Barbara McDowell, a fellow blogger, has awarded me the coveted Liebster Award!

*woohoo*

She was kind enough to do some research (go writer!) and discovered the award originated in Germany and is intended to draw attention to bloggers working at building followers. Since I definitely fall into the under-200 crowd…my blog qualified! It feels just as good to be an underachiever as it does to be an overachiever. Life is all about balance, people.

Liebster is also an endearment which is sort of the equivalent of the big old society face-smack (mwah kiss). If you didn’t already click on Barbara McDowell’s link, do it now. I’ll wait. Oh look…here’s a picture of Johnny Depp I can ogle while you’re gone.

If this award were a bumpersticker, it would say:  

I R recognized.

As you can see, Barbara is a busy lady, and like her blog tagline says, she just can’t drive 55. Maybe it’s too much caffeine, but Barbara’s got pop culture and conspiracy theories to investigate, reality tv shows and crime dramas to watch, cats to snuggle, crochet to finish and chocolate to eat. In addition to all these things she finds time to listen to music, work on her novel, and even dance in the moonlight!

In order to continue the process, spread the love, and smack others with society kisses…the “rules” say the Liebster Award shall be passed along to five others. Fortunately I took Kristen Lamb’s Blog Building workshop over the summer and I met people, ones who blog. Hah! I’m not alone in cyberspace anymore and if you’re tired of floating through the nexus all by your onesies, check out Kristen’s uber useful advice. Over the last three months I’ve met some amazing bloggers. Every one of them have great stories to share, but since I’m limited to five – here they are:

MEGAN NAFKE
Visit Megan’s blog, Through the Looking Glass, for information about her published novel, The Puzzle Keeper, and a running commentary on the variances between the supernatural woes of Sookie Stackhouse in HBO’s True Blood and the novels written by Charlaine Harris.

LINDA BURKE
Visit Linda’s blog, Exploring the Universe, and learn all sorts of useful practical things about the business end of writing and the tax ramifications of turning your passion into a legitimate business.

KRISTAL LEE 
Visit Kristal’s blog, Life Off the Leash, where you’ll discover some wicked humor and make a lot of snickery noises behind your hand. A native Floridian, she writes about supernatural beasties of all flavors and may even live with a few.

CHERYEL HUTTON
Visit Cheryel’s blog, Dragon Whisperer, for information about her published works, Shadows of Evil and Keepers of Legend. She also dispenses advice of dubious wisdom and teaches people to procrastinate like a pro – all while writing!

MARIA SMITH
Visit Maria’s blog, First Draft Cafe, where you can drop-in, unwind and relax between drafts. Pretty cool since she lives in the UK! Visit to find out which she likes more: cake or books, and hear about rambling in the roaches….

For the awardees, here are the general rules:

1. Show thanks and link back to the blogger who gave you the award.
2. Notify your top five picks via blogpost, twitter, ESP, carrier pigeon, etc.

3. Post an award graphic on your blog (psst…see number one).

4. Go forth and Liebster Award others.

…..

Please visit. Check out the winners and their websites, read their blogs, and most of all – enjoy!