Awards and Challenges abound...

Hi everyone... It's been a wonderful week! I've been nominated by two special people for two separate awards. So, to save time, I'm going to post them both in this post. Check it out!!

First up: The fabulous Mae Clair has sent me the Sunshine Award! If you haven't heard of or been over to Mae's blog or website... you must check it out. She has tons of great post throughout the week and has a amazing romantic suspense book coming out from Lyrical Press in October called Weathering Rock. Check her out for all the details!

Now for the Sunshine rules: 

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you *Hi five, Mae, you ROCK*
2. Post the award icon ---> Pretty huh?
3. Answer the questions below
4. Nominate other bloggers.

What is your favorite Christmas/festive movie?
I'd have to say, Santa Claus (1985) It's a pretty old movie but I remember watching it so much as a child that I always have to watch it when it comes on TV. It a classic (to me) 

What is your favorite flower, favorite color? 
I love roses, and daisy's. And  Purple. Purple. Purple of any variety is my favorite color :)

What is your favorite non-alcoholic beverage?
Sweet tea. I'm from the south and I don't think I could live without it. And don't give that 'instant tea' crap! I want the real deal... real sugar and all!!
 
What is your passion?I have a lot of passions. My family-- husband and 2 daughters- I have a passion for reading and a new found passion for writing. What could be better than that?

What is your favorite time of year?I have 2 favorites, but for 2 different reasons. Spring- when all the flowers are in bloom. When you walk outside and the chill in the air is gone and there is a soft breeze and you get that feel that Summer is coming. I love it.
My 2nd favorite is the Christmas season, not for the cold (could we have Christmas in the Spring? It would work for me, what about you?) I like the mood it seems to put people into (for the most part). Everyone seem a little bit nicer, a little more caring. My children get so excited for Santa, they can't hardly stand themselves, the decorations, the music... and most importantly, to celebrate the real meaning of Christmas. Jesus is the reason for the season :)

What is your favorite time of day?
Nighttime. When the kids are in bed, my husbands doing his own thing and it's just me and my laptop... writing, writing, writing.

What is your favorite physical activity?
Physical? Ugh! Really... that's probably the problem. I should be more active. I'd have to say swimming. We recently bought a pool last year and we've really been enjoying it as a family. I love it.

What is your favorite vacation?
Without question... the beach. The ocean breeze, sand beneath my toes, soaking up the sun's rays. Yeah, that's my kind of life right there. I'd be happy to spend my retirement (or lottery earnings) in this very spot. There's plenty of trees. Who'd take a hammock and join me??--->





Now on to the LOOK challenge! 
It's my honor to be nominated by the wonderful L.J. Kentowski to participate in the LOOK Challenge. I love getting these challenges because they are all so different. Be sure to stop by L.J.'s blog and website and have a look around. She has awesome post and fun challenges on Wednesday. She also has a kick butt paranormal romance out called Guardian of Fate (book 1) and soon book 2- Seeker of Fate. They are must reads! 

The rules are simple for this challenge!

• Find the first usage of the word "look" in your WIP and past the surrounding paragraph into your blog
• Tag as many people as you want to take part in the challenge with you

I cheated a bit. I didn't use the very first time "Look" popped up because it was very boring and gave no insite whatsoever. SO!  I did the second one. Here goes:

The sweat dripped down the back of my neck and other unmentionable parts of my body as I ran. The hot temperature of the September heat made me realize I probably picked the worst time of day to force myself around this track. I looked across the pond where I originally started and knew there was no way I'd be able to push myself all the way around before collapsing from exhaustion or worse, a heat stroke.

Hearing a noise behind me, I stepped off the path and jogged near the edge of the water so I wouldn't force the person behind me to slow down. I looked over at a man as he fell into stride beside me. He nodded, giving me a smile. I smiled back, hearing unknown lyrics to a loud song stream from the headphones in his ears as he started to pass. Then out of nowhere, I fell forward. The only thing I could see in front of me was the pond. I saw a park bench in my line of sight and I tried to reach for it, but missed. The momentum of my body propelled me forward and I screamed before I was silenced with a mouth full of water.

 Now for the lovely writers I'm tagging:

• Nomi McCabe
• Kristine Cayne
• JC Cassels
• Jennifer Wells
• Liv Rancourt

That was so much fun! I hope you enjoyed the snippet from Painted Memories and learning a little more about me. Until next time, I hope you have a fantastic week!