Liebster Awards and So Forth

So Emily at Taking Dictation nominated me for a blog award -- meaning I have to answer her 10 questions.  Woohoo!  What fun!
Are you ready?  Here it goes:

1. Post a paragraph or a stanza of your latest writing project. (I guess that wasn't really a question ... will you please post a paragraph or stanza?)

    Justice shook hands with the old woman and told her to have a blessed day.  Then he followed Mikaya.  But it took them a long time to get to Goody’s.  Justice stopped and talked to every person who would look him in the eye and few who wouldn’t.

     Mikaya finally grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the ice cream place.  “You can’t talk to everybody, Justice.”  She glanced back at his last encounter.  The man stared vacantly after them, his eyes puffy and red. “That man is disreputable.”

    “He is exactly who I wanted to talk to -- an outcast.”  Justice permitted himself to be towed.  “I told you I came to see people.  All of them.  High and low, I see no difference.”

2. Do you prefer writing with pens or pencils?

I used to be a pencil girl because I liked the flow of my pencil as I spread graphite across the page. But I switched to ink to create a more long-term document, and now I like pens best. :)


3. What is one blog/blogger that inspires you to write? Please share why and provide a link!

Go Teen Writers and The Penslayer


4. Are you scared of spiders or do you think they are fun pets?

Sometimes spiders scare me, but I am a firm believer that they shouldn't. And, as long as they are not behaving in unpredictable ways, I think they are really cool.
Fun fact: One of the best way to get over an initial fear reaction is to name the spider. Once you've named him, you can't really hate him anymore.


5. Would you prefer to own a dog or a cat better (if any)?

I love them both. What would be truly horrible is to not have either one.


6. Do you know any languages besides English and are there any other languages you would like to learn?

I know English.
I know basic Spanish.
I know half a dozen words in a smattering of other languages: Russian, Nepali, Hindi, Italian, French, German, and a few others.


7. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Introvert.


8. What’s your favorite part about today so far?

Seeing a friend at church this morning (a friend who was with me all last week on a trip) and hearing her tease and say, "I haven't seen you in forever!!!"
:)  It made me feel included.  :)


9. What's one place and time in history that you'd love to travel back to?

Maybe Genesis, when giants walked the land.
Or Israel during David's time.
Or Sushan when Esther was queen.
Or the Roman empire during the early church.
Or King Arthur's time.
Or America around the time of the Revolutionary War.
Or...yeah, I should stop now. This list is getting too long. ;)


10. Which do you like better: Tea, Coffee, or Hot Chocolate?

It's probably a toss-up between tea and hot chocolate. I love the smell of coffee but am not crazy about the taste...and I hate falling into a dependence on things like caffeine.


So there you have it!  My answers to Emily's questions.  Thanks, Emily.

And now, I suppose I should post some questions for others to answer.  Hmmm...

1. Did you always love writing?
2. Do you keep a personal journal/diary?
3. How long have you been blogging?
4. Have you ever read the whole Bible?
5. If you found a baby dinasour in your backyard, what would you do?
6. Are you an oldest, somewhere in the middle, or youngest child in your family?
7. What is something artsy -- other than writing -- that you enjoy doing?  Music?  Drawing? Painting? Dance? Photography? Etc?
8. What is something you like to do outdoors?
9. If you saw an old man with a weapon, threatening your parents, what would you do?  (Sorry for the dark question.  It's writerly research.)
10. What is one word that you would like people to use to describe you?

And I nominate Janie, Joy, and Jessy Jones to answer my questions and pose questions for others.  I also nominate anyone else who is interested in using my questions on their blog, provided they leave me a comment below, linking me to their blog post.  :D  I would love to see ALL of you answer them.  Have fun!