Warm and fuzzy

This former New England gal has lost her toughness. A 35-degree northern California morning with frost on the windshield has me shivering.

But at least I can get some warm fuzzies from having been chosen to participate in the “Blog of the Year” Award by the inimitable Carrie Rubin.

According to the award rules (see “The fine print,” below), it is my duty to pick some deserving blogs to pass the award on to. So here are a few of the blogs that have kept me reading during 2012, along with a little bit about what makes them captivating.

The Write Transition

I’ll say it again: Carrie is inimitable. I am honored to have been one of her first couple of blog followers, and she was one of mine. I suggest you check out her blog if you want a good helping of witty writing—though she can be devastatingly serious, too. And check out her book, The Seneca Scourge. The Blog of the Year Rules state that, unlike other awards, this one can be bestowed multiple times. So Carrie definitely gets recognized again.

Kourtney Heintz’s Journal

Not only has she had me as a guest and reblogged my Grand Canyon post, Kourtney consistently shares both her writing challenges and triumphs and offers a ton of helpful information for aspiring authors. I love her occasional “Grandma H” posts, which are often laugh-out-loud funny. If I had a grandma like that, I don’t know how I’d ever get any writing done. And she made it through three rounds of the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards (way more than I did!) with a fantastic book excerpt, of which I can’t wait to read the rest.

Savor the Storm

I can’t remember how I started following August McLaughlin, but I was quickly hooked by her raw emotional honesty. She wrote about everything—her past as a model, body image and eating disorders, her career shift into writing. She approaches everything with an infectious zest and she’s not afraid to venture into territory others might shy away from, like her recent posts on female sexuality. And be sure to check out her just-published thriller, In Her Shadow.

The Girl in the Cat Frame Glasses

Who is this mysterious gal? I know she lives in a part of the country far from either coast, and yet she wouldn’t be out of place in California or New York. She has had her share of struggles and isn’t afraid to share them. She stopped blogging for a few months and I was sad not to hear news of her cats, her experiences in school, and her writing. But now she’s back—watch out!

Iwritemyself

Maurine Kilo’s blog is poetry—just poetry. Literally. And a bit of art. I am not sure that she participates in blog awards but I wanted to recognize her because I so enjoy when her original poems hit my in box. Each one is a tiny gem waiting to be discovered.

So that’s it. There are many more blogs that I read occasionally and enjoy, but  these are the ones that I try never to miss.

P.S.

Planning to publish this post on December 21, 2012 was a gamble—but so far, the world seems to be around to read it.

The fine print

Blog of the Year 2012 Rules (taken from Carrie Rubin’s award post; copy and paste these rules directly and the required links will be included.)

1. Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award
2. Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen—there’s no minimum or maximum number off blogs required—and ‘present’ them with their award
3. Please include a link back to this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award—and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!)
4. Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them
5. You can now also join our Facebook page—click the link here ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience
6. As a winner of the award—please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award—and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar—and start collecting stars