Saturday, December 12, 2009

Need a Little Help

He who gives when he is asked has waited too long. ~Sunshine Magazine

Hey all... a new year starts in just a couple of weeks (isn't that amazing?) and I need a new format for my guest blogs. I'm looking for input.

1. Do you even enjoy getting to know other authors?

2. If yes, do you have any questions you'd like me to ask them (and don't worry about being too silly or intrusive -- I've asked about hobbies, food, and even underwear before!). Please, please send me your questions -- you can leave them in comments or email me at authormariannearkins AT gmail DOT com.

3. Would you prefer an actual guest blog from an author instead of an interview (like this one)?

4. Would you prefer having a longer blog on just one topic (i.e. "Where did you get your idea for your book?" or "Tell us about your hobbies") and have the author expand on it?

5. With the exception of Nora Roberts and Jennifer Crusie, are there any authors in particular you'd like to hear from? I'm not shy about emailing anyone and asking for an interview (which is how the LASR site kicked off with an interview from Lori Foster when we started in 2007). They don't even necessarily have to be romance authors.

6. Anything else you'd like to add?

I really am desperate for input, so please, please -- even all you lurkers... yes YOU, you know who you are.... please let me know. THANKS!

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DD went to my SIL's for a little while yesterday to do Christmas stuff: make paper snowflakes (this is a tradition in my in-law's family, and my FIL is truly amazing at it), bake and whatnot.

While she was gone, I pulled out the FOUR boxes of stuff my mom has mailed over the past few weeks and wrapped presents. I'm not really excited about this part of Christmas, but it has to be done (I owe an enormous debt to whomever made gift bags so popular). I left all the gifts for the cat, the dog and my DH for DD to wrap (because SHE enjoys it tremendously) and then popped all her gifts under the tree.

Understand, for the past two weeks we've had two lonely little gifts under the tree and nothing else. When she came home and saw about ten more (and a couple are quite large), her eyes nearly bugged out of her head! It was awesome :-)

Now I just need to wait for the gifts I bought her online to show up. I really love to shop for other people. I remember, many years ago, I was involved in a five-car accident. I was stopped, last in line, at a stoplight and a teenaged girl was too busy ogling a cute guy to brake -- she slammed into me and I hit the car in front and so on.

I was fine with letting our insurance companies hash it out... until the lady in front of me sued me for hitting her. Uh, no. I don't think so. So I had to sue the girl who hit me (GAH, I hate even saying that -- the whole sue-happy legal system makes me crazy).

In any case, at the end of the day, I ended up with a couple thousand dollars ... a fortune to me as I was only 19 y.o. You know what I did with it? I WENT CHRISTMAS SHOPPING. It was the first time in my life that I didn't have to wince at price tags ... I could pretty much buy what I wanted for people, and it was the best time I think I've ever had.

Ah... the good old days when I was young, foolish and had few responsibilities...

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You Are Laundry



You are efficient, speedy, and on top of things. You aren't a very hands on person, and you prefer to delegate as much as possible.

You believe the quickest way to get things done is to just do them. You don't procrastinate much.



You prevent getting overwhelmed by not taking on more than you can handle. And you're not afraid to do something quickly to get it out of the way.

Technology is your friend, and you love gadgets. You'd like a lot more of your life to be automated!



Hmmmm 50/50 -- though I'd sure love a robot maid like the one on The Jetsons!

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4 comments:

MomJane said...

I did that thing on laundry, and it was about 100% wrong, so I didn't put it here.

I'm glad to be able to read your blog again.

Dru said...

You Are Dusting

You are meticulous, focused, and extremely detail oriented. It's likely that you have the cleanest home of anyone you know.

You notice all the little things that people seem to overlook. And it's not unusual for a tiny detail that's out of place to get under your skin.

Your perfectionism has no bounds, and in most cases, it's an asset. The world needs more people who can dot every "i" and cross every "t".

You're the type of person who appreciates a job well done. You believe that effort counts for a lot.
50/50 accuracy

Have a good Saturday.

Brandy said...

I have no idea how to answer the questions you've asked about guest author posts. Maybe let the author come up with their own topic? Then again, the interview format would probably be less stressful for the guest author.......Gah. Sorry, not helping.

I am: Cleaning the Toilet (Ewwww, my least favorite job) You are tough, determined, and strong willed. You are willing to take on any task, no matter how unsavory.
You have nerves and a stomach of steel. It's hard to gross you out, and it's hard to get under your skin.
You have what it takes to go far in life. When other people give up, you're still gaining momentum.
You are willing to put in the hard work to achieve the best results. You aren't afraid of getting right in the mix.

Uh-no. I do NOT have a stomach of steel and I gross out pretty easy. I do believe in hard work though. *G*

I hope you're having a fabulous Saturday!

Maria Zannini said...

I prefer author guest posts because I think they're more interesting--especially if they teach me something new.