taking care of five kids hard enough with hot running water?  Crowding seven people into a tin can was not my idea of a good time, and that's the type of camper we could afford.  We also tried tenting in the Adirondacks, also not for me.  One night, exhausted I climbed into my sleeping bag, popped a piece of chocolate bar into my mouth and then had to drag my sorry ass back out to brush my teeth.  I mean, what if a bear got a whiff of the chocolate on my breath and decided I smelled like dinner?

We did, however, have one weekend a year when my mother-in-law would keep all the children. All the couples in the family would drive to a campground about 20 miles away for 'Adult Weekend'.  Yeah!! Now we're talking my language.  Cabin, pool  open only for adults after 9pm, bring you radio, wine and enjoy. 

3. What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Old musicals!  I love them and will watch anytime I can.  Unsinkable Molly Brown, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Kiss Me Kate and Meet Me in St. Louis are some of my favorites.

4. If you could have one super power, what would it be?

I have absolutely no idea.  I guess I'd like to be able to time-travel if that qualifies. 

5. What book have you read that impacted your life the most?

Gone With The Wind.  I devoured it when I was about seventeen and have a collection of related items. I think it was the first time I preferred the book to the movie. Scarlet got a bad rap in the movie and ever since.  If you read the book you know she had other children, besides Bonnie, who dies in the movie. The reader understands her motivations, instead of seeing her as selfish and manipulating. This influences how I write today.  I want the reader to really know who my characters are, inside.

6. You have an unexpected 30 minutes of free time- what are you doing?

Reading.

7. If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?

Don't put your dreams on hold.  Find a way!

8. You are stuck on a desert island, but have unlimited access to one meal. What is that meal?

A salad with all the trimmings.  That way I would have access to greens, meats, eggs, fruit, cheese, and of course Ranch dressing.

9. If you could time travel to any period in time, when would it be?

1500's Scotland, to check out Clan MacFarlane.

10. If you had unlimited time and unlimited funds what would you like to learn to do?

I would build a huge greenhouse and hire a professional to teach me to garden.

11. What is your happiest memory?

I don't think it's a particular day, more like a period in time when everything in my world seemed to be right.  We had our first two grandchildren, everyone in my family was happy and my mother's cancer was in remission.  We had a beautiful pool attached to the front deck and after work (2pm) each day I would take my little granddaughter out and play in the water.  After dinner we would move to the back deck, get comfortable on the swing and sing songs, or Bill and I would swing while she played.  It seemed like God was smiling on us for that whole summer and I was the happiest I'd ever been. 

 11 random facts about me!

1.  I love storms, rain storms I mean.  I love the moment when the clouds begin to swirl and the wind picks up. The ions in the air change and I feel alive and spellbound as I watch.

2.  As a child, lightening struck an iron railing I was hanging onto.  I was thrown about 20 feet.

3.  I have a black thumb and most plants I touch die.

4.  I believe in reincarnation.

5.  I have, on occasion, been contacted by those on the other side.

6.  I'm not dressed without my gold cross and pocket angel.

7.  I didn't tell anyone when my first book went out, afraid my sisters would judge me. Silly, they love me!

8.  I met my husband when I was 16, on a blind date.  He wasn't my date, lol.

9.  We once left a wedding reception, and went skinny dipping with about 20 other guests. A good night, but the next day I was praying it was all a dream.  My sister-in-law got my panties off the mailbox flag and brought them to me.

10. When I was 17 I enjoyed drag racing my husband's (then boyfriend) '68 Gto convertible. (I loved that car) It was fun, until he caught me.

11. Typically we have 25+ people for holiday dinners.

 
I am nominating Mary Quast and Patrice Merrifield-Heauser Krumm and Mary Palmerin.  I know it's not 5-11, but I don't know that many bloggers.


1.  How long have you been blogging and what attracted you to that medium?

2.  Are you an author and if so, what genre do you prefer to write?  If not, what is you favorite type of book to read?

3.  What's the most fun you've ever had in twenty minutes?

4.  Describe your perfect day?

5.  What's the most outrageous thing you did as a teenager?

6.  If you could spend the day with anyone in the world, who would it be and what would you do?

7.  What are you proudest of?

8.  What did you want to be when you grew up and how did that work out for you?

9.  What are your three strongest personality traits?

10. Do you believe in soulmates?

11. Do you feel like a success and if not, what would it take for you to feel truly successful?


Don't forget to list 11 random facts about yourself!