Friday, March 18, 2011

Friday Round-Up - #148

'Tis the season for awards! My friend, Nancy, over at Boomers, Scribblers & Saints, bestowed this lovely one on me. Thanks, Nancy! I'm honored.

I'm supposed to tell you seven things about myself. After over 500 posts, I think you know me pretty well, but for all the new folks, here goes:

1) I love chocolate. Oops, I can't use that one. It's a given for writers. :)

2) Bargain hunting and couponing are my new passion. Although born out of necessity (a.k.a. unemployment), I've discovered I can save a TON of money by using coupons, combining them with sales, and the special savings programs of stores like Rite Aid and CVS. Besides that, it's fun.

3) I started writing for publication in 2004. Non-fiction is my first love, and I still do some work in that area. All of my publishing credits have come from that side of the writing world.

4) My husband encouraged me to pursue writing a novel back in 2005. Oh.my.goodness. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. My first efforts...let's just say, "they'll never see the light of day." After many workshops, reading books, and blogs, I've improved. As writers, there's always something new to learn.

5) I'm working on a futuristic fiction trilogy. Unfortunately, the limited demand for this genre has forced the project to the back burner. As of last week, I am throwing ingredients into a fresh pot and cooking up a new story. Shh, don't tell anyone. Let's keep it between us.

6) My birthstone is amethyst for February. Maybe that has something to do with my preference for purple.

7) Italian food and good ol' American are my favorite cuisines. I can't imagine life without pasta.

I'm passing this award on to:
1) Wendy Paine Miller, of Thoughts That Move. A gifted writer, she knows how to dig deep and examine motivations.

2) Alisa Hope Wagner, of Faith Imagined.  She's a regular stop on my Internet trail. I know I'll always find a good word when I arrive.

3) Rita Gerlach, of Inspire Writer. A published, historical fiction writer, Rita shares her journey and gives valuable writing advice.

4) Angela Ackerman & Becky, at the Bookshelf Muse. If you're having difficulty describing something or want to improve your abilities in this area, go see these writers. You'll want to devote some time to exploring their site.

5) Jan Cline is the Director of the Inland Northwest Writers Conference, in Washington state. The conference is March 19, 2011. Jim Rubart, author of Rooms, is the keynote speaker, and our very own Terri Tiffany will be presenting a workshop on how to write a Chicken Soup for the Soul story.

6) Jill Kemerer, Inspirational Romance Author, writes excellent posts sprinkled with amazing photos.

7) Katie Ganshert is a newly contracted author. If you want to follow someone's road to publication, she's a good choice. Her posts are fresh and honest.

Thanks to all these bloggers for many hours of inspirational and educational reading. In case you haven't noticed, all of these sites are on my blogroll. I hope you'll get to know their authors and visit them as often as your schedule allows.

Have a great weekend!

26 comments:

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Congratulations Susan .. and love reading the bits about you ..

Cheers and have a good weekend ..Hilary

Karen Lange said...

Congrats to you and the new winners! Have a wonderful weekend!
Blessings,
Karen

Jeanette Levellie said...

Congratulations, Suze! I can only see the bottom half of this award, but I'm sure it's well-deserved.

Love,
Jen

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Hilary -

Thanks! These awards are a great way to make the blogosphere a bit friendlier and personal. :)

Blessings,
Susan

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Karen -

Thanks for stopping by. Talk to you soon. :)

Blessings,
Susan

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Jen -

Sorry about the techy problems. If you hit, "Show Original Post," in the comments section, you can get the full post.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Diane said...

Chocolate is a given I agree. Glad you have a new project even though I really enjoyed the one you showed me. :O)

Rhonda Schrock said...

Congratulations, Susan, and yes - I've been thinking about Terri this week, too. Praying good things for her.

Love,

Rhonda

Sandra Heska King said...

Susan, you only told us six things cuz you can't use the first. ;)

Congratulations. And I love all these bloggers, too.

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Diane -

I've been consuming way too much chocolate lately. There always seems to be a holiday or tons of coupons for my favorite goodies!

I'm not giving up on the older project, just tucking it away for now.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Rhonda -

Yes, I've been praying for Jan Cline, Terri Tiffany, and Jim Rubart. The conference is tomorrow.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Sandra -

Aww, you caught me! What else can I tell you about myself?

I'm head of our Sign Language team. We do specials for Christmas and Resurrection Sunday. We're preparing for one right now. We'll be signing to Nicole Mullens' song, "Redeemer."

Blessings,
Susan :)

Susan Marlene said...

I think just about all of us love...Chocolate! It's a keeper in my book. Very nice blog!

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Susan -

Welcome to my blog! I post here Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

I'll pop over to your place soon. :)

Blessings,
Susan

Nancy said...

So good to hear all about you. I love Italian and American foods best, too.

Becca Puglisi said...

Thanks so much for the award, Susan! And thanks for telling us so much more about yourself. I can especially relate to #5. My first story is wayyyyyyy in the back of a very dark file cabinet. Where it will stay. Forever.

Becca @ The Bookshelf Muse

Rita Gerlach said...

Many thanks for passing the award on to me, Susan. I'm so glad to have gotten to know you.

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Becca -

You're welcome. You and Angela do a great job helping writers set their scenes.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Rita -

You're welcome. The feeling is mutual. :)

Blessings,
Susan

Jan Cline said...

Hi Susan,
Thanks so much for the award! I am now getting back to blogging since the conference is over. Thanks too for all your encouragment.
Jan

Jill Kemerer said...

Congratulations, Susan--very deserved!!

And thank you SO much for including me!! I appreciate it!

Futuristic trilogy? I'm intrigued. Maybe the market will open up to it in the near future?

Katie Ganshert said...

Thanks so much Susan!!

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Jan -

Welcome back to blogging! We missed you. I'm thrilled your conference went so well.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Jill -

Thank you, and you're welcome!

LOL! Maybe someday an agent or editor will take a chance on the trilogy. I've done as much as I can with it for now.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Jill -

Thank you, and you're welcome!

LOL! Maybe someday an agent or editor will take a chance on the trilogy. I've done as much as I can with it for now.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Katie -

You're welcome. :)

Blessings,
Susan