Themes That Rocked the Challenge - Elizabeth and My Little Pony Artwork

Today I welcome author and artist extraordinaire, Elizabeth Mueller! I’ve known her for many years and have seen her talented artwork. She really did something unique with it for this past Challenge.

Your theme was My Little Pony fan art – what made you choose that theme?

To be honest with you, I had already written 50% of the A to Z's posts (on writing) and scheduled them before April started. Being the hermit that I am, I had barely heard about a successful adult coloring book by a self-published artist, and I thought to myself, I can do that! I can draw just about anything, and people can color my art. Also, drawing takes less brain power and after having Babykins, my brain has been pretty mushy since.

Feeling a bit weird about where this was leading, because I typically keep my art low key, I asked my daughters what they thought about a My Little Pony fan art theme for the Challenge. I wanted to retest my skill in drawing horses (horses were my first drawing love). It turned out that they loved it, and volunteered to color them for me. You should've seen the amount of hours they dedicated!

How long did it take you to draw all those ponies?

Straight up? About three hours all squished together just to *draw* them. Not counting the coloring. Or researching A to Z worthy flower names. Or inventing the storyline. Or getting them printable worthy. (And the scheduling of the posts is a whole 'nother story.) Whew!

Which letter was the most difficult?

X was the most difficult! I searched each letter of the alphabet for flowers and then I'd comb down each one to see which sounded the best sounding name for the character. Xs didn't have much of a selection and we (yes, my daughters helped me, it was a labor of love!) had to do many searches on different sites.

Which flower was the easiest for visitors to guess?

There were many flower names that had a good number of correct guesses, but I'm thinking Zinnia won the race. I suppose that is a very popular flower.

Which flower was the most difficult for visitors to guess?

Adonis, Firethorn, and Knotweed are a tie--no one was able to guess those guys. Not very common flowers, are they?

You had a cool prize for those who made the most guesses, right or wrong – tell everyone about it.

As you said, my goal was to get as many friends to participate. Right or Wrong. It was a little party every day for us! I converted every one of the illustrations into coloring pages along with edited versions of the stories I had included in the blog posts. I did the illustration process backward: I pencil sketched them and then colored them for the Challenge before I had turned them into coloring pages. Turned out alright anyway, though.

What theme are you considering for next year?

That is something I'm still mulling over!

I bet it will be something good! Thanks again, Elizabeth.


Co-host Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh is the author of Amazon Best-Sellers CassaStar, CassaFire, CassaStorm, and Dragon of the Stars, and his blog can be found HERE

W is for ...

Okay, so I stole this post from my last year's A to Z Challenge. I feel that it's too good to not share again. I just love the quotes and humor behind this and I hope you will too!

Just 3 more letters. *sniff*


*Writer's quotes!

Yes, I thought I'd cheat and not bust any more braincells. So I'm sitting on the shoulders of writerly geniuses today and hopefully fill your day with inspiration and laughter!

I'll start off with my most favorite quote:

Writers aren't exactly people...they're a whole bunch of people trying to be one person.

~F. Scott Fitzgerald

♥

Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. 

~E.L. Doctorow

♥

 A word is not the same with one writer as with another.  One tears it from his guts.  The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket.  

~Charles Peguy

♥

You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.  

~Ray Bradbury

♥

I try to leave out the parts that people skip.  

~Elmore Leonard

 ♥

Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning:  I wanted to know  what I was going to say.  

~Sharon O'Brien

♥

I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter.  

~James Michener

source

What are your favorite writing quotes?

most images found on Google search











*from the ElizabethMueller A to Z archive

E is for ...

Elizabeth! Go figure . . .

And no, I promise you I am not narcissistic.

Something inspiring is more  like it ...
I am surprised of the journey I have  taken so far and am hopeful for what lies ahead.

I grew up in a home  where  the kids bee-lined it to their  bedrooms, screaming, "Dad's home, Dad's home--HIDE!" And we  meant it. We  were scared of him.

As a newly married woman so many years ago, I yearned to reinvent my parenting skills. My relationship with my father now is much different. Better--and we see  eye-to-eye (for the most part). The only reason why I bring up my past is because it amazes  me how far I've  come and that anyone in my position can most definitely  lead a happy and productive  life.

I coped with such atrocious circumstances through my art and writing. I combined the two very often and came up with graphic novel books that I had lost myself in. Of course they  are as cheesy as I'll get out, but through my characters, I learned how to deal with circumstances and even took out some of my aggression on them as I made  them endure situations, but I witnessed their growth as well. I had no idea that a few decades down the road I'd become published.

 I am glad that I had the  strength as a teenager to stick to the thing I loved most and turned it into something dreamers dream of becoming.

If I can do it, so can  you. Yes, you can let your light shine no matter your circumstances!


Would you care to share with us some of your roadblocks, and your action plan to clear them away?

Getting to Know Elizabeth Mueller

ABOUT ME

Name: Elizabeth Mueller
Blog: Author Elizabeth Mueller
Other Online Info (Twitter, Facebook, Website):

@ElizbethMueller

Facebook

FB Fanpage 

Website

Google+

goodreads

Wattpad

Publications: Darkspell





10 GETTING TO KNOW YOU QUESTIONS 

1. What is the most daring thing you've ever done?

I would have to say stepping out of my comfort zone and getting my book published. Everything I do as an author is daring, from public appearances to making myself known to presentations! Not for the weak at heart, that's for sure.
2. What is your favorite article of clothing? I don't have just one favorite article of clothing--but I do love wearing black to the excess!
3. What is your favorite monster? Mike from Monsters Inc.!
4. If you had to dress up as your favorite literary character, who would it be? J.R.R. Tolkien's Lady Galadriel
5. What is your favorite fairy tale, urban legend or nursery rhyme? Hmmm...
6. What is a cause near and dear to your heart? Anything to protect God, children and family.
7. What's the strangest item you've used as a bookmark? Chewing gum wrapper
8. Do you have any nicknames?  What are they and how did you earn them? Liz--it's easier for friends to call me that compared to my entire name.
9. Name one habit you want to change in yourself: Letting myself put my writing career over my family--it can be a struggle especially with a small publisher. I am the only one truly interested in my book, who else can push it better than I can?
10. Tell us something interesting or shocking about yourself: I am scared of public speaking and I don't know how to ride a bike. I illustrated Darkspell, my YA Paranormal Romance Novel (using my children as the models). Check out the pictures here.

SOME A-to-Z QUESTIONS

1. What was your favorite A-to-Z post from 2011? I really don't have one, they were all created equal.
2. What brought you to the A-to-Z originally? My guilt for turning Lee down the first time back in 2009. Tell us about your first A-to-Z: My first A-to-Z happened int 2011. It felt like an onerous task at the start, but once I scheduled my entire alphabet post in advance, I enjoyed the funnest part: visiting and making new friends!
3. Are you doing a theme? Yes! A tour of my state--Welcome to Utah!
4. Are you writing & scheduling posts in advance? That's the only way to go if you don't want to feel overwhelmed--unless you're a guru.
5. What is your favorite letter of the alphabet, and why?  What letter do you like least? I don't have one right now, but when I was a little girl, it was E because it starts with my first name!

Tell me something fun and interesting about you!

#atozchallenge: A to Z Challenge Sunday Summary (2/19/12)

 

      Some excellent A to Z posts this past week.  Some highlights that got some excellent responses were Thursday's tutorial from Sue Travers about how to create a hyperlink for your blog signature and Shannon's piece on Friday about how the A to Z Challenge helps build community.  Damyanti has also been doing a great job with the Twitter feed.   Have you seen the Twitter newspaper yet?

       Yesterday (Saturday February 18) we had the first of a series of "Getting to know the Challenge hosts".  I was the first victim--er, I mean subject.   More to come so be watching.  Tomorrow (Monday February 20) we'll hear from Elizabeth Mueller.

       And again, more of you have been doing your part in getting the word out and providing encouragement to others:

       A call to sign up to the Challenge was put forth by The Unconventional Librarian.

       Thank you Marta Smezik for adding the A to Z sign-up reminder at the end of your posts.  Love your dedication!

        Matt Conlon gave a good A to Z pitch on his blog =]V[=.  I'm not sure how you pronounce it, but I think I spelled it right.  Good to have Matt back for a second Challenge go around.

       Yikes! Wikes! Hikes on the Long Trail is encouraging readers to join us in the Challenge!  Thanks for that one.

       Jeremy at Geeky Tendencies also gave a push for others to join in.  Geeks Rule!

        Katie K. at Bear Much Fruit sounds like she has a plan in store for April and gave us a hint on her A to Z post.

          At In Which We Start Anew Jo proudly displayed one of Jeremy's new A to Z graphics against her pretty blue background and announced the Challenge.  Tasteful looking site Jo!

          Diligent Writer announced her intentions to do some diligent blogging in April.  Welcome to the Challenge!

           I like the shades of lavender in the background of the First Draft Cafe blog and I like the announcement of joining us in the Challenge.

           Nicole at Madlab Post did a nice job of name-dropping the A to Z Challenge in her post that revealed her April plans.  I think we'll be seeing more of these types of posts in the weeks to come.

           Angel from Et Cetera stated her intentions to participate in the A to Z Challenge and gave good reasons why.   As did Marie from Bonkers in Barnhart--it never hurts to plan ahead.

          Then there was Sheila at Sheila Scribbles debating whether or not to do the April Challenge.  Come on, Sheila, do it--you'll have more fun than last year.

           Annalisa Crawford at Wake Up, Eat, Write, Sleep gave a reminder that Blogging from A to Z is for all bloggers and not just writers.  That's right--any blogger is welcome to blog through the alphabet and it can even be with pictures or whatever you want to theme alphabetically.

           Keep it coming one and all.  And don't just keep it on your blog.  Post a notice at your local library.  Place an announcement in your school newspaper, club bulletin, or any other local media that you can think of.  Think creatively.   Let's reach out to bloggers that might not be in our normal reach--that is, those outside our normal circle of bloggers.   New faces and voices are partly what this Challenge is about.

            We can all play a role in this.  Can we reach a thousand sign-ups by the end of this month?

Related articles

• #atozchallenge: Community & the A-to-Z (a-to-zchallenge.com)
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My A to Z Blogging Challenge Secret: How I Survived....

I must confess that this was truly challenging! Like with any huge project, I planned ahead of time. I thought of a theme I'd stick by through out the entire month and created a list per alphabet letter on a spiral bound notebook, writing as many words that started with each letter.


example:


A: anaphora, alphabet, allegory, artist


so on so forth till I reached Z.

(sneak a peek at my posts here!)


Next, I went down my list and circled one idea per letter to post about it. I wrote my entire alphabet post in two days a month ahead of time. Why? Because I wanted to enjoy visiting everyone's fabulous blogs and leave comments on as many as I could per day! 

Since we aren't posting on Sundays (but for April 1st for 2012) it gives us a fabulous opportunity to catch up on the comment love!


And that's my secret. What's yours?

Meet the A to Z Team for 2012

          Anyone who follows this blog is probably aware that the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge is just a few months away.   If you don't know about what the Challenge is all about, please click on the "What is Blogging from A to Z?" tab above for an explanation.

          Today we want to provide you with the list of A to Z Team members for 2012.  Please stop by to visit these wonderful bloggers and say hello to them.  If you are not following them already then we encourage you to click the "Friend Connect" to join their sites.  Then be sure to visit each of them often to keep up with news about the upcoming Challenge.   

           Some cool things are coming up and we don't want you to miss a thing!

Here is the A to Z Team for 2012:

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Author Elizabeth Mueller (Elizabeth Mueller)

Pearson Report (Jenny Pearson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)


           Please get to know each of us.  If there are questions or comments about the Challenge, let any of us know and we'll give you the answers you need or address your comments.   Since a big part of the A to Z Challenge has to do with networking you should start your networking with all of us now.


          If you haven't joined this A to Z Challenge blog we encourage you to do that as well.  The Blogging from A to Z Challenge Blog is the official Challenge site.  We don't want you to miss any Challenge updates.


           Sign ups for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge will begin on January 30, 2012.

Related articles

• In Which Arlee Bird Explains Why Blogfests Are a Big Deal (damyantiwrites.wordpress.com)
• A Favorite Blogger Speaks: Reflections from Alex J. Cavanaugh (a-to-zchallenge.com)
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• A Challenge Report from Jenny Pearson (a-to-zchallenge.com)
• Stephen Tremp Celebrates the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge (a-to-zchallenge.com)

A Favorite Blogger Speaks: Reflections from Alex J. Cavanaugh

A to Z Challenge Reflections...

Lee at Tossing It Out has asked us to do a reflection post regarding the A to Z Challenge. 

And Elizabeth Mueller made this really cool award badge for those who survived. Thanks, Elizabeth! 

I was amazed at the variety of posts for each letter. You guys were really creative! I was also surprised by the variety of blogs participating, many of which had nothing to do with writing. Thanks again to Lee for asking me to be one of the co-hosts!

I just have two things I want to say about the Challenge. 

Last year, there were only one hundred of us. We were able to visit everyone and it felt more intimate. I made some really awesome friends as well.

This year, visiting every blog was almost impossible. (This Ninja failed!) And in trying to do so, I realized it was more difficult to foster friendships. I’m sure a lot of people lost steam after the first week or so. Those using the special widget started at the beginning, although I think many switched to the ‘surprise me’ feature. I think a lot of blogs were overlooked.

Hart had an excellent suggestion, one I think we should adopt for next year. We start with the blog immediately following ours on the list. We go as far as we can, and if that’s only one hundred blogs, that’s fine. But that way, everyone receives visitors and no one feels overwhelmed.

Last year, my goal was to survive the month and gain some new followers. I made it to the end and almost tripled my following.

This year, I didn’t worry about gaining a ton of new followers. Yes, I could’ve followed everyone I visited and gained a ton of new followers. But that wasn’t my goal. I wanted to be a good co-host and spend the Challenge featuring my current blogger buddies. This community is so awesome and I wanted to give back.

As a side note, if you are following me but I’m not following you, please leave a comment! The Google Friends Connect sometimes doesn’t link a blog to your icon, but if you leave a comment, I can find your profile – and your blog to follow!

You guys are awesome and I hope everyone had a blast. It was really cool to hear how many were enjoying the Challenge and meeting new bloggers. That made it all worthwhile - to know there were bloggers in the same position that I was last year reaping the benefits. That is who this Challenge is for, and what keeps it fresh. Let’s make the 2012 Challenge even better!

         Thank you Alex!  Alex went all out the past two Challenges and played a huge role in the success of both.  Hope you follow his lead and become a part of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge in 2012.  Be sure to tell him thank you.

         The Challenge sign ups will begin on January 30th, 2012.

What's This A-Z Blogging Challenge I Keep Hearing About? a guest spot from author Elizabeth Mueller

         Today we're happy to have the multi-talented Elizabeth Mueller join us to answer a few questions and offer a few tips about doing a Challenge like Blogging from A to Z.   After last year's Challenge Elizabeth created the whimsical "I Survived the 2011 A-Z Blogging Challenge Award" which we see on so many sites.  Then she proceeded to visit all of the challenge participants to tell them about it.  Wow! Talk about dedication.        

So, what's with this A-Z Blogging Challenge I keep hearing about?

It's where you post something every day of the week starting with the first assigned letter--there will be 26 posts, one for every letter of the alphabet but for weekends.

What you say--26 posts in one month? Are you nuts?

Well, the first time I ever heard of this challenge, I was overwhelmed and declined. The second time, which was this past April, I decided to accept.

I'd have to says it was one of the most funnest experiences I've ever had in the blogging world.

How, you ask?

Well, first of all, I learned a very important skill and it is this: how to write short, but catchy posts. I've earned 3 important things in this challenge: more friends, skills in writing condensive versions, and speed!

Is posting 26 days in a month worth all that?

YES!

Joining this challenge was like being a part of a huge family. Everyone greeted my blog with such warmth and happiness, it lured me to visit everyone's. I was so touched by the camaraderie, I couldn't resist the idea of creating a badge for everyone!

So now my question to you is, are you game?

-- 

Elizabeth Mueller award winning author

YA Paranormal Romance, Darkspell

Ca

n Alex save Winter from the darkness that hunts her?

smashwords

Amazon Kindle & paperback

signed copy 

             Thank you Elizabeth for that persuasive pitch.  If I weren't already planning to do the Challenge, I would be after reading that!

                                

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Some Words from a Grateful Blogger: Karen Walker

        Today we have some honest thoughts about the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge of 2011 from Karen Walker whose blog is author karen walker...following the whispers.  Karen's a wonderful lady who is always on a quest for truth, a topic that she usually talks about each Tuesday.    Her reflections post doesn't ignore the negative, but tells us that the good outweighs the bad.

Sunday/Monday Musings - Back to normal

Thank you Elizabeth Mueller

Elizabeth Mueller at: http://elizabethmueller.blogspot.com/
created this award for all the a-z participants.
Isn't it lovely?

The a-z challenge is over. For those of you who may not know what this was, it was a challenge to blog 26 days out of the 30 in April using each letter of the alphabet. Lee, whose brainchild this was, has asked the participants to summarize their thoughts and feelings about it. That fits in with my getting back to normal post today, so here goes.

I had reached a point where I didn't want to blog every day - it was too time consuming and took way too much energy away from other things, like writing my novel. But I felt my blog had reached a kind of plateau. I was right. I had become complacent.

To be a successful blogger, you must continually reach out to new bloggers. That means clicking on blogs you find listed on blogs you regularly visit and things like that.

The a-z challenge made it easier to do that, because they were all listed in the linky tool provided. I simply had to go down the list. Unfortunately, there were 1200+ participants, which meant lengthy times at the computer to get to all of them before the challenge was over. That was the downside. Also, there were many links that weren't viable and many people who signed up, but didn't participate.

However, the upside far outweighs the downside. My blog went from 189 followers to 358, just about doubling. Comments increased exponentially as well. I don't think that could have happened without participation in this challenge. So, I am very grateful.

Would I do it again? Depends on what's going on in my life at the time. I enjoyed it. Do I want to keep blogging every day? Probably not. Unless I pre-write and pre-post, which is what I did for the challenge and it is the only way I could have managed it.

I would like to thank everyone who took the time to visit and leave comments. I have met so many wonderful new bloggers. I only hope we all find a way to stay connected. I have added a bunch of new blogs to my blogroll. How to keep up? That is the question.

So, for today, I am grateful things are back to normal and I can blog any ole time I want.

Blessings,
Karen

         As with any challenge worth accepting you have to consider the good and the bad.   It's not all wine and chocolates.  Sometimes you get some sardines and Brussels sprouts.  Personally, I happen to like sardines and Brussels sprouts so it's not so bad.  Thank you, Karen, for this honest look at the A to Z Challenge.   We're thankful to have blogging friends like you to open our eyes to the truth every now and then.

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