[dropcap custom_class="normal"]E[/dropcap]eep! I'm so surprised and honored to have been nominated for the One Lovely Blog Award by Grace over at A Bowl of Cherries. I met Grace through Susannah Conway's Blogging From the Heart course, and she's shown constant support for my writing. (Thanks Grace!)

The guidelines for this award are as follows:

You must thank the person who nominated you for the award;
you must add the One Lovely Blog Award logo to your post, your blog or both;
you must share 7 facts about yourself;
and lastly, you must nominate 15 bloggers who you admire and consider “lovely.” Let the nominees know they have been nominated by commenting on their blogs.

So, seven facts about myself:

1. I started taking dance classes at the age of 3 1/2, and dance is still one of the activities I love most.

2. I've played the clarinet, the oboe (for a few weeks), the bassoon, and the organ. The bassoon was my longest running instrument, and the only piece I ever really mastered on the organ was the theme song for the TV show Happy Days.

3. My aunt recently asked me what I do for fun. I told her I read. She kind of scrunched up her forehead at me.

4. I have a very small biological family. My mom is an only child; I am an only child; and my dad has one sister, through whom I have two cousins.

5. I am childfree by choice.

6. Most days I don't wear any makeup.

7. I don't like beer. Or cilantro. And I got the flu after a rather large slice of blueberry pie many many years ago, and I still can't stomach blueberries. I do, however, love pizza. Probably more than is appropriate.

Now for my nominations (alphabetically...):

Dara Hoffman-Fox: An acquaintance and former co-worker who has become a friend. Dara's goal in this life is to make the world a better place for those who are transgender.

Gail Carriger: When I hear the word "lovely," I think Gail Carriger. She's also one of my favorite writers, who describes herself as "a tea obsessed NYT best selling steampunk author meets archaeologist meets fashion blogger."

Half Moon: Elise is a fellow RootEd grad, and she regularly transfers our teachings to her blog.

In Full Blume: Daisy quotes Kahlil Gibran on her main page. Which I'm a sucker for. "And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair."

The Kintz Factor: Carrie's blog tagline is "We're all stories in the end. — Doctor Who." Enough said.

Lit/Rant: Kel reads more than anyone I know. Seriously. And she reviews much of what she reads here.

Lolalina: A lover of all things warm, cozy and creative, Laura recently started a "Follow Your Bliss Friday" series. Check it out!

Myth & Moor: Oh so lovely. Musings on mythic art and life.

Noema: Another contact made through Susannah's course. Beautiful photos, poetry, reflections.

The Oat Project: Integrating the Wild, one adventure at a time. By my good friend Jené.

Rachel Naomi Remen: Rachel's book Kitchen Table Wisdom is one of my all-time favorites. And though she's been known for her work for many, many years, she just recently started blogging.

Return Yoga: Karin's words speak to me each time she writes.

Tara Hedman: She's a counselor who blogs, vulnerably.

A Thousand Shades of Gray: I discovered Jill's blog through Susannah's blogging course, but since then have come to learn she is friends with my dear friend and yoga teacher Jessica. (Which I find funny, because Susannah is in England, and Jessica is here in Colorado Springs.)

Sunshine & Silence: I feel like Tamsin and I are kindred spirits, and I appreciate every word she writes.

[dropcap custom_class="normal"] I[/dropcap] met the lovely Daisy over at In Full Blume through Susannah Conway's Blogging From the Heart online course earlier this year, along with a whole host of other smart and creative women across the world. Susannah's course was what pushed me to get back to sharing my thoughts in this space. (So you can praise or blame her as you see fit...)

Anyway, Daisy asked me to join in on the Writing Process blog tour (#mywritingprocess), a series of four questions that introduce writers around the blogosphere. To read her answers, click here.

And to read my answers, well, just keep reading.

What am I working on?

Right now I'm in the middle of two magazine freelance assignments, continuing to pitch stories, and trying to grow this blog.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I think I'm still trying to find a niche both professionally and personally. I've been a journalist for more than seven years, but for many of those years, I simply took assignments or found a place for something that was a personal interest. I will say I do like to use my platform to tell underrepresented stories. And I also get giddy about experiential writing.

Why do I write what I do?

My professional writing is based in telling others' stories. I like digging way below the surface and finding (and then portraying) the essence of the individual, the community, or the issue. When it comes to blogging, I'm still trying to figure out a balance of sharing too much versus skimming the surface (I guess getting to my own essence?).

How does my writing process work?

For reporting, typically I interview, transcribe (gack!), then start cutting and pasting and rearranging and chopping. I actually find that I rarely know what the angle or story will be until after all my interviews.

As for blogging, I write. I let steep. I cut. I edit. I write more. Maybe some more. Cut some more. And when I'm sick of my fussing, I cross my fingers, and hit publish. And start it all over again.

***

And with that, I pass the torch to (apparently a group of people whose names all begin with the letter J — lol):

J.T. Evans: J.T. is a writer of fantasy, science fiction and horror. He has been actively writing since he discovered a local writers group in 2006. He joined the Pikes Peak Writers in late 2008 and attended his first conference in 2010. In that time, he has worked his way up the ranks in Pikes Peak Writers from "chair mover" and "auction guard" to webmaster and president of the organization. He has stories published in An Uncommon Collection, and Phobias: A Collection of True Stories. He is expecting one more short story to be published soon. He is working on his second fantasy series, and will push the first book from the proverbial nest when it is ready. You can find out more about J.T. at his website here.

JL Fields: JL is an author, corporate wellness consultant, vegan lifestyle coach and educator, and personal chef. JL is co-author of Vegan for Her: The Woman’s Guide to Being Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet (Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2013) and the forthcoming Vegan Pressure Cooking (Fair Winds Press, 2015). Her essay "A Well-Rounded Vegan" will appear in Running, Eating, Thinking: A Vegan Anthology later this month (Lantern Books). A devoted culinary student, JL has studied at the Natural Gourmet Institute and Organic Avenue, and completed the Intensive Study Program at The Christina Pirello School of Natural Cooking and Integrative Health Studies. She is certified by — and on the faculty of — the Main Street Vegan Academy. Find her at JL Goes Vegan.

Jené Jackson: Jené is an Artist — writer, speaker, photographer, singer — and single mother. Her soon-to-be-published memoir, The Oat Project, is the story of the summer when, at 37, she finally sowed her wild oats. She is committed to exploring how to integrate the Wild into everyday life, hers, her children, and her readers. Find her at The Oat Project.

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