Eeeee....another blog award. :)

 I have to give my thanks to Ms. Saba who gave me this blog award.
Feeling the love...Thank you!

The rules are as follows:
Anyone who accepts this is asked by the person selecting them to do three things:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.

2. Share 7 things about yourself

3. Pass this Award along to 15 recently discovered blogs and let them know about it!

SEVEN things about myself:


1. Born in Japan.
2. Traveled to Holland and England this summer.
3. Once had a hamster named Nibbles.
4. Met my husband at 19th century garden party.
5. Am adopted.
6. Teach singing lessons.
7. Loves to hang out with teens (they are so unique!)

Here is my list of people:

Holly L'Oiseau

Danielle Raver

Linda Jonasson

Alberta Ross

Jessica Peter

F.E. Sewall

Robin McCormack

Em

Susan Barclay

1000th.monkey

Chantele Sedgwick

Jodi Su

Shelley Koon

Kate Swenson

ajkulig

Liebster Love

I am so super excited to receive this prestigious award...I would like to thank my mom and dad for putting up with me. And my husband for watching TV alone night after night while I try to finish my edits. The Liebster award is my very first award so it is very special for me.  Thank you soooo much Jodi Su for the kind words about my blog.  It's nice to know that I'm not throwing my words into the dark void that is the internet.

The Liebster Blog award is given to bloggers with less than 200 followers who other bloggers believe deserve more followers, which is then passed on to more awesome bloggers. A sort of virtual chain letter, if you will, except for this encourages others to visit new and wonderful blogs (not send a package of stickers to someone in Australia).

Here are the official rules:

1. Show your appreciation to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
2. Reveal your top five picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog (I could only find four...)
3. Post the award on your blog.
4. Bask in the camaraderie of the most supportive people on the internet—other writers.
5. And best of all—have bloggity (I love this word) fun and spread the love.
So to continue the wonderful chain I nominate:
1) A Line from Linda
Her blog is informative. I am always amazed at what she has to write--I've learned more history from her blog posts then school. Thank you!

2) 1000th.monkey
She is a fellow Canadian living on the west coast, she writes insightful posts like here, and she has a cool cat pic on her blog. :)

3) Vanyieck's Last Stand
His writing is insightful and quirky.  Plus he's just a really great guy. :)

4) Angela Write Now
She has a unique and fresh blog voice.  Her blog is also very beautiful. :)

So...tag you are now it. :) And to all my followers take a moment to check out these wonderful blogs. :)


Now...where is my celebration tiara....

First Campaign Challenge

The first campaign challenge called us to write a 200 word flash fiction piece,
starting with "The door swung open".
To add even more challenge,
you could end with "The door swung shut",
and also try to have exactly 200 words.
Here is my piece which meets all the criteria. :)

Heavenly Bodies

The door swung open letting in a whiff of antiseptic which she could taste at the back of her throat. She shifted on the cold metal table, her paper gown crinkling as the taller doctor cleared his throat. She looked at the floor as the red haired one put the film up on the glowing wall. The taller one spoke now in a monotonous tone, she watched his worn loafers carefully as he swayed back and forth. She didn’t need to listen to his words; she’d seen in the way he had held the clipboard like a shield against his chest as if she was contagious. It was back. She would need the toque that Nona had made her when the hair began to fall out. In the silence following the proclamation she found the courage to look at the pictures of her body stripped of skin. It surprised her to see how beautiful the cancer was, like heavenly bodies hanging in the dark night. The red haired one cleared his throat waiting for a response. She couldn’t break the silence. The picture looked benign and yet wasn’t. She could not tear herself away. Even as the door swung shut.

Cheat sheets and ROW80 check in

I am feeling a lot better today,
thankfully the cold did not stay long.
I achieved my goal for this week,
(two chapters edited--huzzah!).

This week is a crazy one again,
(first week of school and I have a bajillion appointments as well),
so although I have high hopes for this week,
I have to be realistic!

I'm hoping to edit two chapters this week,
do two blog posts,
and write a beautiful "About Me" page for my blog.

Today I wrote up an editing cheat sheet...
you know, a page that reminds you of the silly mistakes that you are always making.
Mine has comma's,
(I don't like them...they even look sinister...
like dismembered crooked fingers , , , just not right!),
putting in description,
and omitting unnecessary words (that, felt, seemed, as, while).

So it got me wondering,
what's on other writer's cheat sheets?

So, what's on your editing cheat sheet? You know, the fatal writing no-no's you commit unless you have a post-it note stuck to your computer screen.

Detour & ROW80 check in

I'm sick...
and a little cranky...
lying in bed...
with my pink blanky.
(you didn't know I did lyrics now did you??)

I don't feel like doing a writing prompt today,
but I thought I would share an insight with you instead.

I've been visiting other blogs due to this Platform Building Campaign,
which you can check out here.
And I've realized,
after seeing so many beautiful blogs,
that I have a lot of work to do!

So I'd thought I'd give a shout out to all the blogging peeps,
and see how they got their blogs to catch on fire.
I realize that I should probably have more about myself,
and also my current work in progress.
How else can I make my blog a more exciting place to be?

On the ROW80 side,
I've gotten one chapter done,
but I may be running myself a little ragged...
hence the cold. :(

Anyway,
I hope all my other comrades are doing well,
and I will try hard to pop by other peoples blogs this week.

Have a good night.

August 28th ROW80 check in

Just a quick post to check in for ROW80.
I was able to fix my story arc,
and I finished editing one chapter,
(I wanted to finish two).

So all in all it was a good week.
This week will be crazy,
as I have a ton of stuff to prepare before September.

It will either be super productive,
(as I lose myself in my writing to escape the craziness of my week),
Or I will get very little done,
because I'm being a good girl and getting my work done. :D

Anyway, I hope to get two chapters edited this week.
I hope everyone else in ROW80 has a good week. :)

ROW80 check in & Writing prompt #10: Write about the morning after.

 POSTING LATE DUE TO THUNDER STORMS :)
So I am checking in for ROW80,
which is going reasonably well.
I'm moving forward but right now it feels so slow,
like trying to walk through thick mud.
I've also been really tired lately,
went to bed at 9pm the other night.
Here's hoping I can just keep trudging along.

Anyway,
today's writing prompt is "Write about the morning after."
No editing,
just writing.
Let's see if I can get this done before I fall asleep,
or I get cut off by the monster storm in my area.

*************************************************

My eyes flutter open and for a moment I don't know where I am.  The smells so sterile and the sound of a baby crying -- wait, was that my baby?  I look around the room frantically but the bassinet is empty.  From behind the pastel tissue paper curtain I hear another mother crooning to her baby.  I sit up and shake my head trying to focus on what had happened last night. The sudden pain across my abdomen brings me to reality, we were waiting for our baby. 

Every night, Edward would talk and sing songs to my tummy.  Dreaming dreams so big for such a little bump.  But when the time came you were too weak and a c-section was done.  The day that should have been full of joyful phone calls and time just spent staring at all ten fingers and toes was robbed from us.  An emergency and then you were rushed away and I spent the night alone in the hospital.  I look to the bedside table and see the grainy polaroid picture.  You look alien to me--who is this tiny child.  The photo feels light and cold in my hands.  I set my mouth in a thin line, this is not my child.

Then Edward is there holding my hand, fussing over me.  Soon we will meet this child...this Samantha. The wheel me to a room where large machines hunch keeping a watchful eye on their charges in the incubators.  And there you are with a sign over you with your name and pink balloons.  I can barely stand to look at you so foreign behind the plexiglass.  My heart skips a beat...what a horrible mother I am!  Then the nurse, everything about her in constant motion, is taking the bundle out of the incubator and disconnecting the lines from her body. Suddenly you are in my arms. I notice the weight of her first. Samantha. Then I can feel the heat coming from your tiny body.  Your eyelids flutter and a small smile crosses your face.  I count ten fingers.  I see eyes just like Edward's.  A chin just like mine. You stir, nestling deeper into my embrace with a soft sigh. A tear makes a track down my cheek.  This is my baby. Welcome baby Samantha.