Sunshine Blogger Award No. 2!

Nin Chronicles Sunshine Blogger Award

My heart goes out to Kelly of The Kelly Diane Report for nominating me for the Sunshine Blogger Award! It is wonderful to know my words help spread sunshine and smiles.

The Kelly Diane Report is an abundant exploration of lifestyle, self-care, and ways to give unique gifts, so be sure to check her writing space out!

The Rules of this Award:

  1. Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link back to their blog.
  2. Answer the 11 questions asked by the person who nominated you.
  3. Nominate 11 people and ask them new 11 questions.
  4. Notify the nominees by commenting on one of their posts.
  5. List the rules and display the sunshine blogger award in your post.
Sunshine Blogger Award
Sunshine Blogger Award Logo

Kelly’s questions:

  1. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

I have travelled very little and, due to the pandemic, am not likely to be going anywhere soon. I currently love traveling through photographs, food, and the evocative writing of travel, food, and memoir writing. However, if I could travel, to New Zealand I would go. The greenery is stunning and the rumored peace of the place inspiring!

2. What are you most looking forward to this month?

This February I look forward to new calls for submissions and new opportunities to evolve in the way I write and what I share. Great plans are fermenting for something as new as a newsletter, though I am torn between what platform to use and the realistic-ness of it.

3. What’s your favorite drink?

It is so hard to pinpoint one drink, but I am truly a hot cocoa lover. I have been spotted making it even on the hottest of summer days! Tied with hot cocoa is a frozen peanut banana chocolate chip smoothie.

4. What inspired you to start blogging?

I started blogging, in all honesty, because I had something to say and I wanted to share my voice with the world. The simplicity of Nin Chronicles’ beginning continuously inspires me to keep evolving and growing to fit my writing vision of the future. Like drafts, it changes!

5. How do you balance your blog with other aspects of life such as a job?

For years now I have given myself two hours a day to be online. In two hours, I write, submit, and socialize. What I do not get done in one day must wait until the next. This helps me focus on writing when I am online and life when I am not.

6. Which achievement are you proud of most?

Right now I am proud that I have repeatedly found the courage to step out of my comfort zone and submit and connect with new places and people. I am proud that my writing is included in two print books and is forthcoming in a third!

7. You’ve won the lottery. What would you do with the money?

Golly! Finally I stumble. What would I do with the money? I think I would start my own publishing house. I am extremely picky in what I love in what I read and watch so I would need to be able to afford to be choosy in what I published.

8. If you could give another blogger one valuable piece of advice, what would it be?

Share what you know. If you want to share all the blogging advice in the world and are not yet a blogger, share it from the perspective of someone who is learning as they go, not as an expert. Be honest with yourself and your community. For example, I have started sharing the tips that have helped me grow as a poet now because only now, two years later, can I say I have learned by the advice I am sharing.

9. What is your favorite meal?

I cannot pick a favorite meal. I enjoy a diverse variety of foods and textures, tastes, and smells. The only thing I do not enjoy is too much spice!

10. Who is your celebrity crush?

This is me admitting I was once in love with both Orlando Bloom and Lee Pace, in that order, after Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit came out. I also entertained fantasies of Leonard Nimoy and Richard Armitage, though my crushes only ever existed to satisfy my love of fan fiction!

11. What is your favorite season and why?

I was born a summer girl and I am a summer girl, but I love the beginning of spring when the most lovely shade of new green takes over all the trees in the Blue Ridge. The air is cool, though not yet warm enough to go about without a cardigan. The world is fresh and promising.

Related: Sunshine Blogger Award

My Questions:

  • What is your favorite song and why?
  • Do you love to cook? I mean, do you LOVE to cook?
  • What motivates you?
  • How do you make peace with writer’s block?
  • What is your favorite snack and why?
  • What do you think about the state of the world?
  • Where do you want to take your writing/blogging?
  • Who is your favorite cartoon character?
  • How do you practice self-care?
  • Sweet or unsweet coffee/tea?
  • Do you ever dance with wild abandon? I mean WILD abandon!

Nominees:

Finally, as you regular readers may know, I have stopped listing my nominees by name. I believe many people are left out of receiving the recognition they deserve for the effort that goes into their writing so I leave this as an open nomination. If you bring a smile to just your face at least once a day, you are nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award.

I know I often feel shy accepting open invitations to nominations, so perhaps you are hesitating. Be bold. Be brave. Practice a form of self love today by realizing you do deserve this.

May the words flow!

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39 Comments

  1. Sophia Lorena Benjamin

    you’ve got a special way to charm with you words and the way you approach your writing Jaya. It’s uniquely YOU. Stay that way and blessings for your big plans for publishing and all….do let me know how things pan out.

  2. ayesha

    Congrats on this award! I’m so glad to have stumbled on your blog accidentally lol! 🥳✨

    1. Jaya Avendel

      Thank you! Love that my writing found you at a good time.

  3. Je

    Congratulations on the nomination!
    It was also great reading your answers and getting to know more of the person behind this website.
    Best of luck going forward and continue to inspire xx

  4. lynnmumbingmejia

    I always love reading these posts! It brings me great joy reading small facts about people! Congratulations! x
    http://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com

    1. Jaya Avendel

      Aww, thank you so much! I love that you enjoyed this.

    1. Sophia Lorena Benjamin

      hmm…what if there were no emojis

  5. Navita Bhatia

    You know what, I have always loved all these award posts as it gives me a chance to learn about my favorite bloggers a little more. in your case, I so look forward to them as I always find some great advice to take home. This time it is about efficiently managing the blog, along with other things in life. I have always struggled with this part. I will try to keep your suggestion in mind and hope I can get better at managing time in the future.
    Congratulations and best wishes!!

    1. Jaya Avendel

      Love that this helped you so much, Navita, and I hope you find the balance that works beautifully for you! 🙂

    2. Sophia Lorena Benjamin

      so well said Navita. wishing you success.

  6. bournemouthgirl

    Congratulations on being nominated again Jaya. It just proves how well your writing is received. You are doing some great work with your extra submissions. Keep up the good work x

    1. Jaya Avendel

      Thank you so much, Lauren!

  7. SUDARSHAN PALIWAL

    Congratulations keep going with your good work

  8. short-prose-fiction

    Congratulations. Wonderful post ❤️❤️❤️❤️

    1. Jaya Avendel

      Thank you, Gabriela! I am honored.

      1. short-prose-fiction

        My pleasure hon ❤️❤️❤️❤️

  9. lifestyleseason

    Lovely post! Congrats on being nominated! I loved reading your answers and New Zealand sounds like an amazing place to go to!

  10. agirlwithaview1

    Loved reading this. I think setting up your own publishing house would be such a fantastic way to spend the money! Thanks for sharing.
    Tash – A Girl with a View

  11. Ming Qian

    Hey Jaya, I am impressed that you manage to restrict your time online to just two hours a day! I rely on the internet for most of my school work, so there is no way that I can hop off the Internet for that long. And as long as I am connected to the Internet, it is doubly hard to resist popping by social media accounts.
    You are right about blogging and writing about what one knows best. As you know, I share blogging tips on my blog as well. I am very conscious of the fact that I am relatively new (been blogging only since June 2020). A large proportion of anything that I share comes from things that I’ve tried. Of course, my opinions have evolved even within the past seven months. Sometimes, I find myself doubling down or admitting that I did not quite get it right in an earlier blog post.
    I loved reading your responses to the sunshine blogger award tag. Thanks for allowing us a peek into the blogger behind ninchronicles! 🙂

    1. Jaya Avendel

      I feel you on the temptation to scroll around on social media and ‘see’ what is happening. It is hard to resist!
      I love that you share from your experience and try not to go beyond that. It is always interesting to read from a learning-as-I-go perspective, or to read a curation of tips from someone who has wins or regrets up their sleeves and want to share.
      Thank you so much for reading and sharing your thoughts on this! I appreciate it. 🙂

  12. katieemmabeauty

    OMG that 2 hours a day rule is such a good idea! I think when I’m back at work full time, I may have to incorporate a similar rule into my life!
    Katie | katieemmabeauty.com

  13. Kelly Diane

    I really enjoyed reading your answers to my questions. New Zealand sounds like an amazing place to visit.

    1. Jaya Avendel

      Thank you again for your nomination, Kelly. 🙂 Glad you had fun reading this!

  14. Merry Sari

    Congratulations Jaya! Feel so happy for you. Your work is always awesome! You really deserve it 😀 Oh I want to visit NZ someday x

  15. barbaraleaver

    Congratulations! Your work inspires many

  16. nianni

    Congratulations Jaya, it was nice reading your replies and getting to know more about you.

  17. Keep Calm & Drink Coffee

    I love cocoa as well!!
    And I enjoyed discovering more features about you.
    So … I keep my fingers crossed hoping you could win the lottery for real!
    Embrace

    1. Jaya Avendel

      Thank you! Holding dear wishes for your growing success as well.

  18. Tom

    Congratulations! Having only recently come across your poetry and writing, it’s wonderful to see it be so rightfully recognised – keep it up!

    1. Jaya Avendel

      Thank you so much, Tom!

  19. eob2

    Congratulations Jaya on not just this but on your growth as a writer. 🎊

  20. Nancy

    Congratulations on being nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award! Ooooh I would love to go to New Zealand too! I keep hearing great things about their wine, haha. You’re on a roll with submissions! Keep it up!! Pretty cool that you started blogging to share your voice – this is a great way to do so too. I am a big fan of sharing experiences as I go. Though, I do like to learn from my mistakes first. The last thing I want is for someone to make the same mistakes when I know I could’ve given my two cents about it. I have not heard of Orlando Bloom in forever!! Thanks for sharing some insights about yourself 🙂
    Nancy ✨ mdrnminimalists.com

    1. Jaya Avendel

      New Zealand is such a lovely place. Love that you are into learning from your mistakes and sharing your experiences; that is such a powerful reason to write!

  21. Thecaskconnoisseur

    Congratulations to you Jaya, this certainly is fully deserved to you for all of your fantastic writing 😁

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