Mystery Blogger Award

I’m excited to announce that The Ink Owl has been nominated twice for another award! Thank you to Avid Observer and Earth to Ash for nominating my blog!

And thanks to Okoto Enigma for creating such a wonderful award. This award is spread around to raise awareness of those bloggers that are out there in the blogging-verse operating in secret, waiting to be discovered.

Award Rules:

• Put the award logo on your blog.
• List the rules.
• Thank whoever nominated you and link to their blog.
• Mention the creator of the award (Okoto Enigma) and provide a link as well.
• Tell your readers 3 things about yourself.
• Nominate roughly 10 – 20 people for this award.
• Notify your nominees by commenting on their blogs.
• Ask your nominees five questions.
• Share a link to your best/favorite post that you’ve written

Three Things About Me:

1. I was raised in a library. Each week my father and I would take our stacks of books and books on tape (back when it was all on tape) and we’d replace those stacks with even more stacks. We would do this for years and years. I ended up working in four separate libraries around my home town for a handful of years. Now I take my kids each week.
2. I fell in love with my wife through written words. We wrote to each other for two years while I was away. It was the day after I wrote to her and told her I wasn’t interested in pursuing a serious relationship. In a flash I realized I would probably never get a letter from her again. I made one of the most terrible mistakes of my life and immediately I sat down and wrote her an apology. She still married me.
3. When I die I want to be buried in a small city cemetery just outside of my family cabin in nowhere Idaho. I would love for someone to plant a Lindon tree over my grave. The cemetery overlooks a huge stretch of farm and cattle ranch property. It looks like Tuscany in the summer, and every time I leave I feel my blood and bones ache to stay there forever.

Five Questions Avid Observer asked about me:

Q: Which famous personality would you like to meet from the past?

• I would love to meet H.G. Wells, I can never get enough of his writing. I use to read his books late into the night while my imagination went crazy.

Q: Tell one thing that can make your day.

• Seeing someone pass along kindness to others. A good deed performed is a wealth of inspiration.

Q: A lesson you learned that you can never forget?

• When I was a kid my father told me to shovel the front walk and driveway after a huge snowstorm. I didn’t want to do it,  so I cut every corner possible. When I was ‘done’ I stepped up to the front door to wait my father’s gratitude. He looked at the porch and walk way, then the driveway. He didn’t smile, just looked at me and said, “Michael, don’t do things half-assed. Do it again.” I’ve never forgotten those words.

Q: One human trait that you hate?

• Our ability to always think ill of another person’s actions. You never know what is motivating someone to do something. If you’re always going to think negatively about the world, invariably you’ll find the negative. Only because that’s what you’re looking for.

Q: A quote or a motto that you truly follow in your life?

• “Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one.”           -Terry Pratchett                         For some reason this quote has stuck with me for some years. I have the imagination of a ten year old and the maturity to match. When it comes to being an adult I find that I need my imagination to help me through life’s challenges. Not to ignore reality, but to handle it and continue being me no matter what.

Five Questions Earth to Ash asked about me:

Q: Where do you draw your inspiration to write/blog?

• Nature and the everyday interactions I have with my family, friends, co-workers, strangers, and patients.

Q: What time of day do you prefer to write?Why?

• I love writing at night. For some reason my mind comes to life with hundreds of characters and their stories that need to be told. The words just come and I can’t stop myself from writing.

Q:What are you reading?

• I just finished “Carrie”, by Stephen King and am currently attempting to read “The Way of Kings” by Brandon Sanderson. And currently while I drive around I listen to books on CD. I just finished “The Creeping Shadow” by Jonathon Shroud and am currently listening to “Matimeo” by Brian Jacques.

Q: Favorite writer or blogger?

• Terry Pratchett, hands down. This man is incredible. Go look up his books if you have no idea who he is, his writing will change your life. He has a way of making you fall in love with the worlds and characters he thinks up, not because they are out there and funny, but because you can related to each and every one in so many ways. I often find myself laughing aloud as I read his stories.

Q:Worst bout of writers block?

• In the midst of graduate school. I gave up my family, reading, and writing. I spent my time writing essays and intervention plans. I couldn’t do anything. So when I sat down to write all I could do was put my head on my laptop and sleep.

My Nominees:

Tish MacWebber

MyStoriesWithMusic

dtills 

Amanda McCoy

Inside The Ivy Cottage on Bertie

Litter Fears

Cristian Mihai

Gemma Troy

Cheryl Wright

Mohamad Al Karbi

Five Questions for my Nominees:

1. Where (physical locations) do you write?
2. Why did you start writing?
3. What is your favorite part about your life?
4. What has been the most challenging part with writing?
5. What gives you inspiration to write?

One of my favorite blog posts:

It’s really hard to choose just one, but I’d have to say Into the Yew Wood has to be my favorite. Possibly because I scared myself silly while writing it.