The Official Recap and Award Ceremony!

The Recap (Presented by Tina):

It seems as if the universe, the Internet, Blogger, or was it WIBIJ gave us exactly what we needed on Wednesday. And on Wednesday, we needed a relaxed race. If you don’t already know, this training cats thing is a lot like writing, there are good days and there are bad days. There are days when Blogger uses the toilet as Heather has trained her, and then the days that you work with a cat’s more base instincts and you-know-what on the floor. Well, Wednesday was the day after such a day. The cat lounged around licking her fur. Pleased as punch. But the trainers were frazzled and ready for a drink by noon. Having no drinks, we settled for the next best thing. The circus tent.

The Stops

Mariah Irvin - (Jon's pitches are in green) Blogs about making book trailers, writing difficult dialogue, and dreamy men. And one of our very first game players; she gave WIBIJ a try before anyone!
she'll CONSTANTLY amaze you with word and with style
she's dasaloff and beautiful as she walks the long mile
towards RISKING it all, towards hope at it's best
Giving ABSURDITY a try when all else has rest.
Her posts are so vivid; they all come alive
like her classes on Making A book tRailer jIve.
she shows us cute guys and motion thAt's stopped
When you hop to her blog, you'll find yourself rocked!

Shannon O'Donnell - Not gonna lie, one of my most favoritist bloggers ever! For writers, she blogs inspiring quotes and sometimes translates or interprets them. We both love Dashner. A lot. 
she says that she's DREAMING but that's not really true
her quotes are informative and intereSting too
they inspire and teacH, excite and embrAce
our writing with tips for revisioN and pace.
her blog makes us woNder, her blOg makes us thiNk,
about BOOKs and our writing and how we really don't stink
she holds us all up with kind words and support
she provides the best kind of community rapport.

Carolina Valdez Miller - Loves John Green more than I do! She posts about things that inspire her. Her blog has links to resources and contests for writers. 
looking for a chuckle, a hearty lol?
about fairy bookmothers and taco bell?
i'm laughing so hard--you'll soon see why.
CAROL'S heartfelt too--oh, that post about pie!
She worries (don't we all) that her baby might be
just the world’s most hideous bat-monkey
but a PRINTS among writers and brave as well
come laugh, come nod, come hear, come tell.

Lisa and Laura Write - Everyone needs to follow their blog. It's helpful, fun, and inspiring.
these gals RO(E)CK and thEy also Roll
tag-team their dreams, and their fabulous goal
a pubLIshed book, queens of bLog nAtion
perkily putting the els in collaboration.
LIARs they aren't, but funny they are
supporting our writing SOCIETY by far
stop by and laugh, stop by and salute
play guess which writes what--that game is a hoot!


Phrase: GET YOUR PERK ON.

The Race

Play by play: Kari , our new friend, was there early and ready to go. And then there was Serenissima or Jeanne, if you can't say or spell that, showed up not to rhyme but to make good time. And they were quick, making it to the stops with record speed and then returning to the tent all quiet, while we waited for Blogger and Heather to wrassle up the next clue. But the first excitement came with the phrase. Kari brought it up, how do the clues work, H posted the comment that explained it all. There was submitting and then resubmitting and our pithy little phrases as obtuse as they can be sometimes prove to be the most difficult thing about the race (Heads up you future competitors). So there was a tiny sprinkle of excitement at the end of an otherwise exactly what we needed little jaunt over the paths of cyber commerce.

And then after that there was a trickle of folks showing for the even more relaxed version!

The Finishers (not in any particular order)

Kari

Carol

Jeanne

Sheri

Laura

Sarah

Kelly

Comments

At Mariah's

Jeanne said:Didn't some famous writer say you have to write a lot of &@#$ before you get to the good stuff? With this many novels under your belt already, you're waaaay ahead of the game.
BTW, what DO boys talk about at lunch anyway?

Carol said: Oh my goodness. That's fabulous!!! I love it, love it, love it!! Sounds like something I would've written as well at one point. Thanks for sharing that. Made me smile today.

Kelly: Wow! A novel at twelve. Impressive. I think boys tell fart jokes at age 12 while eating. And at age 39 at the dinner table. I have proof. ;)
At Shannon's:
Jeanne said: Yes, yes, yes!
So much more productive to throw yourself IN than to throw yourself OFF--the ledge. ;->
Love the delicious, mysteriouso photo you posted! Makes me want to go spelunking with fairies and other magical creatures.

Laura said: And bring a box of band aids too! Just in case.

Kari said: Great advice.
It does seem impossible that something I've written might actually end up in a bookstore someday--but that doesn't stop me from hoping! It's always good to hear I'm not alone! Good luck writing : )

At Carol's

Jeanne said: So you have a VLOG featuring a cookie monster voice, Prince-of-Persia hair, a dramatic farewell to signed books and chocolate--all with a Weezer soundtrack AND YOU'RE NOT POSTING IT?
A sad loss for your readers to cope with, especially those who didn't win a prize package. Just sayin'.

Sarah said: Just think how many people would be out of work if we weren't technodunces :) What fantastic prizes, congrats to those lucky winners!

At LiLa's

Jeanne said: I feel perkier just reading this. But a nap wouldn't hurt.

Sarah said: YES! The effects received from air quoting have long been underappreciated by the public at large. Thank you for helping address this gross oversight :)

Kari said: And to think--cheerleaders manage this perkiness everyday. Amazing...

Kelly said: Ha! Love the pic!
Thanks for the perktastic lessons in perkiliciousness!
It's too late to even fake perkiness today, but tomorrow I will def perk it up! I'll even shower!

The Awards Ceremony (Presented by Jon)

1st Place

The phrase proved to be a real puzzler and after a few resubmissions by the top contenders, we had a winner: Jeanne!  Well done, Jeanne, you make me smile and I know you made our hosts smile!!

Best Comment

This was uber tough because everyone had superfly comments and no one did poetry, which I normally choose, I just realized.  So, I read through the above comments and whichever one made me laugh the most won.  Now, this winner will surprise no one.  In fact, this award may be a little overdue for this person.  She's grand!  Congrats.  Oh, you want to know who it is?  Why, Kelly, of course!