Mystery Blogger Contest #1-4: Guess the Lie and Win

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BIG news at Operation Awesome as we welcome eight new bloggers to the owlery. We could just announce their names, but what fun would that be? 

So instead, we're holding a Mystery Blogger contest, and you will have 8 chances to win a critique by one of the newbies. The first four are posted below. The last four will be posted January 30th, 2013. 

They've each given us three truths and a lie about themselves in random order. To win a Mystery Blogger's critique, guess which fun fact is really the lie. Out of those who guess correctly, a random name will be drawn for the prize critique and announced tomorrow -- along with secret identities and the real truth about their fun facts.

Four people are offering critiques today if you guess their lies correctly.

*rubs hands together*

Here are the first four: 

Mystery Blogger #1: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a query critique)

• On her very first time volunteering at a regional SCBWI conference, Mystery Blogger introduced Well-Respected Editor without any verbal stumbles. And then as MB exited the stage, she promptly tripped over Well-Respected Editor’s purse and nearly faceplanted.

• The most cats that Mystery Blogger has ever had piled on her at one time is seven, distributed equally between her lap, feet, head, face, and shoulders. There were another five in the queue waiting for an opportunity. Or a fight to break out, which also clears the decks.

• Mystery Blogger once scared an agent on Twitter by trying to make a joke. Agent had tweeted something along the lines of “you don’t ever want to send me a query so bad it ends up on my Special List” and Mystery Blogger responded with “Challenge Accepted!” Agent tweeted back that the Special List was not meant to be aspired to and Mystery Blogger apologized profusely. They shared a laugh and became the best of friends.

• While recording a video pitch for a PitchFest, Mystery Blogger misspoke “sets a ship afire” with a bad word that rhymes with ship. And then couldn’t stop laughing for the next twenty takes. Now whenever she talks about that book, most of her brain cells are devoted to screaming, “make sure you say ship!”

Mystery Blogger #2: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a first 5 pages critique)

• Mystery Blogger's favorite non-writing hobbies are handicrafts, especially origami. Mystery Blogger once signed up to help out at an origami instructional workshop, and ended up teaching the class entirely by accident.

• Mystery Blogger has a serious scarf problem. She was pretty sure she had one in every possible color, until she obtained three more over the holidays. Now she has every color. Maybe.

• Despite (or due to) the many gallons of coffee Mystery Blogger serves her bosses during her day job, Mystery Blogger is forever loyal to tea. No writing session is complete without a mug of red milk tea by her side.

• This Mystery Blogger began the first book she ever queried during a 13-hour car ride across Japan with her host parents and their two very restless young children. Mystery Blogger would like to thank that manuscript for saving her life that night.

Mystery Blogger #3: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a 5 page critique)

• Mystery Blogger has been an illegal alien in the People's Republic of China.

• Mystery Blogger has shaken the hand of the Dalai Lama.

• Mystery Blogger has shaken the hand of a Vice President.

• Mystery Blogger has shaken the hand of Stephen King.

Mystery Blogger #4: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a first 5 pages critique)

• My AP English teacher from my junior year in high school made me HATE writing. And though I’ve journaled my whole life, I didn’t discover that I actually enjoy writing fiction until four years ago.

• I love anything peanut butter—PB&J, cookies, smothered in chocolate, plain—but I especially love to put it on waffles with maple syrup. Yum!

• The first piece of writing I got published was a poem I wrote in tenth grade titled “Down Yonder”. It was written as a joke and it was so very, very awful, but my English teacher loved it and put it in the annual school anthology.

• I really enjoy taking things apart to see how they work. So much so, that I get a little thrill of excitement when something breaks because that means I don’t have to feel bad about dissecting it.

Which one is the lie?
Guess only one lie for each Mystery Blogger, and list your guesses in a comment below.

Good luck!

(Remember, winners will be announced tomorrow along with the big reveal of who these people are and what lies they told you.) *cue ominous, mysterious music*