Sisterhood of the World Blogging Award

Last week I was very honoured to be tagged for the Sisterhood of the World Blogging Award by my good friend Heather from Sometimes I’m a Story. She thought up some amazing questions and I couldn’t pass up the chance to answer them. The rules state that I am supposed to tag ten bloggers with this award, but a) I hate playing favourites with my blogger friends, and b) I think quite a few of my blogging friends have been tagged for this award already, so I shall play the rebel once again and not tag anyone. So, on to the questions.

1. You’re about to be thrown in jail with a fictional character of your choice—who is the character and how do you escape?

I’d choose Otto Malpense from the H.I.V.E series. He’s a genius, and a heroic villain, so I doubt we’d be in the prison for long. His friends would come and bust us out, if he didn’t come up with an ingenious escape plan before them. I’m not as smart as him, so I have no idea how we’d get out, but I rather hope it would involve one of his clever gadgets. They’re pretty epic.

2. What is your favorite social media site?

That would be Facebook. I have both Google+ and Facebook, but I find it difficult to keep up with either of them. Facebook is ever so slightly more convenient for me, so it wins the popularity contest. Not that social media and I are really the best of friends.

3. If you were a deity [YOU], what sacrifices would you demand from your pilgrims?

Well, I would be the goddess of writing obviously, so the first thing I would like people to sacrifice to me is their first amazing idea of every day. Then they must sacrifice their finest chocolate upon my altar if they want their inspiration to remain intact. Tea and biscuits are acceptable too. I am a fair and just goddess, but rather demanding. Those pesky muses that keep running off? Yeah, they’re mine.

4. Which is more important to you: a satisfying ending or relatable characters?

Trick question. A satisfying ending doesn’t happen if you don’t relate enough to the characters. Ergo, I need relatable characters to have said satisfying ending. Both are important to making a book great for me.

5. What is the hardest thing for you to write about?

Anything to do with contemporary fiction. I am terrible at writing anything to do with romance, normal life, schools, or real world settings. I feel much more at home when I’m inventing a fantasy world, or pretending I’m a clever person who knows science while writing a sci-fi novel.

6. What are the top seven ways you would repurpose a lonely sock?

I would: 1. Turn it into a sock puppet to amuse myself with instead of writing. 2. Give it to my dog to play with so she can amuse me instead of writing. 3. Wear it, paired with another lonely sock. Fashion doesn’t matter when your feet are cold. 4. Cut the toe off it and use it to help put my hair up in a bun. 5. Fill it with coins and turn it into a weapon. 6. Turn it into a beanie for my balding cat. 7. Use it as a gag if I ever need to kidnap someone.

7. Do you have a favorite archetype to read or write?

I tend to favour the trickster/jester types of characters, both to read and write. I love characters who have a humours outlook on life, and who have the ability to make me laugh. Plus when I write them, I can give them all the funny/witty things that I would love to say in real life but never think up in time to say.

8. Has a book ever given you important wedding planning advice?

The top piece of advice about weddings I’ve gotten so far is to be sure that the person you’re married doesn’t have an insane spouse hidden away in the top of their house somewhere. Thank you Jane Eyre for that gem of wisdom. Said insane people seem to have an obsession with burning things down. Also from that book, maybe it’s a good idea to actually get to know the person you’re marrying properly before the wedding, just in case they are, in fact, insane. All useful things to know.

9. In the event that you were forced to take a ride on top of a car, how would you secure yourself?

I’d probably strap myself down with duct tape. Then I’d be sure that I wouldn’t come off while being able to enjoy my ride. Though that does beg question, why would I be taking a ride on top of a car in the first place?

10. What is your favorite story no one has ever heard of?

I definitely wouldn’t say that no one had heard of this book, because I’ve mentioned it here on my blog a few times, but one book I really love and that most people don’t seem to have heard of is The Seer and the Sword by Victoria Hanley. It’s an excellent fantasy story with a surprisingly good romance and amazingly loveable characters. My friend Kat from Almost Completely Mad recently reviewed the book here.

Now it's your turn. How would you repurpose a lonely sock? What's your favourite book that is under appreciated? And for what reason do you think I would be taking a trip on the top of a car?