Tagged and Blinded

Ouch. That sounds painful. :)

I've been tagged a bunch of times. So, I'm going to answer those today.

I want to thank Trudy Schoenborn for the Versatile blogger award. Trudy is pretty new to blogging, and a great writer. Stop by and say hi from me.

Now onto answering the tags...

Questions from Annalisa Crawford (Who has a new book out, by the way, Cat & the Dreamer):

1.  What was the last film you saw at the cinema? I don't even remember. We rarely go to the movies anymore. We're more Netflix and dvd people.

2.  In what order should Star Wars be watched. 4-6, and only watch 6 up to where Han gets rescued. Phew! He's finally out of that carbonite.

3.  What are you reading right now? I'm still slowly wading through Perdido Street Station by China Meiville. Maybe I'll finish next year. It's a beautifully written book, just very dense. I have to be in the mood to read it. I'm also reading Stephen Tremp's Opening on my Nook. Great job, Stephen. Lots of action and suspense. And, I'm reading Seed to Harvest by Octavia E. Butler. I feel I've discovered a new favorite author. My reading has slowed down due to getting both manuscripts done by end of February. {I succeeded by the way, they're both done. :D}

I was also tagged by C. Lee McKenzie of TheWriteGame:

1.  If you could write one book only, what would the main character be like? Someone raw and gritty, very flawed, dealt a horrible hand in life and has to find a way to win and overcome the obstacles.

2.  If you hate a book, do you keep reading or put it away? I put it away. I never got past the first chapter of House of Seven Gables. I tried several times and couldn't do it. Odd, as I enjoy most classic literature. Ie, I loved War & Peace, and read the entire Deerslayer series. I hate to say there are several other books I've never finished and never will.

3.  What kind of books do you like best? Besides sci-fi and fantasy, I love historical fiction, and literature, especially the classics. I read Jane Austen over and over, and Steppenwolfe by Hermann Hesse. I read all genres of fiction, but enjoy books that provoke some sort of thought from me the most, or take me on a wild ride.

4.  Are you transitioning into the digital age? Or are you sticking with hard copies? I have a Nook, and I continue to buy paperbacks.

I was also tagged by Nancy Thomspson:

1. What is the first line of your current WIP. Well, I just finished two and am about to start a new one.

The first line of The Backworlds: Craze never imagined his pa would turn on him. / The first line of Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge: Orange lights fringing the mishmash tavern blinked and a low coo vibrated through the floor into Craze’s sub-hearing, “Incoming.” The first line of the new WIP is still a work in progress. It doesn't even have a title yet.

2. Who is you favorite author? Jane Austen. Hermann Hesse, Peter Hamill, Peter Mayle, Margaret George, Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, Tanya Huff, Kurt Vonnegut, and Octavia E. Butler. Sorry. I couldn't stick to one.

3.  If you could go back and do anything over again, what would it be? I'd either skip grad school altogether or pick a different degree.

4.  What is your favorite quote? From GalaxyQuest, "Never give up and never surrender."

Next...Are you signed up for April's AtoZ challenge? If you're looking to build your blog, I highly recommend it. I did it last year, and met many great people. With the number of names signed up, it does look daunting, and the idea of blogging everyday but Sunday is, too. Well, here are some tips that will help you succeed:



1. Pick a theme for the challenge. This year my theme will be recent scientific discoveries.




2. You don't have to visit every blog everyday. I usually visit about twenty. I'll start at a random number, and visit the sites that pique my interest or that I think I might have something in common with.


3.  Start loading up your posts for April now. If you don't know how to schedule posts, it's a great time to learn. And, I take weekends off. So, last year I doubled up on posts on Fridays. You could post fewer times a week and double up posts, too. Ie, A/B, C/D.


Moral. You can make the challenge work for you. You'll meet a ton of new friends and get a lot of traffic to your blog...if you actively participate.

Are you doing AtoZ this year? 

Lastly, but not leastly, tomorrow is Alex J. Cavanaugh's Catch Fire party for his new release, CassaFire. Stop by to party. Go visit Alex and wish him a hearty congrats.

And go visit Trudy, Annalisa, Lee, and Nancy. 


So, any of you want to answer any of the above tag questions? I'd love to hear what you have to say.