Buckle up, y'all, because you're in for a treat! Not only am I super excited to share this epic tag by Simply Selina, which the lovely E.G. Bella nominated me for, but I also have a special surprise to share with y'all if you can read all the way through!
Pretty sure that just upped the suspense up (I hope), so I'll cut my intro short and dive right in!
(PS: The questions I answer were created by Lucy @ Elsie LMC!)
the rules
Add the featured image
Tag your post with #theremarkablebloggertag
Pingback to original post
Mention the creator
Share something unique about you
Answer the nine questions the person who nominated you has asked
Ask 9 nine questions for your nominees
Nominate 10 – 15 people
Have fun!
something unique about me + questions
Um. I can breathe, for one, which differentiates me from 109 billion people who can’t.
Well, I’m really not that interesting of a person (if you don’t believe me, my brother and sister couldn’t think of anything unique about me, and I ended up turning to Google, which apparently doesn’t know me any better *coughs*). So...something not-so-average about me (that I like to brag about) is that I’ve never been in the hospital except when I was born (I have visited other people, but have never been admitted myself), nor have I ever had a tooth cavity.
(I told you I wasn’t interesting. Or unique. Or different.)
Ooh, but I am descent from one of the first Jewish families in America—a rather prominent family, in fact. My however-many-greats-grandfather has a Wikipedia page. Pretty proud of that fact.
And, little-ish known fact, I wanted to be a ballerina for about twelve years of my life before I finally accepted the call to be a writer!
If you could live in any type of home, anywhere in the world, where would you go and what house would you choose? (Like a treehouse in New York or something!).
I LOVE THIS QUESTION!!! I would live in a quaint but roomy cottage in a small Scottish village on the coast (or a recently restored ancient Scottish castle, but that’s a stretch *winks*)!
What is your biggest pet peeve?
Biggest? Good gosh. There are so many, all of equal peevishness. Hmm. Probably people being easily offended. I’m just so offended by how offended people are. Augh.
(I hope y’all can hear my mocking yuppie accent. It’s really the icing on the cake.)
What would you tell the you that started your blog if you could go back to that day?
Dear me from two years ago...YOU MISSED YOU TWO-YEAR BLOGOVERSARY!!!!! YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF.
No, seriously. I just realized like right this moment that I totally forgot my second blogoversary was August 1st. Wow. (In my defense, that’s also a familial birthday, so I was busy celebrating.)
Well, happy belated second birthday, Of Blades and Thorns. Y’all remind me to run a special giveaway next year, okay?
OR HEY WAIT. LET’S CELEBRATE TODAY!!! Just stick around to the end of this post for a post-anniversary celebration!!!
Anyway, for the real answer to that particular question...I’d probably tell my beginner-blogger self to keep at it and commit to it. To find my audience and create a beautiful internet haven for myself and my community. To seek God in all I do, and remember that He’s given me this platform for a reason!
(Actually, I’m pretty sure that’s what I needed to hear today...)
Is there one song out there that you think everybody should listen to?
Oh, wow. Um. Dadgum. This is tough. To be honest, I have no idea. I listen to a lot of old/obscure music that most people would turn up their noses to, and I can’t really think of any like life-changing songs I’ve heard. *shrugs* If y’all wanna cry though, Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman and Letters from War by Mark Shultz make me cry almost every time.
BUT WAIT. THERE IS ONE.
When we sang this song in church (the first time I’d ever heard it), it moved me so much. I just...yes. Y’all must listen to Too Good to Not Believe by Brandon Lake. (To be honest, it’s nothing like actually experiencing the song, but it’s still so good.)
If there were no limits in life for a day, what would you do first and last?
No limits? At all. I’m assuming y’all know that I take this to include time limits too. Which means one day could go on for a hundred years or more...and I could do absolutely EVERYTHING. Move to Scotland, backpack across Europe, tour the Holy Land, become queen of the world, dance in The Nutcracker, write a million books, produce and star in several film and TV series, learn how to time travel and meet Jane Austen and Henry Morgan and Grace O’Malley, become a pirate. The list goes on.
And if we’re really breaking down the limits, see revival break out and everyone on the planet gets saved. Literally my biggest dream.
Have you set yourself any challenges for the year?
Well, get certified as a small business marketing manager (one class to go, baby!) and publish Bound and Determined. That’s about it, although I may be developing some more personal/spiritual goals...we’ll see.
How many blog posts have you written so far?
I currently have 387 posts published (in two years), but I have written and deleted, written and never posted some, and written some for other blogs. So we could round it to 400 if ya wanted.
Does your blog have a niche or no?
Absolutely!!! It’s, like, insanely niche-y. (Or is it just niche?) My main focus is on young, Christian female writers and readers who love romance and history—but of course I have some older readers, some not-into-romance readers, and some fantasy writers!
Do you have any advice for helping a blogger get out of a writers rut?
I do, actually, in the form of a blog post! (Go figure.) Y’all can read that HERE, but to sum up, some of my top tips are:
look for inspiration on social media, Pinterest, other blogs, etc.
write on impulse (aka, write the first thing that comes to mind and see what happens!)
read old posts to reignite your love for writing
start a convo with your readers (they’re great motivators)
nominees + questions
Some of the most remarkable bloggers I know are (drum roll, please)…
(And these are literally just the first ones that came to mind...there are SO many other amazing bloggers I follow!)
My questions for y’all are…
Pineapple on pizza? Yea or nay? (Sorry, I had to.)
What was your very first blog post about?
Who is your favorite follower? (Hint: there is only one right answer: Grace.) KIDDING KIDDING. (But also not.) My REAL question is...who has been one of your biggest supporters in starting and maintaining a blog?
What first prompted you to start a blog?
If you could write any post about anything thing, what would it be?
What’s your favorite part about being a blogger? (Probably getting to hang out with me, but you don’t have to say that. I already know how you feel. *winks*)
What’s your most favorite blog post EVER (that you’ve written, of course)?
What are your goals for this year? (*coughs* Kinda stealing one of Lucy’s questions here.)
What’s the wackiest nickname anyone’s ever given you?
ALSO. GIVEAWAY. JUST LIKE I PROMISED!!!
One lovely US winner will receive a SIGNED print copy of my devotional (plus a matching bookmark), With Fear and Trembling...and one international winner will receive a digital copy of the devo (plus a downloadable phone wallpaper)!
All you have to do to enter is answer one of the questions below in the comments. Now, each question is worth a point (aka, your name in the proverbial hat once), BUT if you answer multiple questions, you get an extra point for each one. Make sense?
#1: What’s the wackiest nickname you have ever had?
#2 What’s your most favorite part about my blog, Of Blades and Thorns?
#3 What would you like to see more of here on le blog in the future?
May the odds be ever in your favor (and the Force be with you too, of course)! I hope y’all have enjoyed this post, and will have a lovely rest of your week! (Me? Oh, I’ll be celebrating my birthday tomorrow. Hint, hint. *winks*)
AND THE WINNERS ARE...
Congratulations to Malana and Hannah for winning my international and US giveaway (respectively)!!! Malana, you'll find your copy of With Fear and Trembling in your inbox, and Hannah, yours will be on its way soon! Thank y'all so much, girls, and all y'all who entered! :D
Niceeee! Great tag! (I would probably pick a cute, 2 story cottage that is out in the country)
Oh, how interesting, pray tell about these artists you like, I listen to lots of old music too.
1: So far... I have the nicknames: Coco, Cookie, Cor, and my ever favorite(🙄) "the teenage Beast" Or "Beast" for short. Probably, that's the wackiest.
2: I absolutely love your site for how welcoming it is, the tips and they way you write as if you are having a conversation with me. It's a place for bookworms, and I enjoy reading all the stories you feature on your blog such as: Miss Verona, The Time Thief, ect..
3: I would like to see book…
Haha, when I was little I wanted to be a fashion designer… It seems every girl wants to be a ballerina, princess, or movie star, etc. when they’re small?
This is almost random, Grace, but I’m listening to the overture of an opera that I just realized would be perfect for you. The opera is Wagoner’s “Die Fliegende Höllander” (“The Flying Dutchman”) which is about a pirate who is cursed to sail forever unless he finds a bride that will never betray him. I don’t know if you’re a fan of opera, but y may like that one! The music is very stormy-sea sounding too.
CONGRATS ON YOUR BELATED TWO-YEAR BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!! Aww, thanks for the tag!! *adds to ever-growing list XD* Great post. :D
You've never been in the hospital except for when you were born?!!! That is very impressive. And that's so cool that you're descended from one of the first Jewish families in America!!!! Hahaha yes I could hear your mocking yuppie accent coming through... *laughs*
AAAA HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND HAPPY TWO-YEAR BLOGOVERSARY!!!!!!!!!!!
#1: What’s the wackiest nickname you have ever had? Raina-Baina. That somehow came from SaRAINa. *shrugs* 😂
#2 What’s your most favorite part about my blog, Of Blades and Thorns? Oh goodness, I don't know! Actually, I do know: how your personality shines through everything you write! It just makes the most interesting post topic doubly interesting. 😉 😊
#3 What would you like to see more of here…