The Leibster Award

Huge thanks to Ally Memes @ Ally Writers Things for the nomination on this one. If I could I would nominate her right back, but she’s already been nominated about a thousand times. Ally came up with some tough questions for me to answer. Some I really appreciated, while others made my brain try to escape my own head. Let’s get to it.

And then, when I least expected it, The Perfect Honeybee goes and nominates me for the Leibster as well. Thanks, Bee! Another set of thought questions!

Rules:
1. Thank the person who nominated you.
2. Answer the 11 questions they gave you.
3. Nominate 11 blogs.
4. Give them 11 questions to answer.

Ally’s Questions:

What book will always get you out of a reading slump?

Just about any graphic novel. Though I tend to gravitate mostly to superhero storylines. Green Lantern, Batman, Justice League. Some of the Marvel storylines are good too, but I prefer my DC characters, even though their movies have been severely lacking the awesome sauce. Some may not consider comics to be real reading, but maybe that’s part of the reason it’s so easy.

What’s your favourite Harry Potter book?

Geez. Probably the Half-Blood Prince. Probably because I’ve always been such a fan of Professor Snape. He really comes center stage on this one, obviously. Even with that ending. The moment ‘it’ happened, I denied the allegiance they were implying him to have.

What’s your favourite movie?

Sure. Would you also like to know which of my children is my favorite? If I had to pick one, which you’re forcing me to do, I’ll choose The Big Lebowski. Honorable mentions to Good Will Hunting, Swingers, and The Departed.

Tell us something interesting about yourself

Not applicable. HA! I guess it would be that I’m not just a reader, I also pretend to be a writer. I have 2 self-published novels, and I’m actually just wrapping up the 2nd draft of a third novel before sending it off to beta-readers.

If you HAD to get a tattoo, what would it be? (please no cop-outs, saying something like “a teeny tiny dot on the bottom of my foot.” don’t be a wimp) (alternatively, if you have a tattoo, what’s it of?)

I’d get some kind of Green Lantern symbol. There aren’t just Green Lanterns anymore. There are a bunch of colors, each representing a piece of the emotional spectrum. Green is willpower, which I always try to embody. Some days are easier than others. Some days I’d need a big old Sharpie to cover it up so I can binge watch Netflix.

What’s your favourite dog breed?

Anything big. Probably Labs, as long as they like to swim. Most do.

If you were an ice cream flavour, what would it be?

Wha—How the… Okay. Probably some flavor of coffee, because my name is Joe. I know. Not very creative. I couldn’t think of anything else.

What’s one embarrassing story?

I did a lot of stupid stuff as a kid. One of my parents’ favorite stories is the time they found me sleepwalking. It wasn’t something that had ever happened before, or after. My mom woke up when she heard running water. Except it wasn’t water. I was standing in the middle of my room, in my underwear, and I was just peeing. Mom got me cleaned up, and gave me a clean pair of underwear, which I promptly put on my head. She told me underwear doesn’t go on my head, so I hung it on the door handle. Through the whole ordeal, I didn’t wake up for a second.

Who inspires you the most?

Another tough one. I don’t read a lot of King, but as a person I find him to be very inspiring. And Kevin Smith. regardless of what you think of his movies, past or current, or about his life-views, the man made his own way and says some really inspiring things about being a creator. And also, this dude named Eric Thomas. The dude is literally a motivational speaker. Came from the gutter and made himself a massive success and is just so full of wisdom.

Salty or sweet?

I love salty, but sweet would win this war. I don’t have a sweet tooth. I have sweet teeth. Like all of them.

Can you cook? What’s your favourite thing to cook?

Not really. Pizza pops.

 

The Perfect Honeybee’s Questions:

Where is the one place you wish to go?

Scotland. I want to see the Loch Ness. Yes, I realize that there’s no monster, and even if there was, she wouldn’t suddenly pop up because I was there! I still want to go. The hills, the castles, and shires!

If you could only keep one book, which would it be?

Obviously, the magic book of stories! Duh. What? You haven’t heard of it? Well, it’s a book with magic pages, and each time you open it, you get to read the story you want to read most. Ever changing, always different, and certainly not something I just made up to avoid answering the question! Okay. For real, it’d probably be Ready Player One. Unless I can keep an entire series, in which case I’ll keep the Dark Tower series.

Your favorite place on earth

My house. I’m a homebody. Reading, writing, netflix, etc.

What is one thing you’d like to change/update/add to your blog?

A ha! I actually keep a list of things I intend to fix/change once I find some time! Number one on the list would be a bio section. It put it off because it’s weird to talk about myself.

One embarrassing fact about you

I once acted in a play where my character had to pretend to be a girl half of the time, which means I was dressed like a girl IRL half of the time.

Why did you start blogging?

Initially, I don’t really know. I just wanted some kind of presence on the internet, and I was terrible at it. I would only post once in a blue moon, there was nothing close to a theme. And then I found the Bionic Bookworm’s blog. She was the catalyst that switched me from an aimless, nearly-abandoned blog to a BOOK BLOG! YAY!

One interesting fact about you

Another one? Ugh. I already answered this for Ally. Okay. Something else then. At one time my dream was to write and direct movies. I wasn’t accepted into the right programs to move toward something like that, so I went with plan B. Graphic Designer. I still write, but mainly focus on novels (and blog posts)

Your favorite and least favorite thing about blogging

My favourite part of blogging is adding a “fun fact” on the end of each post, and dropping in the occasional funny GIF. Least favourite would have to be editing. That’s probably apparent by how many typos you can find in my average post!

What advice would you tell your younger self?

It’s okay to waste SOME time with video games, but get some work done, too! Before marriage, before kids, I had way more time, yet I got way less done compare to how much I get done post-marriage and kids. I cringe to think of the wasted time and opportunities.

If you could meet one person, who would it be and why?

Stephen King. The man’s a legend in his field. It’d be my goal to pick his brain for advice, but odds are he’d just start talking and stories would spill out of him. He’s a born storyteller, so even if he was just talking about going to the post office, I’d be on the edge of my seat.

What do you love most about the blogging community?

The overall sense of community. I don’t think I’ve noticed an unfriendly blogger yet. You comment on someone’s blog, they’re your new best friend. If I posted about feeling an overwhelming sense of failure (which I’m not having, I promise) I know by day’s end I’ll have a comment section full of supportive and friendly messages.

I nominate:

Christa Simpson (I know you don’t do post like this, so feel free to ignore)
Lynn Van Lier
Don Miskel
ER @ Literary Tea with ER
leetharose @ Life Should Be Lit
Sophie @ Beware of the Reader
Book Reviews for Bookish People

As usual, no one should feel obligated to take part, but 7 out of 8 experts agree that taking part increases the fun of the entire world.

My questions for you:
1. If you could have lunch with any author, who would you pick?
2. What made you start blogging in the first place?
3. What’s the best post you’ve ever written? (in your humble opinion)
4. Favorite stand-up comedian
5. Name a hyped author that you’ve never read and don’t plan on reading
6. Best movie you saw in 2017
7. Best book you read in 2017
8. Shoes or sandals?
9. How much introvert and how much extrovert are you?
10. Do you have any strange addictions?
11. A 2018 book you’re really looking forward to.

Fun fact about this post: Remember the 2nd draft I mentioned in Ally’s 4th question? I’m supposed to be doing that right now. I’m avoiding it by doing this post instead.