favorite things – Stephanie Ingram

Welcome to the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge hosted by Long and Short Reviews! To read posts from other bloggers, click here.

As I sit down to write this morning, Janet works her way around my floors picking up dirt, dust, and dog hair. And there is certainly a lot of dog hair! Janet isn’t actually a person, although we’ve named her as one. She is, however, one of my favorite things. Janet is our robotic vacuum and if you’ve ever watched The Good Place on Netflix you’ll make the connection with the name. (ha ha) We decided to take the leap to purchasing a robotic vacuum in November when trying to keep up with the never-ending shedding of our one year-old lab, Daisy, became too overwhelming. I’ve never looked back since. Janet has been a very welcome addition to our home and finally, the dog hair is manageable without my having to spend hours cleaning. Yay! 🙂

But Janet is just one of my many favorite things. Spending time with my family definitely tops that list but then there are the long walks in the woods – we love to explore, campfires in the summertime, music, quiet romantic dinners with the husband when the kids are otherwise occupied, tasty chocolate treats, reading or writing stories, doing Mad Libs (I’m silly, I know), laughing, listening to music…

And guinea pigs! What would life be without a guinea pig? Or six? Yes, our family owns six of the furry little creatures. I suppose guinea pigs are sort of like potato chips – you simply can’t have just one.

I love taking pictures of flowers, which you already know if you follow me on Instagram, and although I may not be the world’s best dancer, dancing makes the list, too, even if I’m only dancing in my living room these days.

Last but not least, I love my kindle. I couldn’t pass a day without it. I know, I know, many you you believe that there is no substitute for real books and I agree there is something magical about flipping the pages but how can you not appreciate being able to carry an entire library wherever you go? No matter what I may be in the mood to read… there it is!

Thanks for reading! I’m new to the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge but hoping to become a regular face over the coming weeks. Looking forward to sharing more.

Happy Friday and Welcome to my first post in the 52 Week Challenge! This week’s topic asks what is my favorite thing I’ve written… and why?

This is a tough one for me and looking back, it’s almost impossible to pick one story over the other because when it comes down to it, the short answer to this question is that the story I am writing *right now* is my favorite.

And no, I don’t mean that my current WIP is the best. Actually, I mean that when I sit down and throw myself into a new project, that project is all-consuming and I consider it the best and most exciting thing I’ve ever written. That enthusiasm is what keeps me writing even when the newfound love sours and the current project loses its luster.

Just like in a relationship, sometimes you have to keep looking for ways to recreate the magic. Doting on stories past won’t do it. I think if I spent too much time telling myself a story I’d already finished was my favorite then I might not be as motivated to keep going on the new one.

But of course, I do have stories that carry a special place in my heart. The Between World is the first book I published and I’ll never forget the feeling of holding the paperback in my hands and knowing it was my own creation. Priceless! Even though it isn’t the best thing I’ve written, it was my first and so it will always share space on the “favorites” list.

Then there is the short story I wrote for a competition in 2016 called Port of Entry. Not only did that story surprise me as I wrote it but it surprised me again when it was chosen out of many to propel me into the second round of the competition. I needed that boost of confidence.

And of course, there is the story I have attempted to write on and off for about twenty years. It’s taken various shapes and forms but because I’ve never been truly satisfied with the effort, it still only lives in my imagination. One of these days it will find its way out into the world, I’m sure of it. When that happens, who knows, it may be my favorite!

Or perhaps my favorite will be one I’ve not even conceived yet. I’m hoping I have many years of writing left ahead of me and I’m excited about all the possibilities I can explore with each new project I delve into.

So for the time being, I shall return to my current favorite project – the work-in-progress going on at the keyboard right now as we speak about a girl destined to save the world from an alien invasion. Stay tuned. 😉

Want to learn what other authors are saying about their favorites? Check out the MFRW 52 Challenge Blog for the linky list of participating authors.