TTP Is Nominated for The Leibster Award!!!

Thank you Mindy Larson for nominating me for the Liebster Award, which I graciously accept! 

The Leibster Award  is an award for upcoming bloggers with less than 200 followers and for who someone believes deserve some recognition for their blogging. How wonderful a concept this is... This is especially wonderful since as fellow bloggers we know and can appreciate the time and thought that goes into giving our readers something spectacular! 

Here are the Rules for being nominated AND receiving this award:

Step 1- 11 Random Things About Me!

1. I love reading and I get totally lost it in. I lose days sometimes... this love of reading led to my first published novel, which led to my book blog.

2. I love dogs and if I could, I would have a dog shelter/boarding/doggie park of my own just so I could continue to add to my family of furry babies (I currently have 3)

3. I am crazy obsessed with my fur babies: 

• Bailey - our 4 yr old rat terrier/border collie mix who was a sacred rescue and our gift from God. 
• Madison- our 3 year old dwarft black lab mix who was also a rescue.
• Emma - our 4.5 month old papilion... our first non-rescue, but they all need love regardless of their origins!
• Cassi- our 5 year old tortoise shell and calico cat who has traveled more of the country than most people have.

4. Bailey is the inspiration for one of my upcoming short stories "Who Rescued Who?" You can read details on www.theharvestseries.blogspot.com

5. I hate shopping, unless I know exactly what I want. 

6. I have lived all over... here is my interesting route: 

• Dover, Nh. -->
• Boston, Ma. --->
• Phoenix, Az. -->
• Boston, Ma. --> (A short short 1 month stay in Phoenix)
• St. Louis, Mo.  -->
• Tampa, Fl. -->
• St. Louis, Mo. -->
• Tampa, Fl. -->
• Bowling Green, Oh. -->
• Eagle Pass, Tx. -->
• Columbiana, Oh. -->
• Boardman, Oh. 

** with lots of states visited along the way....

7. My husband is almost 7 years younger than I am. :) 

8. I have a major addiction to seafood!

9. I hate fighting with anyone... I am a complete pacifist and usually avoid conflict at all costs.

10. My book Harvest Moon was brought to light after a failed attempt to write a non-fiction version based on events in my own life.

11. My husband and I have more framed photos of our fur babies hanging throughout our home than we do of people or anything else! 


Step 2- My Answers To Mindy's Questions.

1.   If you could pick one album to listen to every day for the rest of your life what would it be and why?  

• hmmm.. this is interesting. I guess I would say Daughtry, Leave This Town because just about every song on this album I can relate to my own life at one time or another, but also because this album gave me a lot of inspiration while writing Harvest Moon. A lot of the songs are on the Harvest Moon soundtrack list. Music should always provide us with an emotional connection... and this album does that perfectly!

2.    If you were stranded on a desert island what one thing would you bring and why?

• My favorite book. The reader in me would never survive if I couldn't read words on a page ever again... just the thought of it makes me teary. 

3.    If you could live inside of a book which one would you choose and why?

• Well... the only series of books I have ever read more than once were Judy Blume's books, since then there has only been one other.... The Twilight Saga. I know, I know - people either love or hate this series, but I literally read the whole series 4 times in a ROW! So, I think it's only fair to say I would live here. There are plenty of others and it kills me not to share them, but I will follow the rules. 

4.    What three foods could you not live without out?

1. SEAFOOD!!!
2. Cereal
3. Chocolate 

5.    Are you a morning person or night owl?

• A little bit of both. I love waking up early, because I feel like I get so much accomplished and then have all day still, but I am typically more creative late at night, when it is quiet... I can really go either way, but If I had to choose I would want to be a morning person!

6.    What animal would you be and why?

• Um, a furry puppy - one that is loved and lives in the lap of luxury like mine of course. I choose a dog, because they are smart, loyal, loving, and trustworthy. Plus they get to sleep all day and play with fun toys, they still get the "good food" (well at least mine do), and they are usually loved unconditionally. 

7.    What is your all time favorite drink?

• Normally I would say milk, but recently I tried this adult beverage called the Banana Monkey and it was FABULOUS! Oh, and I loooove me a Starbucks mocha frappuccino too!

8.    Knowing what you know now, and you could somehow go back in time and change one thing about your past, what would it be and why?

• I would listen to my gut, put aside everything that seemed important at the time, and call my best friend to apologize for our fight... because although my instinct told me to call I allowed myself to believe I had plenty of time, so I finished packing and doing what I needed to do. It wasn't until the next morning that I realized my gut was telling me to pick up the phone for a reason... and now it was too late, she was dead. There is nothing worse than living with the regret of what you didn't do or say to someone while they were alive. Life is much to short. 

9.    If you could be anyone in the world, who would you be, and why?

•  I would be myself... mostly because the grass only seems greener on the other side. I know that I made all of the choices I made in my life that led me here, to the person I am.  However, I wouldn't mind adding maybe a little more money to my bank account and a book deal or two!! ;) 

10.  What makes you the happiest?

• Spending time with my husband and our fur babies. We live our lives around them... take them everywhere, plan our days off according to what we can do and where we can go with them... these are the moments I cherish- they are my family!

11.  If you had a dinner party and able to invite ANY three people, alive or deceased, who would you choose and why?

• My best friend Melissa, just so I could see her one more time... to let her know how much I love her.
• My little sister Mari, because I don't see her nearly as often as I would like.
• My husband, because life is just sweeter when he is in it. 
• 
  

Step 3 - My 11 Questions To You!

1. What one person inspires you the most?
2. What is your favorite  book and why?
3. If you could be any character from a book you've read, who would it be and why?
4. What is your biggest pet peeve? 
5. When you picture the perfect Saturday afternoon, what are you doing that makes it perfect?
6. What is one thing you can't leave the house without?
7. What is your worst vice?
8. How did you get into blogging?
9. What is one random thing most people don't know about you?
10. What's your favorite book genre and why?
11. Which Dystopian society would you rather live in: Divergent, Hunger Games or 1984 and why. (if you haven't read any of these, tell me from what you have read, which society you'd choose? 

Step 4-  Blogs I Nominate. 

1. Between The Lines - A truly fun book review blog that I come back to time and time again. From her witty sarcasm to her Top Ten Tuesday lists, BTL is one blog I couldn't live without.
2. Amy Book Worm- I was drawn to this blog because of her meme: book blogger confessions. Love these dirty little confession moments!
3. Dawn Husted - Author of Silently Screaming ( A book I reviewed and really liked) and  the upcoming dystopian novel Safe. Oh, and she designs book covers... A jack of all trades! 
4. Paper Fantasies- I have been addicted to this blog for a while and anyone who reads my Books, Blogs & Page Turners Meme knows why. From her YA epidemics, Indie spotlight (My novel, Harvest Moon, is the feature this month), to her fabulous reviews. And lets not forget her beautiful blog page! 
5. Books and Reviews - I found this site while I was looking for book reviews for Harvest Moon and found it warm and comfortable... so I settled right in and never left. I love how she puts photos with her reviews to depict the characters... it's such a nice touch. 
6. Up All Night Reviews- These gals actually found me through Goodreads and asked to do a feature spot of Harvest Moon (in July). However, since then I have visited almost weekly, just to check out their reviews, promos, and giveaways. Between the two of them, these two girls read a lot of books!
7. Tangled Up In Books (formerly Perks of being a book worm)- I can never stop admiring the cuteness of this blog... I am infatuated with it. Her reviews are always honest, I love her author interviews.... and of her course of princess phase! 
8. SensitiVitality - Author of the Emi Lost & Found Series and Choisie Series... what more can I say besides I love this Indie Author and I love all the fun stuff on her blog, about her series! 

** These were the only blogs I could nominate. I did not want to randomly nominate blogs just to reach 11, because then, what's the point? These are the blogs I believe to be exceptional and worthy of recognition!