Manic Monday: Randomness and Awards

I know the artist used the wrong form of "you're" in the pic. But it was too funny not to use.

I've been tagged! Rachel Harrie is hosting the Writer's Platform Building Campaign, and the wonderful Tiffany White has tagged me.

Rules: You must be tagged by someone; list 10 random facts about yourself; tag four more people.

I don't know if I can come up with 10 random facts that are actually interesting, but here goes!

1) The first TV shows I remember watching were Dallas and Hill Street Blues. I knew both the theme songs at the age of four. Guess that's where I get my love of dramatics and crime, lol.

2) I didn't watch Sesame Street until I was an adult and had my own child.

3) My earliest childhood memory is going under anesthesia to get tubes in my ears. I remember seeing myself cowering in a corner through a long tunnel. I was two.

4) I loved Little House on the Praire and used to pretend to be Laura Ingalls Wilder. I had old dresses my grandma gave me, and my aunt Donna even made me a calico skirt.

5) The first story I ever wrote was about New Kids on the Block. Don't laugh. I didn't know it was called fan fiction way back then. I still have the notebook, and the writing I thought was gold is pretty crappy. But hey, I was 12.

6) In 1986, my dad and I watched Michael Jordan score 63 points against the Celtics. I've been a diehard fan ever since. Bulls games were an event in our house, especially during the playoffs. Some of my best memories with my dad are watching those games. I was lucky enough to see Michael play twice, once in old Chicago Stadium (I actually have a piece of the old floor, a red section), and in Indianapolis.

7) My first Hollywood crush was Kirk Cameron. It was this poster that did it.

8) My current celebrity crush is Chris Hemsworth. Seriously. Look at the man.

9) I absolutely believe ghosts, spirits, etc. because of personal experience.

10) The summer of my sophomore year of high school, our band and chorus traveled to Washington, D.C. I was chosen to participate in the daily wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Standing at the tomb hearing Taps played was one of the most moving moments of my life. The link is from this year and not my experience, but the ritual is the same. Our group walked the new wreath out to be exchanged with the old one.

Now, I get to tag four new bloggers and friends. This is tough because there are so many! Catie Rhodes, Annie Boreson, Kelly Hashway, and Angela Wallace, you're up!

Friday Mashup!

On this busy and hopefully happy Mother’s Day weekend, I’m sharing my favorite blogs and tweeters with you all. These guys make me think, laugh, and work hard. Have a great weekend!

Donna Galanti
Donna’s blog Writing With Gusto is full of writing info and a great place for writers to meet. She invites authors to guest blog as well, providing a different viewpoint of the experience.

Melanie McCullough
On her blog A New Kind of Ordinary, Melanie is an aspiring writer blogging on all experiences writing. So far, my favorite post of hers has been: If You Can’t Say Something Mean, her experience of sharing her writing and dealing with the feedback.

Jody Hedlund – Author of The Preacher’s Bride
Jody is a fantastic resource for any writer. She posts at least twice a week, and her blogs are always relevant and thought provoking. She’s also great about replying on her blog and Twitter.

Kristen Lamb
A social media expert, Kristen’s blog Warrior Writers is fun, and she provides great content, covering the ins-and-outs of social media as well as many facets of the writing process. Recently she created the Twitter hashtag #MyWANA, in reference to her book, We Are Not Alone. It’s a great place for writers to convene and support each other.

Jodie Renner
A professional editor, Jodie’s blog is full of helpful info for any author. She’s also very approachable and provides great editorial feedback.

Crime Fiction Collective
This blog is a must for crime nuts. Several published crime/thriller authors participate, as well as editors. My favorite post so far? My Visit With Death by Andrew Kaufman. Any writer covering an autopsy needs to read this post!

Victoria Mixon, Editor
Victoria’s blog is full of writing info, and she’s got a great conversational approach.

Roz Morris, Editor and Author
Roz is the author of Nail Your Novel, and her blog of the same name is a great resource. Many of her topics turn into great discussions, and I’ve learned a lot about the pros and cons of self-publishing through her posts, as well as structure in our writing. Roz is also extremely accessible and fun to communicate with.

Tweeters:
Because there are too many to list, everyone needs to check out #MyWANA, #amwriting, #writegoal, #authors, and #wordmongering. Using these hashtags is a great way to communicate with fellow writers. These hashtags give you a built-in support system and makes the experience better.
Finally, I’m going to steal something from Kristen Lamb this week. If you’re not using Tweetdeck to keep track of Twitter, download it now! It’s very easy and a great way to organize your lists and hashtags so you can keep track of everyone!

Until next week!