*Approaches mic. Nervously unfolds paper and clears throat*Um, gosh, I have no idea how this happened and up until a few (fine, okay, many) months ago, I had no idea that this was even a thing. I have three people to pay tribute to for this honour. First, I'd like to thank the lovely and effervescent Amy Good for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award. If you aren't familiar with Amy Good, please hop on over to her blog post haste. Amy is also the mastermind behind Friday Phrases, a literary twitter phenomenon that is chock full of talented, funny, and creepy writers. I'd also like to thank Willow Becker for her nomination. In addition to her awesome contributions to #FP and the website associated with #FP, she's also really funny. And she said I remind her of chocolate. So, yeah, she rocks. Finally, a big thanks to Sarah Brentyn at Are You Kidding Me?. In addition to writing thoughtful and funny blog posts, Sarah may actually be my American doppleganger. We met through (over?) twitter and seem to have a lot in common. Naturally, I think she has awesome taste.
According to the Versatile Blogger Award rules, it's now my honour and privilege to nominate other bloggers whose blogs demonstrate quality, uniqueness, and a love of words. In no particular order, I'd like to pass along Versatile Blogger nominations to:
Augusta at All in One Basket: Smart, compassionate, vulnerable, wise. If you know anyone struggling with infertility (or parenting after infertility) this is the blog to send them to. Augusta has a knack for making people feel like they are not alone.
Karen Soutar I was introduced to Karen's blog through #MondayBlogs and like her tagline says folks, this woman has a way with fiction that is fast, funny, and scary. Check her out.
Charli Mills at Carrot Ranch Communications: Charli hosts a 99 word challenge each week that is a great exercise in micro fiction. In addition to corralling writers together each week (check out the Congress of Rough Writers), Charli offers a wide range of writing related services.
Roger Jackson: Roger creeps me out in the best way. He has a knack for taking the mundane and making it nightmarish. His #FP contributions are both brilliant and terrible. Take a peek at his blog and you'll see what I mean.
Drew Chail: Another #FP contributor whose writing is funny, reflective and full of writerly insight. Highly recommend reading his blog on a Sunday morning with hot coffee. Just me?
Beth Writes: I'm not even sure how I came across Beth's blog, but she writes wonderful flash fiction each week. Check out her latest blog entry on why she writes.
Tess Martin Adams: I look forward to Tess's #FP contributions each week and her avatar never fails to make me smile.
Book Rock Betty: Smart, funny book reviews and sound bites. Betty's enthusiasm and energy is contagious.
Eugenia at Genie In A Book: Eugenia is a class act. Her book reviews are thoughtful and honest and she has a knack for delivering her opinion without snark or sniping.
The Perpetual Page Turner: I started following Jamie's blog last year. She's the real deal, folks. Check out her blog for funny, personable book reviews with a side of authentic living thrown in.
Mark T. Conrad: I started following Mark after stumbling across his #andshit quotes. I think Mark is terrifyingly smart, but he manages to write about philosophy and film in a way that is both engaging and intellectual. And he's not afraid to push people out of their comfort zones during #FP either.
Cate Moore: Cate is a smart, funny, meditative blogger whose tweets and posts make me smile. She also has beautiful handwriting, in addition to a beautiful heart.
Finally, I am supposed to tell you seven things about myself. I'm assuming these are supposed to be facts about me that you'll find interesting. No pressure, huh?
1. This blog post took me forever to write. Almost six months. Seriously.
2. I recently dyed my hair blonde. And so far, the saying holds. I'm having way more fun.
3. When I'm not writing (which is often, currently) I work as a clinical psychologist. And no, I'm not analyzing you. Nope, I don't want to do a case study on your family either.
4. When I was a child I used to wish at every opportunity (i.e., dandelion fluff, birthday candles, eyelashes, etc.) to become Vicky from the Love Boat or an additional character on Gilligan's Island. The psychologist part is making more sense now, isn't it?
5. I'm a hopeless romantic. Seriously. I love a good love story. So despite being sarcastic and often, well, feisty, I'm actually a big old fashioned dope when it comes to love.
6. I'm a first generation Canadian of Scottish parents and feel very connected to my roots in Scotland. Have a not-so-secret desire to move to the Highlands when I retire.
7. I thought I didn't like cheese as a child and did not eat my first piece of pizza until I was twelve years old. I then promptly decided I was an idiot and have eaten cheese ever since.
