April Blogging from A to Z Challenge #AtoZChallenge
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Special Challenge Participant Feature – Jamie at Mithril Wisdom!
One of the highlights of the A to Z Challenge included visiting Jamie Gibbs at Mithril Wisdom every day. A fantasy and metal dude, Jamie’s theme just rocked! So I asked him to join us today and give us a little insight…
Your Challenge theme involved fantasy and metal music. (Which I thought was wicked cool.) What made you merge the two together?
I've been listening to power and folk metal since I was 17, and it's given me a lost of inspiration in my writing. There's a whole lot of imagery in the music of that genre that other musical styles can't reach, but it's pretty niche and doesn't get a whole lot of recognition. It's very similar to fantasy as a literary genre - it tends to get sneered at by 'more established' genres but it's got such huge potential in terms of imagery and imagination.
Which song and band comprised your favorite post?
Ooo, don't make me choose! *quickly rilfes through A-Z posts*. That's a really hard one to nail down. I'm going to go for my M is for Mithril post (before anyone says anything, my blog's name did not influence the decision at all). The song is Durnir's Forge by Dragonland. The song itself is pretty badass (a hero venturing into the bowels of a dwarf fortress to gain the help of the dwarf king in order to overthrow an evil tyrant? What's not to love) but the entire album is amazing.
What usually grips me most of all about these kinds of albums is that I can perfectly imagine them being performed on the stage, like a rock opera/heavy metal musical. That's when you know you've struck gold, and this album Under the Grey Banner has all those qualities.
You mentioned science fiction once or twice – think you might want to tackle science fiction and metal music next year?
Sci-fi would be pretty sweet; there's definitely a good number of sci-fi inspired power metal songs out there (like one called Ironhead about an alien cowboy robot. It can get pretty crazy). The genre can go to some pretty dark places though, so maybe a sci-fi/horror theme is on the cards. People seemed to get a kick out of the fantasy songs, so it's possible!
You’re a D&D geek, aren’t you? Favorite type of character to play?
Oh boy, I suppose this is confession time. I've never actually played D&D. I played the kids version years ago, but real D&D I've never touched. I've always wanted to try it out, and I'm a big Warhammer geek as a way of compensating. Right now, though, Skyrim is taking up most of my life. I tend to opt for assassins when I play video games and mages in any other kind of RPG. Hurling fireballs at unsuspecting folk is definitely the way to go.
What do you blog about the other eleven months of the year?
I do my best to whittle down the massive pile of books on my to be read shelf, and I like to share the things I find online that tickle my geek bones. I've recently started writing fiction again, so expect to see more of that and some writing tips and tricks I find along the way.
You studied Egyptology in college. Any interesting stories? Find any mummies?
There's a long story involving beer, a jacuzzi, grenades, a 7 day ban from Egypt and a schizophrenic geologist, but I don't want to bore the readers with that. I didn't find any mummies, sadly, but I did help uncover a burial chamber in Luxor. I was lucky enough to be part of the team that helped excavate the tomb at the time (and my camera was the only one to hand when they broke in, so I got all the photos!) Getting into the burial chamber did involve belly crawling through a narrow gap filled with limestone chips and a 40 foot drop on the ricketiest ladder known to humankind. It was totally worth it, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
You’re engaged – does the future Mrs. Jamie Gibbs like fantasy and metal music?
Not as much as I'd like :) She's much more eclectic than me when it comes to music so she's more tolerant of my musical tastes than I am of hers. She's just as big a geek as I am, though, and almost as big a fantasy fan too (I'm hoping she's not reading this!). She takes more from the music side of things than the imagery, so I need to wear her down a little more before she likes some of the weird bands I show her.
Jamie, you rock!
Co-host Ninja Captain Alex is the author of CassaStar and CassaFire and his blog can be found HERE
I've been listening to power and folk metal since I was 17, and it's given me a lost of inspiration in my writing. There's a whole lot of imagery in the music of that genre that other musical styles can't reach, but it's pretty niche and doesn't get a whole lot of recognition. It's very similar to fantasy as a literary genre - it tends to get sneered at by 'more established' genres but it's got such huge potential in terms of imagery and imagination.
Ooo, don't make me choose! *quickly rilfes through A-Z posts*. That's a really hard one to nail down. I'm going to go for my M is for Mithril post (before anyone says anything, my blog's name did not influence the decision at all). The song is Durnir's Forge by Dragonland. The song itself is pretty badass (a hero venturing into the bowels of a dwarf fortress to gain the help of the dwarf king in order to overthrow an evil tyrant? What's not to love) but the entire album is amazing.
What usually grips me most of all about these kinds of albums is that I can perfectly imagine them being performed on the stage, like a rock opera/heavy metal musical. That's when you know you've struck gold, and this album Under the Grey Banner has all those qualities.
You mentioned science fiction once or twice – think you might want to tackle science fiction and metal music next year?
Sci-fi would be pretty sweet; there's definitely a good number of sci-fi inspired power metal songs out there (like one called Ironhead about an alien cowboy robot. It can get pretty crazy). The genre can go to some pretty dark places though, so maybe a sci-fi/horror theme is on the cards. People seemed to get a kick out of the fantasy songs, so it's possible!
Oh boy, I suppose this is confession time. I've never actually played D&D. I played the kids version years ago, but real D&D I've never touched. I've always wanted to try it out, and I'm a big Warhammer geek as a way of compensating. Right now, though, Skyrim is taking up most of my life. I tend to opt for assassins when I play video games and mages in any other kind of RPG. Hurling fireballs at unsuspecting folk is definitely the way to go.
What do you blog about the other eleven months of the year?
I do my best to whittle down the massive pile of books on my to be read shelf, and I like to share the things I find online that tickle my geek bones. I've recently started writing fiction again, so expect to see more of that and some writing tips and tricks I find along the way.
There's a long story involving beer, a jacuzzi, grenades, a 7 day ban from Egypt and a schizophrenic geologist, but I don't want to bore the readers with that. I didn't find any mummies, sadly, but I did help uncover a burial chamber in Luxor. I was lucky enough to be part of the team that helped excavate the tomb at the time (and my camera was the only one to hand when they broke in, so I got all the photos!) Getting into the burial chamber did involve belly crawling through a narrow gap filled with limestone chips and a 40 foot drop on the ricketiest ladder known to humankind. It was totally worth it, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Not as much as I'd like :) She's much more eclectic than me when it comes to music so she's more tolerant of my musical tastes than I am of hers. She's just as big a geek as I am, though, and almost as big a fantasy fan too (I'm hoping she's not reading this!). She takes more from the music side of things than the imagery, so I need to wear her down a little more before she likes some of the weird bands I show her.
Jamie, you rock!
Co-host Ninja Captain Alex is the author of CassaStar and CassaFire and his blog can be found HERE
Monday, June 25, 2012
Call Attention to Your Blog or Get the Promotion You Need
Be My Guest
You may have often heard that guest posting is a great way to bring more readers to your blog. It's a tactic that can work well. As a guest blogger you can reach readers who might not have heard of your blog before. You can even venture off into topics that you might not normally cover on your own blog. Guest blogging is an effective way to hone your writing chops and to step out beyond your own blogging community to tap into a larger one.
Blog tours and guest promotional posts are standard procedure for many bloggers who have something they want to spread the word about. Many authors take advantage of guest blogging to pitch new book releases. You have probably even seen guest bloggers trying to draw attention to favorite charities and causes. When you've got something that you want to tell others about, you should take advantage of every outlet that is available to you.
Some of you may be too shy or uncertain of yourself to ask other bloggers if you can be a guest on their blogs. If what you've got to say is important enough to you then maybe it's time to step out of that comfort zone of your own blog and speak out on some other blogs. Now's your opportunity. There are blogs looking for your guest posts.
Guest posting opportunities await!
Tossing It Out -- This summer and into September I will be hosting guest bloggers during my Hijack This Blog! campaign. Click here for details. Click here for schedule and application.
Wrote By Rote -- I look for guest bloggers year round on my memoir blog that publishes every Saturday. Posts remain at the top of the page for an entire week to give your guest post maximum exposure. I'm interested in memoir writing or helpful articles about writing memoirs.
A Faraway View -- One of the most unique writing opportunities comes on my dream blog A Faraway View. This blog also publishes only once a week so posts stay current for the entire week following posting. Anything about dreams is welcomed. Topics that have yet to be covered are non-psychological dream interpretation, dreams as prophecy, and dreams as related to literature. Any other topics are certainly welcomed. Dream study is a fascinating field and it's fun to write about. Tell us about your dreams or dream experiences.
Blogging from A to Z Blog -- We are always receptive to guest posts on this blog you are visiting now. We are interested in all topics here. Priority is given to those who have been past A to Z participants, but anyone is welcomed as well. Posts can be about the A to Z Challenge, blogging, writing, or just about anything else you want to write about. Go to the "Contact Us" page by clicking the tab at the top of the page and send us an email or leave a comment on this post and we'll set you up.
Kid Lit Reviews -- Sue is having to take a blogging break due to health problems and she's looking for guest bloggers for a while. She could use some help or at least a word of encouragement. Go to her site for complete information.
So there you have it. Some great blogging opportunities are right there for you to step up and claim as your own. My Hijack This Blog! campaign has been a tremendous success so far with several bloggers trying guest posting for the first time. Try it--you'll have a good time and should make a few new blogging friends.
You may have often heard that guest posting is a great way to bring more readers to your blog. It's a tactic that can work well. As a guest blogger you can reach readers who might not have heard of your blog before. You can even venture off into topics that you might not normally cover on your own blog. Guest blogging is an effective way to hone your writing chops and to step out beyond your own blogging community to tap into a larger one.
Blog tours and guest promotional posts are standard procedure for many bloggers who have something they want to spread the word about. Many authors take advantage of guest blogging to pitch new book releases. You have probably even seen guest bloggers trying to draw attention to favorite charities and causes. When you've got something that you want to tell others about, you should take advantage of every outlet that is available to you.
Some of you may be too shy or uncertain of yourself to ask other bloggers if you can be a guest on their blogs. If what you've got to say is important enough to you then maybe it's time to step out of that comfort zone of your own blog and speak out on some other blogs. Now's your opportunity. There are blogs looking for your guest posts.
Guest posting opportunities await!
Tossing It Out -- This summer and into September I will be hosting guest bloggers during my Hijack This Blog! campaign. Click here for details. Click here for schedule and application.
Wrote By Rote -- I look for guest bloggers year round on my memoir blog that publishes every Saturday. Posts remain at the top of the page for an entire week to give your guest post maximum exposure. I'm interested in memoir writing or helpful articles about writing memoirs.
A Faraway View -- One of the most unique writing opportunities comes on my dream blog A Faraway View. This blog also publishes only once a week so posts stay current for the entire week following posting. Anything about dreams is welcomed. Topics that have yet to be covered are non-psychological dream interpretation, dreams as prophecy, and dreams as related to literature. Any other topics are certainly welcomed. Dream study is a fascinating field and it's fun to write about. Tell us about your dreams or dream experiences.
Blogging from A to Z Blog -- We are always receptive to guest posts on this blog you are visiting now. We are interested in all topics here. Priority is given to those who have been past A to Z participants, but anyone is welcomed as well. Posts can be about the A to Z Challenge, blogging, writing, or just about anything else you want to write about. Go to the "Contact Us" page by clicking the tab at the top of the page and send us an email or leave a comment on this post and we'll set you up.
Kid Lit Reviews -- Sue is having to take a blogging break due to health problems and she's looking for guest bloggers for a while. She could use some help or at least a word of encouragement. Go to her site for complete information.
So there you have it. Some great blogging opportunities are right there for you to step up and claim as your own. My Hijack This Blog! campaign has been a tremendous success so far with several bloggers trying guest posting for the first time. Try it--you'll have a good time and should make a few new blogging friends.
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