Sunday, April 11, 2010

You Are the Sunshine of My Life

Over its almost four-year history, The Rap Sheet has received many reader plaudits and a few nice commendations, including one of last year’s Spinetingler Awards. Blogger Shannon B. Chenoweth just presented us with a prize that we’d never heard of before: the Sunshine Award. She says it’s supposed to go to bloggers whose “contagious positivity and creativity inspire others in the blogging universe.” How can you receive such recognition without breaking out into a smile?

Apparently, this is one of those pass-along prizes. After patting ourselves on the backs, we’re supposed to applaud others.

The rules read as follows:

1. Put the logo on the blog within your post.
2. Pass the award on to 12 bloggers.
3. Link to the nominees within your post.
4. Let the nominees know they have received the award by commenting on their blogs.
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received
this award.

One has to accept, of course, that my definition of “contagious positivity and creativity” may differ substantially from how other writers would interpret those terms. I make daily rounds of dozens of blogs and Web sites, looking for information and entertaining stories related to crime fiction as well as history, politics, the media, design, and television. Of those blogs, I find the following dozen--listed in no particular order--to be the most consistently enjoyable or enlightening:

1. Bill Crider, Bill Crider’s Pop Culture Magazine
2. Steve Lewis, Mystery*File Blog
3. James Morrison, Cover Caustic Critic
4. Pulp of the Day
5. Martin Edwards, ‘Do You Write Under Your Own Name?’
6. Ivan G. Shreve Jr., Thrilling Days of Yesteryear
7. Steve Benen, Political Animal
8. Lesa Holstine, Lesa’s Book Critiques
9. Evan Lewis, Davy Crockett’s Almanack of Mystery, Adventure,
and the Wild West

10. Kliph Nesteroff, Classic Television Showbiz
11. Pulp International
12. Larry Harnisch, The Daily Mirror (Los Angeles Times)

These choices are susceptible to change, but at this moment, they work well for me. Thanks, everyone, for shedding a wee bit of brightness on this poor blogger’s days.

And thank you also to Shannon B. Chenoweth. We hope you continue to enjoy what The Rap Sheet has on offer!

8 comments:

JRSM said...

Thank you! Much appreciated! The Rap Sheet is an excellent blog, so it's a pleasure and an honour.

Lesa said...

It really is an honor to receive this award from The Rap Sheet. I do know how many blogs you read every day. Thank you so much.

Unknown said...

A great line-up, and thanks for including me!

Steve Lewis said...

Thank you, Jeff. Let me echo what the folks above said, about the pleasure and the honor, and give them each high fives in return.

The entire list is fine company to be in -- I visit most of them at least a couple of times a week, some of them, like yours, every day, and those I haven't been, it looks like I ought to.

-- Steve

Evan Lewis said...

Honored to be included. I'm pasting that flower up on the wall next to my Merry Marvel Marching Society certificate.

Cap'n Bob said...

Can't argue with these, but I think Laurie Powers has earned a spot, too.

Ivan G Shreve Jr said...

As Leo Gorcey might say: "Winning this award fills me with humidity."

Martin Edwards said...

Thank you, Jeff. I am flattered and grateful to be in such company, and of course The Rap Sheet is one of my absolute must-visits.