One Lovely Blog Award

One Lovely Blog Award

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lovely

One Lovely Blog Award

Over the years I have seen bloggers tagged or awarded, and I was always a teeny bit jealous. (Okay, you may delete the word teeny.) The character blog tag looks fun. In this one, a blogger tags you and you have to answer questions about your character. At any rate, tags and awards have flown around the blogosphere but never landed at Pen In Her Hand.

Until now!

I am happy to inform you that I have been granted the One Lovely Blog Award. Delia from Postcards from Asia nominated me for this honor. Thank you so much, Delia! The beauty of this nomination is that, unlike the Oscars, a nomination is a win.

I’m thrilled!

Here you see a photo of me as I prepare to accept the award.

This old thing? Found it in the back of the closet.
This old thing? Found it in the back of the closet.

I love research. It’s so easy to become lost in research and forget the writing it’s supposed to produce. A guilty pleasure. Anyhow, I had to find out what I could about this award. The earliest One Lovely Blog Award tweet I found on Twitter was from Alex in 2010. I dug deeper. The earliest blog entry I could find was from December of 2008–Lisa Lectura Creations, a site showcasing the work of a mixed media artist. As someone who tries to live as a greenie, I love the idea of art like Lisa’s that uses found objects.

Even though I could not trace the origins of the One Lovely Blog Award, I had fun darting around the internet in search of answers…and finding new blogs I never would have encountered, everything from living with fibromialgia to cemetery enthusiasts to foodies. The One Lovely Blog logo changed over the years from thisto what you see above.

And here are the rules for the One Lovely Blog award:

– Thank the person who nominated you for the award.
– Add the One Lovely Blog logo to your post.
– Share 7 facts/or things about yourself.
– Nominate 15 bloggers you admire and inform nominees by commenting on their blogs.

7 Facts About Me (in No Discernible Order)

1. I love mausoleums. Is that morbid? My hometown boasts a hillside Victorian cemetery with its own Mausoleum Row. It’s a wonderful place to walk with or without a dog. Mountain View Cemetery street scene

2. My miserable sense of direction is the stuff of legend. Once, I went out of town to attend a wedding and stayed at a hotel ten minutes away from the site. I set out in my car one hour and a half hours before the wedding. I arrived just as the last guest save me was being seated. A pretty good day.

3. When I grow up, I want to be a final editor for Korean drama subtitles. I’m a devoted fan of historical series, but it’s jarringly surreal (not to mention annoying) to watch  a drama from the Goguryeo or Silla dynasty and read subtitles containing phrases like “you guys” or “Do that ASAP!”

4. I’m in love with spitz dogs. Those are the dogs with a heavy neck ruff and a tail that curves over the back: huskies, samoyeds, chow chows, Finnish spitz, Norwegian elkhound, and Jindo keh like this mom and pup my family and I spied on the island of Jindo.MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA5. I enjoy matching readers with ghost novels of all types. Give me your favorite genre—literary to romance—and I’ll find a ghost story for you.

6. As a child, I was a roller skate fiend. When I heard a car turn onto my street, I would fly on my skates down the hill, jumping the sidewalk lines, my skate key thumping against my chest. I imagined each car contained a roller skate agent eager to sign me to a contract.

old roller skates(image courtesy EL Guarito via Wikimedia Commons)

7. Crossing guards make me cry. Not cry exactly, but I walk by an elementary school and there they are—plucky ten-year-olds with their towering stop signs and solemn expressions holding back 3,000 pound cars so even smaller children can cross the street. I get a little choked up.

Now without further ado, here are my 15 nominees divided into categories of reading and writing (two of my greatest passions).

Reading

Kathy from I Am A Reader

Grace from Books Without Any Pictures

Chrissy/Gina/Melissa from Every Free Chance

Tinney from Historical Fiction Research

Alex et al from Historical Tapestry

Pam from Unconventional Librarian

Marti from What Has Been Read

Writing

Anne from Anne R. Allen’s Blog

Kristen from Kristen Lamb’s Blog

Morgen from MorgEn Bailey’s Writing Blog

Roz from Nail Your Novel

Martha from Plot Whisperer

Joel from The Book Designer

Beryl from The Writer’s Drawer

Kim from Your Writer Platform

Thank you again, Delia, for nominating Pen In Her Hand, and congratulations to the new nominees for the One Lovely Blog Award! 

 

Author

24 thoughts on “One Lovely Blog Award”

  1. Hi Deb,
    What a lovely tiara, and very well deserved. It fits you perfectly. 🙂
    I had a lot of fun reading your answers. We have so many things in common – not the roller skate part or anything involving Korean but I love that picture of the Victorian cemetery (is it weird is I ask for more pics?). I’m with you on the sense of direction thing. Funny how someone just keeps moving the buildings around. 🙂
    Ghost stories – yes, more please!
    Those dogs are adorable, especially the pup, he’s like a snowball, so cute!
    That was funny about the Korean subtitles – I can imagine how weird is to read something like that knowing the Koreans don’t use that kind of language. I remember reading something similar in a translation from Spanish, it was a British expression I can’t recall but it really didn’t feel like it was part of the story. In fact it made me very aware it was a translations, which is never a good thing – the story has to be seamless, and told in such a way that the reader is not aware this is a translation.
    Congratulations to your nominees!

    Reply

    1. Ha Ha! Yes, I do like that tiara. So you are a cemetery aficionado as well. How cool! As long as I can remember I’ve loved them–the older the better. I enjoy reading the names and dates and imagining stories. In fact, there’s an interesting story about the Ghirardelli mausoleum. Apparently, a favorite granddaughter lay dying, and the priest would not give last rites unless the family coughed up more tithing. The grandfather was so upset that in the middle of the night he and his children took a horse and wagon to the family cemetery in Colma and dug up the family remains and drove them over to the Mountain View Cemetery. After that he forbade his family members to enter a Catholic church. Here is a piece I wrote about that cemetery with more pictures if you’d like to see them: https://peninherhand.com/mountain-view-cemetery-stroll-2/.

      It is interesting about that Korean word “nom” which sort of means bad guy. While translating it as guy or even jerk in a modern drama would work fine, I would expect a historic drama to use something like thug or ruffian. And you’re right; it totally takes you out of the story.

      Reply

  2. what a lovely piece. I would have nominated you for tag long ago if I’d only known – most people seem to look on it as a chore so I always feel guilty nominating anyone and yet I do love taking part as well.
    Spitz dogs are amazing – I had two Elk hounds, Sabre and Ragan, lovely proud and independent dogs. Everybody who saw them together was in awe of them a little bit.
    Lynn 😀

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Lynn! I’m glad you like participating in these tags, too. I’ll be sure to nominate you next time (if there is a next time) I’m lucky enough to receive another one. I would have loved to meet Sabre and Ragan. Do you have a dog now?

      Reply

  5. Hello & Congratulations! This is the first time I’ve read your blog and you’re really funny! I think you need to up the ante a bit on your acceptance fashion. Nobody wants to see a plain ole’ frock on the red carpet. There’s nothing wrong with liking mausoleums. I walked a hillside cemetery in Alabama this past Summer and it was beautiful. 🙂

    Reply

    1. Hi Natalie–you’re funny, too! Guess the pearls didn’t do it for you. Oh, well. I did look at a little black gown with a plunging neckline. I’ll choose that one next time. I’m glad you share my appreciation for mausoleums.

      Reply

  8. That complete (outfit being to weak a word) is absolutely stunning…next time you go to the Governor’s Ball, bring a blue fan

    Reply

    1. You’re so welcome, Kimberley. Thank you for all the helpful tips you provide writers each month. I always look forward to your posts!

      Reply

  11. I forgot to mention – I had no idea about the history of the One Lovely Blog Award, and it was nice to know a few facts about that. Thanks for sharing.
    And that dress is gorgeous. I always thought I was born in the wrong century. I wish I had one. 😉

    Reply

    1. Ha ha! My mother always said I was born 100 years too late. In our younger days, my husband and I attended an annual Viennese ball hosted by the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra. I used to spend weeks each year sewing myself a ball gown that fit over a hoop petticoat. It was such fun whirling around the dance floor with skirts flying! I imagined I’d entered the world of the novels I loved to read. So, I definitely agree about the dress in the photo.

      Reply

    1. You’re welcome, Roz. Thanks for all the insightful articles you post for authors everywhere! I found the history of the award interesting, too.

      Reply

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