Two Blog Awards!

I am extremely excited right now. And it's all because of these:

Here are the rules for "The Versatile Blogger" award and "The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award":

1) Thank and link to the person who nominates you.
2) Share seven random facts about yourself.
3) Pass the award to five more blogger friends.
4) Contact and congratulate the blogs nominated.

So, let's get this show under way, shall we?

First Up:

Many thanks go to Lyla Lee for giving I Write, I Read, I Review its first two awards. :)

Seven Random Facts About Me: 

1. Gaming Got Me Into Writing: My first stories were a series of tales that involved the characters from Final Fantasy IV and a made up character named Kaya, who hailed from a different planet and was Kain's long lost twin. In my stories, Rosa and Kain got together so Kaya could be with Cecil. This was when I was 11 or 12. Yes: I was interested in romance even then. *laughs*

2. My Teen Years Sucked: You'd think that YA would be the last thing that I would want to write or read after me saying this, but nothing could be further from the truth. Why? Because life for teens is in a constant state of change. Nothing is forever. Anything is possible. There is always hope. I find that really appealing. 

3. When I'm Not Writing, I'm Singing: I've been doing fundraising, contests, weddings, and anything else you can image since I was eight. I also listen to music -- and often sing along -- when I am working on my stories now. If you are curious to hear my singing, check out My Music MySpace. This weekend, for example, I'm helping raise funds for a charity that takes in and heals wild animals.

4. I Met My Boyfriend of Three Years, Jay, Playing Phantasy Star Universe: I'll leave you to decide whether that means that love can happen anywhere, or that I'm just a total and absolute geek. :D ;) :p 

5. I Collect Dolls and Stuffed Animals: More specifically, I collect Liv Dolls, Monster High dolls, Build-a-Bears and Webkinz. I stopped collecting dolls after my grandpa passed away when I was 14 and about a year ago I decided that people don't get too old to collect them, they became too young (since not collecting them, at least for me, was based on what others thought about my hobby.) It's something that I take a lot of pride in and enjoyment from. I'm glad I started doing it again.

6. I'm An Anime Nut: I've been hooked on anime since I watched my first episode of Sailor Moon. I'm also into 80s and 90s cartoons and the sci-fi show Farscape. Any type of TV where the storytelling is solid enough that it could be a book generally grabs my interest. My top five anime (one of these might not technically count) would likely be: Sailor Moon, Fushigi Yugi, Yu Yu Hakusho, InuYasha and Avatar: The Last Airbender. I'm thinking of doing a column called Anime Inspired talking about how writing and anime are related. Anyone interested in this? 

7. I Have Three Goals Right Now: (1) To write and publish a novel. It would be great if that ends up being Moon Dance, but I know nothing in writing, as in life, is guaranteed. (2) To attend an anime convention -- better still if I can talk Jay into dressing up with me. (He's shy.) and (3) To see I Write, I Read, I Review succeed. This seems like it is off to a great start, thanks to those who take the time to visit, read my posts, and comment. :)

And The Award Goes To...

I have discovered so many awesome blogs in the past three months, so this was tough to decide:

1. Surrealistic Fiction (http://lindaleawiley.blogspot.com/) 

Why?: Linda does great reviews and writes interesting articles about writing. She is also a large part of the reason that I read Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles, which I totally loved. 

2. The Underground (http://kecarson.blogspot.com/)

Why?: Katie writes with honesty and passion about books that she loves, and writes articles about writing / the writing life that are worth giving serious contemplation. She is also the one who introduced me to The DUFF by Kody Keplinger, and her blog is the reason I discovered Kody's next book, Shut Out, is releasing on Monday. After reading Katie's review, I am more anxious then ever to read it and share my own thoughts. 

3. Words On Paper (http://thewordsonpaper.blogspot.com/)

Why?: Tracey's blog is full of helpful articles for writers and she is organizing a Fall Book Club that looks like it is going to be a lot of fun. She is also a fellow RTW blogger and seems to do a far better job of taking part each week then I do. *laughs* Yes, when it comes to RTW, I'm bad.

4. Try This Book On For Size (http://trythisbookonforsize.blogspot.com/)

Why?: YA is often labeled as being a very female dominated genre. Kevin's blog, while still very new (which is the real reason -- it deserves some time in the spotlight), shows real promise in presenting quality reviews from a guy. I am certainly not suggesting that a man and a woman are necessarily going to strictly read diffe3rent things, but if I were going to send my boyfriend or my brother to a review site, I know having another guy's opinion would be comforting to them. By the way, if you have not read Kevin's novel, Summer On Fire, you really should. It's excellent. 

5. Patti Roberts' Book Blog (http://paradox-theangelsarehere.blogspot.com/)

Why?: I think that the thing that makes Patti's blog stand out the most is the time and effort that she puts into finding interesting authors and bloggers to interview. I haven't seen another blog quite like hers and I enjoy seeing who she will spotlight next. One of the reasons that I enjoy blogging so much is that it feels like a very strongly connected community. Patti's blog strives to bring bloggers, writers and readers together and I think that is totally awesome. 

And there you have it! Now I'm off to let these people know they've "won". ;) Once again, many thanks to Lyla Lee for the awards. The truly made my night and I had a lot of fun putting this post together.