Tag: nominated

I’ve been nominated for the Liebster Awards!

Firstly, I just want to thank Kim (writersideoflife.com) for the nomination! Please do check out her blog! 😀

Secondly, I am new to the Liebster awards, so I’m not 100% sure what it is about, going to do a little bit of research into it now, but wanted to write a blog post first to share my excitement!

From what I can tell, it’s an Award to help bloggers get recognised, which would be brilliant… getting readers is definately something that has been difficult, not just on my blogs, but on my writing works too. There have been times where I have nearly given up… (I think I did at one point, but then came back to it) but I have tried to push, posting snippits of my books, updating people on what I’m doing (like my student life as well as my current adventure on the Isle of Skye – watch out for my next blog post, going to write about my little tour I did Saturday!) in the hope it’ll eventually pay off. I know a lot of people say to engage with others, and every now and then I really do try! It’s just so difficult when you’re extremely busy all the time! I know if I tried a little harder trying to talk to others more (I do suffer with anxiety, so that hinders me) then I’d probably be in a better position by now.

Anyway, the Liebster Awards, check this link out to read more about it: https://theglobalaussie.com/liebster-award-2018/

Here’s a pretty picture of, what I guess, is the official Award Logo… (the flowers look very similar to the ones on my published book cover; ‘It’s My Mistake’! 😀 )

What makes me passionate about blogging?

One of the questions it asks me to write about for this Liebster Awards is ‘”What makes you passionate about blogging?”, and to be honest, this is a really easy question! I know a lot of authors blog mainly to just get more people to see their work, and I don’t like being a typical person trying to follow trends. You don’t see me making up pretty pictures of books to post on instagram (the app doesn’t even work well on my phone!) and I dislike these serial twitter-ers(?) who seem to post and repost similar posts about famous quotes, silly pictures, or – of course – their books and other people’s books (I will admit, I’ve tried this, but I find it doesn’t really help, and I feel kinda ‘fake’ so don’t like doing it).

But why do I blog? What makes me keep blogging? Even though I may not get a lot of views? Even though it takes so much of my time and I could be spending it writing or doing something else (sleeping!) instead?

And the answer to these questions, and the question “what makes me passionate about blogging?” is that I want to get my story out and I want to help people, even if it helps one person!

You may or may not know, but I have a bit of a unique ‘story’ to my life, I was ‘The Girl Who Whispered’ at school. To put it in short… I was bullied (not just by kids at school), I suffered with depression, anxiety (including social anxiety), I had so many bad days (and good days, I cherish them ones now), I was on and off medication, lost friends, fell out with family members, and I want to use my own experiences, by talking about them, to help others.

I also like to write (stories, novels, posts, etc) and include topics that should be talked about, to get people thinking… topics of sexuality, gender, discrimination, meaning of life, metaphysics, psychology, you name it, it’s probably in my books.

So, that’s why I blog. Because even if I don’t reach many people, if I reach one person and that one person takes something away from it, helps them, even if it just lifts up their mood a little, or shows them they are not allowed when they suffer, or just engages them to think about a certain topic, I feel as if I have done well.

Ten Random Facts about Myself:

Here’s another one the Award requires you to do, ten random facts about myself. Let’s see…

1. I’m from a large town (large enough to be a city) called Swindon in England, born and grew up there.
2. I don’t have a favourite colour – everyone always has a favourite colour, but I don’t. I don’t like the idea of having to have a ‘favourite anything’. I like most colours… so why do I have to have a favourite one? Although, I’m not keen on pink.
3.  I don’t like English food… okay, that’s not entirely true, I don’t mind English food, but I much prefer foreign food, Chinese, Thai, Indian, Italian… they’re much more flavouresome!
4. I’m 30 in November, but I don’t look it. I’m constantly being mistaken for being younger and I hate it!
5. I have a BTEC National Diploma in Software Development. I quit my Higher National Diploma. I wish I didn’t.
6. I’m one of those rare people who dislikes strawberries!
7. I wanted to be a mechanic when I was a teenager, my dad convinced me to do Programming instead.
8. I grew up with dogs, my mum and dad had a dog (retriever) when I was born and was my guardian while I grew up. They now have two boxer dogs who are mad.
9. I have green eye envy (I love people who have green eyes and wish mine were green! They’re not, they’re blue!)
10. Last one… let’s make this good… I owe Noel Edmonds a coffee! 😉

Nominations:

Another thing I need to do is to nominate a few people/blogs for the award too, I think this is going to be a diffiult one as I really don’t know many people very well, so here goes…

Here are my nominations… should you choose to accept it!

1. First, of course, I want to nominate Kim for just nominating me and giving me the chance to take part in the Liebster Awards. Thank you, Kim!
2. Second, I want to nominate my good friend Martin. He has some lovely poems that have some really amazing thinking points to them that I think everyone should at least think about the topic he’s trying to convey.
3. Thirdly, I want to nominate Luke, who I believe deserves more credit! He’s a fellow author like myself and it’s been a pleasure to speak to him. So many authors out there aren’t interested in actually talking, helping you out, or generally encouraging you, but Luke is!
4. Fourthly, I want to nominate Raymond. He too has been a lovely guy I met from just being an author myself. He’s been a great help, and it’s always a pleasure to talk to him… especially when he seems to have some similar weird interests just like me! 😀
5. Lastly, I wanted to nominate Darnell. The reason for this is to just say a small thank you for liking a few of my blog posts about my books/writing, it’s so nice to know they are being read and enjoyed, it’s encouraging, so thank you! 🙂

Here are the rules:

What to Do if Nominated for the Liebster Award

Answers to previous Questions:

Here are my answers to the few questions that Kim has asked:

1. If you could have any job, what would it be?
   Easy, write! It’s a dream of mine to be able to just write, whether it’s writing books, short stories, or blogs. I’d love the freedom to be able to earn money writing and travel at the same time.
2. Your best book?
   My best book that I wrote? Or best book that I have read? Well, best book that I wrote (although it’s not yet published, I’m waiting to hear back from a publisher!) is my Rose Garden Sanatorium series (book 1 for now, shall we say). I pretty much live it, the books, story, plot line, histories and characters are constantly in my head. I wish they were real and I could actually live it.
   Now, if this question meant “best book I have read?” then that would have to be Harry Potter. I know, cliche much? But they have really helped me out through my teenage years, helped me through a tough time and I have a lot to thank for the escapism in Joanna Rowling’s books! – Although I am now an obsessed Harry Potter fan and I am hoping to collect at least the first book in all the languages!
3. What is your best blog post?
   I think this one is now! Haha. If that’s not a good enough answer, then I’m not sure. Each and every blog post has a meaning, and like I said, I don’t have favourites! Haha! But I do love my Rose Garden Sanatorium Chapters I have posted in blog format (Chapter 1 is my favourite! 😉 ) mostly because I love the book I wrote, otherwise, if that doesn’t really count, then I have to say “Standing up to Bullying – don’t stop the dreamers!” is the best, because of the message it is trying to tell (feel free to check it out!)
4. Which one celebrity would you go on a coffee date with?
   Ha, well, I already owe Noel Edmonds a coffee (Ironic that this is a question when I put this as a random fact about me already!) but one person I’d love to have a coffee date with, other than Noel, would be Tom Hiddleston. I’m not one for celebrity crushes, I’ve always found the conversations with girls/women about ‘hot celebrities’ boring and I can never join in (I’ve since come to realise that I may be Demisexual) but there is something about Tom that I adore. He’s not only a brilliant actor, but he’s a lovely guy and well educated (I’m also a Sapioxesual too!). Although I’m not happy that he hasn’t replied to my fan mail, nor did he turn up to my birthday when I invited him and the rest of the Avengers a few years ago (haha!!) Here’s hoping for my 30th birthday this November, might try again. XD
5. What is your dream holiday?
   I’ve been quite fortunate that I’ve travelled a lot, Egypt, USA, Thailand, Singapore, worked in Australia, currently on the Isle of Skye working and exploring now. I’m a huge travel fan, there are lots of places I’d like to go, and each one really depends on why I am going… is it a break from the winter weather? Is it a break to relax from working? Is it an adventure because you’re bored and want something exiting in life? Right now, I’d like to visit California, I’d like to see what it is like there to live as I’d like to one day move somewhere warm because I get ill when I get cold (Thanks, Fibromyalgia!)
6. Your top 3 favourite movies?
   Resident Evil, Constantine (which is a huge inspiration for my book ‘Rose Garden Sanatorium’) and Law Abiding Citizen.
7. Do you write to music? Why or why not?
   No, I think I tried it once, as I love singing, but I’m not sure I was any good, so never really tried it again.
8. What would you prefer ? Going back in time and changing something or going ahead in time and exploring your future?
   Ooo, tough question! I don’t think I’d want to change anything, because who knows if I accidentally make things worse? You’ve all seen the Butterfly Effect, right? And I’m not sure I’d want to explore my future either… what if it’s not what I was hoping for? But seeing as the latter only affects myself and the other is too greater risk to going the wrong way, I’ll rather go ahead and explore my future.
9. How many languages do you speak?
   Two. English and Bad English. 😛 I did try learning Latin a while ago with Cambridge University, and I know a few Chinese words (Nin hao!), and I would LOVE to be bilingual. Just never had the time to practice (I know it sounds like an excuse, but believe me… I have to force myself not to do too much, I am always overdoing it!)
10. Why did you start blogging?
    Well, I wanted to get my story out, open up the world to what it was like for me growing up and having to battle my demons… I wanted to inspire and help others!
    (Plus, someone told me it’s a good idea for writers like myself to blog, so I gave it a go!)
11. Do you prefer poems that rhyme or not?
    Yes, poems that rhyme, in time, along a line… (sorry, not very good writing poems!), I find them more pleasing to read/listen to. Although, I’m not a huge poem fan anyway, I can appreciate them, the thought gone into them and the message (if any) that they are trying to convey.

My questions for my nominees:

1. Tea or Coffee?
2. What’s your favourite colour? ( 😛 )
3. If you won a million pounds, what would you do with it?
4. What’s your favourite book?
5. If you could speak to anyone (dead or alive) who would it be?
6. If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
7. What genre of books do you prefer?
8. Do you prefer hot summer weather or cold winter weather?
9. Do you collect anything? If so, what?
10. What fictional place would you most like to go?
11. If your life was a book, what would its title be?

Once again, thank you to Kim for the nomination, and good luck to everyone who is entering into the award!

All the best… (going to make something to eat now, been trying to get this blog post finished and my stomach is trying to communicate to me now…)

~Alex. x