Thank you, Brooklyn Hudson, for tagging me for the ...

Thank you, Brooklyn Hudson, for tagging me for the LIEBSTER AWARD--an award for blogs with less than 200 followers that deserve to be looked at and followed. 



Check out Brooklyn's very popular blog here : http://brooklynhudson.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-liebster-award.html



Now my job is to list 11 random facts about me, answer the 11 questions Brooklyn chose for me, then to nominate 11 new bloggers, who should bask in the Liebster glow - which means doing the same as I am doing here.

Rules: post a blog linking back to me, with 11 random facts about you, answer my 11 questions and nominate 11 new bloggers (and think of 11 questions to ask them - can be anything!).

Here we go...





Here are ELEVEN FACTS ABOUT ME that I bet you did not know...



1. I was born in Norwalk and lived in Mystic, Connecticut. I now live in New Jersey.



2. My father was an electrical engineer and has several patents to his name. Some of his products were used for creating special effects in Star Wars.



3. My mother had clients at an old job named Mr. Prettybottom and Mr. Pennypincher. Really.



4. I was a freelance make-up artist and had pictures in many popular magazines, Macy's, and model portfolios. My agency was called Unforgettable. I also toyed around with voiceover and real estate and worked in a barber shop. I give the best men's haircuts around. 





First makeup attempt for school play.

5. I can read tarot cards and did it as a job for a while.



6. I have a slight obsession with religious objects, possession, and the occult.



7. I had a friend who had an exorcism.



8. I can tell when bad things are going to happen sometimes. Not little bad things--BIG.



9. I have a dog that sneezes on command, a dog that can play the drums, and a bird that can talk. A little.



10. I have a really nice Telecaster guitar in sunburst red and I play it really poorly but I love it and I don't care.



11. I LOVE to drive. Especially near the ocean. In fact I love the ocean. I don't need to swim in it--just having it close is enough.





And my questions from Brooklyn:



1) What are you currently writing and when do you expect to release your next work(s)?



I'm working on the re-release of my Easter book Francine and The Super Spy Bunny along with its companion coloring book. Then comes Penelope's Garden and The Moon is No Place for a Ghost--also with coloring books. Somewhere in there will be the anthology The Daughter of Nostradamus--short, twisted horror stories with female main characters.





2) Do you believe the dead speak? If yes, how?



I think they do. I believe their energy stays around. I also think it is strongest as soon as they die. I had a strange experience--the sun went behind a cloud one afternoon and I heard my grandfather tell me to take care of my grandmother and not to worry. The sun came back out and the phone rang--it was my mom telling me my grandfather had passed away. Another time I was talking to an aunt about my long deceased paternal grandmother when the pot of purple Easter flowers fell to the floor. Purple was her favorite color. I've also had dreams that were just too odd to discount.

3) What is the one thing that scares you most?



I have two--being trapped under ice and certain diseases. And funny--not ME getting diseases but the people I love.



4) What is your totem (or spirit) animal?



A bird--possibly and eagle or raven.



5) If your writing took off tomorrow and you suddenly found yourself very wealthy, what would be your most extravagant purchase?



I would buy several permanent residences in lovely hotels around the world--one in NYC, one in the Florida Keys, one in Carmel, CA, one in France and one in Italy. I'm sure I could think of a few more. I love hotels and the energy there. I like to be surrounded by people and would thrive in the hustle-bustle atmosphere without having to interact all the time. And of course they would all have a spa.



6) What book or film influences your writing to this day?



Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It made me see literature in a different way. Although it is a story, it has little stories within. There are poems and pictures and it let me know there is not one way to do ANYTHING. I also have to mention Tim Burton and Edward Gorey--both huge influences with too many examples to mention.



7) If you could have penned one previously published book written by a well known author, which would it have been?



Dracula. I love it--but would change it (of course) to suit my style. I love the darkness there.



8) If you could only watch only one television program, what show would it be? Why?



Big Bang Theory. It is short, each show is a half hour, perfect for my short attention span, it makes me laugh, I never get tired of it, and it reminds me of many people I know and went to school with. And I love science.



9) If you could go back in time to any age and start over what age would it be? Why?



I would go back to the freshman year of high school and focus on what I wanted to do rather than what people told me they thought I should. I was far too influenced and should have been doing art in some way since then. I had a terrific time but got a bit way-layed. 



10) What has been your proudest moment in life thus far?



Oh boy. I guess going back to college at 45 and becoming a member of the honor society Psi Beta.

11) The Ultimate Dinner Party: Which five people would you invite? Why?



Jesus--I have LOTS of questions for that guy. Neil Gaiman--I love the way he writes and the way he thinks. I would look forward to the conversations. Jack White--I love his lyrics and I think he is one of the best musicians out there. He has endless ideas--I like to be around that. JK Rowling--I would want to know about the roller coaster that I am sure she went through from thinking of, to writing, and seeing the Harry Potter movies through. Liz Phair--again, great musician and ground-breaker, but we have VERY different views and I think she would spice things up. Or we would get into a fight. Either way--fun stuff.



The people I nominate for the Liebster are:



Belinda Frisch



Katheryn Lane



Paul Rega



Jane Carroll



Barbara Silkstone



Sibel Hodge



Kim Koning



Dawn Torrens

(more to come soon)



And here are your questions:



1. What projects have you just finished--and what are you working on now?



2. Do you have any hidden talents?



3. If you had NO limitations and were a guaranteed success--what project would you undertake?



4. Please tell us three things on your bucket list.



5. What is the best and worst part of writing?



6. What character in a book or movie do you relate to the most?



7. Are you more athletic or aesthetic?



8. Do you believe in anything supernatural? If so, what.



9. What makes you happy?



10. If you could be smarter or better looking--which would you choose and why?



11.  Whom do you admire the most, and how does this person inspire you?



Thanks everyone for reading and participating! XO



Thanks Brooklyn :)