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This week, I am honoured to receive another Lovely Blog Award, from Marilyn Armstrong.

Last time I messed with the logo (the original is the pink one above). This time I’m bending the rules, just a little:

THE STORY

Once upon a time there was a writer, and his friends, they looked upon his blog, and found some things about it that they considered lovely. They bestowed an award on him, and this cheered him up no end.

And so the minutes turned into hours, the hours to days, the days to weeks, and the writer was gleeful, then happy, and then content. The weeks turned into months, and the writer started to doubt. What had happened to his blog’s loveliness? No one commented on it, mentioned it, or even hinted at it. If his blog had no loveliness, maybe his own had disappeared? Had he lost it? Had it faded? Was his loveliness nothing more than a half-remembered dream, or a delusion that had never really existed?

What shall become of me if I have no loveliness? thought the writer. Without at least a little loveliness in my soul all that shall come from me—everything I create—will be forever desiccated, fallow. As a writer, I shall be an empty husk with no heart. Or, worse still, the roiling darkness within will break free. Uncontained, who knows how many crushed aspirations, trampled hearts and shattered dreams my darkness will leave in its wake?

Just as the writer was preparing to withdraw from society, in order to protect the innocent and those he cared about (the writer had not lost his realism, and many of those he cared about were hardly innocent—they knew who they were), there arrived, unexpectedly, a goodly Samaritan.

And the Samaritan gazed upon the writer, and knew him not, and yet still the Samaritan saw the faintest glimmer, the tiniest luminous seed within him, that if blown with care could be carried to a place where it would alight, and rest, and grow. The Samaritan was moved, and taking pity upon the writer bestowed upon his blog a new award. And behold! The blog was made Lovely, and so the writer was Lovely and Gleeful once more.

And so the minutes turned into hours, the hours to days, the days to weeks, and the writer was gleeful, then happy, and then content. The weeks turned into months, and the writer started to doubt. What had happened to his blog’s loveliness? No one commented on it, mentioned it, or even hinted at it. If his blog had no loveliness, maybe his own had disappeared? Had he lost it? Had it faded? Was his loveliness nothing more than a half-remembered dream, or a delusion that had never really existed?

What shall become of me if I have no loveliness? thought the writer…

 THERE IS NO END

And the moral of the story? Accolades, praise, and success—although always welcome—are fleeting. In the end, do what you do because you find joy in it; everything else is a bonus.

 

THE SEVEN SINS:

Humbled by the Samaritan’s generosity the writer, T. James, thusly unburdens himself:

1. I confess to being mostly house trained—except for the clothes pile on the bedroom floor, and my ability to find a potential use for almost anything which means nothing gets thrown away, ever.

2. I confess that I like fruit centred chocolates, and was greatly irked when they removed the lemon centres from my favourite assortment.

3. I confess that, aged 12, I invented a bike powered by pedalling an electric motor that should have reached speeds of 280mph. I was defeated by air resistance, friction, and the laws of physics.

4. I confess that as a child my bedtime friend was a flat blue donkey called Neddy. Any current mental malfunctions can be traced back to my exposure to psycho-active cuddly toys at an early age.

5. I confess that I have a wide and eclectic taste in music. It ranges from classical, including the film score of Trois Couleur Bleu, to dance, and bands like The Prodigy and The Black Eyed Peas.

6. I confess that I still have a toy collection (I don’t kid myself that ‘action figures’ are somehow different than toys). One of my faves is a C3P0 head which folds out to become a mini Cantina Bar, from the scene in Star Wars.

7. I confess that I enjoy bath time water pistol fights with my son at least as much as he does. We both enjoy the loud squeal from my wife when he sneaks up on her and puts his wet and freezing hands on her stomach afterwards.

 

THE CAST:

Some lovely people and their blogs—why not check them out?

The Samaritan:

Marilyn Armstrong: a most noble and gracious blogger who writes about anything, everything, and tech. Why not visit her blog, Serendipity.

The Writers and Where They Live:

Rich Weatherly: his venerable years have given him wisdom, compassion, and an appreciation of history, poetry, and books. He’s good at writing them too, and has a short story collection coming out at the end of July.

Steve McHugh: is such a lovely man. Nate, his action hero character, likes using magic to bang heads and lift things—and quite a lot of people are loving it. The writer himself, on the other hand, is a devoted family man and someone you would invite over for dinner.

Krista Walsh: is a writer of many wonderful tales, and taker-apart of mine. Currently masterminding and hosting the Greylands collaboration, and it’s looking good.

Matthew Lee Adams: what this guy doesn’t know about writerly things is probably not worth knowing. He’s done the time, paid his dues, and has several well-written novels to show for it.

Danielle La Paglia: this lady can write. She’s just decided that, for the time being, she is pursuing the traditional route to publication. You’ll have to wait a little longer for a novel, but there’s plenty of prose on her blog to keep you going. She could write poetry too, but she thinks she can’t because her sister can. The truth is they both can. So there.

J. G. Banks: hangs out in his big bear’s den. Pay a visit and you get enthusiasm, honesty, and big furry hugs. You may even be able to download podcasts too, eventually.

Sandy Coelho: does a good line in fast paced vivid prose—currently filling a novella. She’s a warm and genuine person too.

Dianne Waye: has been in the writing game a while, working hard and honing her art. She’s awaiting her big break, and she someone who deserves to get it.

Tammy Crosby: her blog has been quiet for a while because she’s been busting a gut to help the Ink Babes team get there first compilation done. It’s now out, and looks dark and awesome (and maybe a little naughty in places). She’s got details on her blog, so why not check it out?

Colin F. Barnes: because the ‘F’ is important—it means you don’t want to mess with him. One of the most genuine and helpful writers I’ve met online, and all round Jolly Good Egg. The beard is the clue though, as it hints at the darkness in his creative soul—and he writes it very well.

Savvy Annah: is new to the world of blogging, she shares her life in an open and encouraging way. She’s also the only blogging Aussie I know.

Anne Michaud: is a writer of dark imaginings, and unspliced Gothsis to

Angela Addams: is a writer with naughty imaginings. They are both in-Cure-able fans.

Magda Olchawska: writes stories, children’s books, and makes indie films with feeling and a conscience. Her latest, on ethical hacking and slavery, is being cut before release around the film festivals.

Lisa Greer: runs a review blog reviewing gothic books, and was kind enough to feature a review for me recently. Rumour has it she wears diaphanous dresses.

Chrissey Harrison: is a writer and blogger who is into photography and dabbles in indie film production. She is currently in a love triangle with her partner, and her Canon camera.

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