E. G. Bella

Happy Friday!

Today I’ve got another fun post, as I was tagged to participate in the Liebster Award blog tag! Kristianne over at Whimsical Wanderings tagged me (you can find her post here!), and her questions look too fun to resist. I look forward to answering them, and I hope you enjoy getting another glimpse into my crazy mind!

First of all, the rules:

• Thank the blogger who nominated you (Thank you so much, Kristianne!)
• Answer the eleven questions he/she asked.
• Nominate eleven more bloggers for the award.
• Make sure they know you nominated them.
• And ask your eleven nominated bloggers eleven questions.

And now for the questions…

1. What is your blog all about? What do you write about on there?

My blog is an extension of my author website, and I first started it with the intention of just using it to share some of my thoughts on life, announce my writing and publishing ventures, and generally just build a readership for my fiction. Because I’d mostly just written fiction, I didn’t plan to do too much with it – or to enjoy as much as I do!

However, I’ve quickly realized that blogging is not only a good way to find readers that enjoy my writing, but to touch hearts and to share how God’s working in my life and the things I’ve learned as a result. It’s been such a blessing and a great exercise in getting my thoughts out clearly. As well as hopefully being interesting, I pray my posts will be used by God to comfort, inspire, and encourage others – and that’s what I try to focus on every time I blog. 

My current posting schedule is a more introspective post every Sunday (in which I focus more on life, faith, and what I’ve been learning lately), a writing related post every Wednesday (that have either my writing tips, experiences, or some updates on my current projects), and the ‘fun’ posts some Fridays (that are usually for blog tags – like today!, book reviews/author interviews, or other misc. things that don’t fit into my Sunday or Wednesday categories).

2. Have you ever finished a full-length writing project or wanted to?

Yes! A lot in fact. To date, I’ve written rough drafts for six full-length novels, as well as two that are more than halfway finished (so I guess they don’t really count for this question, haha). I’ve also written several short stories that are more like novella length… with ideas for many more!

3. Are you an introvert or an extrovert (or an ambivert)?

Ah, the age-old question I’m still not sure how to answer…It doesn’t help when everyone seems to have their own idea of what extrovert vs introvert means, haha.

Going by how most people view them (even though I now know they’re far more complex than I used to think), I usually seem more introverted – quiet and prone to spending lengths of time by myself. I do have a love for new situations, places, and people though and I can often seem quite extraverted, especially if I’m trying to help others feel welcome or when I’m acting for theatre.

When I took the MBTI personality test, it said I’m 51% extrovert and 49% introvert, and that sounds about right to me. I relate far more to the INFP personality profile than the ENFP one though (it’s so accurate, it’s crazy!). Overall, I think I’m a pretty equal mix of both. And for bonus points as long as we’re talking about personality types, I’m an Enneagram type 2w1.

 4. What inspires you the most? Certain books? Movies? Music?

I can’t say all of them, haha? Inspiration comes from absolutely everywhere for me, but if I had to choose just one that I think inspires me most…I’d have to say movies. I’m a very visual person and I’ve found that I have to monitor the story ideas that pop into my head shortly after watching a movie, otherwise I find out partway through plotting them that they’re really just rip-offs of that film. Not an ideal discovery.

When I’m stuck on a story I’m working on, or needing motivation to work on it again, I find that watching a movie similar to it is very helpful. As I’ve been working on Cabin Girl lately, I’ve cycled through the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Treasure Planet, Treasure Island, and even Muppet Treasure Island, for some visual inspiration. It’s been very helpful. (And don’t worry, Kermit doesn’t make any surprise appearances in Cabin Girl).

5. What book are you reading right now? (Or if you’re not reading anything right now, what was the last book you read?)

At the moment, I’m on Chapter/Day 6 of The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. It’s one I’ve wanted to read for a long time and just recently found at a thrift shop – so yay! It’s very encouraging and inspiring so far.

The last fiction book I read was The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, and despite the liberties taken with some historical details, I really enjoyed it. I’ve always been fond of bittersweet stories that make me feel and think deeply, and this one definitely did that.

6. What kind of music do you like to listen to (if at all)?

I’ve grown up in a very well-rounded and music-loving family so I’m not super picky when it comes to specific genres of music. In general, I don’t listen to anything with messages I don’t agree with or that contain language, and I’m not fond of rap, heavy metal, or rock (mostly because they tend to meet the first two criteria). My favorites would be contemporary Christian songs, classic hymns, Disney, and most Broadway.

7. Which type of character would you like to be in a book? The protagonist? Mentor? Sidekick?

Oh, definitely a sidekick. Just preferably not one of the ones that are only featured for a chapter or two before getting killed off, haha! Being a protagonist or mentor would be far too much pressure, and the villain is out for obvious reasons. But as a sidekick I could do my best to help the main character without the weight on my shoulders of having to save the world, or defeat the evil mastermind, or whatever the case may be. Also, sidekicks seem to have the inherent right to make as many cheesy jokes as they please, so that’d be a plus.

8. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Africa! I’ve always wanted to go to Africa, and even more than just traveling, it’s been a dream of mine for years to do mission work in poverty-stricken areas there. African people and cultures hold a dear place in my heart that I’ve never been able to explain (I’m not related to anyone who lives in Africa, nor have I ever gone there myself), but someday I’d love to spend a good chunk of time with them. Right now I don’t have any specific plans other than knowing that God is aware of my longing, and if I’m meant to go, He’ll provide the opportunity.

One other notable mention is Ireland. I would love to tour some ancient castles, admire the landscape, and learn about their history. Irish accents are also my favorite accents of all time, haha. My own fascination with Ireland was actually the sole reason I decided to make Éirinn, from Cabin Girl, Irish.

9. What is your favorite season? Why?

Autumn, which happens to be the shortest season where I live, unfortunately. I just love the warm sunshine and cool air, colorful trees, ability to wear layers, the winding down of typical summer obligations (like gardening, mowing, etc.) but still great opportunities to hike or walk around…even just the smell of the air is amazing to me. If given the chance, I’d probably downgrade winter to a month or two and fill the rest with autumn, haha.

10. Generally, which do you prefer: books or movies? Why?

Oh boy – that’s a really tough question. I enjoy them both very much for different reasons, and I wouldn’t want to give either up. If I had to choose though, I’d say I prefer books. They can be enjoyed anywhere, at any pace, and I can envision the settings, characters, and action however I want them to be. There’s also a lot of amazing stories that really wouldn’t work well as a movie, but they’re perfect for books, and I wouldn’t want to miss those.

11. Who is someone you look up to and want to emulate? (It can even be someone from the past.)

First of all, the biggest and most obvious one is Jesus Christ. As a Christian, it probably goes without saying that I look up to Him most of all and long to be more and more like Him with every passing moment.

In addition, definitely my parents. Growing up, I always knew they were awesome, but it hasn’t been until recent years that I’ve realized just how much God has blessed me with them. Though of course no one’s perfect, I’ve never had to doubt my parents’ love for me, my siblings, or for God. I’ve never had to worry about them divorcing, or making a hasty or spiteful decision concerning me. Now and looking back, I can see that they’ve always strived to be bright examples of Christ and to raise their children well. I know many people unfortunately can’t say that about their own parents, so I’m incredibly blessed and overwhelmingly grateful that I can.

I could go on and on about people that I look up to and want to live like – from close family to dear friends to faraway missionaries to Christians that long ago went Home – but I’ll stop there so that this post isn’t novel-length itself, haha.  

Well, those are my answers! Thanks for sticking around and joining me in this fun activity!

I’d like to tag the following people to join in if they’d like:

1. S. J. Wunderlin
2. Lauryn Trimmer
3. Raina Nightingale
4. Annabeth Hazel
5. Brooke Johnson
6. Scott Austin Tirrell
7. YOU, if you have a blog and want to participate!

Yes, I know that’s only seven tags, not eleven, but if it counts, I see the other four I was going to tag have already been tagged for this exact thing, so…I don’t want to be annoying, haha.

I haven’t met as many bloggers as I’d like yet – which is just one reason you should introduce yourself! And if you don’t have a blog, feel free to answer any of these questions in the comments below. I’m always thrilled to get to know new people!

Here are my questions for you:

1. When did you first get the idea to start a blog, and why did you decide to?
2. What is your dream job?
3. If you could domesticate any wild animal to keep for a pet, which would you choose and why?
4. Chocolate or vanilla (or other)?
5. What’s the next book you hope to read and/or movie you want to watch?
6. What fictional world do you wish was real?
7. In three words, how would you best describe yourself?  
8. If you had to pick one season to live in for the rest of your life, which one would you pick?  
9. What’s one of your favorite quotes (about anything)?
10. Who is a fiction character you think you’d get along well with? Who is one you don’t think you’d get along with?
11.What’s one of your favorite childhood memories?

Once again, thank you for joining me today! I really enjoyed answering these questions, and I hope you enjoyed reading through them as well.

I’d love to find out how YOU would answer these questions! Let me know on your own blog, or in the comments below. I look forward to hearing from you!

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