Looks like I’ve won a blog award! From two people, at that. Thanks to Ellen and Liz! The image below is probably the girliest thing on my site ever.

And apparently, with a great blog award comes great responsibilities:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason! (In no particular order…)
4. Contact the bloggers you’ve picked and let them know about the award.

7 things about Phoebe:

1. The last time I did one of these things was probably 2006 or so. Then, I made my answers all about orgasms, nose-picking, and tickling.

I’d like to think I’ve matured since then, but since my book features the phrase “merparts,” it’s pretty clear that I haven’t.

2. I almost went to art school. No, really, I’d put down the deposit and everything! I decided about a month and a half before I was supposed to leave for Baltimore that I wanted to be a writer, instead of an artist. This was partially because I was burned out from the application process (I hate you forever, Cooper Union home test!) and partially a financial decision. Had I gone to MICA, I would have been around $80,000 in the hole.

3. As it turns out, though, I’m still about $40,000 in the hole from graduate school and undergrad. This, despite going to a state school in New Jersey! If I have any advice for high school seniors, it’s to avoid debt. Though I’ve done okay for myself in many ways–steady work, fat cat, awesome husband–it’s limited my options quite a bit. I’m not sure if I ever would have had the opportunity to move out of my mom’s place in New Jersey had it not been for graduate school.

4. Speaking of husbands, mine was only the third person I ever kissed! In fact, I made it through high school without locking lips even once. This was a source of abundant angst for me at the time, but not I realize I had plenty of chances to make out that were ruined by shyness. Girls, seriously, if you haven’t been kissed, don’t be scared to go for it. There’s no reason to miss out on kissing, which is pretty much the greatest thing ever invented.

5. I never planned on marrying the third boy (man?) I ever kissed. Back when I was sixteen, I imagined that I’d grow up to be a free-spirited, non-monogamous wanderer. This makes me snort a bit at myself, because I’m fairly monogamous by nature.

6. I wrote my first novel at the age of ten. It was fanfiction about a minor character in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves called The Fire of Sherwood. I bound it and illustrated it myself. One of these days, when I’m in New Jersey and feeling motivated, I’ll have to scan it to share it with you. Only thing is that I’m pretty sure tons of the letters were written backwards. I had a problem with that in elementary school.

7. I love naps. I didn’t discover the wonder of naps until college, when between classes I’d come back to my dorm, watch Passions and pass out. And I could really go for a nap right about now.

Note: I’m fairly certain that some of the people I’m tagging won’t do this, but you should look at their blogs anyway; they’re fantastic.

1. grey-girl.tumblr.com
2. Glen Akin
3. Jaimie Teekell
4. Gretchen McNeil
5. Diya
6. Abby Stevens
7. The Foosball Wizard (the hubs!)
8. Kirsten Hubbard
9. The Catbird Seat
10. Ms. Ray Gunn
11. Michele
12. Ian
13. Tricia
14. Sara
15. The Unprofesh Critic

Whew. That’s a lot of bloggy blogness.

Not all of these are recent discoveries. But christ, guys. I’m tired!