Poll #4 Results: Why do you blog?

Ah! How I love a good poll result in the morning! Let’s get right to it because there is a lot to cover this time around.

At the top! With 31%, “I’m having fun!” I am so happy that most of you are having fun with blogging. In truth, for me at least, it is not something I would want to do if it weren’t fun.

In second place, with 25%, “I’m a writer.” Yes, you all are. In a recent questionnaire for bloggers there are questions such as “As a writer, what are you trying to say to people? Or why did you start writing? Or when did you realize you were a writer?” and so many people were like “I don’t want to be a writer” and “I’m not a writer.” YES, YOU ARE! Blogging IS writing! Just like poem writing, article writing, novel writing, essay writing, it’s ALL writing and MAKES YOU A WRITER! I’m glad some of you realize that. (This option received my first vote.)

In third place, with 11%, “I could be cleaning my house or working out, but I prefer to do this.” Wouldn’t we all! I know there are some people out there who claim to enjoy cleaning and/or working out, but I am sooooo not one of those people. Lol. I will prefer blogging, or reading, or shopping, or HOMEWORK every time over cleaning or working out.

In fourth place, with 8%, we have two different options: “I want to make people aware of something important to me” and “Other, because the answers provided weren’t even close.” First off, I chose to add the “I want to make people aware of something important to me” option because there are many personal reasons why people start blogging. I have seen blogs about homeschooling, handicapped children, mental illness, abuse, literacy, cooking, dieting, et cetera. These are all great things to inform people about. (This option received my second and final vote. As some of you may know, I am a advocated of reading, especially teen reading (currently the age group that is least likely to read), and families reading together.) Finally, I’m curious as to what other reasons you have for blogging. After I put up the poll, I thought of a few things, such as updating people about your family or just a good old rant session here and there. I know there are so many more though so PLEASE SHARE IN THE COMMENTS!

In fifth place, with 7%, we have, “I’m trapped with only a computer to save me.” I know how this feels sometimes, when I am so busy and the computer becomes one of my only social interactions. :(.

 In sixth place, with 6%, we have, “I want to start up my business.” I think those of you starting up a business are very brave. It’s difficult starting your own business, especially with the economy the way it is and money being hard to come by. Plus, a blog is free, so why not!

In, seventh place, with 2%, we have two different options: “I’m bored” and “I’m a 65 year-old man who likes to pose as a 25 year-old woman.” Firstly, if you’re bored, I think blogging is a great thing to turn to. Not only are you writing and reading, but you’re sharing ideas and starting conversations. Lastly…I’m concerned. I was only a psychology major for a month, but I know a 65 year-old man posing as a 35 year-old woman is abnormal. Please seek help.

Well, that’s it for this poll. On to another one, equally as fabulous.

SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE TO FIND OUT WHAT IT IS!

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WELCOME BACK!

Well, it’s over with. Who’s Your Editor? has had a pretty significant facelift and I am proud to say that I have done it all on my own. (Take that graphic design major!) :). The best part, though, is that I can get back to blogging! I have a lot planned and I hope my busy schedule will allow me to keep up.

With that being said, I do want to let you guys know that I may not be blogging every day like I have been. As much as I want to, I already have a pretty hefty homework schedule with school. (This weekend alone, I have to write a 1 page essay (FINISHED), a 2 page essay, I have to read A Midsummer Night’s Dream (FINISHED), half of Frankenstein, 3 chapters  in creative writing, and 37 pages in world literature.) Not completely fun. Anyway, I will aim to blog in my free time.

In the mean time, come check out the new features!

New Features:

Different Color Scheme- Red/Gray/Black

Lighter background- Found on blogger
New Header- Made it myself!

Pages!- To help relieve the clutter

Home- This will bring you back to the main screen and the almost daily blog posts.     

Get to Know Me- This is where you can learn a bit more about me. It has my profile, interesting facts, and contact information (email included in case you ever need it).

Follow Me if You Dare- The new home for our revolution. It includes my take on being better followers, a button for you to grab, and my list of my favorite followers!

Bookmark Break Challenge 2011- The new home for my reading challenge. It includes what I will be doing for the challenge, the rules for all competitors (You could be next!), a list of the current competitors, and my list of books that I have completed this year.

Buttons- This is the place where I will post any of my buttons, the buttons of friends, blog hops I have entered, directories where you can post your blog, and other websites that are worth a look. Also, if you are a follower and I haven’t grabbed your button yet, shoot me a message and I will come get it.

Blog Topics- This is a lot like the blog topics that I had before at the bottom of my page, but this one is clearer and will allow you to go through old posts easily and find the ones that have topics you are most interested in. (Located on the bottom of the left sidebar.)

Buttons with Code Dialogue Box- Now my buttons are easier to get than ever! Just scroll all the way to the bottom of this page and see for yourself!

Old Features You Love!:

Daily Updates- This lets you know the little stuff that is going on, kind of like a status update. Make sure to read it every time you stop by because most likely it has changed. (Located at the top of the blog.)

Subscribe- I know that some of you find Blogger’s Dashboard annoying. It’s hard to keep track of some of your favorite blogs that way. What my subscribe gadget does (located at the top of the left sidebar) is it allows you to get updates about my blog through your email or other social websites! Cool stuff.

Followers- Following or checking out other followers is just as easy as it was before. (located to the left.)

Live Counter- Keep track of how many times my blog has been viewed! (Located on the left sidebar.)

Popular Posts- So, you found today’s post to be awesome? Come and check out the top 10 past posts that everyone enjoyed the most. (Located on the left sidebar.)

Blog Archive- Find past posts easily. (Located on the left sidebar.)

Poll- It’s not going anywhere! I will still have a poll (located at the very bottom of this page) for you to vote on on a pretty regular basis. (PS. Results for the 4^th poll “Why do you blog?” go up TOMORROW! THAT MEANS YOU ONLY HAVE ONE MORE DAY LEFT TO VOTE! SO, GO DO THAT NOW!)

It's good to be back!

Shutting Down for a Makeover!

For those of you who may have missed the news, I'm giving my blog a makeover! So, if you are stopping in during the chaos, DON'T PANIC! Everything should be in order by the end of the week!

Isn't it just crazy what you can do with a computer?

I'm shutting down from Monday (today) until Friday (January 21). I'll see you all on Saturday!

Alas, I Did Not Win :(

So, the giveaway for the blog makeover has ended and some other lucky girl has won. I honestly can't wait to see what it ends up looking like, but this also means that I have to do my own blog design. So, I say again, I will be shutting down the blog, from MONDAY until FRIDAY this coming week!

During that time, I will be changing the background, font, all the colors, adding pages, making everything pretty and legible! YEAH! LET'S HAVE A PARTY!

For you today, I also have a list of things I came up with to consider when redesigning your blog (if perchance you ever find yourself in the same situation)...

1) Relevance...Over the last few days, I have been scanning the templates and trying to find images I could use. I found many pretty pictures and designs that I loved, but were they relevant to the theme of my blog? NO! Does that mean that the only kinds of images I can use are books and pens? NO. It just means that my template should not distract or mislead followers about the content of my blog. It should work with the content.

2) Clutter...I find this to be an epidemic in the blogging world. So many blogs suffer from clutter, bordering on HOARDING! I do not feel like we should be afraid to clean house every now and then or design our blog in a way (either by adding pages or just by removing some gadgets or buttons) that our home page can be clear of gobblygook that new followers will not understand. Also, the less clutter, the faster your blog will load.

3) Text Font...Text Font is vitally important because that's what your followers have to stare at all the time! I find that San Serif is better than Serif (For those of you who think I just started speaking a different language, that means that type that has straight, clean lines with no small features or end strokes (such as Arial), are better than fancy fonts or fonts that have end strokes (such as Times New Roman). Also, as the number one rule of graphic design states "Only use headline fonts for headlines and text font for text!"

4) Personalize Your Design...A great way to have a successful blog it to have one that looks unique and unlike any of your friends'. This doesn't mean you can't use the templates that Blogger.com or whatever other host website you are in provides. It just means that you should be tweaking it, change the color, the text, the background image, etc.

That's about it. If I think of anything else in my process, I will let you guys know! :)

PS. Don't forget to vote on the most recent poll at the bottom of the page. This poll will end while I am shut down, but when I return, I will be revealing the results, and if I have all your votes, the results will be all the better.

PPS. REMEMBER: I will be shut down MONDAY through FRIDAY! There will be NO POSTS during that time, just a whole lot of CHAOS! I will be changing the blog around all the time, so you can come and check things out, but it will be crazy, crazy, CRAZY!

PPPS. PLEASE return on SATURDAY! (not tomorrow's Saturday, but the Saturday after that) when I start posting again and you can see the complete blog design! (You can come by on tomorrow's Saturday though because I will be posting as usual.)

PPPPS. See you guys tomorrow and Sunday and then it is Adios! for 5 days.

PPPPPS. Is that clear? Are you tired of the post scripts yet?

The Versatile Blogger Award!

Many thanks to the darling Grace over at Loving Life for this wonderful award. Versatile is a great thing to be!!!

Rules

1.  Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award

2.  Answer 10 questions

3.  Pass it along to 7 blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy

4.  Leave your recipients a note, telling them about the award 

1.  Why did you create this blog?

I started a blog because I LOVE writing and books so much that it annoys the people I love and they need some sort of reprieve from it every now and then. This blog allows me to explode with geekyness and share everything I want to say about my obsessions. Of course, now that blogging has become an obsession. My love ones now hear anything and everything about it as well. I’m not sure if that was a good thing for them. Lol.

2.  What kind of blogs do you follow?

I love any and all books about blogs. I also enjoy the inspirational ones that talk about love, happiness, and finding magic in every day. 

3.  Favorite makeup brand?

My mom’s brand. She makes her own makeup with pure minerals, shea butter, essential oils, and whatever else she can cook up in the kitchen. She is a hair, makeup, and skin care extraordinaire!

4. Favorite clothing brand?

TJ MAXX! Can that be considered a brand! I don’t mind digging for the clothes I like, especially for a great price!!! Plus, I change my style all the time. That’s versatility for ya!

Your indispensable makeup product?

Eye liner! I won’t leave the house without it! Everything else I just slap on or forget about.

6. Favorite color?

Hmmm? This changes a lot too. Right now it is black! As my mom says “Black will be my favorite color until they invent something darker!” lol.

7. Favorite Perfume?

I’ve actually have a few perfumes I buy a stock of! I like Nollie from PacSun, Juicy Couture, and Origin’s Citrus Ginger. My favorite is the Nollie though. It is also the cheapest. :)

8.  Favorite film?

This I can surprisingly answer! You would think it would be so hard with my rather healthy DVD collection, but my favorite is “Serenity.”

9.  What country would you like to visit and why?

The two countries I want to visit the most are Ireland and Greece. Ireland because my grandmother is Irish and I have always wanted to write a book that takes place in Ireland so I need to go and do “research.” Greece, because it is right on the sea which I have never seen and because I LOVE their food!

10.  Would you rather forget to put mascara on one eye or forget blush on one side of your face?

The mascara, because I usually never wear it anyway. Although, I probably should because my eyelashes are light and short!

Now, as for the 7 bloggers that I would like to award this wonderful compliment…

(I’m going to try and pick new people, but also people that I know are versatile themselves.)

Matt

Patrick

Pr0udmom0f3

Vic

Poekitten

Natalie

Sofia

I’ll be contacting you all right now!

PS. I will be returning to my regular writing/book blogging in the morning. lol. I actually have some already written. These wonderful awards and giveaways have just been to tempting and lovely. Anyway, look forward to a post on Then vs. Than, a book review on The Vampire Diaries, and the history of cops coming soon!

I NEED A BLOG MAKEOVER!!!

It has come to my attention that my blog is quickly becoming the leading cause of blindness!!! Okay, not so dramatic, but it is difficult to read.

One of my friends on WEbook mentioned it the first day and I was like "Ughhh! I just finished designing it!!!" I was NOT going to do it all again. However, yesterday, THREE lovely people mentioned it again. The type is too hard to read :(

So, I NEED A BLOG MAKEOVER! Luckily, Lindsay over at Scenic Glory is a fantabulous blog designer and is offering ONE lucky duck the chance to have their blog made over by her. For the Love of Blogs is hosting the giveaway because they too are fantabulous.

Thus begins the reasons why I need a blog makeover (in full dramatic prose):

My dearest Lindsay and lovely ladies at For the Love of Blogs, I fear my blog is in trouble. The mobs are collecting and demand my blog take responsibility for the multitudes of headaches it is causing my wonderful followers. Some are nearly going blind because the white font over a black background is severely hard to read. I did not mean it! Honestly! I just love the color black, its sleekness and its ability to make other colors pop! However, the masses are speaking, voicing their concerns for not only their eyesight, but my own well being. My blog has become a part of me and I do not wish to lose it.

Tirelessly, I have wondered where to start again. I open the design tab and stare blankly at the screen. Would a green background be better? Should I design my own header? Perhaps the font is just too small? Should I add another page? The options are overwhelming and my skills are not up to par.

Dearests, I can hear the mob at the door. They are banging louder and louder! I know it is merely out of passion, but I fear that if they are not answered, if nothing is to be done, that passion will turn to something near obsession, and later nothing will soothe their cries but to see my blog hanging from the metaphorical gallows of the Internet. Just the thought is enough to make me tremble. For then, how will I share my words, my ideas, my melodramas of rants and woes? I will undoubtedly be forced to return solely to Webook.com where they only care for poetry and fiction and not the fantastic stylings of grammar, etymology, art weeks, book reviews, cinematic features, and my own personal enthusiasms. Please, don't banish me to such a limited fate!

Sincerely,
AubrieAnne

(End dramatic prose)

Well, there you go! It's a one shot dealio and the winner is sure to be one happy little blogger! Cross your fingers for me as I will undoubtedly do the same for you!

PS. The giveaway ends on the 12th so I am going to hold off any of my own experimenting with my blog design until then. Then, if the 12th comes around and some other beautiful soul has won Lindsay's generous offer I will plan a few days to shut down so I can play around a bit. That way you guys don't have to deal with the chaos. Plus, if I am not posting, perhaps I can come up with something sensible.

PPS. It's good to have a plan B, but plan A sounds so much more fun!

Discussion Topic: Let's Start a Revolution! New Followers! Better Followers!

There's been a lot of talk going around about this and now I think it's time to do something about it!

Let me just say that I adore new followers (I think most bloggers do and we all secretly compete to have more followers than any of our friends…Don’t lie!) I also love followers who comment. However, there is one thing that I personally love more: followers that comment and express their thoughts in relation to the blog that I wrote that day!!!



Are you the best kind of follower? Are you tired of the "following you, follow me back" comment? Then, here's a special gift just for you. The "follow me if you dare" button designed by Your's Truely! Post it on your blog, declaring your independence from the not-so-good followers. (I know! I have been a button fool!)
Code:

<a href="http://whosyoureditor.blogspot.com/2011/01/discussion-topic-lets-start-revolution.html"><img border="0" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5208/5328572429_86d18d5b32_m.jpg"width="200" height="200"></a>



 
Why spend the time, writing out your precious words, only to have them ignored? Why discuss the things you love, only to have no one reply? Why try to inspire people, when no one cares to listen? These questions just don’t make sense, because there is no reason “why?” Blogging is about sharing your words, passions, and inspirations, and having people discuss them with you. If this wasn’t true, and the above questions were legitimate, no one would blog (or at least they wouldn’t be blogging for very long).

Ergo…

Why follow someone if you’re not going to read what they are writing? Why comment if you’re not going to tell people something about you, discuss a topic, or add your ideas? Why become a follower that just says you are following (way to state the obvious), and then expect someone to put in more effort than you did? Once again, these questions don’t make sense. So, why do some people still comment “following you, follow back” without any other considerations? The comment is empty, emotionless, thoughtless.

At first, the comments didn’t bother me. At least people WERE commenting, correct? However, then I met some truly wonderful people that showed me what it meant to be a good follower. They returned on a regular basis, at least once a week. (Sometimes, almost every day. :)) They left comments of support, comments of interest, comments of love, and all the time, allowing me to learn more and more about them.

The more I was exposed to the “best kind” of follower, the more I was annoyed and frustrated by the “not-so-good kind” of follower.

So, if you are reading this Miss/Mister Not-So-Good-Follower, please rethink how you are presenting yourself. For all I know, you are a person full of thoughts, opinions, and love. Start proving it! (PS. I will remain patient, calm, and kind while you figure it out, but that doesn’t mean I’m not seething inside.)

Now, in honor of Miss/Mister Best Kind of Follower, here is a list of people who comment and mean it! In alphabetical order:

Dawn

Donna

Eschelle

Facing50Blog.com

JJ

JRFrugalMom

Katie

Kimberly

Lindsay

Matt

Patrick

Poekitten

Pr0udmom0f3

Rose Work’s Jewelry

Sarah the Writer

Selena

Shah

Sofia’s Ideas

Suertemom

Susette

Teri

TheCreativeMuslimah

Vic

And I know there are so many more! These are all very special people who make blogging so enjoyable. Thank you! And, if you are ever graced by their presence, thank your lucky stars that they have guided them to you!

Introducing the Official WYE? Blog Button!

I finally finished and I LOVE it! I hope you guys like it as well and will consider grabbing it for your very own!

Here's the code... <ahref="http://whosyoureditor.blogspot.com/"><img border="0"src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5244/5321826666_a57da2fae9_m.jpg"width="200"height="200"></a>

When I initially began college, I wanted to be an art major so I went for graphic design because I figured it would be more marketable than a fine arts degree. Anyway, I spent most of my time yelling at the computer, trying to get it to do what I could do with a pencil in 5 seconds! So, I switched to a psychology major and then finally an English major! I did find the same frustrations while making this button, but it was fun this time. :) No pressure and no grading!

Anyway, it's my new baby.

Feel free to share the codes to your own buttons and maybe someone will come pick it up!

"Kitties and Boxes?" My Guest Blog for Refusing to Grow Old Gracefully

Hey everyone! Miss Donna is out for the week, spending time with a good friend that is in town. So, some of us have taken the liberty of filling in for her.

Come check out my post on Refusing to Grow Old Gracefully...Kitties and Boxes?

And Lindsay's post on Write Now, Write Later...Another Year, Lots of New Dreams.

See you all there!

WYE?'s Bookmark Break Challenge 2011

Many people begin their year with new resolutions, a dedication that they make to themselves to improve something in their lives. Well, this year, I am making a resolution to give my bookmarks a break because even they deserve a vacation from saving my spot!

Here's what I plan to do...

• Finish all the books I have currently started. (Those poor bookmarks are trapped!)
• Read as many books as I possibly can this year. (The faster I read, the less time those bookmarks have to spend in captivity!)
• Keep an ongoing list of all the books I have completed in 2011 on my sidebar. (Just so I can catalogue the brave efforts of each and every bookmark I use.)
• Tell as many people as I can while sharing my two new, beautiful buttons. (We must save all the bookmarks that we can. This is slavery and it must be stopped!)

And everyone can do the same! Just pull out all those books you have started or are gathering dust on your shelf, brush them off, crack them open, and start reading. Keep a list of the books you complete on your blog! Every single book you FINISH in 2011 (January 1st-December 31st) will count!

Now, here is where the challenge comes in...If you can complete more books than I do in the year 2011, I will feature your blog on WYE?! AND post your button on my sidebar for an entire year!

Here's all you have to do to enter...

1. LEAVE A COMMENT that says you are entering the challenge so I know who is interested.
2. BEGIN A LIST on your blog sidebar entitled "Bookmark Break Book List 2011" and start cataloguing all the books you FINISH in 2011 (Note: ANY book you finish in 2011 is eligible, meaning that you didn't have to have started the book in 2011. You may have a book that has ONE page left to read and if you finish reading that one page in 2011 it counts! Books that you are rereading or reading for a class also count! Poetry book, graphic novel, nonfiction books, etc. also count. The only thing so far that won't count is a magazine. Also, the book must be 100 pages or more to be eligible.) This list is vital to the competition. It is where I will count how many books you have read at the end of the year. PS. If you wish to post this list somewhere else or keep track of it in a journal or something, just shoot me a comment and let me know what works for you and we will see what we can do.
3. OPTIONAL: Please, help me try and promote this challenge. Either post about it on your own blog, keep updates on your blog, grab one of my lovely buttons, tweet and retweet about it, add it to facebook, or simply tell people about it. I would really appreciate it. Of course, this is not required of the competition.

These buttons are up for grabs:

Code:

<a href="http://whosyoureditor.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5087/5310328669_7d95f655e4.jpg"width="200" height="200"></a>

Code:

<a href="http://whosyoureditor.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5125/5310919008_7622a2b3d2.jpg"width="200" height="200"></a>

Thank you! and remember...SAVE THE BOOKMARKS!

A Day of Awards!!!

The Life is Good Award!

Selena, at The Enchanted Book, has been generous enough to award me with the Life is Good Award! I am quickly learning that Selena is a complete sweetheart who is passionate about her blog and BOOKS! She is also very attentive to her avid readers and commenters which, let me tell you, is not hard to become if just take a look at what she's doing! Thank you, Selena!

Here are the things you have to do when you get this award:

1. First, thank and link back to the person that gave the award.

2. Answer the 10 survey questions

3. Pass the award along to other bloggers whom you think are fantastic.

4. Contact the bloggers you have chosen to let them know about the award.
1.  If you blog anonymously, are you happy doing this?  If you aren't anonymous, do you wish you started out anonymously, so that you could be anonymous now?

No, I wouldn't want to blog anonymously just because I put so much of myself into my writing (especially my blog entries) that it wouldn't make sense not to put my name to it. Plus, I feel that people who have been reading my stuff for a while would know who was writing it anyway.

In addition, I like putting my name to the things I create. I'm never ashamed of them!

2.  Describe an incident that shows your inner stubborn side.

How about everything about my life! Stubborn is one of my middle names! Probably the most prevalent incidents occur when I am talking about grammar. I'm a technical freak and I like to know a lot. So, I will fight with someone over the use of a simple comma until someone has backed down or is bleeding. lol. (It's never come down to blood though.)

3.  What do you see when you really look at yourself in the mirror?

Someone who is still questioning many things. That's good and bad. I find it very helpful to question the future, like where will I be in 10 years, what will I eat tomorrow, where should the character in my book go next. However, I don't find it good to question the past, like why did I do that, could I have looked at that different? You can't change the past, just learn from it for the rest of your life. That's one reason why I love to study history! It's our greatest teacher.

4.  What is your favorite summer cold drink?

I really like frozen mochas! Coffee and chocolate are my two guilty pleasures.

5.  When you take time for yourself, what do you do?

I write and I read. (I'm stealing this answer from Selena!) I also love to watch movies. I have a huge collection and I like to watch things multiple times.

6.  Is there something that you still want to accomplish in your life?

Tons of stuff, from the really simple to some things that are really huge! I want to finish a novel manuscript, I want to write a short story that I actually like, I want to finish my resume, I want to graduate from school, I want to get a job I can enjoy and really expand my talents, I want to travel more, I want to fall in love, I want to bake a cookie that is both chewy and gooey instead of cakey, I want to know how to make soup, I want to beat Devil May Cry 2! And so much more!

7.  When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever, the shy person, or always ditching?

I was and still am an overachiever, but it came easily. I enjoyed reading and writing and learning. I got along with teachers really well and I had great friends. I was very shy too, but only around the people I didn't know very well. With my friends and in class I was fine.

8.  If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment in your life, what would you see?

This would probably be the year my grandparents died. I lost both a grandma and grandpa within less than a year of each other. They were my first great losses and it took me a long time to cry. I was really scared of losing other people in my life. I want everyone, including myself to live a long life and die naturally. Sorry for being so morbid. Anyway, it reminded me to carry on with my life and really do the things I wanted to do. It also reminded me how important family and friends are in your life.

9.  Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog, or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people and events?

Based on the last question, I am comfortable about writing about myself, but I prefer to write about things I love and enjoy, things that have positively influenced or inspired me. (Like books, writing, and movies.)

10.  If you had the choice to sit down and read a book or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?

I would definitely read a book because I can become engrossed in it. I don't like talking on the phone at all. Generally, if I take a phone call, I am on it for less than 2 minutes. I just run out of things to say and it's uncomfortable.

I would like to pass this award on to:

The lovely Donna at Write Now, Write Later and Refusing to Age Gracefully!

The Stylish Blog Award!

I have also recieved this award from the beautifully loving Katie over at Love with Katie, Shah at WordsinSync, The Creative Muslimah at The Creative Muslimah, Dawn at Letters to Princess, and Proud Mom of 3 at The Not always Happy Homemaker Diaries. They all surprised me and I can't thank all of them and Selena enough for making my blogging day! Thank you, my dears!

There are 4 duties to perform to accept this award:

1.  Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award

2.  Share 7 things about yourself

3.  Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers

4.  Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award!

I'll try and tell you things you may not already know...

1. My favorite genre to write in is Post-Apocalyptic fiction.
2. I took horseback riding lessons for 6 years and begged for a pony every Christmas and Birthday!
3. I've acted in 11 play/musicals/improv shows when I was in highschool and I starred in 3 of them and had the lead in 2 of them.
4. In college, I began my major in graphic design. After 2 years I switched to psychology and after only a month of that, I switched to English with a concentration in creative writing and have never looked back!
5. I graduate in June 2011. Then I am going on the job hunt! If I'm not employed in 7-8 months, I'm going to graduate school for Literacy or Publishing.
6. My favorite flavor of pudding is Pistachio!
7. My favorite season is autumn, even though Northern Michigan seems to skip that season some years.

Next, I will list the 15 people I will award. I have chosen these people for several different reasons. Either, they have a beautiful blog, they are new and need some boosting, or they are beautiful people who have passion for their own blog and others.

I have awarded the following lovely people...

Selena @ The Enchanted Book

Shah @ Wordsinsync

Dawn @ Letters to Princess

Sarah @ This Writer's Life

Lindsay @ Scenic Glory

Rose Works Jewelry @ A Jedi's Musings

Pink Hibiscus @ Daiquiris and Denial

Gypsy Jewels @ Gypsy Jewels

Kit @ Kit's Blogging

Grace @ Loving Life

Susette @ Screenplays by Susette

Creative Muslimah @ The Creative Muslimah

Teri @ Working the Earth

JR Frugal Mom @ Frugality is Free

Frugal Mom @ Story Time Under the Stars

You Knew I Wouldn't Be Able to Resist a Blog Hop for Book Reviews!!!

I usually don't do this, but this blog hop is so up my alley that I couldn't resist!

It's called The Book Lover's Blog Hop and is for anyone and everyone that writes book reviews and is looking to share their words on books they have read. Or, you could just love to read book reviews in order to find that next great read!

I just posted my first book review on Nicholas Sparks' "The Last Song" (http://whosyoureditor.blogspot.com/2010/11/book-review-1-last-song-by-nicholas.html) and I hope to be able to add my other book reviews as well.

Anyway, just click on the lovely button above and check it out!

Also, be looking forward to my next book review on Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies" that is coming soon!

Thank you For the Love of Blogs!

I just wanted to thank For the Love of Blogs @ http://forblogs.blogspot.com/ for the full length feature on my blog. I really appreciate the opportunity to meet so many new people who love writing, are interesting in books, enjoy what I am writing, or are just stopping by for a quick look. Thank you again and WELCOME! to all the new followers.  P.S. This pretty little linky will take you straight to For the Love of Blogs where you could be featured yourself or just find some of the great blog hops they host on a weekly basis.

Tag You're It!

I've been tagged by Grace @ http://gigglemepink.blogspot.com/

4 shows I watch:

1. Smallville

2. Nikita

3. The Vampire Diaries

lol. I like the CW

4. Merlin

4 things I am passionate about:

1. Writing

2. Books

3. Movies

4. Friends

4 phrases I say a lot: 

1.  “That drives me insane!"

2.  “You're kidding!”

3. “That's pretty.”

4.  “Cool.”

4 things I have learned from the past:

1. I don't like people who tell me what I "should" do.

2. Patience is actually a virtue.

3. Drive slow, especially when it's snowing.

4. Organization!

4 places I would like to go:

1. Ireland

2. Greece

3. Bavaria 

4. Prague

4 things I did yesterday:

1. Saw the movie "The Warrior's Way."

2. Went Christmas shopping.

3. Blogged.

4. Watched the season finale of "Merlin."

4 things I am looking forward to:

1. Christmas! Christmas! Christmas!

2. Finishing my Holiday shopping.

3. Finishing my second to last semester of college.

4. Having some time off to actually work on my novels.

4 things I love about winter:

1. Everything looks pretty when it is covered in snow.

2. Building snow forts for my bunny, Orin.

3. Snow Days!!!

4. My cousins from Georgia will come up for a week.

4 things on my wish list:

1. Singin in the Rain (my favorite musical).

2. About 10 differnet books, but mostly the Glass Series by Maria V. Snyder

3. The Prince of Persia video game.

4. Gift cards (I like hunting for things for myself).

4 people I tag:
Donna (djpr)

Matt Dimitroff

Dawn Zhang

and my newest friend

Sarah the Writer

And anybody else that wants to join in the fun!

Tag You're It, GO!