The Liebster Award!

Last night I received word that another client of my fabulous agent, Carrie Pestritto, nominated me for the Liebster Award, an accolade given to bloggers with 200 followers or less.

Meghan Masterson, whose fascinating novel about Blackbeard is out on submission now, explains that it’s often impossible to figure out how many followers a given blogger has acquired. Heck, I don’t even know how many I have! But as she’s done, I’m going to be flexible and nominate blogs I love! (And I would totally nominate Carrie, but I don’t want to add to her already-packed work load, including advising me on a video I’ve been working on for my publisher.)

To accept the award, one must:

1. List 11 things about yourself

2. Nominate 11 bloggers

3. Inform them that they’ve been nominated

4. Answer the 11 questions you were asked

5. Ask 11 questions for your nominees to answer

So here goes:

11 Facts About Me

1. I applied for jobs with the NSA and CIA my senior year of college

2. I don’t keep a central calendar

3. My face isn’t symmetrical due to a broken nose when I was 5

4. I get seasick easily

5. My parents wanted to name me Susannah, but feared kids would make fun of me because of the song “Oh, Susannah!”

6. I was once fired from a minimum wage job for “not being a good fit”

7. I don’t drink coffee

8. I write in my living room at night when my younger kids are asleep

9. I only started a blog because my web designer suggested it

10. When I was 8, I saw “Grease” three times the week it opened

11. I didn’t major in International Relations because I was afraid to take the required micro and macro economics classes

Nominate 11 Bloggers for the Award (in no special order):

1. The Good Shufu

2. Svetlana’s Reads and Views

3. The Green Bathtub

4. Victoria Dixon 

5. A Kindle in Hong Kong

6. China Elevator Stories

7. Living a Dream in China

8. Hot Curries & Cold Beer

9. Living Loving and Writing

10. Word Kitchen

11. Books & Buildings

11 Questions I was Asked

1. What is your most random talent?

Figuring out how much to tip in Chicago restaurants.

2. You’ve been offered a chance to go to the moon. Do you accept?

Probably not. I can’t go on roller-coasters, so I’d worry about the air pressure in space.

3. What is the most memorable book you’ve read this year?

I just finished Brendan Koerner’s The Skies Belong to Us, so I have to say that one. I can’t stop thinking about it.

4. Do you have a favorite word you overuse, or wish you had the opportunity to use more often?

I used the word daunting a lot, although I’m usually quite an upbeat person.

5. What is your favorite season, and why?

Probably summer because it’s hot and I don’t do well with the cold, which can dominate the other seasons in Chicago.

6. If you could see any band/artist in concert, from any period, and meet them afterward, who would it be?

I saw the Rolling Stones this year, which was a major life event. So my answer would be Led Zeppelin.

7. What was your favorite childhood movie?

Grease, as stated earlier!

8. Let’s say you’ve invented a time machine. Where do you go first?

That’s easy! I’d go to early-1970s Hong Kong!

9. Would you rather give a speech in front of 100 people or go to the dentist for a root canal?

I could do either, but I do hope I’ll have a chance to speak in front of 100 people at a book reading!

10. If you could shift into any animal, what one would you try first?

A bird because I think it would be fun to fly on my own.

11. If you suddenly needed three hours less sleep than normal, what would you do with those three hours?

Wow, I would get so much more writing done if I had three more hours every day! And reading, too!

11 Questions for the Next Award Winners to Answer:

1. Do you read one book at a time, or several at once?

2. When you’ve traveled, which place turned out be the most unexpected charm?

3. Likewise, which place has been the most overrated for you?

4. What is the most unusual thing you’ve ever eaten?

5. How do you pass the time on long flights?

6. Coffee or tea or ___?

7. Do you prefer sweets or savories?

8. What was your favorite book from your childhood?

9. What’s your earliest memory of eating at a Chinese restaurant?

10. Your favorite food at a Chinese restaurant?

11. What’s your scariest travel memory?

Thanks so much for following me on this fun journey. If you have a favorite blog, I’d love to hear about it!