I've Won An Award and Thoughts on Summer

I got on my IPhone yesterday while we were on a road trip and found I had won an award. It's The Versatile Blogger Award and I got it from Writers and Authors.

According to the rules, I'm required to:

1. Thank the person who loved me enough to bestow this gift.
2. Share seven things about myself.
3. Bestow this honor onto 10 newly discovered or followed bloggers–in no particular order–who are fantastic in some way.
4. Drop by and let my ten new friends know I admire them.

So thank you, Jo Linsdell-Feliciani for including my blog in this award.

Here are seven things about me.

1. I'm a native New Yorker but we had to move to Connecticut because of our place becoming condemned due to a fire in our neighbor's apartment.

2. I love lions and Betty Boop and collect both of them, but the lions only in statues, photos and stuffed animals.:)

3. I was a teacher for over seventeen years, but I retired in 2008.

4. The thing that bothers me most is typos. I try never to make any if I can.

5. In the past ten years I have written four novels, three of which are YA and one a romance/suspense/adventure and none have been published yet.

6. I have a children's story published "The Trouble with Follow the Leader" and an adult story published, "Out On A Ledge".

7. The reason I started my blog was because I couldn't get either my husband or my daughters to understand how important my writing was to me and to listen to what I said.

So here are the 10 blogs that I think deserve this award:

1. http://www.blogcatalog.com/blog/the-guys-perspective

2. http://www.outnumberedonline.com/

3. http://www.donnamcdine.com/

4. http://katiehines.blogspot.com/

5. http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/

6. http://thewritingjungle.blogspot.com/

7. http://luxuryhaven.blogspot.com/

8. http://www.i-cant-believe-im-not-bitter.com/

9. http://www.margotfinke.com/

10.http://www.asuen.com/blog/

I am adding 5 more blogs to this, because someone else who got this award said it was 15:

11. http://alittlebirdietoldmeso.blogspot.com/

12. http://caroleannmoleti.blogspot.com/

13. http://chergreen.blogspot.com/

14. http://www.cpaphilblog.com/

15. http://www.drpkp.com/

I am posting the bloggers who just received The Versatile Blogger Award from Jo Linsdell-Feliciani who are sharing this award with me:

1. http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com/
2. http://www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com/
3. http://authorspromotingauthors.blogspot.com/
4. http://www.barbaraehrentreu.blogspot.com/ - Doesn't this look familiar!!!
5. http://vrleavitt.com/
6. http://jdswritersblog.blogspot.com/
7. http://www.thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/
8. http://janverhoeff.com/blog/
9. http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.blogspot.com/
10. http://writersanctuary.blogspot.com/

Thoughts on Summer

For me it has been a hard and at times both lonely and difficult summer. Though I am in the company of people most of the time it has been lonely. However, now that my husband is better we are spending more time in each other's company, but sometimes it feels like I am alone. If I can't get my writing done during the day I have to do it at night. My husband and daughters go to bed much earlier than I do and then they are up earlier than I am. I try each night to go to sleep earlier, but there is always something to keep me up writing. Tonight it's The Versatile Blogger Award.

This summer has been brutally hot these past two weeks. This week we had days of over 90 degrees almost every day. So it's like being in very cold weather when you go from car to house and house to car without spending too much time outdooors. We are lucky that we have a pool and yesterday I actually got into my bathing suit. (This is for the GUYS) Yes I did get a bathing suit. In fact I got two of them at of all places Costco. They have no place to try them on, so my daughter and I tried them on over our clothes. With no mirrors except each other this was funny. But I liked the way they felt and bought them. Yesterday when I put it on without clothes I was happy to see that it didn't look too bad. But still I went out in a cover up and didn't take it off. I don't think the world is ready to see my legs. Since I stopped exercising due to the constant hospital visits, they have gained even more cellulite and it isn't pretty.:) But I am getting back to exercising soon, maybe tomorrow. Then I will actually go into the pool and swim for the first time in a long time. It's so inviting and I will even take off my cover up for that. Let the world see me.:)

As far as writing goes, I still have to revise the last half of my novel and then I am sending it out again! With the whole Body Calendar to bring attention to eating disorders, my novel might have a good chance of being published now. It's not about eating disorders, but one of the characters in the novel has an eating disorder. It's more about the problem someone would have if she encountered a person who had an eating disorder and had to keep it a secret from everyone she knew. It is geared for young teens and I'll let everyone know when I send it out!!!

Coming Attractions

This Thursday I will have the pleasure of having as my guest author, Jo Linsdell-Feliciani, who also gave me The Versatile Blogger Award. She has two books written, Italian for Tourists, and A Guide to Italian Weddings. Plus she has lots of ebooks. So please stop by for a visit on Thursday to chat with Jo. Anyone who read last week's blog saw that she would be here last Thursday, but that wasn't possible. So she was moved to this Thursday, July 22nd. As it turns out that is the same day as my radio show, Red River Writers Live Tales from the Pages.

On Thursday's show you will meet a very interesting and unusual young man who calls himself Comedy Writer Mr.J. He has written Meet Mr. J: Amphigory Almanac of Hebetudinous Humor, Linguistic Levity & Pedantic Prose. Also on the show will be Franny Armstrong who has written Forever Blowing Bubbles a paranormal romance and the combination should be very interesting! Please drop by at 3PM Central Time on Thursday, July 22nd to meet these authors.

Until then, thank you again to the people who continue to send me encouraging thoughts and who prayed for my husband and my family when we were going through that whole tzuris these past months. He is doing much better and has started exercising. So I went back to exercising today and feel good about doing it. I hope to be able to get into our pool when I can.:)

Thank you to all of you who continue to read my writing and welcome any new people. I appreciate you all and hope that once you read it you will leave a comment for me. It's moderated, so you won't see it right away, but I will and if you are not a spambot you will have it posted and I will answer you.:)