Two Tags For a Scatterbrained Weekend

I’ve been so mentally busy these past two weeks with studying the publishing process for Lionhearted, I reached this weekend with very little to blog about! Thankfully both Amelie of the Swordmaiden of the King and Emily of The Altogether Unexpected each sent me a tag about a month ago, so I’m gonna do them both in one fell swoop! 

The Imaginary Assistant Tag

Thank the person who tagged you and link back to their blog. (Done above!)

Link back to the creator of the tag. (Aberdeen the Authosaurus, apparently, was the creator of this tag.) 

What type of creature/species would you like your assistant to be (human, animal, dragon, dinosaur, figment of your imagination, etc.) and why? I would like my assistant to be a selkie, please. That way we can have an excuse to have a little cottage by the sea. Whenever she needs to put on her coat and dive back into the ocean, she can do so at her convenience. (I am a very accommodating employer.)

What do you want your assistant to look like? When she’s in her human form, she is small (like me), blond, and freckled.

What qualities are you looking for in an assistant (responsible, lovable, exasperating, etc.)? Honest but kind, responsible but quick to encourage me to take a break when I need it, possesses a good sense of humor, and doesn’t mind musical playlists that range from Alison Kraus to The Phantom of the Opera. 

What job(s) would your assistant be in charge of? Scratching any purple prose out of my writing with a big red pen.

What would you like your assistant to be named? Since she’s a selkie and I love Song of the Sea*, I’m already seeing her as a “Saiorse.”

What would you feed your assistant (candy, books, pickles, etc.)? I suppose selkies consider fish a food group.

How would you pay your assistant and what benefits would you offer as compensation for their work? Room and board at our cottage, my own help and counsel (if she wants it!) with her own creative projects (perhaps selkies enjoy making sculptures out of seashells?), and transportation to the nearest village.

What special abilities would you like your assistant to have (ice powers to freeze writer’s block, super strength to break writer’s block, super stupidity to stare at you while you’re having writer’s block, etc.)? The super-strength to break the tyrannical power of my Inner Editor over budding story ideas would be incredibly nice.

Where would you like your assistant to be from (Jurassic Park, Narnia, your head, etc.)? The Celtic Sea.

Will you solemnly swear not to fire your assistant in sickness or health, for richer or poorer, smarter or stupider, writing or not writing, for as long as you both shall live? BUT OF COURSE.

The Sunshine Blogger Award Tag

Below are the rules for this award:

Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link back to their blog so others can find them.

List the rules and display an award logo on your blog post. 

Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.

In what city were you born? Baton Rouge, Louisiana…on Mardi Gras Day 😉 (This is how I remember I was born on a Tuesday, by the way.)

Which book made you a bibliophile? Ooof. Probably Meet Samantha* from the American Girl series. I got the entire Samantha series for my fifth birthday (along with a Samantha doll) and read them over and over again for years.

What is your favorite film? I love many films…but if I had to choose just one, it would be The Help*. A powerful message, familiar Southern vibes (both good and bad), an excellent balance between triumph and tragedy, and the Viola Davis/Emma Stone/Octavia Spencer trio make this (most likely) my favorite film of all time.

What is your favorite Bible verse? 1 Peter 1:8-9 perfectly sums up where I am right now in my walk with Christ: “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

Favorite episode of Sherlock? (I know you have all seen it) Ah-hah-hah-hah…nope, still haven’t seen Season 4. BUT!!! My favorite episode is, without a doubt, “The Blind Banker*”…with “The Sign of Three*” trailing close behind.

First foreign country? England! And yes, I want to go back. But rather than flying to London and going out from there, I’d fly into Manchester and explore the Lake District again before driving up into Scotland.

Favorite food? A terrible question to ask a foodie…but I’m quite partial to chicken pot pie.

British accents or Scottish accents? UMM, SCOTTISH, OBVIOUSLY.

First Marvel film? Captain America: The First Avenger–which, by the way, is criminally underrated.

Who is your favorite British actor/actress? How does one cHoOsE????? Just ONE?! And by British do you mean BRITISH-BRITISH or ENGLISH-BRITISH?!?! I need answers, Emily! This is harder than choosing my favorite movie.

Okay, fine. My favorite is is JennaColemanBenedictCumberbatchHayleyAtwellRufusSewellJudiDenchTomHiddlestonClaireFoy. There. That’s my favorite (English)British actor/actress.

When did you start blogging, and why? I started blogging in late 2011 because, unfortunately, I had this rather pompous and melodramatic notion that I could be a clarion voice of millennial conservatism. I went down in flames and humble pie–but by God’s grace, the lines have fallen for me in much more pleasant blogging places over the past eight years.

---

Have a great week, my friends, and Lord willing, my brain will be less cluttered next week! I’d love to share some of the things I’m learning about the publishing process. Just give me some more time to arrange my various thoughts, notes, and revelations, and I’ll be back posthaste 😉