Liebsterpalooza

Thank you to Sharon at https://sharonpankey.wordpress.com and Dr. Tanya at https://saltedcaramel.blog for separately nominating JOY Journal for the Liebster Award! How exciting! Readers, please check out both of these uplifting blogs. You will be blessed!

What is the Liebster Award? “This award is meant as an instrument to encourage and mentor new bloggers. The earliest case of the award goes as far back as 2011.  ‘Liebster’ is German for ‘sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.’ ”

Well, bless your hearts, Sharon and Dr. Tanya! What an honor!

OK. Here we go a-Liebstering…

Since, there are two nominators in play for this post, I left out a few questions, but here are some of the questions given to me by nominator Sharon Pankey and my answers:

1. When did you first begin blogging? I started blogging in March 2018 in preparation for releasing my indie book, Dune Girl. I was thinking social-media platform and book promotion, but found I enjoy blogging all by itself.
2. Do you set aside a certain time of day to write? Is there a certain atmosphere that has to be set for you to write? I am a journalist used to writing in noisy newsrooms, hallways of government buildings, my car. So, I’m pretty flexible, which is a good thing since I now free-lance out of our very busy household.
3. What has been the most challenging moment in your blogging/writing journey? My work history is staff writing for newspapers. Guaranteed publication and readership. Moving from that security to the uncertain, indie world of blogs (I also do a micro-blog on Facebook at noraedingerbooks), e-magazines and Christian fiction has been both terrifying and exciting.
4. Who or what inspires you to write? I am deeply concerned about the world that our daughters are inheriting. There is an absence of hope that plays out in so many destructive ways. I’ve written a lot about the world’s bad news and totally respect the need for that kind of truth telling and the people who risk their lives to do it. But, my desire is to spend the rest of my career telling stories of hope, in whatever venue God and readers allow me to have.
5. What’s your favorite worship song and/or verse? I love ancient hymns like O Sacred Head, Now Wounded. Verse wise, it’s 2 Timothy 1:7 — “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” I often say that one out loud.
6. Do you journal? No. If I wouldn’t share it with the world, I don’t write it down.

And, here are some questions from nominator Tanya and my answers:

1. If you were to start your blog over again, what is ONE thing that you would do differently? Rather ridiculously, I did not know how to add pictures until quite recently. 
2. Do you think that it is essential for a blog to have a specific niche? I think it depends on the blogger. I enjoy some sites because of the blogger’s expertise and focus. Other bloggers are just fun to read, no matter what they’re writing about.
3. Has any particular author/book influenced your style or content? Debbie Macomber has mastered light and uplifting content. Jan Karon is a dialogue queen. Davis Bunn is a career model. He writes romances, thrillers, historical novels and also teaches. He’s never allowed himself to be pigeon-holed, a flexibility I really need right now.
4. What changes would you like to make in your life or blog in 2019? Hmmm. A multi-book publishing contract would sure be nice. 🙂 I’d also like to sell work to a few key magazines I have on a list on my refrigerator.
5. Share a strategy you use to overcome writer’s block. It’s not allowed in newsrooms. 🙂 One way journalists make deadline is focusing all initial attention on the lead sentence. Once that is in place, everything else pretty much flows. (Your question inspired me. Look for a whole post on this on Wednesday, Jan. 9.)
6. Typing or writing? I have a vintage typewriter and all sorts of pretty stationery, but rarely use either. I’m a computer writer whose favorite working spot is a corner of our dining room.

10 random facts about me

1. There are too many plants growing in my kitchen.
2. Because they are tropicals and need a lot of moisture, I spray water all over the place at least once a day. If someone happens to walk by, I often spray them, too. I’m kind of an 8-year-old boy.
3. My favorite read for 2018 was The Curiosity, an ethics thriller by Stephen P. Kiernan.
4. I drink iced coffee all year round.
5. Great Lakes beaches are my happy place. Unsalted and shark-free.
6. Mambo music gets me through winter.
7. I am quite sad at technology. My husband and daughters help all the time. The Happiness Engineers at WordPress no doubt shudder when I pop up in a chat bubble. (Love you guys!!!)
8. Denim. I love it.
9. Sunshine, too.
10. I spoil dogs. Miles, our current fur baby, would be texting at the dinner table if dogs did such things. This annoys our daughters to no end. 🙂

Now, for the really fun part!

My five nominees are bloggers who are very clear about who they are and what they want to blog about and do it very well. They have the kind of sites I could see going big at some point and are also all total Liebsters! Definitely worth visiting.

1. Writer/cook Dianna Donnely at https://easyrealfoodrecipes.com
2. Carine and Derek, Canadian lovebird travelers, at http://www.wediditourway.com
3. Artist Patty Thurlby at https://whimziville.com
4. Indian-food expert/philosopher Desi Videsh at https://livinginleuvenbelgiumeurope.com
5. and Sarina, Aussie hiker extraordinaire, at https://learningtolovewinterblog.wordpress.com.

Here are my 11 questions for you guys:

1. Your blogs are each specific in nature. What made you want to blog about your subject?
2. Each of your blogs is content and image intense. How do you manage the time it takes to produce such posts?
3. How often do you post?
4. What is your favorite thing about blogging?
5. What is your least favorite thing about blogging?
6. Do you blog for pleasure or as part of a career package?
7. Do you post on other social media?
8. Is there anything you wish you would have done differently as you launched your blog?
9. What bloggers, writers or other creatives inspire you?
10. What inspires your post content?
11. What one piece of advice would you share with bloggers who have just started?

The Rules of Liebster Award

• Thank the person who nominated you and put a link to their blog in your award post.
• Display the award on your blog.
• Answer your nominator’s 11 questions.
• Provide 11 random facts about yourself (optional).
• Nominate 5 – 11 other blogs that have no more than 2,000 followers. (Some rule sets say fewer than 200, some say 2,000 … You be the judge.)
• List these rules in your post.
• Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and provide a link for them to your post.
• Create 11 new questions for your nominees to answer.