Good morning, dear readers,

Sorry for the unintended hiatus. Monday was a holiday for us here in Canada, but it turned out to also be an enforced holiday from the computer that dragged on into Tuesday. A nasty storm (otherwise known as my boyfriend with the lawn mower) knocked out the line that provides Internet and phone access. Thankfully, all is well and reconnected today. I hope you all had amazing weekends!

So, I have some exciting news. Much to my surprise, author Laura Best selected this blog as one of the winners of the Versatile Blogger Award. This honor has already attracted some new readers, so I owe her a very big thank you, and to the new readers, welcome! I hope you’ll like it here.

One of the requirements of winning is to post seven things about myself. I assume they’re supposed to be unusual things that aren’t commonly known, so I’ll try my best.

1) I rarely, if ever, watch television. I am so far out of touch with the latest shows that it’s almost amusing. I’d much rather read.

2) My spine was broken in two places during a car accident when I was 21. I was told by a physician that I’d be in a wheelchair by 25. Instead, I took up kickboxing.

3) I despair of ever finding a movie or book that will truly scare me.

4) This is hard to admit, but often, I have more sympathy for animals than people.

5) Seeing Africa from the air for the first time made me cry. It felt like I had come home, even though I’d never been.

6) I subscribe to O Magazine..ssh! And yes, I still read the odd Archie comic. Actually, I read almost anything and I’ll read anywhere–while crossing the street, cooking, cleaning–I’m an accident waiting to happen.

7) I’ve been (dramatically) visited by the ghost of a dear friend.

I’m also supposed to nominate fifteen new blogs for the award, but I haven’t been blogging long enough to know of fifteen other newbies. Most of the blogs I read are very well established already. But here are a few I admire–

1) Annie’s Eats: Annie writes one of my all-time favorite blogs. This physician (!) is married with a small child, but she still finds time to whip up delectable treats everyday. I have no idea how she does it! Every recipe I’ve tried has turned out fabulously, although many aren’t for the faint of heart. She also responds quickly to questions (again, how does she find the time?) and posts every single day, Monday to Friday.

2) Ancient Shore: Graham is a paleontologist and geologist who is also a great, witty writer. Sometimes his observations have to do with his specialty, and sometimes they don’t, but they’re always interesting. If you’d like some food for thought, give this blog a try.

3) Women in Crime Ink: I’m sure these ladies need no help from me, but where else can you find crime writers, prosecutors, journalists, profilers, forensic specialists and and police women, all in one blog? These eighteen talented ladies take turns posting, which surely more than qualifies them for a versatile blogger award!

4) Dean Wesley Smith: This fellow author is killing the sacred cows of publishing, one by one. You may not agree with his radical insights, but you’ll definitely get a new point of view. And should you choose to argue with him, Dean’s not shy about rebutting.

5) Kimberly Belle: The best way to describe Kimberly is this–think Sex and the City’s Carrie as a competent chef. She’s fashionable, she’s fun, and she runs a successful catering business in New York. Yes, more food. I adore my food blogs! And Kim is a real sweetheart, too. Always willing to help a fellow foodie.

6) Spo(R)ting Life: My other friend Kim’s musings about life, love, and competitive cycling and running. Need some encouragement to workout? Read about her triathlon experience and console yourself with how much easier it is to just hit the gym.

Congratulations, lucky winners! If I chose you, you are not only versatile, but you update your blog regularly! There are other blogs I love, but I don’t feel comfortable sending people to blogs with monthly–or less frequent–updates. Here are the rules:

1. Thank the one who gave me this award.

2. Share seven things about myself.

3. Present this honour onto 15 (six, in my case) newly discovered bloggers.

4. Drop by and let my fifteen new friends know I love them.

In other news, Backspace, a popular forum for writers, has published one of my blog posts. Check it out!

And get ready for a whole new look. This blog will be getting a face lift very soon. Hopefully the new me will be a lot easier on the eyes.

Thanks for reading!