Liebster Award (The Sequel)

Are you as gobsmacked as I am that I got tagged for the Liebster Award again?! I’m in shock. A huge thanks to Sarah at “A Day In the Life” for tagging me! She has given me some really interesting and deep questions, and I am looking forward to answering them!

Ah, the Liebster Award, that mysterious accolade that no one is ever sure what to do with. Sure, we ask each other questions and provide random facts about ourselves, but what is Liebster? A German word that means friend? A magical country on the fringes of our dimension that exists only in legend?

Back when I was active on Story Embers, I was part of a guild called Parimi Alca. The name meant “Written World of Light” in Quenya. The “island” that the guild called home was made up of various biomes that stood for each genre of fiction. A fantasy biome, a historical fiction biome, a sci-fi biome…we had it all. Well, I drew inspiration from that idea for a “character castle” where my fellow guildlings and I could talk about each others’ characters and have them interact. This castle was located where all biomes and genres converged.

Characters appeared within the castle, but they could not get out since the door leading out of the castle was locked tight with magic. The castle was sort of sentient, too, meaning that it could give them food when they asked and that sort of thing. Let me find the original synopsis I wrote, actually…

At the center of the Land of Stories, where all genres converge, a splendid structure stands high on a hill. A remnant of ages past, it has remained untouched from the very foundation of the world. The ancient stonework, a medley of different architecture, most resembles a Victorian castle. Enter through a door of weathered green wood and you will see a perfectly round table with a round map spread across it. If you look for long enough, you may catch a glimpse of translucent runes hovering over the table. A star might even appear above a portion of the enchanted map, marking the world from which you have come.

Various corridors branch off this central hall. Their colored doors hide many a Secret. In some way, I know not how, the castle brings Beings from their Worlds. Whether creature or man, mortal or immortal, these characters awaken to find themselves within a secret stronghold. They gaze out through the narrow windows at this unfamiliar world’s gardens, villages, forests, mountains, and oceans. Though they wish to draw nearer, the old green door is locked to them. Nothing will persuade it to open. For centuries it has stood in the gap between the Worlds and Today, separating them lest one discover the Secrets of the other.

Here in the castle the Beings may find kindred spirits in one another, or they may discover a new foe. It is certainly assured that, in this reprieve from the struggles of their Worlds, Secrets will come to light.

All was well and is well, as it should be, and All will remain so until the End.

I’m still rather proud of writing that. I haven’t done anything with the Character Castle in a long time, but to my knowledge, it’s still running smoothly on Story Embers!

Were we talking about Liebster? I think we were. Perhaps the “Land of Stories” is Liebster. I’ll have to fire up the old Storywell to visit it one of these days. Anyway, let’s conclude this lengthy introduction and move on to more pressing matters…

The Rules:

• Thank the person who nominated you, include a link to their blog, and add the Liebster Award badge to your blog and/or post. (Thanks, Sarah!)
• Answer the eleven questions from the person who nominated you.
• Give eleven random facts about yourself.
• Nominate 5-11 fellow bloggers with less than 200 followers.
• Notify your nominees that you nominated them for the Liebster Award.
• Ask your nominees eleven questions.

The Questions + My Answers:

1. Who are your heroes/who do you look up to as a role model?

This is always a hard question for me because I know that no person is perfect. I don’t want to set anyone up on a pedestal and act like they are so much better than everyone else. (They might just be good at pretending they are.) The person I want to emulate most is Jesus because he was perfect, but for people in my immediate acquaintance, I’d have to say my parents. I learned how to live out my faith from my mom and dad and I’m forever grateful to them.

I also look up to several of my friends. As someone who avoids conflict and hates public speaking, I look up to my friends who manage to do what I can’t. I would love to be able to graciously handle stressful situations and speak confidently in front of a crowd, so I try to surround myself with people who will influence me positively in that respect.

2. What is a special memory you have with your family?

This is another tough question, not because I have any lack of good memories with my family but because I have so many. Picking out just one of them is difficult. I love all of the times we’ve gone to the mountains, all the vacations we’ve had over the years, all the birthday and Christmas celebrations, and all the times we’ve gone out to eat. But perhaps the memories that are most dear to me are the times when my family would read books together. We used to do it all the time, and my favorite books to read together were the Little House books and The Chronicles of Narnia.

3. What is one way you’ve seen God work in your life?

There are so many ways he has worked in my life. A lot of them are very deep and personal, but a few of the lessons he has taught me over the years are these:

• Complaining about losing something that is outside your control and may not even be part of God’s plan for your life is not beneficial. There is a reason it was removed, and you can trust that it is for the best.
• God will always provide for your needs, whether that is food or clothing or a friend to talk to. (One specific situation involved forgetting to pay for food at school ahead of time and not knowing if I would be able to pay for any the day of the event. God made sure there was enough pizza left over, and I even got an extra slice!)
• Overcoming fears is difficult, but not impossible with God on your side.
• Standing firm in what you believe is crucial in an environment that is hostile toward God. God has given me great strength and fortitude to face every attack that has come so far, and I trust that he’ll continue to help me.

4. What is your favorite treat?

Treat, you say? (If I was a canine, my tail would be wagging like crazy.) I don’t eat sugary stuff much anymore, but I do enjoy cookies from time to time. My favorite would probably be caramel-filled dark chocolate squares. Those are good.

5. If you could speak any language fluently, what would it be?

Uhhh… I could go the practical route or the unconventional route. Practical would be Spanish because I live in a place with a large Hispanic population and I would love to be able to talk to them in their native language. Unconventional would be Hebrew because how cool would that be??

6. What other culture fascinates you and why?

I have always been fascinated by the Jewish culture because of its Biblical connections, but the countries of Russia and India also pique my interest. Russia because of its history and India because of its cultural background.

7. Would you rather be able to travel around your own country during any point in its history or travel anywhere in the world but only during your lifetime? (i.e. see England as it changed through history or see all of the world during the 80ish years you are alive)

I’d like to travel around my own country during its history. It would be cool to witness the stories of America’s founding for myself.

8. If you could eliminate one bad thing from the world, what would it be and why?

Sin. (But since that’s not really possible right now, I’d eliminate human trafficking.)

9. Is your career one you always dreamed of or did it take you by surprise?

Hah! My current career is writer/artist/college student. I’ve been a writer and artist for most of my life, so I’d say that yes, I have always dreamed of it.

10. If you could have any talent, what would it be and why?

Playing the piano. (It would make my brain happy if I could play my favorite songs for myself.)

11. What is your favorite thing to celebrate?

Christmas!!! (Even though Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, celebrating Jesus’ birth is awesome too.)

11 Random Facts About Me:

Oh goodness, not the random facts…

1. I have a desert tortoise named Rebekah and she came to visit today.
2. I’m just a smidge over 5’7″ so I like to say I’m 5’8″
3. I once painted a mural-type thing for my school’s Wild West-themed reading week.
4. I do in fact have red hair.
5. I think sardines are yummy. (Insert everyone groaning with disgust)
6. I used to have five cats.
7. My favorite place to visit nowadays is the library. (You probably knew that.)
8. My sense of humor is odd, so I tend to make jokes for my own amusement rather than others’. If somebody else happens to find me funny, I get really happy.
9. I have written 6 full-length novels and numerous short stories and am currently working on self-publishing my first book.
10. I play Minecraft (Java edition) and Lord of the Rings Online sometimes.
11. My record for cups of tea consumed in one day is 10.

Is that it? Oh, now I need to tag people and think of questions to ask them! Hmmm…

The Nominees:

(I’m trying to tag different people than I did last time.)

Kristianne @ Whimsical Wanderings

Madi @ Madi’s Musings

Julia @ Julia’s Creative Corner

Jen @ Living Outside the Lines

Ashley @ The Everhart Author

The Questions for Those Tagged:

1. Favorite book that you read as a child?
2. What is an “unusual” pet that you have or would like to have one day?
3. What is a good nonfiction book you would recommend to everyone?
4. Favorite day of the week, and why?
5. Do you associate colors with words or people?
6. What is the weirdest dream you can remember?
7. Musicals—yea or nay?
8. What country or region would you like to visit one day?
9. Dream job?
10. Favorite GIF or meme?
11. Describe your perfect day.

(Okay, not all of these came out of my own head. I may have had to take inspiration from other people for a few of them. That’s not illegal, is it?)

That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading, friends!