Friday Fun - Inspiring Blogs & Random Facts

Friday Fun is a group post from the writers of the NHWN blog. Each week, we’ll pose and answer a different, get-to-know-us question. We hope you’ll join in by providing your answer in the comments.

QUESTION: A couple of weeks ago, Live to Write – Write to Live reader Cathy G nominated this blog for an “Inspiring Blog” award. We thought that was lovely of her and are delighted to participate in passing along the good juju by sharing with you some of our favorite picks for “inspiring blog.” In addition, per the conditions of the award, we are sharing random facts about ourselves. Love to hear from you in the comments about your favorite inspiration spots!

Susan Nye: First, my random fact: I lived and worked abroad for almost seventeen years and have visited more than thirty-five different countries. I’ve forgotten most of it but at one time I could say hello, good-bye, thank you, cheers and take me to airport please in ten languages.

For a sweet reminder of my life abroad, I turn to two expatriates in Paris …  Becoming Madame and David Lebovitz.

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Diane MacKinnon: Random fact: I am one of five siblings, and there are only 3 1/2 years between the oldest and the youngest. My closest friends, even while growing up, were my sisters and my brother. It’s still the same, thank God. And one more random fact: I’m an identical twin, my dad is an identical twin, and his sister had identical twins. Identical twinning is supposed to be a fluke!

As far as inspirational blogs, I have to turn to my life coaching friends. Martha Beck’s blog is always an inspiration. Also, I love Brooke Castillo’s blog, especially the new one she started, Family Gone Free, about selling all her stuff and taking a year to travel with her family. My husband and I dream of traveling with our son across the country, so I’m thrilled to be able to follow along with Brooke as she forges a path with her family.

Jamie Wallace: Random fact: My drink of choice is Jameson’s on the rocks. I acquired a taste for the stuff nearly twenty years ago when I was working at an upscale global promotions company that was incongruously located in a small fishing town. I’m always amused by the raised eyebrows and instant respect that  accompany my drink order. I never thought people would find it so impressive. I just like the fact that no one can screw up my drink. It’s whiskey and ice – not much to mess with there.

My favorite inspirational blogs are (in no particular order):

• Unabashedly Female by the lovely and indomitable Julie Daley. Her tagline, “women’s wildly creative leadership emerging from within” kind of says it all.
• Tara Sophia Mohr – Wise Living. Tara defines her work as, “to restore women’s voices where they are missing, to amplify women’s impact in the world – both for the wellbeing of women and for the wellbeing of our civilization.”
• Children’s Book-a-Day Almanac by the lovely and oh-so-well-read Anita Silvey. I once had the pleasure of interviewing Silvey. She is not only a very accomplished editor of children’s books (who has met most of the writer/illustrator icons of the century), but a lovely and kind woman and an excellent conversationalist.
• Neil Gaiman’s Journal. I am an unapologetic Neil Gaiman groupie. I love the man’s work and I love that he’s the literary equivalent of a rock star. His blog is a mixture of random ramblings, personal anecdotes, and the occasional manifesto-ish post. He doesn’t post often, but I’m always happy when he does.

Julie Hennrikus: Random fact about me? When I was in high school I was an AFS student the summer between my junior and senior year, and went to Tournai, Belgium for 10 weeks. For a brief moment I spoke French fluently. Thirty odd years later I’d love to get that back.

Inspiring blogs? They reflect the layers of my life.

• Arts Journal, Howlround and Jumper–three blogs having to do with the arts, and issues around them. All interesting, and provocative.
• For writing–Janet Reid’s blog, JungleRed Writers, this blog.
• For marketing–Beth Kanter’s blog, Seth Godin’s blog

Deborah Lee Luskin: I didn’t really like summer that much until I learned to scull; now I own my own single shell and row every summer morning that conditions allow. Another random fact is that I don’t follow any particular blog except this one. I still haven’t met the other bloggers in person, but I’m getting to know them in fifteen months of blogging together. I also often do “check out and see what they’re up to” when a reader “likes” a post – so I look at a lot of other people’s blogs, sometimes in depth.

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Wendy Thomas – a few facts that my kids all know but that you may not be so privy to:

• In sixth grade I *actually* put a tack on my teacher’s chair (got sent to the principal)
• This is the same teacher I told “you are beautiful” to on April fool’s day (had another delightful lunch with the principal – “pal” because she was my friend)

Fortunately for all involved, they sensed a bit of creativity in me and the goal became (much as it is now with one of my daughters) to reign in the creativity (just a bit) without breaking my spirit.

I can truthfully say that I still say and do things a bit impulsively, but at this point in my life, I finally seem to be able to manage my outbursts a little better. (Although I’m the one who came home with a little crippled chick in January after telling my husband “Don’t be silly, of course I’m not going to bring home a chicken, it’s the wrong time of year! – so apparently the urges are alive and doing fine. )

Being impulsive and just this side of deviant has served me well. If ever a storyteller has material upon which to draw, it is certainly moi.

Blog: Scratch and Peck by Lauren Scheuer – chickens, stories, and illustrations – what could be better?

Lisa J. Jackson – one random fact was that as a nerdy business-focused high schooler, I took 3rd place in the NH Future Business Leaders of America state typing competition. It was for speed and accuracy on an electric typewriter. I was quite pleasantly amazed.

My pick for inspiring blogs are for mystery writers:  Lee Lofland’s The Graveyard Shift, and Maine Crime Writers because they each share facts about writing and the world mystery writers work in.