Get to know your writer!

Hey! Today the results of the 2013 Cosmo Blogging Awards are announced. I know one or two people nominated me but I'm not currently able to see if I made the shortlist. Whether I did or didn't doesn't matter as I'm happy to have even been nominated. If I have made the shortlist then I thought it might be nice to let you get to know your blogger a little bit so I'm more of a person and less like some sort of disembodied, faceless typist somewhere in the world...

- Birthday?
23rd of February

- Where were you born?
Aberdeen, Scotland.

- Favourite food?
The answer used to be friend lemon chicken with stir fry noodles but I can't do that since I no longer eat meat so now the default answer is pizza. Always pizza.

- What is your favourite kind of chocolate?
If I'm being posh I'll say Ferrero Rocher. If not...Peanut M&Ms.

- What countries do you most want to visit?
New Zealand, Australia, Canada, USA (for the old American road trip, of course)
In New Zealand I particularly want to visit Wellington, Waikato, Christchurch and the Bay of Plenty. I'm hoping to make it to New Zealand next year or maybe even during winter this year. We shall see.

- What is your Twitter handle?
@GabrielleLeimon

- What made you want to be a writer?
When I was younger I met several writer in my childhood and teens. The most significant of these meetings was the time I met J.K Rowling. From that point on I wanted to create stories as she did and I've been writing ever since. It works out pretty well as my mother used to tell me that my imagination was too strong for my own good since I had such vivid nightmares as a child. I honestly had horrible nightmares about ghosts, ghouls and vampires. Thank goodness I'm now able to channel it into writing - I may as well gain something from my imagination, right?

- What are your hobbies?
I enjoy writing, reading, watching movies, going to gigs, travelling, swimming etc. Over the summer I'm planning to get more crafty and take up some DIY projects to renovate and update old clothes and items lying around my closets. I've just taken up drawing again. I'm not any good at it but it's a rather curative way to pass the time and so I find myself rather enjoying it.

- Last TV show you watched?
Golden Girls. Yes, I'm being honest here.

- Do you have any addictions?
Hair dye. I'm not sure why but I'm always changing my hair. It has been almost every colour under the sun by now. I'm happy with it whatever colour it is as long as it isn't brown since that's my natural colour. I'm currently trying to get my hair to a nice shade of blonde. Given the choice I'd then go Atlantis Blue (Directions dye) Am also addicted to Twitter.

- What do you hope to achieve over the next few years?
I hope to write and to be published. I'm aware it won't be easy but it's what I want to do. I'd love to finish a few novels and a short anthology of poetry. I want to keep working no matter what. I have a nice little job right now but it's not the career path I will follow and pursue in life. It's good for now and I'll probably work there until the end of the year. I have a job now and whether I stay in this job for a long time or until I find something more suited to me I want to work and work hard.  In general I also hope to travel, have children, buy a little home. The usual.

- What music have you been listening/working to lately?
I'm hooked on The Great Gatsby soundtrack, Carice Van Houten's "See You On The Ice" album and copious amounts of Flight of the Conchords. Also add lashings of Lana Del Rey and Florence + The Machine with generous scoops of Siouxsie and the Banshees. Also add Zadera and Autry! to the mix and it's all pretty accurate.  To keep up to date with what I'm listening to please keep an eye on my song of the day posts. I like to post the work of lesser known artists so if you have a band that you'd like me to showcase on this blog then please let me know.

- What books have you read recently that you would recommend to your readers?
I totally hopped on the Gatsby bandwagon. I'd previously read about half of The Great Gatsby a few years back but never finished because, well, I'm dreadful at committing myself to a book. I went out and immediately bought a copy of the book. I also really enjoyed Nod by Adrian Barnes. I've just started reading "A Christmas Story" by Stephen Benatar because I have a signed copy that has sat on my shelf untouched for many years. I decided I may as well read it. I'l probably write up a review when I'm done.

- What movies have you seen recently that you'd recommend to your readers?
Cabin In The Woods. Don't look up any information on it. Don't watch trailers or read blurbs. Just watch it, OK?

- What TV shows do you watch?
I'm currently in the habit of not watching much TV shows. I watch Game of Thrones religiously and I'll watch Grey's Anatomy but that's kind of it. I used to watch True Blood but lost patience with it. Maybe I'll get back into True Blood at some point. I also used to watch Dr Who but my allegiance was to David Tennant. I just haven't liked the Eleventh Doctor was much. I loved/love Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Hex and (believe it or not) Ugly Betty. I also watched Pramface when it was on because I could watch it on the tiny TV in the apartment when I was living when the show first aired. More recently I've started watching 2 Broke Girls and How I Met Your Mother.

- If you could have any car, what kind of car would you have?
Audi T-T, phantom black.
Or something green in every sense of the word.

- Are you seeing someone?
Yes, I am. We've been together for a bloody long time now and I'm sickeningly happy. 

- If you had to live in another country to the one you're living in now, where would you move to?
The easiest and laziest answer is, of course, Scotland. It's my birth country, I have family there and it's still within the UK. Otherwise I'd go to Italy (preferably Venice), France (preferably Lyon) or New Zealand (anywhere works because NEW ZEALAND)

- If you had a super power what power would you want?
Hmm. I'm not sure. The hippy in me says I'd want to be able to converse with animals because then I could command them to be my adorable or vicious soldiers of evil. That and I'd command them all to cuddle me and have wonderfully trained pets including but not limited to big cats, wolves, sloths, monkeys, turtles and honey badgers. That's be all kinda of awesome.

I think I'll leave it there for today.
If you have any other questions for me then please let me know in the comments section or click here to find me on Twitter and tweet me your questions.