Thursday, May 23, 2013

Sunshine Award for Shells . . .

One of the pleasant surprises in the blogging experience are the occasional awards that bloggers give to each other. The Sunshine Award gives a lift and a smile to one's day and I couldn't think of a better blog gift on a cold spring day. We had snow in Eastern Washington today!

Thank-you SO much, Jai (And then . . .), for sending sunshine my way. I wish you flowers and bright sunshine in return! Be sure to check out Jai's interesting Writer's blog if you have never visited. She was my faithful 'constant' in the A-Z challenge. 

So here are the rules:
--Feature a picture of this award in a post on your blog.
--Answer 10 random questions about yourself.
--Nominate 10 other bloggers. Be sure to link to their blogs and let them know. 

Ten Questions:

1. What inspired you to start blogging?
  • I like playing with words and expressing myself, but I was hesitant to jump into something that had all the appearances of a time waster. I was trying to write a novel, and not doing a great job maintaining a writing schedule. But Cathy Ensley at http://wordsworldandwings.blogspot.com/ convinced me I needed to learn more about social media if I was serious about writing and being published one day. It began to make good sense. I jumped into 2013 April A-Z Challenge and never looked back. I discovered a world of like-minded bloggers and it's also been a lot of fun. Definitely not a time waster!
2. How did you come up with the name of your blog?
  • This was so much fun to figure out, but here's basically what it means. Shells---the things we collect that bring joy and give meaning to our lives. Tales---the stories we tell in life that define who we are. Sails---the journeys we take in life that show where we have been and where we are headed.
 3. What is your favorite blog to read?
  • I can't answer this. My interests vary: writing, gardening, crafts, travel and family history to name a few. I do love to peek in and visit now and then and chat with bloggers. Others I discover randomly. Random blogs tend to be sites related to the writing field that offer something I need at the time, for instance, information regarding agents and publishers or writing software.
4. Tell us about your dream job:
  • To have several published novels on the market that are doing really well, and another one in the process. God willing, I plan to write for the rest of my life. 
5. Is your glass half-full or half-empty?
  • Definitely half-full. Life is too short to be negative.
6. If you could go anywhere for a week's vacation, where would you go?
  •  A week really isn't long enough for a vacation, but if I had a month, I would go somewhere I've never been before. India, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Vietnam, China, Paris, London......the list is endless. Stateside, I would travel up the east coast. I want to see U.S. historical sites.
7. What food can you positively not eat? 
  •  Sushi. Something about 'raw' really bothers me. (I once ate a raw oyster on a dare. I've never recovered.)
 8. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?
  • I prefer the taste of milk chocolate, but eat dark for my health.
 9. How much time do you spend blogging?
  •  I'm a new blogger, so probably more than I should. The A-Z Challenge was crazy. I spent hours a day. I have no idea how much. My husband threatened to turn me into 'bloggers anonymous' (do they exist?). Now around two hours a day, but I'm starting to ease back. I really need to finish my novel.
10. Do you watch TV and if so, what are your favorite shows?
  • Sure. I like Public TV. I sometimes watch the news, business reports, Charlie Rose, and documentaries. I also watch TV series on Netflix (without commercials). Some of my favorites have been Doc Martin, Downton Abbey, Life Unexpected, Eureka, Warehouse 13, Lost, and Gifted Man. Right now I'm watching Star Trek's Next Generation and Flying Alaska.


Here are the 10 bloggers I have nominated:
(Check out their wonderful blogs :) 

Warning to nominees below. This is a time-consuming post. I understand if it takes awhile or if you are simply too busy. Just wanted you to know you are on my 'good' list and I thought the award fit  :-) 

Fe -  http://felicityburnett.blogspot.com/ 
Mary - http://mary-anderingcreatively.blogspot.com/
Liz - http://lawsofgravity.blogspot.com/
Diana - http://dianawilder.blogspot.com/
M.J. - http://mjjoachim.blogspot.com/
Kim - http://kimharristhacker.com/
Maria - http://delightdirectedliving.blogspot.com/
Sally - http://breaking-cover.blogspot.com/
Rhonda - http://www.laugh-quotes.com/
Jenn - http://j-scribbles.blogspot.com/

(same questions as above)

17 comments:

  1. Sharon, you sweetheart, thank you for the nomination! I look forward to sharing the sunshine.

    It was fun to learn more about you and your writing! I love the reasons you gave for calling your blog what you call it. Ingenious! And I'm going to have to check out some of the TV shows you listed. You've got great taste, I know!

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    1. Well...I don't know about ingenious, but it sure was fun :)

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  2. Thank you so much for the nomination, Sharon. :)

    You are hereby nominated for the same award on my blog...

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  3. I love how you came up with the name for your blog.

    It was great learning more about you!
    = )

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  4. Such a clever way to name a blog. Congratulations to you on your award and thanks for sharing it with me. I'm a big dark chocolate fan myself, but I also enjoy milk chocolate. After all, chocolate is a vegetable, so you really can't go wrong with either. Incidentally, you're being celebrated on my blog today: http://effectivelyhuman.blogspot.com/2013/05/celebrate-small-things-052413.html

    Have a wonderful weekend, Sharon:)

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    1. Ha-ha. So true about chocolate. Don't need any excuses to love!

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  5. Congrats on the award. I'm interested in your reasons for starting a blog and that you wondered if they were time wasters. I find it frustrating when non-bloggers question me about why I blog. It's always along the lines of 'have you nothing better to do?' I wish they'd all try it and then they'd understand. Great blog name, by the way.

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    1. Thanks. I honestly didn't understand how wonderful blogging was until I tried it. It's hard to explain until you've experienced it for yourself. I've had similar reactions from non bloggers. It's as if bloggers have discovered this amazing secret in life. Some get.....some don't!

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  6. Nice to meet you, Sharon, and thanks for the recent follow over my way. Always glad to meet new blogging friends :-)

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  7. Congrats. And thanks for passing it along to me.

    Life Unexpected was much better than I expected it to be, although I wasn't surprised when it was cancelled.

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    1. You are welcome!
      I liked this series. I'm glad they wrapped things up neatly at the end. So many series are dropped without a fit ending...irritating when they do!

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  8. Love your answers, Sharon. What I most enjoy about these awards is learning more about bloggers that I am getting to know. I want to go to New Zealand too or somewhere else I haven't been. Love how you named your blog. Thanks for passing the award. God bless, Maria at Delight Directed Living

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    1. Thanks! You are welcome...I'm so in love with New Zealand. My son honeymooned there and said he saw scenes out of Lord of the Rings. Someday maybe.

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  9. Hi, thanks for the nomination for the Sunshine Award. I posted the news today. What a way to start out my June blogging. :) I really appreciate your support.

    http://mary-anderingcreatively.blogspot.com/

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You could call me an eternal optimist, but I'm really just a dreamer. l believe in dream fulfillment, because 'sometimes' dreams come true. This is a blog about my journey as a writer and things that inspire and motivate me.