A to Z Challenge! On AWARDS

Today is the start of the A to Z Challenge! It's my first time, so I hope I can pace myself. I'm #1157 in the lineup-yow! I'll talk about something fun today-AWARDS! You know you love them. So you want to concentrate on your writing, and honing your story so it sings and has razor-edge tension. And you're not supposed to concentrate on perks like getting reviews and readers and peer recognition. But an award doesn't hurt, does it? I'll never forget in my junior year of high school, getting the creative writing award and standing up on that stage, my knobby knees knocking; and later, getting my first NYPL Best Book for Teens award for Refugees, which carried me through difficult writing times and revision h*ll.
So, yeah, concentrate on crafting three-dimensional characters and a strong story, but don't forget to award yourself a pat on the back, or throw a party to celebrate that first finished draft.

Speaking of awards, I'm going to do some award-giving right now!
I'm feeling extra generous today, so... drum roll please.... the TWO winners of my free 25-page YA sci-fi manuscript evaluation are Margo Rowder and Debbie Davies!
Can't wait to read your pieces! (Send 'em as doc or docx attachments)

Freaky Hybrid Award

Now for my 2nd round of awards! The Freaky Hybrid Awards go to... (Told you I was feeling generous) Three creative thinkers from my last Fireseed Tour stop at Wistful Nebulae where we played Hybrid Mashups:
1. Allan Douglas for his genetically engineered trees that when planted in a pattern grow into a building that would be self-repairing!
2. SUZE for her new kind of "YEAR OF" mashup, with the year of the Bioengineering, Year of Self-Reproducing Automata, and Year of Neural Implant Connectivity
3. Misha Gericke for a chocolate and veggie hybrid that allows one to get the vitamins while indulging a chocolate fix!
What's been your most meaningful award so far? Most prized achievement? Gift to yourself for reaching a challenging goal? Favorite award you've given out to another person? A to Zers and everyone else, let's hear yours!

Hurricane Irene, Appreciated Followers & Campaigner 2011

First of all, I joined the Platform-Building Campaign, hosted by Rachael Harrie, so check in for chances to join in the fun and blog-hop. You don't need to be a Campaigner to participate. But if you hop on over to Rach Writes... by August 31st, you can make it official.

Next, I'm thrilled to report that I got two Appreciated Follower Awards in one day, and another a few days later. What an embarrassment of riches! So, I want to thank Kelly Hashway, Dawn Brazil and Courtney Koschel. Take a look at their great blogs and consider following them! It’s funny, they are some of the very bloggers who I would grant an Appreciated Follower Award to. Not so sure the rules allow me to boomerang them back, so my Appreciated Follower Awards (drum roll) go to:

1. Helen Mallon at WritingNurture
2. PK Hrezo at Fiction Addiction
   
   
3. Candy Lynn Fite's On the Trail to Publication
4. Shelley HW at Writ. Written. Wrote.
5. Cathy Kozak’s When the Dervish Dances
6. Charmaine Clancy's Wagging Tales

A Hurricane Irene Postscript: I was planning on hunkering down in Manhattan during Irene, but my family cajoled me into escaping to the hollers of the Catskill Mountains. We had three downed trees, including a beloved Willow. We lost power, had major

cabin-fever, and impassioned arguments over what movie to watch, what we should cook for dinner and the true meaning of A Clockwork Orange. We were also unable to drive our son to his dorm on Sunday night as the highways were closed. But, we were safe.

I must confess, I snuck out on the porch, delighting in the crazy high winds and hammering rains. I hope you all were safe!

Any interesting war stories from Irene? Any brilliant theories of A Clockwork Orange or why weather forecasters never get hurricane predictions right? Oh, or the true meaning of life?