The Sunshine Blogger Award

(with a twist!)

Hello, friends, and welcome back to The Kindness Cafe! If you’ve been around here for a while, you know I’ve been a part of an online writing community for several years. As that writing community continues to evolve and grow, so have my friends inside the community. One such friend is Elisabeth, who recently nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger Award. Thanks so much, Lissie!

The Rules:

• Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog.

• Thank the person who nominated you. (Thank you so much, Elisabeth!!)

• Provide a link to your nominator’s blog. (She writes The Key of E.)

• Answer your nominators’ questions.

• Nominate up to 11 bloggers. (See my comment below on my twist!)

• Ask your nominees 11 questions.

Elisabeth’s Questions

These questions were fantastic! Thanks for putting this together, Lissie – I did my best to answer each question as fully as possible!

1. What’s one thing in your life that’s impacted or changed your writing forever?

I’d have to say that C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia really changed my writing forever. It not only inspired me to write my book series, but it was one of the first books I picked up that inspired me to be more of a reader too!

2. If you had to live in one of the books you’ve read, which one would you choose and why?

I’d want to be part of Andrew Peterson’s The Wingfeather Saga books! More specifically, I’d want to live in the Green Hollows. The Green Hollows is where the Wingfeathers stay for a while, and it has a vast school system that teaches gifted kids their skills! It just sounds like the perfect place to live…you know, when not habited by Fangs of Dang.

3. What inspired you to start your blog / newsletter?

Believe it or not, I actually inspired myself! I wanted my newsletter to be an engaging, fun place for my friends and readers to interact with me, and using a cafe theme just seemed natural, as I love talking to people!

4. Who are your top three favorite literary characters?

Oh…this is such a hard question. I’d have to say Janner Wingfeather from The Wingfeather Saga. He’s such a hardworking, sweet older brother, and as an older sibling myself, I really identify with him. I also love Josephine March from Little Women and Anne Elliot from Persuasion.

5. What genres do you wish more books were written in?

I really wish we could have more dystopian novels set during the period when the dark side is taking over, before the rebellion. I recently read the new Hunger Games book, Sunrise on the Reaping, which is set before the main series, and I really loved it! It left hope while also being such a terrifying, bone-chilling read.

6. Do you listen to music while you write, and if so, what are your favorite musical groups?

This is a hard question because I listen to a lot of music while I write! Some of my favorite artists are Jorge Rivera Herrans (who created the musical EPIC), Alexandre Desplat, Aimee Carty, and Lizzy Hillard…although I have a lot of others!

7. What’s one Bible verse that applies to your current writing project?

“The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.” My story is all about hope in a darkened world, and this verse really sums it up!

8. If you could have a conversation with any author in any time period, who would you choose and why?

Hmm…I’d probably have to pick C.S. Lewis. His writing defined the story I’ve spent years pouring my heart and my soul into!

9. What are your characters’ favorite colors?

I’m only going to go with my main two, because I have a lot of characters! 😅 My prince character likes gray, and my cousin character likes yellow!

10. What movie/TV show adaptation of a book would you recommend and why?

I HAVE to recommend the Enola Holmes movies! They’re based off of the book series by Nancy Springer (although the second one doesn’t follow much source material at all). They’re the rare exception where the movies are BETTER than the book. And the third movie is currently in production!

11. Is there any writerly advice you would give to a new writer? If so, what is it?

I’d tell any new writer to trust themselves throughout the process. It’s okay to take breaks and figure out where your story is going before reaching deadlines you set for yourself. You alone know what can help yourself. So help yourself…and you’ll help your story in the process!

The Nominees:

I invite anyone who would like to do this challenge to do so! I don’t want to pressure anyone, especially because this time of year is super wild. So feel free to do this challenge on your own Substack/blog if you’d like to (or answer some of the questions below in the comment section!). If you don’t want to, no harm, no foul!

My Questions for the Nominees:

1. What is one bookish quote that has defined your writing journey?

2. Who is your least favorite character from a book?

3. Do you have a favorite beverage you drink while writing? If so, what?

4. How does nature inspire you?

5. What is one song that matches the vibes of your current writing project?

6. What is one CLASSIC literary character you identify with (like Emma Woodhouse, Sherlock Holmes, Anne Shirley, etc.)

7. What is one message you want to share in your writing?

8. If your characters had (or have) phones, what is their standard greeting?

9. Is there a nonfiction book that has helped your writing?

10. Which one of your characters are you most like?

11. What is your favorite color, and why?

I had such a good time working on this post (thank you so much, Elisabeth, for nominating me!). Again, you can find Lissie at the Key of E Substack, where she talks about truth, interviews characters, and explains her writing processes!

I have some fun content coming over the next month, including my May Round Up, my next character profile, and a NEW feature, so keep an eye out! Thanks for reading, and keep on being kind! 💖

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