Blogger Awards and Upcoming Conference

Thanks so much to Catherine Winn over at The Writing Room
for giving me two blogger awards!

I gratefully accept them and would like to pass on these bad boys to some fine folks I’ve recently discovered that everyone should check out:

1. Brittany- Hills & Corkscrews
2. Terry Lynn Johnson-Terry Lynn Johnson
3. Debbie Maxwell Allen- Writing While the Rice Boils
4. Ruth Donnelly- Readatouille
5. Thomas Taylor- That Elusive Line
6. Amparo Ortiz and the Gang at Operation Awesome
7. Jackee- Winded Words

The rules for these are somewhat flexible, hence my modifications, but here are the original rules:
One Lovely Blog Award-Accept the award, post it on your blog with the person who gave it to you with a link to them, pass to up to fifteen other blogs that are new to you, contact the people you’ve picked.
Versatile Blogger-Link back to person that gave you the award, share seven things about yourself (*at the bottom of this post for me*), pass the award to up to fifteen bloggers that you think deserve it, contact the people you’ve picked.



IN WRITING CONFERENCE NEWS:

This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I’ll be attending the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer’s annual conference in Denver (it was recently given a shout-out by the Shark Herself, Ms. Janet Reid). My plan is to take plenty of notes, and then use the sessions as blog posts, so you’ll get the same information I do.

In no particular order, here are the agents I’ll get to share the buffet line with (whether I’ll manage to squeak a “Hi, you’re so awesome!” or “No REALLY, take the next free bathroom stall—you totally deserve it more” remains to be seen):

Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency
Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary Agency
Christine Whitthohn, Book Cents Literary Agency
Kate Schafer Testerman, kt Literary
Michelle Brower, Folio Literary Management
Cheryl Pientka, Jill Grinberg Literary Management
Sandra Bond, Bond Literary Agency
Eddie Schneider, JABberwocky

SO excited. Whatever I post on Friday might be short, but my posts for the rest of the month (and maybe beyond) will probably include the information I glean from this conference, as well as highlighting any social gaffes I make (oh boy). I’m already starting to wean myself off large amounts of coffee, because I know that getting up three to four time an hour to use the bathroom doesn’t exactly scream, “professional.”

I look forward to attending and to sharing any/all nuggets of knowledge with you all!

***INSERTING RANDOM BIT OF ADVICE--Keep entering giveaway contests (there are links to a few of them in my sidebar)--I won an Adventures in Children's Publishing giveaway last week, and they're shipping me a copy of MOCKINGJAY! And I never win anything***

Okay, seven things about me:

1) I've worked in a toolbox factory (spot-welding and assembly line), building trail for the National Forest Service, in the kitchen of a Colorado dude ranch, at a nonprofit foundation, at a government grantmaking office, and as a phonics/math/Spanish teacher for four-year-olds (they have surprisingly high-retention for foreign-language vocabulary).

2) The only television I watch these days is Jeopardy, Top Chef, and select Travel Channel shows to compensate for the lack of a travel budget in my family.

3) As a rule, I'm against mayonnaise (I know, I'm sorry). I don't HATE it with a fiery passion, but I have a strong dislike for it and don't understand its purpose in life. Don't try to convince me--my husband has tried many a time, and now I'm at the point where I won't eat it on principle...I actually don't remember what it tastes like.

4) Bears try to get in our wooden trash bin every summer, and deer frequent our front yard (you would think the bears would go after the deer, but no, it's rotten banana peels that tempt them most).

5) My husband is a coffee-snob and I get him the good beans, but sometimes if he ticks me off, I keep his bag of Starbucks when it's finished and refill it with a generic kind...so far, he's never noticed.

6) I played Division I soccer in college. I briefly joined an adult league last year and...it wasn't pretty. It's amazing the difference ten years makes.

7) I have three kids--two teenagers and a toddler. The mix keeps me on my toes!