Sunshine Blogger Award #4

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I was tagged for some Sunshine Blogger Awards. Cecilia very kindly tagged me (thank you Cecilia!), then Liz Churchill very kindly tagged me (thank you Liz!), and then Frankie very kindly invited me to answer her Sunshine Blogger questions too (thank you Frankie!)…so the long and short of it is, you’re in for quite a large dose of sunshine today.

Here are the rules:

1. Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog.
2. Thank the person who nominated you.
3. Provide a link to your nominator’s blog.
4. Answer your nominator’s questions.
5. Nominate up to 11 bloggers.
6. Ask your nominees 11 questions.
7. Notify your nominees by commenting on at least one of their blog posts.

First three are done, so let’s go on to the fourth.

Cecilia’s Questions

1. What’s one thing you’ve wanted to do for years, but haven’t got round to doing?

There are all sorts of things I could say for this, of course, but I’ll say finishing writing a full-length novel. I think I’m finally on my way to doing this…I’m over 29,000 words into my current project, which is the farthest I’ve ever gotten for a novel.

2. What’s one thing you DO that your peers DON’T do? And what’s one thing you DON’T do that your peers DO do?

I’m sure some of my peers do this, but probably not too many: I pin curl my fringe-bang section of my hair most nights. My hair is fairly long and it is therefore quite time-consuming to pin curl all of it, but just pin curling my bang only takes a minute to do and automatically adds a vintage look to things.

As for the thing I don’t do, I’ll say watching Marvel and/or DC movies – I haven’t seen any of them. It’s just not my thing.

3. What’s your least favourite classic book you’ve read, and why?

I might say Ivanhoe. For one thing, its portrayal of the clergy annoyed me. While I totally agree that the issues addressed were sadly real problems, it felt very one-sided and didn’t account for the fact that not every clergyman is evil or ridiculous. Ivanhoe as a character annoyed me too. SPOILERS It seemed to me like he never truly made a mental commitment to either Rowena or Rebecca…both girls deserved better than him, if you ask me. END SPOILERS

4. If you had to dress in one colour for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Oh, what a fun question! I might choose red. It’s not my top favorite color (that would be purple) but I do like it and I think it suits me well. Black would work too, but I think I’d probably get tired of it sooner.

5. Excluding the Bible, what was the best spiritual book you’ve read and why was it so good?

Consoling the Heart of Jesus by Fr. Michael Gaitley is probably the spiritual book I’ve read that had the biggest impact on me – it does such a good job of showing how holiness and a relationship with Jesus is not some distant goal for a few holy people, but attainable for every one of us. I absolutely love The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis as well; Lewis is always so profound. One of my favorite insights from The Great Divorce is how much bigger goodness is than evil – compared to Heaven, Hell is smaller than the hole that’s left when you pull up a blade of grass.

6. What was the earliest creative project that you started and still have (even if you didn’t finish it!)?

Heh, I’m not sure what my earliest creative project would be – I’ve been making up stories for as long as I can remember. A fairly early masterpiece of mine treated on a little girl named Love Haga. She had quite a lot of siblings, and all the mean siblings were named after inanimate objects – Fork, Stapler, &c. (Though Fork had a character arc and became a good character eventually.)

7. If you could live in one place in England, where would it be?

Kelmscott. It’s in Oxfordshire, but is less built up than Oxford itself.

Doesn’t it look lovely?

8. If you could be a well-known published author, what genre of books would you like to be famous for?

Literary fiction, which Wikipedia kindly tells us “encompasses fiction books and writings that are more character-driven rather than plot-driven, that examine the human condition, or that are simply considered serious art by critics.” In other words, character-driven stories which don’t fit neatly into any other genre. 😛

9. Which piece of classical music has most inspired you, and why?

Hmm…I’m honestly not sure. I love Borodin’s String Quartet 1 Movement 2 (while I’m usually more of an Elinor, I take a Marianne-ish delight in the angst of this piece), but I don’t know if it’s accurate to say it’s inspired me. I remember feeling inspired to really pursue a career in music once when I was practicing something…but now I can’t remember what. Was it Schubert? Maybe it was his Unfinished Symphony? (The inspiration did not last, in case you were wondering.)

10. What’s one thing someone said to you that made you happy?

What a lovely question! One thing that always makes me happy is when people say something about my stories which shows that my characters feel real to them. That’s such a thrilling writerly moment.

11. If you could swap places with one Jane Austen heroine, who would it be?

Well, let’s see. I feel like I ought to say Marianne, since Colonel Brandon is my favorite Austen hero…but I don’t know if I’d want to marry him, you know? Hm. Let me try this question without considering that aspect of it.

I think I might go with Emma Woodhouse. She doesn’t have horrendous relatives to deal with (which is what immediately removed poor Fanny Price from the running) – her father’s rather goofy, but really quite sweet, and the Knightleys are quite pleasant – and she doesn’t have to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders like Elinor or Anne Elliot. And I love both Hartfield and Donwell Abbey.

(Though needless to say, I would not BEHAVE at all in the same way as Emma did. I hope that goes without saying.)

Liz’s Questions

1. Favorite Nancy Drew book?

It’s been awhile since I read any, so I don’t completely remember what happened in which one and which books I read and which I didn’t…but I know I especially liked Nancy’s Mysterious Letter, so I’ll go with that one.

2. Least favorite middle-grade book?

I haven’t scoured the depths of my memory well enough to know if this is my all-time least favorite, but I’ll go with They Loved to Laugh by Kathryn Worth. The boys weren’t just goofballs who liked to laugh; they were playing mean-spirited pranks on a girl who was scared and unsure of herself and adjusting to a completely new life from what she’d known (not to mention that she was their guest)…how was the moral of the story that she needed to change?

3. Are you a fan of Shakespeare? And have you ever acted out a section of one of his works?

Yes, I am! Much Ado About Nothing is probably my favorite of his comedies, and King Lear is probably my favorite of his tragedies. I have been in Shakespeare performances, but it was when I was very young and I had very small parts.

4. Favorite bookish drink?

As in something I like to drink while reading a book? If so, that would be coffee. Not very unique, I know, but ’tis my favorite drink for most occasions.

5. If you had to choose to live in Middle Earth or Narnia… where would you choose and why?

Assuming that the War of the Ring has already been concluded and that the reign of the White Witch is over, I think I would choose…mayyybe Middle Earth? But I’m finding this a horrendously hard decision and I may change my mind as soon as this post is published.

6. What time period would you live in for one day and who would you bring back to the future with you?

Oh, what a fun question! I’m going to choose the 1880s, a time period I love, and I would bring Anne Sullivan (Helen Keller’s teacher) back with me. She would be an absolutely fascinating person to talk to, and I think she would love the opportunity to get a look into the future.

7. What time period do you like but everyone hates?

I don’t know if it would be accurate to say everyone else hates it, but I have a much greater fondness for the 1920s than many do. It was a messed-up time in many ways, I fully admit, but I like the Vibes.

If only the 1920s were really how they look in Wodehouse-universe, they would have been near-perfection.

8. Favorite period movie not in the Regency time period?

That’s hard…there are so many! I’ll choose the 1989 mini-series of Great Expectations. It isn’t my absolute favorite, but I want to give it a shout-out, since I do like it quite a bit (by far the best version of GE I’ve seen, in my opinion) and it’s not very well-known.

9. Movie that you love but everyone hates?

I don’t know that everyone hates it, but I was saddened to see how little love the Kate Beckinsale version of Emma gets in period drama circles. I don’t love Mark Strong as Mr. Knightley, but other than that it’s my favorite version of Emma.

10. Favorite 80s movie/TV Show?

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994).

It doesn’t fit my general aesthetic, I know…but yes, I’m a Trekkie. I only watch The Original Series and TNG (plus some of the TOS movies); from what I’ve heard the later series get less cerebral and more action-oriented (though I may watch them to decide that for myself at some point). And I love the fact that Star Trek is very cerebral – it’s not just about watching spaceships blow up, it does often really get you thinking. TNG especially is also very character-based, which I always love. (Though as an fyi, I can’t recommend every episode and there are definitely some skippable bits in the show.)

11. Have you ever been tagged for the Sunshine Blogger Award before? (And if yes, how many times?)

Yes! Three times before this post.

Frankie’s Questions

1. What is one toy or game or something you always wanted when you were a kid? Did you ever get it?

Hmm…well, like a lot of little girls I liked American Girl, and I did indeed get some American Girl paraphernalia – a few dolls (a couple of which were those adorable 6″ versions) and some books, including a very lovely boxed set of the Josefina books.

2. What is your favorite season and why?

Autumn – it’s so beautiful, in a melancholy bittersweet nostalgic sort of way.

3. Do you have a favorite anime? Or just animated show in general.

I don’t…I’m afraid I haven’t really seen any!

4. Do you have a YouTuber you used to love watching when you were a kid? For me it was MyFroggyStuff and EllieV Toys and DaveHax

I didn’t watch Youtube much when I was really little – I was obsessed with Dora the Explorer, though. To this day I don’t like to hear people make fun of Dora. Dora and Boots and all their pals were my BUDDIES, guys. Be NICE to them.

5. Out of all the guy-in-the-chair or tech geniuses you’ve ever seen in fiction, which are your favorites? (you can also do any other type of character if you don’t like this type)

Does Dr. Cockroach in Monsters vs. Aliens count?

After all, he can build a super-computer out of a pizza box, two cans of hair spray…and a paper clip!

6. What country would you like to visit the most?

England. I’d love to see Oxford and London, and poke around all the places where my favorite British stories happen and where my favorite period dramas were filmed.

7. If you had to adopt three characters from fiction, raising them from the age of eleven or so, which three characters would you choose?

This will require some thought.

I’m sure there are tons of other great options, but for now I’ll choose Fanny Price from Mansfield Park, because the poor thing could have used a better home to grow up in, Éponine from Les Misérables, because ditto and also because growing up not in constant contact with crooked thieves would probably have helped her character, and Gollum from The Lord of the Rings. He’d be the problem child for sure (can you imagine the tussles he and Éponine would get into?) but Gollum could use someone to take him in hand and straighten him out. It couldn’t hurt to try, anyway.

…I chose Fanny so that she’d grow up in a more functional home, didn’t I? I’m not sure that’s going to work out well.

8. If you could go into one fictional universe and change the course of the story, or just hang out with the characters, which story would you go to?

To change the course of the story, I think I’d choose Bleak House by Charles Dickens. SPOILERS I would prevent Lady Dedlock from running away, so then Sir Leicester could tell her he forgave her and still loved her and they’d have a happy ending. If it were humanly possible I’d also prevent Richard from being such an idiot so that he could survive and he and Ada would have a happy ending too.

And I’d somehow get Dr. Woodcourt out of the picture so that Esther could marry Mr. Jarndyce, since (in the book, anyway) he and Esther had a great relationship and while Dr. Woodcourt was fine, he was nowhere near as compelling or endearing. END SPOILERS

I have opinions about this book, in case you couldn’t tell.

For just hanging out with the characters, though, I would choose Jeeves and Wooster in a heartbeat. It’s my comfort universe, and chatting with Bertie while Jeeves puttered around in the background chiming in with Jeeves-ian comments every once in awhile would be delightful.

And while I’m there, maybe I could somehow prevent all and sundry from treating Bertie like a doormat quite so often and quite so egregiously.

9. If you had to choose one fictional character to be your body guard all of the time, (and help you parent the previous three you chose) who would you choose?

These questions are so fun. 😀 This is a bit out there, but I’ll choose Jewel the unicorn from The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis. He’d be an excellent bodyguard, and I could see him being good at instilling good morals into the children while not taking any flak from them.

10. Do you like Sparkling Water?

I haven’t had any in quite awhile – but it’s very similar to seltzer water, right? I don’t like seltzer water, so it’s probably safe to say I don’t like sparkling water very much either.

11. What is your favorite brand of potato chips? Change it to any snacks if you don’t like potato chips.

I do like potato chips (though again, I don’t have them often) but what I like even better are Sun Chips. Those things are addictive.

Well, that was a lot of fun; thank you all! The Sunshine Blogger Award was zipping through the blogging world at a tremendous rate not long ago, so I’m only going to tag a couple people right now:

Ava at Always Ava
Caroline Bingley at Truths Universally Acknowledged
Emi and Julie at The Idlewood Archives
Julie at The Moonlight Wanderer

And anyone else who wants to answer the questions, please do!

Speaking of which, here are my questions for you:

1. What’s your favorite and least favorite household chore?
2. Have you ever watched a movie-remake that was better than the original movie?
3. Which decade are the majority of the songs you listened to today from?
4. What’s a language/grammar mistake that drives you crazy? (Or a more general pet peeve, if you can’t think of a language-related one.)
5. What’s a movie you’ve seen recently that you just can’t wait to re-watch?
6. What’s a movie you’ve seen recently that you never want to watch again?
7. You’re stranded on a desert island. You can bring three fictional characters with you: one will be your protector, one will be your moral support, and one will be devoting his/her time to finding a way off the island. Which three characters do you bring?
8. If you could go back in time and ask one historical figure one question, who/what would it be?
9. How would you describe your personality in just three words?
10. What’s that one board game/card game that you secretly (or not so secretly) dread playing?
11. What’s a story that you think is just begging to be made into a musical? (And which, as far as you know, has not been made into a musical yet.)