ANOTHER LIEBSTER BLOG AWARD!

I am so happy and humbled today, as I have received another Liebster Blog Award from the fantastic and awesome Deanie Humphrys-Dunne over at Thoughts and Ideas from Deanie Humphrys-Dunne. Thank you so much!

Now I know that traditionally the award comes with rules and certain obligations. But I have decided only to answer the 11 Questions that were presented to me and to make this award available to any blogger who has not yet had the opportunity to receive a blog award and who has less than 200 followers. 

The Questions
1. What is your favorite outdoor summer activity? 
Summers get hot where I live, so I will have to say sitting outside with a cold drink in my hand.

2. What is your favorite thing to BBQ? 
As a vegetarian my options are limited, but I guess whatever soy products I have in the fridge or even veggies.

3. Do you enjoy camping? If yes, do you tent or do you have a camper? 
I have never been camping, except when I was a baby and that probably doesn't count. But my parents used a big tent when they went camping. 

4. Do you use a push lawn mower or a ride-on tractor?
Neither, the only thing that grows in my garden is weeds.

5. What is your favorite fresh summer vegetable?
It has to be corn. 

6. What is your favorite cold drink? 
Coca Cola

7. What level spf sunscreen do you use most often? 
SPF 30

8. What water sports (if any) do you enjoy?
None. I can't swim, so I avoid large quantities of water. But I will watch other people having fun.

9. What is your favorite ice cream treat?
Ice cream Sundaes with lots of whipped cream.

10. Finish this line: Sunshine, happiness...and love.

11. What is your favorite thing about summer?
Everyone just seems so much happier during summer and the sky is just so clear. 

A FUNERAL, SOME WRITING AND WORK

We went to my aunts funeral today and the whole event was sad—beautiful in its own way, but still sad. I am not going to the second funeral this weekend, as my brother and sister are leaving for the funeral tomorrow morning (because it is about 8 hours away from where we live) and I need to work. There are deadlines at work and my boss didn't even want to give me off for the funeral today, but did so because it was a close relative.

On another note, I find myself smiling a lot these days for no apparent reason. I have all these ideas for my book and I am excited about this idea or concept that I have. It is a love story, but close to the same style of what one would see in a chick flick. It is about a kind of love that is so strong that it will move through time. I am still working things out and trying to make it all make sense and match. I am going to start working on an outline this weekend and hopefully I can bring this story in my head, to life.

Work is not bad, but the people I work with are unbearable. I find myself smiling everywhere, except there. There is just not a whole lot to smile about at work. But hey, I need to earn a living right? I have applied to three different recruitment agencies to help me find a new job, so hopefully in the next few months I will find something new. I am holding out for a new job before I resign, but the other day I almost gave in my resignation after people had been awful to me. I just have to learn to stick things out no matter what. I am not used to this type of environment, but there has to be a reason why I have been exposed to it right? Who knows what is awaiting me in my future.

I am not sad right now or anything. The new book idea has me smiling. What are you up to?

THE THRILL OF IT ALL BLOGFEST ENTRY

Thank you Tara and Heather for hosting this awesome blog hop.

When it comes down to the biggest thrill that I have ever experienced, it still has to be the day that I got an email from my literary agent. I felt something close to butterflies and I felt like everything was going right. But I have to admit that to this day, I get a similar thrill whenever I see that someone has taken the time to leave a comment on my blog or has decided to follow my blog. I have butterflies, I feel humbled and happy to be alive.

GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS

The bad news...I am sort of in a weird spot at the moment. Two of my aunts have passed away this week and I need to attend their funerals. One funeral is in town and the other is halfway across the country. I always hate funerals because they are so sad and I never quite know what to say to the grieving family, because at my dad's funeral I hated the very fact that everyone wanted to talk to me, sympathize and hug me. I just wanted to be on my own. Of course my boss already gave me grief when I asked him to go to the one funeral and this morning we found out about my other aunt dying, so now I have to try and get off again. My boss is such an ass!

Good news is...that when I woke up this morning, I woke up with a story in my head. I feel like I have to write it as fast as possible before the urge to not want to write takes over again. I want to make sure I get it written, because I can see the whole story unfold in front of my eyes like it is a movie. Now, this has happened to me before and I had actually managed to finish writing the book. Lately I had started a book and had not finished it. Now, I am writing again and I love the feeling of the writing process, wanting to know more and watching the story unfold before my very eyes.

The Thrill of It All Blogfest

The awesome and talented Heather Gardner and Tara Tyler will be hosting The Thrill of It All Blogfest on the 24 of June. It is going to be super fun and there is still time to sign up at the linky list below.

All you have to do is share a thrill on the 24^th of June and it could either be real or fictional. You just have to keep it to a paragraph or less. Just so that you know, there will be awesome prizes up for grabs. If you want to know more then simply go here.

I have already signed up and I am ready and excited. I just have to think about my blog entry. Hope to see you there. 

PHASES

As a writer I must admit I have found that my life and writing goes through various phases all the time. My life is either stable or changing continuously. Because I tend to be a little obsessive compulsive, ever changing circumstances and surprises and things like that are my personal idea of hell. I can do repetitive things over and over and life is fine. Change something and my day or life is ruined. I don't know why I am like that. I just am. When it comes to my moods, I am either in my content phase or my tortured phase, most days I am in my tortured phase, as that is just how I am. I am not an overly happy person, but I am not the kind of person to be mean or rude to someone else unless you did something to offend or upset me. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt at our first encounters. Offend me or be rude and your chance is out the window. 

As for writing. I am either inspired to write or not. If I am in the writing mood then I can knock out a first draft of a book in two to three months. If I lack inspiration or the desire to write, it can take me weeks or months to get out of this mental slump and get back in the writing saddle. At the moment I am in the writing slump phase. At least I am going through some of the other books that I have written and editing here and there. I am not really sure about their potential, but it doesn't hurt to take a look again. I am not really feeling very enthusiastic about the editing, but at least I am doing something.

I am also more in the reading phase than the writing one. I am totally loving Janet Evanovich's writing and wishing that I could have her brain. To think, I would never have read any of her work if my sister had not bullied me into reading her books. I had been sure that I would not like her work and I now love it. So, I was wrong and Janet Evanovich rocks! I am obsessed with the Stephanie Plum novels and finding myself wishing that her leading men existed in real life, because they sound so sexy and I want someone like Morelli or Ranger for myself. Yum!

I think that it is great that I at least understand myself and my phases, unfortunately, most people don't get me. My mother is always asking me why I can't be more like the other women my age and I just shrug my shoulders. Apparently I look like the sweet and innocent girl that never does anything wrong. Unfortunately, I  don't see myself like that, I don't think like that at all and most importantly, my personality could not be further from that stereotype either. I like wearing black, I love wearing biker boots with studs and buckles, I love tattoos, even though I only have one and rock music speaks to my soul.

What are your phases like? Do you have any?

FREE E-BOOK, THAT SADIE THING

That Sadie Thing by Annalisa Crawford is available for free download today here. Please, guys, show her your support and download your free copy. If you do not have a Kindle, you can get the free Kindle reading application here.

You can even visit  Annalisa over at her blog, here.

I AM JUST STUPID

You guys know how I hate my current place of employment, right? And you guys remember how I did not fit in there and people were, or should I say are mean to me? Well, my contract is expiring at the end of this month, so my boss brought me a contract of renewal and I signed on for another year...

I just could not say no, at least not until I have another job. Please don't be mad at me. I am going to give in my resignation as soon as I find another job, in the meanwhile, I will still get paid. I need the money, even though I believe my co-workers are the spawn of satin, out to destroy anyone with free will and who can think. Though, today I felt like telling my boss to stick his job where the sun don't shine and I called my co-worker a mediocre human being. It was not nice, but she deserved it, honest. My boss actually told me that I had a perfectionist mentality and that I had to lower my standards to be able to work at the company. Can you believe that? All I am telling myself is, "get a new job and until that happens, save as much of your salary as possible." 

Another things is, in two months my contract with my agent will expire too and unless my book sells in the next few months, I will be back in the query trenches or back in the writing another book to submit mode. Still too early to tell. 

Not doing much on the creative front these days, just reading. I love reading, but I wish the writing would kick in. Most people would use their crappy experiences as writing inspiration, me...I just feel sorry for myself and I don't have the energy to use it. Besides, I don't want to make them feel special by writing about the meanies. 

What are you guys up to?

FOLLOWERS BLOG HOP

My name is Murees Dupé and this is my blog. Most days my blog posts are about my life as a writer and other days I talk about the everyday happenings in my life while seeking publication, or I just write about everyday things that happen to me. I tend to be like a magnet for crazy people (the dangerous kind) and I tend to be accident prone. It also does not help that I have no luck at all.

If all of this sounds interesting, then please follow me. Thanks for the visit.

FOLLOWERS BLOG HOP AND PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

I know this is very last minute, but I needed to tell you guys about the followers blog hop, which will be hosted by the awesome and funny Melissa Chesley over at writings, musings and other such nonsense on 10 June 2013. Yes, I know it is on Monday, but there is still time to sign up.

If you want more followers or simply want to help other individuals gain more followers then this is the blog hop for you. All you have to do is sign up at the linky list below and write a post on the 10th of June and include all the links that you want your new followers to follow you at. Of course, you have to disable Captcha in order to make leaving comments easier. As usual with a blog hop, you visit the other individuals on the linky list, follow them and leave a comment of you doing so. Easy right?

On to the pineapple upside down cake. As you know, I have started to read the Stephanie Plum series and have now become an addict. If you read those novels you are always hungry and salivating at the wonderful food descriptions and the fantastic cuisine the main character is always exposed to. Not to mention that the men make you want to drool too. Well, I emailed Ms Evanovich and told her about how great she was and how I loved her books (because I honestly wish that I had written these books) and in response, her assistant provided me with a recipe for her pineapple upside down cake, which also happens to be the favourite of the main character in her Stephanie Plum novels. Of course I baked it myself and it was delicious. You can find the recipe here. It is easy and delicious and not even I could make this a flop and I am not a baking type of person.

THAT SADIE THING BLOG TOUR WITH ANNALISA CRAWFORD

I am so excited and honoured to have the awesome and talented Annalisa Crawford over, visiting my little blog. Welcome Annalisa and enjoy!


Thanks for having me over today, Murees!

Open Windows is a peculiar story for me to talk about, because I don't really remember writing it. That's quite strange, isn't it? I do remember that the first thing I wrote was the part where Michael's ghost asks Jackie if she has a pencil, and she throws it into the empty room. For ages that small passage stayed in my notebook.

I wrote this story in 1994 - you might see me mention that year a couple more times during this tour because it was one of my most prolific years for short stories. I was unemployed at the time, and between applying for jobs and opening letters telling me I hadn't been successful (back when they used to let you know you were a failure rather than just let you forget you'd applied in the first place), I wrote a lot.

Open Windows originally won third prize in a competition called Little Acorns, held by a lovely man who would hand-write one or two sentence critiques. For that reason alone, I entered almost every single monthly competition he held, because just having someone take me seriously as a writer was a huge boost. On a couple of occasions these critiques came with a cheque attached - you can probably imagine my joy!

A couple of years later I entered the story into another competition, a local writer's circle comp, because Little Acorns didn't publish winning entries, so I could resubmit. This time it was published - yay!


About Annalisa
I live in Cornwall, with a good supply of beaches and moorland right on my doorstep. I live with my husband, two boys, a dog and a cat. Despite my location. I neither surf nor sail, and have never had any inclination to try. I much prefer walking along the beach and listening to the waves crashing over rocks. For this reason, I really love the beach in the winter!

Buy That Sadie Thing here (this link should take you direct to your local Amazon)
Follow Annalisa here, or Like her here
Read her blog here

BE BRAVE (IWSG)

I have always been the kind of person to think things through and plan things ahead. Of course, when I decided to become a writer, I took a similar approach and do you know what? I am not any closer to my dream of being a successfully published author.

My point? Sometimes you just have to take a chance. Submit that book proposal. Talk to a person that knows more about that career path that you want to follow. Ask that cute guy or girl out on a date. Be brave, live.

I feel like I have been planning and planning and I still end up disappointed. So if you are like me and have been getting the short end of the stick, lets be brave and dare to do something different.

Annalisa Crawford will be stopping by my blog tomorrow to talk about That Sadie Thing. If you want to, you can come over and say hi to her. I know she will appreciate it.

The Insecure Writers Support Group was created by the wonderful and talented author and blogger, Alex J. Cavanaugh. You guys can visit Alex over at http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com.

RARE SIGHT TO SEE

I just had to share this rare little phenomenon of really heavy hail with you guys. Just so that you know, this much hail is rarely ever seen in my town, no matter how cold it gets. It just makes me want to get back into bed.