The Versatile Blogger Award

Thank you to Chantilly Patiño, author of Bicultural Mom and host of the Multicultural Awareness Blog Carnival, for awarding me the Versatile Blogger Award. *waves* Un beso! <3

So here we go, otra vez -- again. Sharing some more dirt ; D ...

1. I trained and worked as a volunteer probation officer.
2. French was my favorite and best subject in high school.
3. My favorite summer snack is watermelon doused in lemon juice and sprinkled with chili powder.
4. I met my husband in Las Vegas.
5. I've always envied women with beautiful straight hair (my sisters!).
6. I fell out-of-love with PRINCE when he became a symbol.
7. Listening to funk from the late 70's, and early 80's, always gets me in a writing mood.

Now to list some blogs I've recently discovered:

Bicultural Mom
Chantilly's blog is filled with passionate posts discussing such topics as parenting, marriage, learning disabilities, diversity, racial injustice and immigration. Her position on these issues is clear. She encourages intelligent and respectful dialogue and is a great conversationalist.

Cheryl Rainfield
Cheryl is a survivor of sexual abuse and the author of the award-winning young-adult book SCARS. She's outspoken about victim's and children's rights and has been able to help countless other's by speaking openly about her trauma. She just recently sold her second young-adult book.

Florecita Growing Up
Flor is a mother, activist and survivor of domestic-abuse. She's a strong women who's passionate about culture, heritage and immigration. I find inspiration and strength in her beautiful photography, poetry and writing.

Julio Varela
A thought-provoking blogger and social media expert, Julio is a political commentator, creator of the #bcivil and #latinolit hashtags, and author of novel-in-progress Franky Benítez.

La Dulce Vida
Adriana's uplifting photo-blog is filled poetry and images of family, culture and food -- balm for the soul.

Latinaish
Tracy López is a "Latina muy gringa" and proof-positive that Latinidad is a state-of-mind. She's the creator and host of #SpanishFriday and an avid reader.

Me and The Mexican
Tara's blog is a funny, clever and inviting perspective on the life of a "gringa casada con un Mexicano - white girl married to a Mexican." Her blog always makes me smile, teaching me a little something about lo Mexicano in her posts.

Stylish Blogger Award

I have a few words of gratitude for romance writer and on-line friend Layna Pimentel, who surprised me with The Stylish Blogger Award, recently.

Layna and I have been friends on Twitter since 2009, where we met just before our first Nanowrimo. She helped keep me motivated, challenging me to writing sprints while online. And because Nanowrimo wasn't stressful enough, we soon after tackled an on-line grammar class that taught us a thing or two about modifiers.

Thank you for your friendship and support, Linz. *big, big hugs* Looking forward to the next three years. To learn more about Layna or to visit her spicy (adults-only) romance blog, please click here.

So I'm supposed to reveal seven new things about me ... yikes.

Ready?

Here goes.

Seven Things:

1. I despise peas. I see peas and immediately think slimy, green, smashed caterpillars. 
2. I used to own a pet boa constrictor. I named her Chloe. She was so cute when I first bought her: the size of a No. 2 pencil. Then she grew. And grew. And grew. Her size never really bothered me. In fact I enjoyed her weight on my shoulders, as she ran the length of my arms, fingertip-to-fingertip. Our relationship, one based on mutual respect, changed the the day I attempted to move her after I'd  handled her food. She was a snake. Snakes smell with their tongues. And I hadn't washed my hands. As any snake would, she mistook my hand for the rat I was about to feed her. I never felt at ease handling her after she bit me. So I sent her to live with another boa named Buddha. As far as I know, they had no offspring.
3. I once entered a beehive competition when I worked for the Media Department at the Orange County Fair. 
4. My favorite place to visit in Southern California is the Griffith Park Observatory. When my sisters and I were growing up, our parents would take us there on weekends to explore the observatory's exhibits and surrounding grounds. It's a beautiful and tranquil place for a picnic.
5. I'm still petrified of spiders. Why? Because they're nasty little creatures that can do this. No lie.
6. I believe extra-terrestials exist. How could they not?
7. Yes. I'm so old that cars looked like this (below) when I was three. At least it's not a horse-and-buggy.

In the spirit of sharing, I'd like to direct you to a handful of sites I like to visit when I want to learn something new:

Being Latino | Informed group of Latino writers who blog about current events, cultural topics, women and issues affecting all Latinos.

Landless | Tony Noland: Flash fiction writer and all-around interesting guy. Once even wrote about bear-trapping.

Shournalista | Julieta Talavera: Amazing photo-journalist and bilingual Spanish-English writer. Love her Chinatown podcast.

Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar | Martha Brockenbrough: Educational and funny.

The Character Therapist | Jeannie Campbell: A psychologist's take on fictional characters.

Warrior Writers | Kristen Lamb: Invaluable blogging and writing advice with a touch of humor.

What to Read | Katie K.: Voracious reader and friend. : )

Writer in Progress | Judy Manning: A writer in the trenches who writes entertainment reviews and about all things paranormal.

I'VE NEVER BEEN ONE TO BRAG, BUT ...

When we're growing up, our parents tell us not to brag too much about our achievements. So when Twitter friend and follower, Portia Sisco awarded me The Silver Lining and Honest Scrap Awards, I felt a little guilty that I couldn't wait to show off my shiny new badges. Thanks for the double-whammy, girl! All kidding aside, I am grateful that she's found a kernel of inspiration in my fledgling blog. 

Before I get to my responses, I'd like to recommend two entries Portia recently posted on her blog. In case you haven't met her, she blogs about "the paranormal and anything else that goes bump in the night." But When Will You Send It? and Make Them Hurt touch on two aspects of writing that we can all relate to, the external pressure to submit a manuscript before the writer "knows" it's ready, and having the fortitude to inflict some "pain" on our characters. By pain, she doesn't mean torture, but believable pain in the form of obstacles and challenges that fit the plot. Check them out.

THE SILVER LINING -- Gratitude

Thank you, Portia, for considering me a part of the silver lining in this journey. You, and several of the supportive friends I've met on Twitter, have inspired me at moments when self-doubt has temporarily paralyzed my finger tips. Finding you, the wonderful people at Writer's Digest, and my writing teacher has truly been a blessing, in what most times seems a solitary endeavor.

HONEST SCRAP -- Say it isn't so.

With the Honest Scrap, I'm supposed to share ten things about me that you might not know. So, here goes:

1. English is my second language. I started kindergarten not understanding one word the teacher spoke. Seared into my memory is the first time I had to "ask" to use the bathroom, which I liken to an episode of Charlie Brown. "Mwa-mwa-mwa-mwa-mwa." Yup. That pretty much sums up my first couple of years of school.
2. After my son's birth, I worked in the beauty industry between corporate gigs -- I'm licensed to cut, color, re-texturize (a fancy word for perming and straightening, same chemical, different process), manicure, do nail enhancements, apply lash extensions, remove hair, perform facials, and my favorite to this day -- do make-up. Although it's very hard work, I enjoyed all of it, except for the cutting part.
3. Ezzy is a nickname I picked-up while on the playground in the fourth grade. I was born "Esmeralda." Honestly, I would've been happier with either Monica or Natalie. Esmeralda? That's the name of a witch or gypsy.
4. I grew up in Southern California and moved to Boston twelve years ago to attend law school.
5. My favorite shows growing up were Night Gallery, Creature Feature, The Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, and Star Trek. I love suspense, not gore.
6. I'm scared to death of spiders. I'm not kidding, either. Petrified.
7. I've never cared for Barbie. Cared even less for The Bratz Dolls. Ack.
8. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was the first "older" novel I read as a little girl (maybe nine or ten). I developed a crush on Mr. Darcy and a taste for an intelligent story with romance intertwined, at a very young age.
9. I'm shy under most circumstances (ISTJ).
10. My fingers shook the first time I submitted a writing assignment for critique. I've come a long way in two years.  

The Awards go to ...

Instructions on The Silver Lining are to award it to bloggers who inspire you in some way. The Honest Scrap Award is pretty simple. List ten things about yourself that some of your blogger friends might not already know about you. I've chosen six people whose tweets I look forward to every week, as their energy is infectious. Have fun!

Alex Carrick

Donna Carick

Katie Kuhl

Chris Ledbetter

Tony Noland

Layna Pimentel