An Award!

We have an extra post this week, thanks to one of our faithful readers, Orlando Ramos, who has awarded us with the Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award. Orlando writes a fabulous and entertaining blog and is very good at demystifying grammar. 

As part of the award, we get to share 7 random facts about ourselves and nominate 15 blogs that inspire us. What fun!

Here we go!

7 random facts about Alli:
* I am obsessive compulsive when it comes to researching—be it for my novels or buying a pair of shoes
* I once spent time in a Bolivian prison (on an unofficial “tour” before they got nixed by authorities)
* If I’m writing and really into a scene, I often close my eyes and type so I can immerse myself in that moment
* My (now) husband and I were best friends for 17 years before we started dating (think When Harry met Sally meets Melrose Place)
* For the last 20 odd years I have tried to be out of the town I’m living in for my birthday
* The only sport I’m half decent at is field hockey
* I am very accident prone and have no idea how many times I’ve been on crutches. I put this down to my head space being everywhere than where it should be ie watching where I’m walking

Heidi's 7 random facts:
* I used to read a book in a day. Now it takes me closer to a month.
* When I visited the Swiss village where my grandfather was born, I discovered that our family has lived there continuously for over a thousand years. That kind of permanency still blows my mind.
* I used to play fetch in the park with a 3-legged dog. I got tired before she did.
* I once spent an afternoon with female dervishes in a house in Western Iran.
* I drink coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon. Except when I need an energy boost, in which case only Turkish coffee will do the trick.
* My favorite color is the blue of the tile on an Isfahani mosque.
* Sometimes I dream in Farsi.

7 random facts about Lina
* I am a proud workaholic and caffeine addict. 
* I’ve never taken an IQ test because I’m convinced my score will be in the negatives.
* When I was 12, a rare orthopedic disorder left me bedridden for three years so I used to read 2-3 books a day to live in a different reality.
* I am a masochist: I am mortally, incurably, and desperately afraid of flying, but I fly all the time.
* My not-so-distant relative, Yakov Zeldovich, was a world-famous physicist with awards and medals in nuclear physics, astrophysics and black hole thermodynamics. My father was a physicist too and hoped to pass the torch onto me. I am the family’s black sheep who can’t add even with a calculator.
* The most incredible mind-boggling thing I ever discovered was the feeling of bioenergy between my palms.
* My son thinks I’m the coolest mom ever because I curse like a sailor.


7 random facts about Supriya
1. I’m a city girl stuck in the burbs.
2. I can’t cook for beans. I mean, I try each and every day but, inspite of owning every cookbook on the planet, it’s still uphill.
3. My husband thinks my treadmill is, ahem, gaining weight. (See fact 2.)
4. I’m big enough to say it (see fact 3): I miss Oprah.
5. I won Girl Scout Leader of the Year award last month. This feels both random and kind of ironic.
6. I love Indian music but seriously can’t understand a lick of it.
7. I’m addicted to buying books. I’m considering one of those 12 step thingees. (I’ve heard the reading material is free.)

Here is our list of people we would like to receive the Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award:

http://drunkwritertalk.blogspot.com/ This bunch of gals are not only funny, they have wonderful insights into storytelling and writing.

http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com/ This blog is not only informative, it has saved many a writer’s life with its fabulous thesauruses on emotion, setting, and character traits.

http://blog.garycorby.com/ Not only is Gary Corby smart, he is a brilliant writer. His knowledge of ancient Greece is astounding.

http://www.gargoylegirl.com/ Photos of an unusual subject. Gigi Pandian finds gargoyles in the most unexpected places.

http://turmericsaffron.blogspot.com/ Once a week, Azita combines mouth-watering recipes and photos with stories from her childhood growing up in Iran.

http://goatmilkblog.com/ One of the best places for news and ideas about the Middle East.

http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/ An excellent blog for discussions of international crime fiction.

http://thrillskillsnchills.blogspot.com/ This blog publishes awesome mystery, noir, and general mayhem stories. 

http://murderiseverywhere.blogspot.com/ These seven excellent mystery novelists set their books in all corners of the globe – from Africa to Iceland to Brazil and beyond. And their blog is beyond fabulous. Smart and entertaining.

http://radvazblog.com/ This hilarious NY comedian/actress is the person we'd most likely to go drinking with (but beg her not to blog about afterwards). She's going to hate being called "sweet" -- "tart" might be a better description. Still, we ♥ her.

http://awanderingtale.com/ Our friend at A Wandering Tale is phenomenal. A world traveler first and foremost, she's also a Peace Corps volunteer, an environmental activist, and just a darn good writer. Read about her travels through some of the world's most fascinating places.

http://italianintrigues.blogspot.com/ Patricia Winton, an expat living in Rome, writes Italian food mysteries. Her blog covers all things Italian, including recipes and food history.

http://internationalnoir.blogspot.com/ If you like to travel but don't have the time or money, check out this book review site. Glenn Harper reviews interesting and unusual mystery books set in every corner of the globe. These aren't necessarily bestsellers (though there are some of those too), but some really interesting books that will open your mind up to new worlds.

http://zoeferraris.blogspot.com/ The author of Finding Nouf writes about politics, the news, culture, and really, so much fun stuff, you'll have trouble pulling yourself away.


http://blog.liviablackburne.com/ She had us at the title. A Brain Scientist’s Take on Writing is just fascinating. Period.


Enjoy!

If you’re one of the ones on our list, here’s how to pay it forward with the award:
1) Thank and link to the person that nominated you.
2) Share 7 random facts about yourself.
3) Pass the award to 15 of your blogging buddies.
4) Notify the recipients.