One Lovely Blog Award

A huge thank you to Terry Tyler for nominating me for the One Lovely Blog Award. You can view Terry's contribution HERE and her latest novel, Kings and Queens, HERE. Oh, and here's the link to my review! Follow her on Twitter @terrytyler4 , visit her blog and buy her book before her sequel hits the virtual shelves - go on, you really do want to!

I love the simple idea of this challenge: 7 things about you to share with the world. Terry nominated me some weeks ago but as I'm quite a shy type who doesn't like drawing attention to herself (not the best trait for a self-published author, granted!) I put it off! Anyway, here are the rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and link back to them in your post.
2. Share seven possibly unknown things about yourself.
3. Nominate fifteen or so bloggers you admire.

I think 15 blogs is a bit ambitious for me, as most people I know have no doubt been nominated, so I've done a few at the bottom and apologies if you've been nominated before (although I have checked there isn't a OLBA entry up before nominating). It'll have to do!

Here goes (oh, and do skip number 6. Please.):

1.     I dabble in online gaming. Well, a bit more than dabbling, but I'm not one of those with no life who plays constantly (that'd be the husband) otherwise I'd have no time for writing (or the kids, I suppose!). I've taken characters to level 80 in World of Warcraft and level 55 (top level) in Star Wars: The Old Republic, but my all time favourite is Guild Wars 2 (my top character is below - she's hard as nails!). I love everything about it, and my hubby and I spend our Saturday nights running around zones completing hearts, viewing vistas and completing skill challenges. Oh, and killing the odd skelk and basilisk. Fantastic.

2. I'm from Liverpool and lived there until I was 18, although I was born in a place in Greater Manchester called Billinge. Yes, that place name is on my birth certificate and passport. Thanks, mum.

3. I went to the same school as John Lennon and Ringo Starr. As a kid my maths teacher got into fisticuffs with John Lennon (they were in the same year) and my teacher lost. I never understood why he didn't lie to us and say he'd won, Lennon was hardly in a position to challenge his story, but hey ho!

4. I lived in Washington DC for four months in 1999 while interning at Congress as part of my university course. An experience of a lifetime I will never forget.

5. I wrote my first 'novel' when I was 11, called The Plan To Assassinate the Prime Minister (yes, Hilary Mantel, I got there first!). I used my lovely blue old-fashioned (although not at the time!) typewriter. After that I wrote a load more satirical stories (after progressing to an electric typewriter - get me!) and they are now stored under my bed, only to be looked at very occasionally by me alone. Without them though I wouldn't have written Party Games or Power Play, so they played a huge part in my life as I grew up.

6.Throughout my teen my pin-up wasn't exactly Robbie Williams or Brad Pitt. It was no other than former PM John Major. Yes, I am admitting my embarrassing past on the blogosphere, but that's a walk in the park compared to the abuse I suffered at my Liverpool comprehensive! If I could survive that...!

 (The pic above wasn't on my wall, I've just crudely put it together on Paint. And had fun doing it. Oh, yes.)


7. I wish I could sing. I would love to have singing lessons, but I'm far too shy! I think I'll have to stick to singing in the shower.

Erm, that's it.

My nominations (As I've said above, not 15 and you've probably been nominated anyway and don't need to do it, but it's nice to give me an opportunity to promote you!):


Wiz Green (@GreenWizard62). Follow his cauldron of creativity HERE with some cracking interviews.

Georgia Rose (@GeorgiaRoseBook). Her blog is HERE and I strongly suggest you buy her first book in the Grayson Trilogy A SINGLE STEP (which I'm currently thoroughly enjoying) and her brand new sequel BEFORE THE DAWN

Dawn M. Garcia (@GarciaDMAuthor). She has a book out on 10th October - like me! See it HERE

The Grumbling Gargoyle (@LynnGerrard). I would love to see what she would put for her entry! Her deliciously dark blog is HERE

Lady Liberty Hen (@ladylibertyhen). Wonderful snippets about life coupled with some great artwork, a real smiley happy blog which I'd love to promote here. Plus, she cycled to Paris for the British Legion! Visit her BLOG, it'll make you smile.

Darcia Helle (@DarciaHelle). An prolific reviewer on her Quiet Fury Books BLOG, Darcia was also my nomination for the Work In Progress Blog Tour.

That's it for now as I'm full of cold and need a Lemsip and a warm bed!