Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Versatile Blogger Award

Renae over at The Siren’s Song chose me as a recipient to an award. This feels monumental.

Two good friends of mine forced me to get a blog back in 2009 but it’s only recently that I actually started participating in the blogosphere. 

It’s hard to put yourself out there, to share yourself even with the anonymity afforded to us by the internet. Even though we never see the faces of the people reading our work, they still judge us, we’re still being scrutinized. But I’m glad I’m no longer lurking on the shadowy edges of this community.

Everyone is so supportive: people rush to celebrate each other’s successes; they offer warm words when someone’s down; we share our experiences and learn from each other. This support is invaluable and atmosphere’s like these can’t be found in many places.

And today I feel like I’ve reached a rite of passage of some sort. My first award.


This award, like most others, has some rules.

1.Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason! (In no particular order...)
4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

Thank you so much Renae, your support and thoughtfulness really mean a lot to me.

7 things about me:

1. I grew up as the eldest (just my mom, sister and I) but am technically a middle child, with two siblings (girl, boy) on each side with thirteen years between my older sister and I and thirteen years between my younger brother and I. (Kind of strange isn’t it?)

2. Despite my valiant efforts (and trust me there’s been many times I’ve tried) I’ve never had pig freeze.

3. If being a writer doesn’t work out I want to be a Music Supervisor.

4. Every person who’s been in my life and every significant moment I’ve experienced is marked with at least one song.

5. On my eleventh birthday I waited all day for an owl to deliver my acceptance letter to Hogwarts (I know I did a post about this a while back but I couldn’t resist).

6. My dreams will be realized if my series can impact one person the same way the Harry Potter series impacted me.

7. Ninety percent of the time the characters in my head feel more real to me than people I can touch.

To pay it forward:

(as a side note, I’d like to say that several of the ladies Renae passed this award on too I wish I could second the motion because I really do think they deserve it, Caitlin, Lydia, Amparo and Courtney)

2. Natalie Whipple at Between Fact and Fiction
4. Aubrie at Flutey Words
5. Jennie Bailey at Garden Full of Lily
7. Mayowa at Pens With Cojones
9. Jen Daiker at Unedited
10. Christina Lee at Write-Brained
11. WritingNut at Writing In a Nutshell
12. Beth Revis at Writing It Out
13. Suzie at ~Writer Junkie ~
14. Lola Sharp at Sharp Pen/Dull Sword
15. Erica Mitchell-Spickard at Chapter by Chapter


UPDATE*


To clarify, Pig freeze is when you eat ice cream, a slushy, or basically anything really cold and get a pain in your head (you can get it in other places too). I would try to describe it better except I've never had the feeling myself. I do know that I'm the only person I've ever met who's never experienced pig freeze. I guess pig freeze is a Canadian term or something....

22 comments:

  1. Cool award! Congrats. :-)
    So what exactly is pig freeze?

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  2. I still think that Number 5 is adorable! I mean what kid wouldn't be dying for that owl to deliver a letter to their house! I think it should rain this weekend and I should have a Harry Potter Movie Marathon.

    I'm not sure what a Pig Freeze is, lol.

    Thank you for my award, you are too sweet! Oh and thanks for kind words on my blog! I'm glad you enjoy the interviews. I'm a nervous person in public so a reporter isn't something I'd be good at, lol.

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  3. lol- we have pig freeze too but we call it 'brain freeze' Silly canadians:) Thanks so much for the award! You rock!

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  4. Thank you so much for the award! I loved reading all the things about you. I grew up as the oldest as well, but of four kids. I always get pig freeze, so you're lucky, and the Harry Potter owl never came for me, either! Oh well.

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  5. Pig freeze? LoL. We always called it a brain freeze.

    What's a Music Supervisor? Sounds interesting.

    Thanks for the award!! ;-)

    ~JD

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  6. Awww well, you deserve the award and I am honored you chose me to pass it on to! THANK YOU!

    We call it brain freeze (and you NEVER had it? Be thankful)!

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  7. Aw, thanks! I wish I'd been young enough to discover Harry Potter when I was a kid! I started reading them in college, and they were still fun and magical, but I would have loved them as a kid.

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  8. Thank you for the award maam, I really appreciate it.

    You must have quite a song collection by now...methinks the people want to know the top ten.

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  9. Thank You, and congrats on your first award :D You are just the sweetest, and I'm glad you're not lurking anymore. Your list is so adorable, especially the Hogwarts letter hehe. Pig freeze, brain freeze, ouch that kills, whatever you want to call it...you've never had that!?!?! Nuts! If you ever get one, press in with your palm on effected eyeball. It doesn't help but it's the only thing that seems to make sense at the moment.
    I got your email and I can't wait to see you on the forums misses :D :D :D :E <--that was a typo but it looks like a cool emoti-face.
    Thanks again, I really appreciate the award.

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  10. There's an award for you at my blog!

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  11. Your #4 and #7 of "Things About You" are so interesting.
    I can very much relate to the #7 myself.
    #4... in some instances yes, very much so. Certain songs immediately bring back certain friends and times.
    Happy blogging to you, from a former B.C. resident.
    (Cranbrook and Nanaimo)

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  12. Congrats!
    You are very interesting!




    LOVE!

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  13. Hi Melissa! Thank you so much for the award :) and congratulations! I know what you mean - I honestly don't know how I'm going to think up of 7 more things - the 10 was a struggle in itself!

    And I know this wasn't a part of your list, but I was a lurker since 2009 too! I only recently started being very active about 2 weeks ago, and I'm sorry it took me so long! I was really missing out!

    Okay, now to address your points:

    1. Wow, I thought the 7 year gap between my sister and I was huge!

    2. Hahaha, a pig freeze! I have NEVER heard of that - always thought it was a brain freeze :)

    4. I connect SO many things with songs too!

    7. Sigh, oh so true

    And I KEEP forgetting to comment on this - but I saw your Harry Potter/Disneyworld countdown, and I'm so excited for you. I just got back a few weeks ago and I missed the grand opening of Harry Potter - I was devastated! It was originally supposed to open in May :(

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  14. Congrats and THANK YOU!!!

    #2 - Pig freeze: I've only ever heard it called brain freeze... and you lucky woman, you! I hate getting those when I have a yummy mint chocolate chip cone in front of me!

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  15. Arg, I guess I shall write my comment again cause it didn't work. Haha!Umm..obviously (from everyone writing it) it is called Brain Freeze not Pig Freeze! hahah. Anywho, Even though I bug you about your awards and followers, I am excited for you! I love that everyone loves your writing so you know Im not just saying it to you, and that I mean all the things. :)

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  16. Okay...I'm way too excited. I clicked on your profile from our forums.

    I'm so happy that you came over and joined. You sound awesome. I am currently the biggest Harry Potter fan on the boards, but I'm thrilled to share that title with someone else. If you tell me you've heard of Wizard Rock we can be bff's. haha.

    Have you? there is a GREAT band out of Canada. Actually, it's not a band, it's one guy, but he sounds like a band. Oliver Boyd and the Rememberalls.He's awesome.

    Since you said you're really into HP and music, I figure there's a good chance that I have another wizard rock fan to hang out with. :)

    Anyway, this comment is getting way to long. LOVE the blog---thanks for joining our forums. We have tons of fun over there!

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  17. Thanks for the award, Melissa! I'd better get busy and meet some new people so that I can pass it on. Pig freeze is Canadian. Ramona is right about brain freeze being our term down south here. And I love that you waited for your Hogwarts invitation.

    I was on a flight to Seattle once and this 10 year old was sitting inbetween me and her mother reading Harry Potter. I leaned over and said to her, "You know, Hogwarts wasn't like that when I was there." :-) I couldn't resist. Of course, I'd stuck my foot in it and I had to come up with stories for the two hour flight to entertain her.

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  18. Congrats you deserve it! I'm so glad you are no longer lurking in the shadows! I love your posts.

    Harry Potter is one of my favorites! My son used to be as into it as I am, well now he's almost too embarrassed to go see them with me! So sad. I'm not that bad!

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  19. Aw, Melissa--I'm sorry I'm a day late to thank you for this. You. Are. Awesome! *clings to award* *tears up* Also--why was I not following your blog? I seriously thought I was. Sorry about that. I've fixed the problem now.

    Thanks again. You rock!

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  20. I know my character, Samuel McCord, feels just as real to me as an actual human being. Rats. There goes the phone -- another blood run beckons -- I'm a blood courier, Roland

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  21. FYI- pig freeze-PIG- the person who gets it is generally eat the ice cream too fast.
    FREEZE- is what it feels like is happening to your brain, throat or chest. Most common area that freezes is your brain, hence the term "brain freeze". I think people who call it that just can't face the fact they were eating like a pig.
    Melissa has never had it- I have watched her slurp down a whole slurpee with no problem. I look forward to the day she feels it so I can laugh hysterically.

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  22. Thanks for dropping by my blog at such a late hour. I'm a blood courier and in between blood runs. Sounds like I'm a vampire doesn't it?

    The thing about elves doing your writing for you -- you could take no pride in it. And would be the cost? Fae charge high for their services. Unless you're Harry Dresden, and then they want to own you!

    Glad you liked the song. It is beautiful, isn't it?

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