A-Z Thank Yous and An ANNOUNCEMENT

(Very special announcement at the bottom of this post!)

Is it May already??  I was in a bit of a haze this whole A-Z Blogfest: head down and plugging away.  Then Friday's Royal Wedding had the reality haze feeling more like a fog, and now today's news that Public Enemy #1 is dead has me spinning in pea soup fog.

*waves arms in the air, swishing the fog, clearing her mind*

Thank you's are in order.  Thank you, Jessica Bell, my A-Z partner-in-crime who came up with the idea to write micro-fiction entries prompted by an alphabetical list of emotions, feelings, and states of mind.  I had such a wonderful time coming up with ways to show the prompt word, and each time a commenter guessed the word correctly validated my efforts that day.

So thank you, fellow bloggers, for your visits, for reading my posts, and for playing along in this mad game of "guess what?"  Without your support and encouraging comments, I would have lost steam by "H!"

A special thanks goes out to Arlee Bird for his genius idea for the blogfest, and to his amazing co-hosts. You guys rock:

Jeffrey Beesler's World of the Scribe 
Alex J. Cavanaugh Alex J. Cavanaugh 
Jen Daiker's Unedited 
Candace Ganger's The Misadventures in Candyland 
Karen J Gowen at Coming Down the Mountain 
Talli Roland 
Stephen Tremp's Breakthrough Blogs 



Lastly, I want to thank Elizabeth Mueller for the pretty blog award at the top of this post.  Thanks for helping 
recognize the effort and energy every A-Z participant put into the challenge!

I have a special announcement!

Gina Maxwell has discovered a young writer who at the tender age of 18 shows incredible promise in her craft.  She's penned an essay that Gina shared on her blog today.  Gina asked me if I'd help direct traffic to her blog, so you can enjoy it too.


Please pop over and see what all the buzz is about!  Follow this link to Gina's blog.


Thanks so much, and have a wonderful, SAFE, peaceful day!!

                                    

Awards and an Announcement

I received a couple awards last week, and I wanted to pass them along today!

Thank you, Lydia at The World is My Oyster for this pretty award!

Lydia's blog is inspirational and informative on so many levels.  Her topics range from writing tips to fantastic medical insights that have, on many occasions, sparked ideas for future stories.  I hope you check her blog out today!

This award goes to:

Theresa @ Substitute Teacher's Saga - 'Cause school's almost out!
Christine @ Christine's Journey - 'Cause I love her "Writing the Next Line" interactive story series.
Laurel @ Laurel's Leaves - 'Cause we both posted blogfest entries this week with characters named Dani. Read Laurel's HERE.

Tory at Head in the Clouds passed this beautiful award to me.  When I visit Tory's blog, I'm reminded of walking into a friend's house, where I can sit with my feet tucked under me on the couch or help myself to a glass of water without asking first.  Her posts are always upbeat and insightful.  If you haven't discovered this wonderful blogger, I hope you visit her today!

This award goes to:

Julie Jarnagin - 'Cause she finished her most recent first draft this week!  Whoo-hoo!
Lisa Gibson @ Random Thoughts to String Together - 'Cause her creative talent includes poetry.  For a taste, enjoy And Yet.
Julie Musil - 'Cause she's spreading the word about Border's summer reading incentive program for kids under 12! (Details in her post!)
Gina @ Passions on Paper - 'Cause she's got a wonderful sense of humor...and...*see below!*

I hope you visit all these fab bloggers today!

And,

The lovely and hilarious Gina Leigh Maxwell, the next great voice of the Paranormal Fantasy genre, will interview me on her blog, Passions on Paper.

It's part of a wonderful series Gina hosts once a week called FAN-tastic Friday.

See you there tomorrow!

Blog Love to Spread!

I'm coming off a rough week, but my heart's on the mend.  My blog has been the one thing that kept my mind occupied and my spirits up, and I'm so grateful for each an every post and comment I've read from all of you.  You never know, as you type your thoughts for the day, how much those words will touch another's life.  How powerful writing is!

Receiving blog awards has also been the frequent burst of sunlight on my stormy week.  Thank you so much for thinking of me!  I love to search through my list of awesome followers and choose people to pass the awards on to, including those I haven't visited often enough (reconnect, read what y'all have been saying of late!), new friends (especially those I discovered during Spread the Awesome), and my blogger BFFs.  I truly appreciate everyone who felt compelled to click that follow button!  So, without further ado...

Two sweet bloggers who I adore passed this award to me are E.Elle at The Writer's Funhouse and Julie Dao at Silver Lining.  Thanks, girls!

This goes to:
Victoria Dixon at Ron Empress
Erin at Bookish in a Box
Jamie Burch at Dancing Down Serendipity Street
Mariah Irving at Constantly Risking Absurdity
Gina Maxwell at Passion on Paper

Thank you Jai Josh for this gorgeous award!  Her blog rocks; if you haven't been by to visit, I hope you do so today :)

This goes to:
P.J. Hoover
Milton at KittyChat
Charmaine at Wagging Tales
Jen Chandler at From Inkstained Hands
Emily White at Stepping into Fantasy

I have three wonderful blogging friends to thank for the You Are My Sunshine award!  Wendy at On 'n' On 'n' On, Tori at Head in the Clouds, and Christine Danek at Christine's Journey.
This goes to:
Amber at Musings of Amber Murphy
Janna Qualman at Something She Wrote
Hilary Wagner
SarahJayne at Writing in the Wilderness
Lisa and Laura Roecker

The lovely Angie Paxton passed this awesomesauce award on to me.  She has incredibly insightful posts, please visit her!

This goes to:
Clarissa Draper at Listen to the Voices
Eternally Distracted
Suzanne Hayze at Tales of Extraordinary Ordinariness
Kelly Polark
Tina Laurel Lee at Watch Me Practice

Thank you to a great writer and almost neighbor of mine, VR Barkowski for this award.  She's fantastic; I hope you check out her blog today!

I'm passing this on to:
Danyella Leafty
Heather Dougherty
Shannon Whitney Messenger
Yamille at The Che Boricuas
Miss V at Rambles & Randomness

And finally, thank you to the sweet Laura Marcella at Wavy Lines for awarding me the Superior Scribbler Award.  Check out her colorful blog, you'll love it!

This goes to:
Alexandra Stostak
Emily Ann Benedict at Benedictions
Nevine at Dreams, Deliriums and Other Mind Talk
Amy Jo at Ramblings of a Novice Writer
Steena Holmes at Chocolate Reality





Phew!  That's some crazy linkage, there.  I wish I could link every follower on posts like this, because every one of your blogs has something amazing and unique to offer.  Click the links -- I hope you find new friends from here!!

On a side note:  Please take a minute to click your own profile picture from my Follower's mosaic.  When you do, verify that a link to your blog is visible.  I tried to pass awards on to many people today but couldn't because there's no virtual trail from your profile pic to your blog. :(

I hope you're all enjoying the weekend so far!

Awards and Announcements

First off, thank you to everyone who provided feedback on my WiP excerpt.  I will leave it up through today with the hopes of drawing more reactions, so vital to my writing process.  After today, I'll take it down, as it is the first draft of a current project.  Click here to read it :)


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Help celebrate Earth Day tomorrow, April 21 by neutralizing your blog's carbon emissions. How? By participating in a joint effort by "Make It Green" and "Arbor Day Foundation." It couldn't be simpler:

1. Click the Leaf Logo above, taking you to a website that explains the program.

2. Copy the HTML code for one of the buttons (like the one above)and paste it on your blog's sidebar. Blog about the program to increase awareness and boost participation.

3. Email your blog URL to CO2-neutral@kaufda.de

4. For your blog, one tree will be planted in Plumas National Forest in Northern California by “Arbor Day Foundation” our partner in US for the “My blog is carbon neutral” initiative!

How will planting a tree in California help reduce a blog's emissions in, say, Georgia? Here's what initiative organizers say: "We plant trees, both in Germany (in the upper Harz region) and in Northern California. Why are we doing this? Because the reduction of carbon emissions by planting trees has the same effect, regardless of where in the world the trees are planted. It involves all of us to give something back to our environment." (Read more HERE)



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Thank you to Courtney at Southern Princess and Lola at Sharp Pen/Dull Sword for the Sweet Blog Award! I love both these blogs, so check them out if you haven't already!!

I'm passing it along to:

Jade @ Chasing Pavements -- She has a published short story, check it the link from her post yesterday!
Michelle Teacress
Mary @ Play off the Page
Angie @ Answering the What If
Ellen @ Pink Tea and Paper

Sweet Dominique at En Violet passed me the Beautiful Blogger award.  Please be sure to visit her today!

This one asks me to share 7 things about myself.  In the spirit of keeping things lively (and I think I've shared all the fun facts about me already!), I'm going to share seven things I did yesterday to make my day a success:

1. Ate a mixture of Shredded Wheat and organic granola for breakfast.
2. Ran three miles on the treadmill.
3. Lifted weights: super set of Smith machine squats and Sumo squats; super set targeting biceps and triceps
4. Wrote 3,000+ words of chapter four.
5. Emailed an old friend from college.
6. Cheered my daughter and her team to softball victory, pulling ahead 16-14 in the bottom of the last inning.
7. Renewed Catching Fire at the library and promised myself I'd finish it by this weekend.

I'm passing this award on to:

Shannon McMahon
Alexandra @ The Publication Follies of Alexandra Shostak
Wendy @ On 'n' On 'n' On
Tiana Smith
Laura @ Wavy Lines

Thank you to the most awesome author/blogger Wendy Ramer at On 'n' On 'n' On -- Because a Writer Always has Something to Say for the Butterfly Award.  Wendy's blog always puts a smile on my face.  Check out her site today!

This award goes to:

Jessica @ The Alliterative Allomorph
Harley @ Labotomy of a Writer
Lilah Pierce
Jenn Johansson
Tory @ Head in the Clouds

I'd like to thank Cherie at Surrounded by Books for the Blogger BFF award.  Cherie's multi-talented and her blog is wonderful.  Drop by today!

This award goes to:

Anne at Piedmont Writer
Shelley at Stories of the Ordinary
Summer at ...And This Time, Concentrate
DL at Cruising Altitude
Simon at Constant Revision

And, thank you to the warm and hilarious Roxy at A Woman's Write.  If you don't read Roxy every day, I encourage you to start!

I'm passing the Awesomesauce award on to:

Sarah at Falen Formulates Fiction
Crimey at Crimogenic
Terry at Gardner West, Private Eye
Amber at Musings of Amber Murphy
Roland at Writing in the Crosshairs

Steena and Stina's OMG! Contest - 5/3

Julie Dao's 200 Awesome People Contest - 4/25

Susan Fields 100 Followers Contest - 4/25

Steph Bowe's Massive Book GiveAway - 4/30

April Book Giveaway - 4/24

Noelle Nolan's 150 Followers Contest!

Update!!  Here is the response I received after emailing the "My Blog is Carbon Neutral" Initiative this morning (email address is above in this post):
Hi Nicole,

thank you so much for participating in our initiative and making your blog carbon neutral! Your tree will be planted this month by the Arbor Day Foundation. The scheduled start plant date was Monday, April 19 and the trees will be planted by a contracted crew. The roads are being plowed, all contracts solidified, and twelve shipments of 150,000 seedling each are being assembled. We thank you for the support!

There are still some trees looking for a sponsor. So if you know some people who have a blog or website, pass it on and we'll make their blogs carbon neutral too!

Best,
Christin 
Very cool!  Come on, go green today!

My Way of Saying...

I was in unfamiliar territory when I decided I would write a cover letter to accompany a short story I was submitting to a literary magazine. Finding little guidance after a Google search, I turned to the blogging community and asked for help. I was overwhelmed with the number of writers who came to my aid and offered their advice, experience, and support!

As a small gesture of my gratitude, I'm passing awards on to each and every person who posted a comment yesterday. If you find a name you don't recognize, please follow the link to their blog and say hello. I hope you follow them, too! :)

I want to thank Annika at A Swede Abroad for the Sweet Blog Award! Her beauty is evident in her writing, pics, and eye-catching blog background. She's saying good-bye to a loved one so please send some love her way!

The Meaning :
Sweet Blog Award is an award for blog which you think is so friendly and make you enjoy to visit it often.

So now there's two things:
1. I give this award to ten people
2. The people I give this award to need to make a post about the award(include the picture & the person that gave it to you!)

I'm passing this award to the following people who came back twice to offer their opinions on the second letter as well as the first. It meant the world to me to get hear your impressions and, in some instances, to exchange emails with you!

Valerie @ Something to Write About

Lisa K. @ Writing on Thin Ice

Lisa Gibson @ Random Thoughts to String Together

B. Miller @ B. Miller Fiction

Wendy @ On' n' On' n 'On - Because a Writer Always has Something to Say

Portia Sisco

Matthew @ The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment

Shelley @ Stories in the Ordinary

Anne @ Piedmont Writer

Thank you to Jen at Unedited for the Soulmates Award!

The rules:

1. Choose five followers/commenters that 'get' you
2. Write something fake (preferably not too mean) about them
3. Link to them, and link back to this post to comment your receipt of the award

The five of my awesome commenters from yesterday receiving the Soulmates award are:

Roland @ Writing in the Crosshairs, who went on ancestry.com and traced his family tree back to Edgar Allen Poe.

Lindsay @ Unicorn Ramblings, who once achieved so much leg-pumping momentum she got the swing to go over the top crossbar in a perfect 360 degree arc.

Shannon McMahon, who loves cheese fondu so much, she's been known to serve it for breakfast featuring chunks of Canadian bacon and her favorite, biscuits of Shredded Wheat.

Aubrie @ Flutey Words, who can burp the entire alphabet, backwards!

Sarah Jayne @ Writing in the Wilderness, who is the base guitarist in a newly formed garage band called The Bomb.

And, thank you to Ellen at Pink Tea and Paper and Amalia @ Good to Begin Well, Better to End Well for the Beautiful Blogger Award! I'm supposed to give this away to 15 fellow bloggers and list 7 things about myself, for your entertainment. I'm feeling goofy so hang on! Here goes:

1. My preferred Oreo is quadruple-stuffed: Open two double stuff Oreos, toss out the tops and sandwich the two halves with cream. Ta-DA! Quadruple-Stuff!

2. My husband proposed to me while I was sitting on the toilet (lid down, pants up!) and he was in the shower. Thus proving the old adage incorrect, that a bad proposal signals a bad marriage.

3. I'm practically ambidextrous...of course, the only thing I can't do with both my right and left hands is WRITE.

4. I make hubby and the kids hook their dirty socks together before putting them in the hamper or I refuse to wash them. (I grew up in a family of 7, and my mother's solution to pairing socks was to not do it. Instead, all clean socks went into a laundry basket in the hall closet. I'm maimed for life by nightmares of ploughing through that damn basket every day, settling on two socks that were at least the right color and thickness...)

5. I never throw away used tin foil. If it can't be wiped clean and reused, it goes in the recycle bin.

6. I put a plant on my desk yesterday because someone (*waves to Summer*) said,

"One tree neutralises the carbon dioxide emissions of your blog."

7. I never open my eyes underwater, even though I haven't worn contact lenses since my Lasik surgery seven years ago.

I'm passing along this award to more of yesterday's commenters. Thank you for the incredible support you showered me with!!

Justine Dell

Summer @ ...And This Time, Concentrate

Chrisi Goddard @ A Torch in the Tempest

Tracy @ Forever Endeavor

Sarah @ Falen Formulates Fiction

The Alliterative Allomorph

Southpaw @ Scribbles and Splashes

Jaydee Morgan

Alex J. Cavanaugh

Nicole Hadaway @ All Things Smart and Scary

Al @ Publish or Perish

Cherie @ Surrounded by Books

Lastly, and by no means leastly, a huge thank you to my sweet friend Anne at Piedmont Writer for the Awesomesauce Award! What a great title!!

This one goes to the remaining bloggers who took time out of their day to offer me the guidance I needed. Your support lifted me up!!

Kristen @ Disobedient Writer

Talli Roland

Lola @ Sharp Pen/Dull Sword

Natalie Bahm

Linsday @ Adventures in Writing

Jemi Fraser @ Just Jemi

Stina @ Seeing Creative

Susan Fields

Hannah @ Musings of a Palindrome

Medeia Sharif

DL Hammons @ Cruising Altitude

Again, my heartfelt thank you to all these talented, generous writers for helping a girl out when she asked. You all rock!!

I hope these lists help visitors meet someone new today!

My Truth and an Excerpt to Prove It

Almost every lie I wrote yesterday held a grain of truth, but there was nothing false about the two that were true. Of course, I've written stories about the most harrowing of my life's adventures, so my Tuesday Teaser will follow, a snippet from that story. But first:

1. I earned my doctorate in Rhetorical Speaking from the State University of New York at Oswego. Nope. I earned a Bachelor's in Rhetorical Communications from that school.

2. We have seven pets: a Shitzu puppy named Sammy, a Himalayan Persian cat named Pumpkin, an African Gray parrot named C.J., two love birds called Happy and Mango, a Betta Fish called Mr. Odie, and a frog named Jeremiah that hatched from a tadpole we caught in the pond out back. False! We have a Betta named Mr. Odie, but the other pets ALL live with my sister.

3. A ten-foot-long shark swam right alongside me while I was looking for seashells in water up to my knees on the Florida coast. TRUE! I was beach combing on a six a.m. walk, and I thought it was a dolphin in the water. I couldn't believe I was that close to a dolphin and in my excitement, I waded further in and walked alongside it. When it didn't surface for air I became suspicious, but when it thrashed its head I was sure: it was a shark, trolling the shore for breakfast.

4. I trained for three months and won at the regional level (Southeastern U.S.) of the Fitness America Competition. No...but I did place third!

5. I was kidnapped at gunpoint by machine gun-toting rebels during an African civil war. 100% True. See excerpt below.

6. One summer, I juiced three cucumbers a day, and drinking the juice made my hair grow six inches in three and a half months. No way.

7. In 1991, I shook Madonna's hand on the red carpet when she arrived for the premier of Truth or Dare in Hollywood, CA. Untrue-ish. I was there, and Madonna stepped out of her limo fifteen feet in front of me. But I didn't shake her hand.

8. I speak four languages: English (duh), French, Spanish, and an African dialect called Sango. Nope, I only speak three languages. No hablo Espagnol.

I apologize in advance for only offering a short excerpt of the following. In the Face of Danger, which tells the story of my abduction by rebel soldiers during the 1996 mutant army uprising in the Central African Republic, is currently submitted to The New Millennium Awards contest in the category of Creative Non-Fiction. For this reason, I can't publish it on the web. And, for the same reason, this excerpt will only be up for one day.

Here's the set-up: I was a Peace Corps volunteer with only a few months of service left before finishing my two year, three month tour of duty. My husband Christian, who was then my fiancé, and I met there. At the time of this story, he was living ten kilometers away on his company's construction base. When the war broke out, the Peace Corp issued a country-wide evacuation, and we were to follow the Emergency Evacuation Plan implicitly. This included volunteers in the region locking ourselves in the predesignated "Safe House" and awaiting further instructions. We were not to leave under any circumstances. I did. Here's what happened:

Excerpt From: In the Face of Danger
by Nicole Ducleroir

[Removed]

...pants on fire!

The lovely and hilarious Talli Roland passed the Soul Mate Award to me. Talli's blog voice is upbeat and her topics always blend writing with truths and oddities from the real world. Check out this perfect example from over the weekend!

The rules:
1. Choose five followers/commenters that 'get' you.
2. Write something fake (preferably not too mean) about them.
3. Link to them, and link back to the award's originating post to comment your receipt of the award.

Today, the Soul Mate Award goes to:

Abby Annis, whose loving husband commissioned a statue in her likeness for a first wedding anniversary present that Abby proudly displays on the front lawn.

Sarah Jayne @ Writing in the Wilderness, who was kicked out of a prestigious mime school in Paris when she kept saying vroom-vroom every time she mimed driving a car.

Laurel @ Laurel's Leaves, who was once chosen from the audience to assist a hypnotist and now hiccups every time the doorbell rings.

Mary Campbell @ Writer's Butt Does Not Apply, who somehow mixed up the seed packets last spring and ended up with a row of Cosmos in the vegetable garden and unsightly stalks of sweet corn lining her front porch.

Kimberly Franklin, who holds the handstand record in the state of Texas -- she broke the record after walking around on her hands for one week, one day, and seven hours. The first thing she did after acknowledging her supporters was go to the bathroom.

Thank you to Amanda @ So Many Story Ideas for the Creative Liar Award! Amanda's a creative woman with interesting things to say, and her blog is gorgeous! I hope you visit her today :)

The rules to this fun award are to write six fabulous lies about myself and two truths. You have to guess which ones are true! I have been terrible at guessing other people's truths; let's see how hard it'll be for you to guess mine (*smile*)

1. I earned my doctorate in Rhetorical Speaking from the State University of New York at Oswego.

2. We have seven pets: a Shitzu puppy named Sammy, a Himalayan Persian cat named Pumpkin, an African Gray parrot named C.J., two love birds called Happy and Mango, a Betta Fish called Mr. Odie, and a frog named Jeremiah that hatched from a tadpole we caught in the pond out back.

3. A ten-foot-long shark swam right alongside me while I was looking for seashells in water up to my knees on the Florida coast.

4. I trained for three months and won at the regional level (Southeastern U.S.) of the Fitness America Competition.

5. I was kidnapped at gunpoint by machine gun-toting rebels during an African civil war.

6. One summer, I juiced three cucumbers a day, and drinking the juice made my hair grow six inches in three and a half months.

7. In 1991, I shook Madonna's hand on the red carpet when she arrived for the premier of Truth or Dare in Hollywood, CA.

8. I speak four languages: English (duh), French, Spanish, and an African dialect called Sango.

I'm passing this award on to bloggers I'm excited to have met this week:

Justine Dell

Samantha @ Show and Tell

Gina @ Passions on Paper

Mel @ Ever Flowing Thoughts and Other Randomness

Jaydee @ Jaydee Morgan Blogs


So can you pick out the two truths from all those lies? I'll reveal my truths tomorrow. And while you're playing along, I hope you'll visit the bloggers' sites linked here.

Have a wonderful day!

A Week Full of Awards

Over the past week I've been offered some wonderful blog awards. It's so uplifting to feel the love from you awesome people! Here's what I've received and how I'd like to share it!

Thanks to my friends Talli Roland and Anne @ Piedmont Writer for this gorgeous award! I love the inscription that comes with this award: "By definition, a Prolific Blogger 'is one who is intellectually productive...keeping up an active blog that is filled with enjoyable content.'" Cool!

I'd like to pass this award on to some of my newest blogger friends:

Tawna Fenske @ Don't Pet Me, I'm Writing -- Tawna is wildly talented, represented and published, and her blog is on my daily must-read list. Love her voice, love her humor, LOVE her!

She Writes -- Her romance-style excerpts remind me of the times love has filled my heart with joy or pain, and her writing takes my breath away.

Michael @ Mental Masturbation -- Michael's sharp and creative mind makes for interesting blog posts each day, but his intuitive style lends beauty and rhythmic flow to everything he says.

Lisa Marie Miles @ Confessions of a Writing Mama -- Lisa reminds me of myself -- she blogs about big changes in her life (she moved this month) and still dives deeper into her craft (deciding to do Script Frenzy!) Help me cheer her on!!

Laura @ Through Laura's Eyes -- This talented lady is an amazing writer and blogger. Her engaging style pulls me into her writing every time.

Christi Goddard @ A Torch in the Tempest -- Christi is an artist and a writer, my favorite combination! Her blog is eye-candy and inspirational.

Alicia Frey @ Eyes 2 Page -- I enjoy Alicia's blog posts -- this writer is going places!

The lovely Niki @ Wool'n'Nuts passed The Silver Lining Award on to me. Niki's posts are wonderful, often about her love for animals and all nature's gifts. Her writing is wonderful too!

This award goes to more of my new blogging friends:

Kelly Gibian @ Just Write -- I love Kelly's blog voice! She's upbeat, and there's great energy in everything she says, especially when she's talking about her family and running.

Amanda Johnson @ Ramblings of a Wandering Mind -- Amanda has a young, fresh voice and she's making great progress on her WiP!

Charity Bradford @ My Writing Journey -- Charity reached 50 followers and is celebrating with a fun "food-themed" blogfest!

I want to thank Michael at Mental Masturbation for this wonderful award. Michael is one of the newer voices I've discovered in the blogosphere and love to listen to.

This award goes to more of my newest blogger friends:

Lindsay Duncan @ Unicorn Ramblings -- Lindsay's talent jumps off the screen, whether she's posting or commenting. I'm enjoying getting to know her!

Aubrie @ Flutey Words -- Aubrie is a sweetheart and her talent spans the music and writing worlds. I love reading what she has to say each day.

Anne Elle Altman @ All Write With Coffee -- Some blogs have incredible energy and this one does. The brand of energy that comes through Anne's writing is effortless and infectious.

Jen @ Unedited passed this award to me. Thanks, Jen! Her blog is teeming with creativity and she's loved by so many of us at Blogger. Visit her today!

I'm giving this award to three of my blogging BFFs:

Talli Roland -- This generous blog buddy is funny, smart, and makes me want to jump on a plane and cross the pond to hang out with her in person!

Lola @ Sharp Pen/Dull Sword -- Lola's posts make me laugh, think, and pull me into her world. Love this girl!

DL Hammon @ Cruising Altitude -- DL is one of my favorite bloggers. He's so centered in his writing, and his style is absolutely my cup of tea. When he's published, I'll be the first to buy his book.

My friend, DL Hammons @ Cruising Altitude awarded me this honor -- and this one really made me feel wonderful. Commenting on each other's blogs helps us stay connected on a personal level with other writers/bloggers. It's all about supporting each other and learning from one another.

Two friends who comment regularly on my blog, always leaving me with inspirational and encouraging words, and who are most deserving of this award are:

Anne @ Piedmont Writer -- Anne's become an inspiration and a sounding-board for project ideas, and I value her friendship and suggestions more than she probably knows!

Jemi Fraser @ Just Jemi -- Jemi has been a regular visitor and commenter since I met her, and I love her encouraging insights every time I see her beautiful white rose icon on my blog.

I hope you'll visit these creative bloggers' sites today. If you don't follow them, why not sign on? It's the number one best way to show your support of their talents and efforts -- and it just feels good to spread around the love!!

It's friends like the above mentioned, and YOU, that make my blogging experience perfect! Thank you!!

Have a fab weekend!

It's Like We're Soulmates Award

Well, after sparring with Blogger.com all day long, this is the "new look" for my blog. Whatcha think? I wormed my way into the CSS and HTML and figured out how to put my own title on there, but I wasn't able to override the template's Title Page Header configuration. It insists I give my blog a title, but when I typed "One Significant Moment at a Time," it printed it below the PSP text that says the same thing. I couldn't have that twice, so I put "Nicole Ducleroir, Author" on the configuration title line. Then it occurred to me that my blog's name is now "Nicole Ducleroir, Author." (I followed myself to verify.) Sorry for any confusion that may cause :p

On to other things...

This is perhaps the coolest award making its way around the blogosphere right now. I LOVE it! Huge shout out to my soul sista, Anne @ Piedmont Writer for passing it to me. Thank you, Anne!!
Apparently, this award is for people who "get you," which makes it all personal and awesome.

Rules are simple:
Five Recipients.
Make up something (not too mean) about the people you give the award to.
Link to the people you give it to.
Link back to the original award post here.



I'm going to pass it on to these friends I feel "get me" (and who I "get" too!):


1. Julie Dao @ Silver Linings, who this summer plans to backpack across the country and write a short story about every state she visits.

2. Christine Danek @ Christine's Journey, who I suspect has successfully cloned herself. That way she can leave insightful comments on everyones' blogs each day while her clone does the housework and runs errands for her.

3. Summer @ ...And This Time Concentrate, who by coincidence posted a picture of my ex-boyfriend on her blog today. (I'm a discrete woman, so I won't say which one he is...)

4. Shelley Sly @ Stories in the Ordinary, who used to live in the same quaint apartment that Madonna rented when she and a then-husband Sean Penn needed a vacation from the paparazzi.

5. Elana Johnson, who's actually Miley Cyrus (I know! I was shocked too!)

I have a couple more awards to give pass along, but my brain is cyber-fried. I need a break from this computer. Until tomorrow -- have a fab day!

Award, Award, and Award

Thank you Julie at Silver Lining for the Sunshine Award! Julie's blog is one of my favorite to read. There's something fluid and engaging in her style of writing that is going to take her FAR in the literary world. If you don't follow her, I hope you sign on today. You'll be happy you did!Thanks, Abby Annis and DL Hammon at Cruising Altitude, for this beautiful award! I love Abby's energy, and her blog posts are always awesome. Stop by her blog and say "hi!" And DL is a fantastic writer and a great blogger. His commentaries are insightful and often humorous. Visit him today, too!


Here are the Rules to Accept the Award:

1. Put the logo on your blog or within your post.
2. Pass the award to 5 bloggers.
3. Link the nominees within your post.
4. Let them know they received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.
6. Share 5 things about yourself.


Let's see...five things about myself...all right:

1. I have a brand new nephew! Derek James made his appearance late on March 12th -- and by late I don't mean past his due date! I mean, he was born at 11:41 p.m. after sis was in labor for fifteen hours. Ugh!

2. I take a large freezer bag into the grocery store when I do my weekly shopping. I ask the baggers to put my cold stuff in the bag, which is like a big, soft cooler. That way, when I get home I drag all the groceries from the car to the entryway and then check my email/blog...sometimes taking up to an hour before I put my food away. (Does anyone else have crazy, computer-addicted behavior??)

3. My favorite ice cream flavor is Ben and Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk.

4. While researching for my WIP, I recently called a local funeral home and asked for a behind-the-scenes tour. I haven't heard back from them. I suspect they didn't take me seriously, or considered me a crack pot.

5. I prefer plain M&Ms over peanut. However, if they are served in the same bowl, I eat two plain and one peanut at the same time. The chocolate to peanut ration is perfect that way. You should try it.




Thank you, E. Elle over at The Writer's Funhouse, for this totally awesome award! Elle's smart and inspiring posts make her blog a must-read, so be sure to visit her today! I love the inscription that comes with this award: "By definition, a Prolific Blogger 'is one who is intellectually productive...keeping up an active blog that is filled with enjoyable content.'" How uplifting is that?




I'd like to pass these awards on to some of my most prolific blogging peeps. Choose the one you'd like! The following are all fantabulous writers, some of whom I've just met and others who I have grown most fond of! I hope you'll visit their blogs today. If you're meeting someone for the first time, sign on as their follower! Spread the joy :))

Annika @ A Swede Abroad
Hilary Wagner
Julie @ Silver Lining
Kristin Rae @ Kristin Creative
Kat O'keefe @ Words, Etc.
Meika @ Waiting on the Muse
Susan Fields
Steph @ Steph in the City
Amy Holder @ Written in Lipstick
Jade @ Chasing Empty Pavements