I See The Paparazzi Coming

They must have heard that two awards were being presented today - the Nice Matters Award and the Blogging Star Award. Oh well - just smile and wave. Smile and wave. Back up smoothly. Get swallowed up by the crowd. Hah! Ditched 'em.

Okay, let's collect ourselves and move into the auditorium. Settle ourselves in our seats - just in time. The house lights are going down to a quarter, the crowd hums, last minute seating, then lights go to dark.

The spotlight comes up and the crowd applauds as the Master of Ceremonies strides onstage. Ooo, I'm getting a bit nervous. Take a deep breath.

Lots of talking that my swirly mind can't keep track of, then he's introducing blogger Joy Renee from Joystory. She sweeps onstage as my heart does a flippy flop.

"This award is for those bloggers who are nice people - good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you've been awarded, please pass it on to 7 others who you feel are deserving of this award.

Julia at A Piece of My Mind has been an instance of sweetness and light for me."

I gather up my courage, stand and make my way to the stage. Big hug for Joy Renee!

"Thank you, Joy Renee. I was completely surprised when I saw my name in your list of nominees. My mouth actually made that 'O' shape. I'm truly very honored to accept it. I'm a huge fan of all things Victorian and I think it's a gorgeous design.

Now it's my very great pleasure to present my own Nice Matters Awards to:
(unfolding paper to read my notes)


Kelly Boyce at It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

Kelly is a blogging friend who is also a real-life writing friend who I met through my romance writers' group. I love the way she wholeheartedly shares the ups and downs of a writer's life, including her techniques for plotting, character development and revisions. In real life she's been an absolute Supahstah president of our local writers' chapter, giving an enormous amount of herself to improve our group in the two years she's served us. As a writer she is a generous critiquer, putting a lot of thought into each comment which is always loaded with insight. She's been an invaluable help to me personally. Thank you, Kelly, for SO much!


Red Garnier

Red has a way of always making me feel like a long-lost cousin every time we get together in the Blogosphere. Maybe her love of Oscar Wilde makes me feel like a kindred spirit. I know I love it when she promotes art on her blog - I can feel her passion for it bursting through the monitor. And she's always eager to promote fellow authors, which I admire and appreciate. She group blogs at 6 Degrees of Sexy, where even a supposedly shameless self-promotion morphs into a way for readers to win at her contest. Thank you Red for always brightening the way for me!



Kailana at Kailana's Written World

The very nature of her blog - her love of books - makes me smile every time I visit. Her contagious enthusiasm for the written word sometimes gives me that extra nudge I need when I'm working on my own stories. I especially admire her attention to Canadian authors, as I'm a big supporter of the arts in the Land of the Maple Leaf.


Wylie Kinson at Wylie's Words

Wylie often seems to have house guests at her place, which she mentions from time to time on her blog. So I'm making the logical assumption that a woman often having people stay over must be a warm, friendly and nice person. She certainly seems that way in the Blogosphere - her visits to my blog and others are filled with supportive and funny comments. Being another 6 Degrees of Sexy blogger, she's shared fascinating craft-of-writing posts on subjects like body language that really delve deep into areas often not tackled. Thanks for all of that and more, Wylie!


Annie Mac at One Word at a Time

Anne is another real world friend who I met through Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada. RWAC, as we like to call it. Besides sharing her writer's insights, woes and sucesses, Anne always shares her practical discoveries. She puts in a lot of comparison shopping for things like a new car or a possible lap top, and her generosity in sharing this information is helpful to all of us writers trying to carve out extra time to write in our busy days. Also a multiple past president of RWAC, Anne puts extra time and effort into every writer's craft session she gives at our meetings. They've always given me an 'aha!' moment. Thank you for that, Anne!

Sans Pantaloons

Believe me, I thought long and hard before offering a pink ribbony-flowery award to Sans, but part of his charm is his graphic design skill. I have no doubt that Sans could come up with a very masculine Nice Matters Award if he wanted to display his own version. Yet he's just zany enough to post it as is. He keeps himself busy and off the streets by designing wonderful badges which he offers to his blog friends just because. Thanks Sans - you're nice!


Amy Ruttan

Amy has so many similarities to me, sometimes I feel like she's my secret twin. Especially when she gives up some Gerard Butler on her own blog or on 6 Degrees of Sexy. Though this was even better in some ways: Will Farrell's Phantom Spoof Thanks for posting that and for loving Red Dwarf!



The applause dies down as two lovely assistants escort me into the wings. There I watch enthralled as Akelamalu herself takes the stage. Her blog Everything and Nothing has been awarded a staggering 30 awards. Drop everything this very second - run, don't walk to Akelamalu's blog to enjoy her witty repartee. I love every visit!

Sh! now, sh! She's speaking:

"This award is for bloggers who shine their light throughout the Blogoshere. Some do it with humor, others with creativity, and others with their kind and thoughtful natures. We all know more than a few of them so why not give them some recognition?

Julia at A Piece Of My Mind gets it for her wonderful poetry. These lines from a recent poem she wrote made me catch my breath -

Of blueberries hidden
In the springy shrubs
As they give themselves away
To be cradled in my hand like jewels

How creative can you get? I hope Julia won't mind me reproducing her words here."

I shake my head while trying to control the swelling up in my heart. I walk out to give Akelamalu a big squeeze and accept the Blogging Star Award, which originated over at Skittles' Place.

"Thank you so much, Akelamalu! I cannot tell you how touched I was to see my poem on your blog. It felt quite surreal, actually. Thank you again for the award, and for this opportunity to honor these five other Blogging Stars today:


Jill the Acadian/Jill l'Acadienne

Jill impresses me on so many levels. She has a bilingual poetry blog - because writing poems in one language is clearly too pedestrian! Then, for those times when she's wondering what to do with herself, she posts on her second blog, Live Your Life and Smile. She's an enthusiastic participant in Rhian's Poetry Train Monday, and she takes part in highly spirited comment sessions, egging on the fun. But the blog post that impressed me most was her leap into the deep end of naughty-but-nice fiction. And she did it with flair! Shine on, Jill!


Anne Aguirre/Annie Dean at Try some, it's good

She recently got to share the Three Book Deal Squee! with all of her dear readers, which was thrilling. Anne writes under two noms des plumes, which is impressive all on its own. But her razor sharp wit on her blog is a draw that not even Nora Roberts herself can resist. Don't believe me? Check out her post on What Would Nora Do? Scroll down to the tenth commenter. Shine on, Anne!


Camille Alexa at littlebird blue

Camille has a very eclectic blog with an emphasis on literary things, such as an extensive list in her sidebar of 170 links for Submission Guidelines to publishers and various journals, reviews and magazines. You can check out her poetry, literary reviews and fiction. Discussion on her blog is spirited and broad. And her photo essays are offhand and brilliant. Shine on, Camille!


Christine d'Abo at fantasies unleashed

Christine just completed the Seventy Days of Sweat Challenge (as did Amy Ruttan) which entailed writing 65,000 words in 70 days. She has a fulltime day job which has just promoted her, besides the time she spends with her family. Her daily word count is phenomenal, her writing is crisp and evocative, and she gives writing craft sessions that include 5-layer sour cream & salsa dip. She group blogs on 6 Degrees of Sexy, including such gems as Thirteen Male Abs. She continued writing during two trips to be interviewed for the promotion and house hunting. Shine on, Christine!


Karina at Candid Karina

Karina is a two-blogger gal who posts her thoughts, photos and commentary on Candid Karina, and fiction on Creative Karina. Her poetry is fresh and unexpected, and her delight with shoes is quite contagious. Her Wordless Wednesdays got me started with a weekly feature I truly love. Shine on, Karina!


The applause wraps up and we sidle off to the lobby, chatting amongst ourselves with cheek kisses and laughter. It's off to wind down with a leisurely dinner and drinks. I think I'll kick off my shoes under the table. Ah, that feels better.

Waiter! Could I have another shot of Glenfiddich? Neat.