#blogging fun

This blog was inspired by the gut instinct I have had so much in my first year of real adulthood, after graduating from college one year ago. I want solutions for all sorts of things: money management, debt, jobs, unemployment, relationships, my feelings... this list goes on and on.

Sometimes the internet answers. But other times I ask “but why do I feel this way” and it doesn’t understand the question. Blog is an effort to turn those thoughts internally where they can’t be answered by strangers on the internet and an algorithm.

I do love reading the tag posts that surface every now and then. Some are dedicated to awards and sharing the blogger love, and others are about books, music, or film. Today, I’m delighted to take part in the Anything but Books Tag thanks to the lovely Claire from BrizzleLass Books – she loves the tag posts almost as much as me!

So, here goes…

Q1. Name a cartoon that you love

Oh, I miss watching cartoons on a Saturday morning! There was something special about running downstairs in your pj’s to flick the telly on and watch She-ra and Top Cat. Out of all the incredible cartoons of the 70s and 80s I would have to say the Mr Benn still holds a special place in my heart.

Q2. What is your favourite song right now

I love a huge range of music from Guns n Roses to R&B. If it makes me smile, dance, and sing then I love it. I’m also drawn to specific songs if the words relate to what’s happened in my life.

At the moment I’ve got Macklemore’s Glorious playing on repeat. I love Skylar Grey’s chorus as it resonates with everything I’ve been through.

I feel glorious, glorious

Got a chance to start again

I was born for this, born for this

It’s who I am, how could I forget?

I made it through the darkest part of the night

And now I’ll see the sunrise

Now I feel glorious, glorious

I feel glorious, glorious

Q3. What could you do for hours that isn’t reading

People watch!

Q4. What is something that you love to do that your followers would be surprised by

I don’t think my followers would be that surprised by any of my antics as I’m an open book (no pun intended!). I share pretty much all my extracurricular activities with my fans so most of them know about my duel life (fantasy fiction and personal development).

Q5. What is your favourite, unnecessarily specific thing to learn about

Genealogy. I’m fascinated by history but to find out who my ancestors were and how they lived their lives is incredible. It’s like doing a giant jigsaw puzzle as you put together the pieces. I researched my dad’s line a few years ago and couldn’t find my great-great-grandad who appeared on the census one year, then disappeared, only to reappear at the next one. I dug deeper and finally found him. He was visiting his son on the day of the census. Not something unusual until you realise there were no cars and he probably had to walk across two counties to make that visit.

Q6. What is something unusual you know how to do

It’s not unusual but it’s the only thing I could think of – I can do silver service waitressing!

Q7. Name something that you’ve made in the last year

Does chicken pie count? Seriously, my most important ‘make’ this year is my vision board. I make a new board every New Year and use it to motivate me to achieve everything I want during the year. I also run workshops on the topic so I get to see tons of other people create something special.

Q8. What is your most recent personal project

My most recent personal project is also a business goal too. I’m a member of a fabulous networking group in my local area (Socially Shared) and meet loads of fabulous women who have started their own business. Many of them are fascinated by my blogging tales so I created a new eCourse designed to help them, and other small business owners across the globe. I launched my first course in October. Blogging for Beginners: Business Edition is aimed at the small businesses who know they need to blog but don’t know where to start.

Q9. Tell us something that you think of often

Easy! VW Campervans – Type 2 to be specific. I’ve been obsessed with campers for as long as I can remember. I owned a 1975 bay which was so rusty you could see the road through the holes in the cab floor. (The baby in the photo is my son who is now 19!) They represent freedom, fun, and adventure for me and it’s my main aim to get another one in the future.

Q10. Tell us something that’s your favourite, but make it oddly specific

I have to admit, this question stumped me. I looked at Claire’s answer and saw that she’d mentioned her favourite jumper. I had a little ponder on some of my favourite things specific to writing and came up with…nothing! Nope, diddly squat on the inspiration scale for this one. So, I thought I’d share my favourite TV shows at the moment that help me wind down after a writing marathon session.

The Walking Dead – If you want to follow the chat about the latest season then I recommend popping over to Terry Tyler’s blog where she’s sharing her thoughts on Season 8’s zombie action.

Outlander – OMG, I am utterly obsessed with this show! I arrived late to the party but then had the added bonus of being able to binge watch three seasons.

Lucifer – Fun, snarky, and hot; that’s our lovely Lucifer. Definitely a guilty pleasure.

So, there you go. I hope you enjoyed reading my Anything but Books Tag post. I’ve tagged five bloggers who I thought might enjoy taking part, but please do feel free to join in if you enjoyed this, or not if you didn’t! 😉

Terry Tyler

Em Linthorpe

Barb Taub

Hayley Beasley Dye (Just Another Blog From a Woman)

Ritu Bhathal (But I Smile Anyway)

Thanks for visiting my blog, I hope you enjoyed this post. Want more? Connect with me here:  Twitter @ShelleyWilson72, Instagram or check out my Facebook pages http://www.facebook.com/FantasyAuthorSLWilson and http://www.facebook.com/MotivateMeBlog. You can also find me on Pinterest

The Rules:

Thank the person who nominated you and link to their blog Answer the 11 questions the person asked you Nominate 11 people (comment on their blog to let them know) Ask the people you have nominated 11 questions

Here are Claire’s questions for me to answer:

What book first got you into reading?

The first book I can remember reading over and over was Folk of the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. It ignited my love for fantasy.

If you could be transported to one bookish world what would it be?

Idris from the Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare. It’s a YA fantasy series that I adore and would love to mix with the Shadowhunters on their home world.

Describe your perfect book

Sword and sorcery, magic, and the occasional dragon would be ideal. However, I’m also partial to a vampire, werewolf, demon, and power crazy bad guys.

What is your favourite quote?

Thoughts become things, pick good ones.

What makes you laugh out loud?

I would normally say, my kids, as I am always falling about laughing at the quirky stuff they say. However, after a recent trip to Florida where I got to go on Splash Mountain, I would have to say that this amusement ride wins hands down. I’ve never laughed that hard in my life – or been that wet!

Should we visit your hometown? Why (not)?

Oh, I’d love you to visit my hometown. I live in a beautiful leafy town called Solihull in the West Midlands (about eight miles outside Birmingham). It was voted the best place to live in the UK in 2013

I think of it as Middle Earth because we’re right in the centre and can easily access anywhere in the UK. Stratford-upon-Avon is half an hour away, and we’ve got Kenilworth, Warwick, and the ever evolving Coventry on our doorstep. Let me know when you’re coming, and I’ll stick the kettle on.

What three words would you use to describe yourself?

Chatty, loyal, (secretly) introverted.

If you could go anywhere in the world where and why?

That’s a tough one as there are so many places on my bucket list. If I were given a map of the world and told to pick just one place to visit, then I’d say Machu Picchu. I’m not sure when and how my infatuation started with this place, but it’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit. Maybe it’s a past life thing, and my soul has lived there before, that would be cool!

What is top of your bucket list?

To own a VW camper van – again! I had an orange and white 1975 bay window before I was married, but it was a rust bucket. I loved that van, but when I had my son it became impractical, so my ex-husband sold it (hence the ex!!). I’d love to buy a brand new T2 version and tour the UK. They are so much fun to drive, and I miss being a part of the VW community.

If you could only read one genre for the rest of your life which would you choose?

Easy – young adult fantasy. No two stories are ever the same, so I’d be entertained for life.

Which Game of Thrones character are you?

I’d love to say that I’m the queen of dragons, Daenerys Targaryen, but I think because of my height and build I’m more like Brienne of Tarth!

My Nominations:

Ritu – But I Smile Anyway Joanne – My Chestnut Reading Tree Gary – Fiction is Food Terry Tyler Lucy – Blonde Write More Traci York Ellen Best Mark West Mary Smith Gloria – We are Holistic Shaun – Clockwork Cloud

My Questions:

1 Have you met any of your internet friends in real life? 2 What’s your favourite TV show? What character would you be from that show? 3 What’s your favourite kind of blog post to write? (Book review, personal post, fiction, etc.) 4 What are your most and least favourite things about blogging? 5 Is there a genre you wouldn’t read? Why? 6 Which of your own blog posts is your personal favourite? Why? 7 Do you have any pets? If so, what are they and do they help/hinder your blogging/writing? If no, what would be your ideal pet? 8 What’s your favourite type of takeaway food? 9 What would be your ideal career? Why? 10 Which author do you like to recommend the most? 11 Who’s your go to band/artist when you can’t decide on something to listen to?

Thanks for visiting my blog, I hope you enjoyed this post. Want more? Connect with me here:  Twitter @ShelleyWilson72, Instagram or check out my Facebook pages http://www.facebook.com/FantasyAuthorSLWilson and http://www.facebook.com/MotivateMeBlog. You can also find me on Pinterest

Huge thanks to @TraciYorkWriter for tagging me in on this fun feature, you can read Traci’s post HERE. I’ve enjoyed reading a few of these posts and learning more about my favourite bloggers, so I was delighted to be handed the opportunity to join in.

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