Blog Award

Thank you to Marisa Birns at Out of Order Alice for presenting me with this annoying prestigious blog award.  In a few moments, I will be bestowing the honor on a few of you per the rules below.

Here are the rules:

1. Thank the person who gave this to you.

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3. Link to the person who nominated you.

4. Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth.

5. Nominate seven "Creative Writers" who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies.

6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

Now for my six outrageous lies and one truth.  I often get asked about my last name, so I decided to build these lies around the story of my husband and I.   As a hint, I am posting a picture of us together.

1. My last name “Ching” was gained when I entered the witness protection program in 1992.  My husband and I were whistle-blowers in a Chicago corporate scandal and were transplanted to Bloomington, IL by authorities after the trial.
2. Ching is a pseudonym invented for use with my writing and inspired by the cha-ching of the money I hope to make someday.
3. My husband is Chinese but his family origins are from northern China, an area on the border of Russia. If you look closely, you can see the Russian resemblance in his features. The Ching surname was passed down from a line that originated in central China.
4. Born and raised on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, my husband, who is part Chinese, moved to Bloomington to marry me.  He brings this up to garner sympathy when the weather is cold here. (Like now)
5. My husband’s great- great- grandfather changed his name from O’Ching to Ching in 1900 to escape Irish persecution as a new immigrant.
6. I despise convention and insisted that we combine last names when we married to symbolize our new life together.  Ching is the combination of his name, King and my maiden name Chappington.
7. I kept my maiden name when I married because I am related to the famous Ching dynasty in China.  My mother is Swedish, which accounts for my looks. But I am their only child and wished to carry on the family name.  

Now, I shall pass the torch to:

Michelle at Reading and Writing by Candlelight

Hilary Wagner at http://hilarywagner.blogspot.com/

David Masters at Truant Pen

Peggy at Eldritch Way

Eric Krause at http://ejkwritingspot.blogspot.com/

Weezel at What Scares You?

Dana at Fabulous F**ing Fiction