I was nominated by the very Kind and talented Camille for the Liebster Award. It is an award given within the writing community. I am honored to be nominated for the 3^rd time, however this is the first time I have participated in the award and I wish I would have participated sooner. This means that others are reading, applying and engaging with my writing. What more can a girl ask for?!

Q&A:

Q: If you could give advice to a crowd of people, what would it be?
A: It is humbling that I have recently been asked to be part of a talk from one of my readers and am in the process of sorting my speech, so this is the perfect question to ask. To simplify I would say the following: Be your own parent, find inspiration everywhere and fall in love with progress.

Q: Why do you write?
A: I write for many reasons. To voice an uncommon, yet universal opinion. To connect and help others feel connected. To analyze my life and learn more about myself in the process and in turn learn more about the world. The more I know about people and the world, the more I can do to help it. To live with eyes wide open.

Q: Night or day?
A: Night. It’s when the world is at its most quiet and alive simultaneously.

Q: What’s your favourite joke?
A: “I’m pretty but tough, like a diamond. Or beef jerky in a ball gown.” – Unbreakable Kimmy Shmit

Q: How do you want to create a positive impact?
A: By living by example and encouraging others. By teaching them how to encourage themselves. By trying to integrate integrity back into our modern culture.

Q: Is there a movie that means a lot to you and has shaped your life in any way?
A: Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, I am a fan of Horror movies and Anime which tend to be very dark, but Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium gave me the childhood I never had by reminding me to believe in myself, help others, that I am the creator of my life and thus also my environment, that normal is boring and to accept the world around me with childlike wonder.

Q: What is your favourite childhood memory?
A: Playing rounds of video games with my 3 brothers and 3 cousins. The 7 of us created our own club. We would later have my brother Henry read us scary stories, then we would draw, play with action figures and make ridiculous music. We lived in our own world and we loved it. When asked on the first day of school where I went over summer break I can say that I went nowhere and everywhere.

Q: What was your favourite subject in school?
A: Chorus. When I am singing in a band or choir it’s when I feel the most alive. It is a beautiful and intimate experience. It makes me feel like I belong in the world like nothing else can.

Q: Summer or winter?
A: Spring.

Q: What was the happiest day of your life?
A: My 26^th birthday party when I realized I had finally become the woman I always wanted to be. I have always felt like five different people at once. I have many groups of friends. One group of guy friends, a group of friends from my goth/punk days, a group of artist friends, a group of shy friends, a group of materialistic friends, crazy friends and friends from the hood. But this was the first year where I felt like all of the pieces of me have created one enormous puzzle that took me years to build and I am very proud of the completed puzzle called Ana. I can now frame it.

Q: Is there somebody you want to thank for anything right now?
A: Valerie Rochon my 6^th grade Dance teacher from Mirabel Sisters Intermediate School IS90. She was the first person to truly believe in my talent. She heard me sing in dance class to “Dancing in the street,” for one of our dance shows and told me I should sing more. She put me in chorus class and allowed me to have two electives at once which was forbidden in the school. She had me sing and used the rest of the class as backup dancers. At that point I was only a studious valedictorian. She broke me out of my shell and through example taught me to be my own parent and look for inspiration in others.

11 random facts about me:

1. I am the youngest and only girl in my immediate family
2. I used to be a tomboy. I ran fast, played video games (still do) and wore 1990’s track suits to school.
3. I used to take anger management courses. I have learned to harness it and use it for good, but sometimes I surprise myself.
4. I grew up soo poor that every Christmas my brothers and I would each get $5. We would put the money together and use that money to trade in a video game.
5. My spirit animal is an elephant, but my favorite animals are sea otters
6. My cat is named after Tom Cruises daughter. This way I will never forget how old she is and I think if my cat was a human girl she would act and look just like Tom’s daughter.
7. When I lived with my family we had, 2 turtles, 2 ferrets and 4 cats in the house at one point.
8. My middle name is Jessica. My dad wanted to name me Jessica, my mother wanted to name me Ana. My mom got first pic and my dad got the middle name.
9. I learned how to swim at the age of 23 in Spain.
10. I have Synesthesia. Sometimes I can taste words and hear colors.
11. From the ages of 3-5 I spoke to my teddy bears and arranged them in a specific order. They each had names and specific personality traits. Some of them did not get along. My favorite was a giant frog I carried him with me everywhere.

Here are the rules a nominated writer needs to do in order to accept the Liebster Award:

• Thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their website.
• Display the award on your website — by including it in your article
• Answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.
• Provide 11 random facts about yourself.
• Nominate 5 – 11 writers that you feel deserve the award.
• Create a new list of questions for the blogger to answer.
• List these rules in your post

I Nominate:
1. Christopher
2. Lizzie
3. Roopam Jain
4. Valorie
5.Christine 
Questions for my nominees:

1. What do you value most in a person?
2. Why do you write?
3. What helps you go on every day?
4. Who inspires you?
5. Do you prefer to wear dark or light clothing?
6. How do you want to be remembered?
7. What is your biggest pet peeve?
8. Realist, Optimist or pessimist?
9. Favorite pastime?
10. Do you consider yourself to be simple or complicated?
11. What do you value most in yourself?