Kristina Atkins
I’m Kreativ!
Colin Smith bestowed the coveted Kreativ Blogger Award* on me last week.

First off: thanks Colin! Colin’s blog is one of my favorites, full of great writing info. ^_^ So go forth, become a follower of his great blog, and prosper.
Apparently the rules for the Kreativ Blogger Award are the following: 1) Share 10 random and hopefully embarrassing facts about yourself (because those are the most fun)** and 2) Pass it on! My mind has been very sluggish and mushy lately, so I’m having a hard time thinking of random facts about myself. But! My friend, Julie, posted 11 questions on her blog and so I’m going to answer them! How’s that for multitasking?
1. What flower do you most anticipate every spring? Oh, I LOVE flowers. This will be a hard choice. For seeing in the grocery store: spider mums. For seeing in nature: columbine (because that means I’m hiking!). And in general: peonies. Peonies are my favorites. 2. Which musician do you always go back to? Musician as in a single person/group? I have several, but I have loved Coldplay for years and years, ever since I first heard “Yellow” on the radio and it became my favoritest song of all time. 3. Do you use a rewards system when you write? Has that EVER worked for you? DUDE, I use a rewards system for my life! I love celebrating things, usually with a lunch or dinner out. When writing, I only celebrate on that level when I finish a draft. When I finish a chapter, I usually celebrate with a food break (like frozen burritos). So … no. 4. Best book you read in 2011? This is a very hard question for me. If I had to choose any, I’d say To Kill a Mockingbird, but that was a re-read so I’m going to disqualify re-reads (goodbye, Huck Finn and Ender’s Game). Sooo … I’ll go with a YA read: Laini Taylor’s masterful Daughter of Smoke and Bone. That book makes me swoon (as does Laini’s writing). 5. Is it sunny where you are? It’s nighttime, so no (thank goodness! Or else it might be the apocalypse!). 6. Are you a picky eater? Definitely not. I LOVE food. But when it comes to veggies, probably. I’ll eat them if offered to me, but I rarely cook them for myself (for shame!). 7. Who is *your* non-parental hero? Dang you, Julie, for not letting me pick a cop-out answer!! Umm … I’ll also try to avoid religious peeps, so that leaves me with George Washington(?). Honestly, I don’t know if I have a “hero” but I have many, many people I admire (like George Washington). 8. Would you rather go skiing or sledding? If it’s a strict choice between those two, then sledding. But if I can change skiing to snowboarding, then boarding all the way! 9. What came first: the character or the premise? My thesis/RED SKY: character. FRACTURED RADIANCE: premise slash character (as in, I had the idea for a character-type, but no personality, etc.) 10. How has your writing habit surprised you? I love writing every day and when I do it regularly, I write faster and faster. (But then again, slumps still can and do happen. But that’s not surprising.) 11. Favorite TV show? Arrested Development, but currently on TV it’s Community. As a kid/teen I loved me some X-Files.
Now to pass it on!
1. Julie mə’hŏn at rosewood pencil box for thinking of these awesome questions.
2. Linds at Hodge-Podge Muse for finding the best internetz stuff and sharing them.
3. Leigh Ann (formerly the Naptime Novelist) for being inspiring and sharing nice eye candy occasionally on her Friday Obsessions.
4. Cole at Miss Cole Seeks Publisher for being all-around awesome (and sharing the best assortment of music!).
5. Lindsay at Life of Splendor. So, Lindsay’s blog is not expressly about writing; most of the time it’s about home decor and DIY, but Lindsay is one of my dearest friends and (former!) classmate in the MFA. She’s pretty much amazing and I would actually change my answer to Question 7 and say she’s one of my heroes. So you should check out her blog for realz yo!
Aaaaand, second of all, I have to share Tahereh Mafi’s fabulous book give away, in which she’s giving away 6 packets of 3 books each, including such fabulous titles as The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and Legend. So what’re ya waiting for, knuckle head? Go enter!
And with that, I bid you a Happy Monday!
*I don’t think misspelling words is creative, but I love awards so I forgive this award for its name.
**It’s not a rule they need to be embarrassing, but COMEON, those are the best kinds of facts!