Last winter sometime, I can’t recall exactly when, I was nominated for the sunshine blog award. I dutifully filled in the questions and attempted to nominate some folks. Well, I was nominated again. It was a couple of weeks ago now, I think. In spite of our tiny dark-roast / light-roast holy war fought over twitter to a stalemate, author L.B. Scott , a shining pillar of civility and good-nature, has nominated me again. At first I was going to skip it. After all, I’m busy with writing, work, new projects, and I haven’t been blogging much anyhow. However, I’ve been goaded into it. So, without further ado, here are my responses to the Sunshine Blogger interview – with more questions and a small handful of nominations on the bottom.

1.) What is your favorite book?

Do I really have to pick? Okay, I will – The Silmarillion. Yes, really. I love it. Harry Potter (a close 2^nd through 8^th) is also a favorite. Ironically, these two books haven’t really informed my writing voice as much as you might expect. I’d love to write a successful high fantasy in the vein of Tolkien, with all the rich language, culture, history, and world, and I’ve tried, but I have yet to make the story ring true. Maybe some day.

2.) Did you go to College? What was your Major?

I went to College for Computer Science. I wanted to make video games. Looking back on it, what I really wanted to do was write video-game story lines. Now I do databases and reporting, but that pays the bills way better than fantasy-land wannabe writer.

3.) What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into?

Ravenclaw.

4.) What was the first chapter book you read?

I’ll go with my side of the mountain. It was a young adult book about a kid who runs off into the Catskills to live off the land. That’s the first one I read and enjoyed. Xanth book 1 was what got me reading.

5. What is the silliest nickname you’ve received?

I win the award on this one. Nable. Like Naval, but with a b instead of a v. When I was a kid a friend of mine decided I liked Naval oranges, which I did, except he thought it was Nable and not naval, so he called me Nable. That name stuck for years. I still associate myself with that name, though I no longer use it.

6.) Where do you want to escape to?

Home. I already live in Alaska and on the edge of a swamp surrounded by forest and wild animals and stuff. Although, the backwoods of Vermont sound nice too.

7.) Take me on your ideal date

No. I’m married, but I’ll take my wife on an ideal date. We would take a long walk on an unseasonably warm fall night to lie on the side of the hill and gaze at the stars while we talk and wait for the northern lights to flicker to life.

8.) What was your favorite game to play as a child?

I don’t remember, that was like 30 years ago. I can say that I didn’t like playing with toys that didn’t have many moving parts. So, I spent a lot of time playing with Lego. It was all about the build for me.

9.) If you could own any animal and not deal with the consequences (ie: it won’t eat you, it now eats grass) what would own and why?

To be perfectly honest, I flat wouldn’t. Maybe a cat – a nice one, but I have a hard enough time taking care of myself and kids, let alone another critter that needs truckloads of grass to remain happy and not dead. Now, if we were counting trees as animals? I’d like to have a full-sized English oak in my front yard. I’d feed him, and water him and name him Bruce. You know, Bruce the oak.

10.) Your favorite TV show?

Firefly. Why? Is it just the cliché nerd-fav? no. I love it because it never had time to start sucking. Plust the dialogue is OUTSTANDING. Listen to it. Then compare it to something like, hell, I don’t know, Grimm. Don’t get me wrong, Grimm is one of my most guilty pleasures, but the dialogue is mostly weak – except some of the stuff you get from Monroe and Rosalie, I have a strong suspicion there is some improvisation going on there.

11.) If you could do anything knowing you would not fail, what would you do? Why?

Easy. I’d quit my day job and become a full-time writer. I love writing and while I’d still be beholden to a publisher, agent, audience, I still have a larger measure of control over what I’m doing than just about any other job. Anyhow, it’s what I want to do, so there it is.

Alright, so I answered the questions, now it’s your turn:

1.) Why do you blog?

2.) Have you ever seen a ghost?

3.) What is the most amazing place you’ve ever been?

4.) Would you rather spend 3 weeks in 90F+ weather or 3 weeks at -30F?

5.) What is your dream job?

6.) If you could wake up one morning and play an instrument proficiently, any instrument, what would it be?

7.) Light Roast or Dark Roast? You have to take a side, even if you don’t drink coffee.

8.) Apple or PC?

9.) What is the most recent book you read?

10.) What is your favorite thing to do?

11.) You have 1 weekend to visit any major city in the world – which one?

To take the ‘award’ All you have to do is answer the questions, make up 11 new ones and pass on the joy to up to 11 others. If you have a blog and have read this, consider yourself nominated too. Answer the questions. I’d also like to call out a few folks specifically.

https://officialgabrielpenn.wordpress.com/

https://dreamsandletters.wordpress.com/

https://wyrmflight.wordpress.com/