Hello all!!

Well, here I am with my first "Taggy Tuesday" post!

I decided to a squishing of 3 tags in here because originally this was going to part of the whole "March Tag Madness" thing. And since it was fairly well completed, I didn't see the point of separating it all out again. And with the tags being on one day a week, it will give a chance for some variety instead of being all-tags-all-the-time.

So I'm going to knock out three tags that have been on the shelf for a while: The Winter Wonderland Tag (which I swear is the twin sister to the Christmas Tag that I did earlier this year), The Tag of Sunshine, and The Rising Author Tag.

So without further ado, let us begin!

How appropriate...as I'm writing this I'm getting snow. Joy.

I was tagged by Awdur @ The Pen of Awdur...an embarrasingly long time. Awdur is someone that I connected to rather recently because of of the cool mix between old-fashioned sewing and books. You can check out her post HERE. And then I got tagged again, this time by Mary Katherine @ Sarcastic Scribblings. She is one of my alphas and an awesome person in general :). You can view MK's post HERE.

Rules:

1. Link back to the Storybook Journal - another blog I follow now! She did a great post recently on the flaws of the 2005 P&P film...which I happen to agree 100% with, even though I like the movie :).
2. Answer the questions!
3. Tag at least 3 other bloggers (or more if you feel so inclined)

Well, that is simple enough....now onto the questions!


1. Name a few things you like about Winter and a few things you don't like about Winter.

I Like:

The sheer beauty that snow and ice can create. Hoarfrost is one of my favorite natural phenomenons.
Snowball fights.
Building snow forts and making snow angels.
Hot cocoa and tea :)

I Don't Like:

The cold.
The mud and slush that comes after snow.
The salt spray that is all over my car.
Scraping ice off of the cars.
Ice in general.
The fact that my room seems to be the coldest room in the house.....


2. When you were a kid, did you believe in Santa Claus? 

.....yes. Yes I did. We didn't really know the legend of St. Nicholas until I started attending the Latin Mass on a regular basis, so we were taught about Santy Claus. And yes, I did sit on his knee, multiple times. It was a highlight of my childhood to sit on Santa's lap and get a picture taken.



3. Is there a book or movie that you like to watch during the winter - as opposed to any other time of the year?

White Christmas. That definitely cements it to me that it is winter. Snow and ski lodges will do that.



4. Is there a particular Christmas movie that you watch every year as a tradition?

See the above answer.



5. Do you usually get a fake tree or a real tree for Christmas? Who is in charge of decorating it?

We have a 50 year old fake tree that we use every year. We had real trees when I was really really little, but then we rescued a fake one that Mom had growing up. It's still holding together...despite having the pole replaced. And having bare tips on a few of the branches. Oh well, at least the needles have stopped dropping....for the most part.

Mom is most definitely in charge of the tree (it is, after all, HER tree), although we do put up our own personal ornaments. Mom and I tend to be tree police though, LOL.

A couple of years ago, we discovered that we had too many ornaments for our 8ft tall fake tree, and had a small tree that we used in between the real trees and getting our big tree. So now, we have two trees up during Christmas (in separate rooms of course). And I'M in charge of the little tree :).

Copyright: Catherine Hawthorn. Our big 50 year old fake tree.

6. Does your family usually stay home or go visiting (relatives, friends, etc.) on Christmas Day?

We stay home, and for the most part, so does our family and friends. We did have family over for Christmas a couple of times, but it was mostly because they couldn't be there for New Years.


7. What does your family usually do on New Years Eve? Any traditions? Do you ever stay up to midnight?

A lot of times, we'll either play a board game or watch a long movie as we wait up for the New Year to start. While we do watch the ball drop, we don't tune in until right as it begins to descend. Not very fond of the entertainment, to be honest. We have our own brand that we like better :).


8. Do you get snow where you live? If so, have you ever built a snowman? Is his name Olaf?

We do get snow a fair bit, usually in February it seems. Yes, I have built a snowman! Several, actually.

I think these are my sibling's snowmen....

However, we haven't made any since Frozen came out, so we never named them Olaf. Or anything for that matter....except maybe Frosty.



9. If it's snowing outside, would you rather go outside and build snowmen and enjoy it? Or would you rather stay inside, curled up in a blanket with a cup of tea and a movie/book?

For the most part, I do like to stay inside curled up in a blanket, with a book :). If anybody knows anything about me, it's that I don't. like. the. cold.

Though I do get the wild desire to go out and play in the snow occasionally....


10. When do you start looking forward to Spring?

After January ends. I'm usually sick of winter by that point, and I long to be outside in the warm sunshine.


I'm leaving this tag open - as most people really probably don't want to think about winter right now. I sure don't right now...





Back in January, I was tagged for this cute tag by Mira @ Stepping into Sunshine! For those who don't know her, she is a ray of sunshine itself. I always feel inspired and warm whenever I visit her little corner. You can view her post HERE.

Rules:

1. Thank the person who tagged you (Thank you, Mira dear!)
2. Answer the questions.
3. Tag at least 2 bloggers with 7 questions of your own.



1. Would you survive in your favorite fictional world?

I'm not totally sure. Can I take the book as my guide? That may increase my chances :).

Considering my favorite fictional worlds tend to be Tolkeinish - such as Middle-Earth, Algaesea (Paolini), and Aistaraina (my own), it wouldn't be a bad idea, at least...


2. What did you want to be when you grew up at age five?

Oh gracious. I'm sure I had an idea...that changed every few weeks.

I know that when I was around 9, I wanted to be a vet. I had that dream in mind for several years, and was considering it for college up until high school. In the end, the 8 years of school and the emotional toll that it entailed convinced me to take up agriculture instead.



3. C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien?

Oh goodness.....why must it be one or the other?! Is it a choice between a pure allegory or a partial allegory with complex world and races?!

These guys were really good friends with each other in real life. There is a persistent theory that C.S. Lewis based Digory/The Professor on Tolkien and Tolkien based Treebeard on Lewis.

I say, both. Cause I love them both. Picking one of these two would be like picking Kat or Lia from Catholic Girl Stuff. Just way way too hard. Nope.


4. Favorite musical?

Of all time? It may surprise you...

Photo Credit: IMDB

This was my introduction into musicals, so it holds a very special place in my heart...despite it's rather cheesy storyline.



5. What song do you breathe to?

If I had only access to one song, it would be this song:


It is an original song by an a capella group called Clamavi de Profundis. The bulk of their repertoire is actually original compositions to J.R.R. Tolkien's poems - including The Song of Durin, Lament for Boromir, and most recently, The Ent's Marching Song. 

6. Do you write in cursive or print?

I write in a scrawl. Ask Lia.

It tends to resemble print for the most part. Though it can become more cursive-like occasionally.


7. What would you do for a Klondike bar?

I love Klondike bars, and would do a fair amount for it (as long it doesn't involve embarrasing myself, we're good. *nods*)

And now that I've finished answering those, it is now time to reveal my 7 questions:

1. Do you tan or burn in the summer?
2. What was your favorite movie as a middle schooler?
3. What is your favorite summer treat?
4. Which book has traveled with you the most?
5. What is your favorite outdoor activity?
6. Do you like boats? Or do you get seasick?
7. Would you survive if you were teleported to 100 years ago?

The two bloggers that I tag are: Natasha @ The Natasha Hart and Karyssa @ No Coffee No Can Do.

And now, for the last tag!!





D.G. Snapper tagged me for this a few weeks ago. Snaps is one of the collaborators in the 5-part Writing Special, and a super awesome blogger in general. I dearly love her snark, and all of her writing posts are inspiration gold, especially the one that she did on the Book of Genesis. You can view her tag post HERE. Thank you dear friend, for passing this on to me!

 Rules:

1. No tagging back.
2. Tag 4 people
3. Thank the person who tagged you.

1. What is the longest you've ever written in a single writing session? (i.e. 2 hours? 30 mins?)

I think I wrote for 3 hours straight at some point. Which is the longest I've ever written ever. It was one of those times when the muse was actually cooperative - which is rare, let me tell you. *nods*


2. What is the funniest scene you've ever written?

*digs through writing*

Well, I'll have to go with a partial repeat snippet from From the Cave, since, well, it's the one with the most humor. Everything else is only a sarcastic line or two....I think I need to work on integrating more humor.

Mindlessly, Gail started for the kitchen as she not only changed songs on her iPod, but checked her phone for text and Facebook messages and pulled up a sci-fi book on her Kindle. Suddenly, she was sucked down into the carpet by a thing with ten legs….or was it a bag with a picture of a poufy plastic bag fort-like thing?

Must have been the iced tea. She didn't remember her parents owning such an object. Gail disentangled herself from fort-like thing, and proceeded to crash headlong into some metal boxes. Gail groaned. Where were these monsters coming from?

“Oh, you're FINALLY home!”

Gail's right hand started twitching from fear as she looked up into her father's icy stare. This could not be good. Alan Duncan never stayed up past 9:30 pm, on account of the fact that he had to be at work at 5 in the morning.

“Let me guess, I'm groun...ded…right?” Gail wearily cleared herself from the metal boxes, and slouched her way up to a sitting position.

“Um, yes, that can be safely assumed, among other things.” He nodded briskly a few times in a knowing attitude, and continued. “Your mother will appreciate your help in packing tomorrow.”

“Packing? That means...va...ca…tion, right?” Gail felt accomplished that she managed a three-syllable word in her state.

Her father raised an eyebrow. “Why don't you find out tomorrow? Right now, I think that tipsy-tot needs some sleep.”

“Aw Dad, I'm not….that….tipsy…...” Gail stopped, realizing that she had given herself away, and gave up in defeat as her father half-dragged her to her room.


3. Which of your characters is the most annoying?

Ummm, Rose o'Neill from Rose of Culmore is probably my most annoying character. She is really mysterious. I can't figure out her true character, her motives, or anything! She is the reason that I tabled this story back in May. Until I get her straightened out, this story is going nowhere.



4. How many of your stories (whether one chapter or fifty chapters through) have you planned for?

At least half a dozen, maybe more. Just check out my WIPs list if you don't believe me.

Most only have a chapter synopsis, but a couple of them have chapter maps. Being a plantster, I do my planning in stages.


5. If given the choice to write in a jungle filled with monkeys, or in the Antarctic with a bunch of penguins, which would you choose and why?

Oh good heavens. What a choice.

I hate the cold...but monkeys would really annoy the crap out of me. At least penguins would leave me alone...maybe nuzzle up or something but that wouldn't be as annoying as monkeys trying to steal my pen and rip my paper, and then some.

So as long as you supply 30 blankets, lots of wraps, and possibly a cabin with a warm fireplace, I'd got to the Antarctic.





6. How do you worldbuild?

Well, questionnaires really help (Melissa's Questions to Ask series has changed my world building forever, I swear. Go check them out, you'll understand!).

Otherwise, the world just kinda springs out of my imagination, strongly helped by images on Pinterest. And maybe a song or two. A lot ends up naturally in the scenes that I end up writing (that I piece together later).



7. If someone told you that you were a strange writer, how would you respond?

I'd laugh, and ask why in the world it took you so long to figure it out. Cause I think that would be obvious...


8. What would you do if you received an email from your main character saying that she'd like to meet you for coffee (or tea, whatever the character's preference)

Well, first I would freak out. Cause I would want to know how the dickens Janina managed to pass through to Earth from my "universe" - since people of Elvish descent can't pass through the ordinary magic portals that I know of.

I would be estatic too, because then she can give me news of all my little characters, especially her....oh shoot. Spoilers. Sorry guys. And I would jump immediately in my car, probably dragging an alpha or two....



9. Is there a scene you wish you had written differently?

Ummm, yeah. Wayyyy to many to count, sister. I was re-reading a lot of my WIPs in order to find a good snippet for Question 2 and a lot of it was...well junk. Especially Fair Winds. I think I need to run that through some betas one of these days, I need some constructive feedback on it. Like yesterday.


10. Which of your characters do you connect most with?

Eirwen, my MC from Seeds of an Orchard Invisible. She has a fault that I share with her - a tendancy towards interior anger. Her struggle with that and the desire to fulfill her vocation is also one that I share.

Eirwen

And at last, I've come to the end!!! 

Tell me honestly dear readers....is this tag squishing thing a good idea??? Now that I have a scheduled "tag day" is it better to do just single posts from now on? Because this tag squishing thing is getting to be a pain in the head.....

Scribblingly yours,

Catherine