Meet Author AJ Lauer: Author of Armageddon: Pick Your Plot

Please join me in welcoming today's guest, AJ Lauer, an A-Z participant and author. The book you're about to hear about is so unique I think we'll be burning of some fiber optic/cable/whispernet or other magical stuff that makes books go from Amazon to my beloved Kindle in about...oh there it is. I've interviewed AJ so you can get to know her a bit better.

A-Z Participant Profile: AJ Lauer, author of Armageddon: Pick Your Plot

Hi, AJ! Welcome to the Blogging from A-Z blog! Why don't you start by telling us about your blog?

Naturally Sweet started as a place to put my early-college angst. It was a way for me to keep in touch with friends from high school and my first boyfriend, a daily journal of writing snippets and figuring out how I fit into the college scene. Over the years it has become a bit more intentional. I use it now still to keep in touch with friends, but also to reflect on my profession and our adventures here in Colorado. And of course to share my writing efforts.


 How did you find Blogging from A-Z? 
Last February, I caught a horrible, awful cold. After about 2 days of whining and moaning and TV, I got bored and challenged a fellow writer friend to a duel. We spent the next four weeks duking it out creative-writing style in a shared Google doc. It was so much fun to push myself to write every single day. When we finished I knew I needed another challenge, and knew as soon as I saw it, that A-Z was the perfect next thing!

You've already signed up for this spring's challenge. What brought you back?
I had so much fun last year! I met several of my favorite blogging buddies, and truly enjoy the challenge of coming up with things to write about every day for a month. A-Z is also part of the reason that my co-author Dan approached me to write Armageddon. He is a talented graphic artist and does something super-cool every year for his birthday. Last year he decided to have an armageddon themed birthday party in honor of the Mayan calendar myth, so decided to make a Pick Your Plot book that explores apocalypses. He'd seen that I had been doing a lot of writing, so asked if I would like to co-author the project. Of course I said yes - how could I resist such an offer? So I'm back this year for the challenge of the writing, and also just to see what neat things come out of it.

Wait, a Pick Your Plot book?  Yup - kind-of like a Choose Your Own Adventure (TM) book. The endings range in topic from Ragnarok to nanobots to (of course) zombies. Since it's about apocalypses which are by nature somewhat unavoidable, you die in 33 of the 42 endings. The odds are definitely not in your favor, but each one is written to be entertaining. Our friends who attended Dan's party loved the book and immediately asked about 'real' publishing, so we decided to go for it. Feedback so far has been very positive - you should check it out! ;)

That sounds awesome! What are you writing about for A-Z this year? Well, last year I did the theme of "things I like" because it was general and easy to come up with topics. This year I've decided to write a scene or character description for each letter. It will be a bit more challenging, but should lead to some fun stuff. I'll start pre-scheduling posts in March, to make sure I've got enough time to do each one well.

Thanks for stopping by! We look forward to seeing what you write this spring. 

Thanks! I'm definitely looking forward to it

AJ's blog: Naturally Sweet 

The Book! Armageddon: Pick Your Plot 

Other places to find AJ: Facebook (public), Facebook (book fanpage)

List-Loving Rosalind Adam Pays a Visit

 

Please join me today in welcoming second time challenge participant Rosalind Adam to the A-Z Blog! She's got some nuggets of truth and hints for you to digest as you prepare for THE CHALLENGE. I meat to shout that, because in the words of my two teen boys, it's going to be EPIC. They'd of course roll their eyes knowing I was using that word, but I do like making them roll their eyes...

So without further ado, glean what you can to better be prepared for April. You've got your badge up, right? You're signed up, right? You've started your networking (the purpose of the challenge – building your blogging community, right?) I think I've used up my “right” quota for the day...

10 Reasons for Loving Lists by Rosalind Adam

1.  When I was a teenager I loved the weekly Top 10 Chart hits, the Top 100 Records of the Year, the Top 20 films and so on. I was obsessed. I kept all manner of lists in the back of my school note book. Now the Internet is full of them so it’s not just me!

2. Today I can spend hours sorting out new playlists on my iPod. It’s replaced the hefty task of shuffling my LPs into preference order. I love the way that Word produces a list of my writing files in alphabetical or chronological order at the click of a button, and don’t even get me started on the lists I create with Excel.

3.  Lists are an excellent way to dump all that rubbish clogging up your brain. I’m always making To-Do lists, and as for shopping lists, they’re a must otherwise I’ll come home with pudding and forget all about the main course! 

4.  Lists of names make compulsive reading, like those Past Presidents on Sports Club walls or the list of attendees at a conference. I always hunt for my name on those attendance lists, even though I know I’m there.

5.  Then there are dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopaedias, I love them all, especially catalogues. I may not need any of the items on offer but I have to pause over the list of small kitchen items because you really can’t have too many grippers for opening jars.

6.  Lists attract our eye, rather like a poem. There can be nothing worse than looking at a page of densely typed words. A list has a visually satisfying shape to it.

7.  When we see an article or blog post in list format, we know we’re going to get brief nuggets of information. There’ll be no rambling or repetition so we feel more inclined to stop and read.

8.  It has been proven that having a number in your blog title attracts more visitors, a ploy regularly used by advertisers.

9.  I’m guessing that most bloggers love to check their stats. Me too. Yet another example of the thrill of lists, and who doesn’t like to watch their list of followers grow? Incidentally, this is a guaranteed outcome of taking part in the A to Z Challenge!

10.  For me the A to Z Challenge is the ultimate in list making. I’ve already started making lists of the A to Z content for my theme and I’m going to include a small list in each day’s post, a list within a list. I will be a truly happy blogger.

Are you making lists to prepare for your A to Z contributions? It’s the only way to survive the month. See you in April. You’ll find me at Rosalind Adam is Writing in the Rain

Thanks Rosalind for being here today. I really like how you took your passion for lists and showed us what an asset that can be as we prepare! 

~Tina, coordinator of guest posters. Drop me an email if you'd like to be one.  tndowney at gmail dot com or the infoaz2013@gmail.com.  I check my personal more often...and I'm info@ email girl, so either way, you're talking to me.  If you want to talk to another co-host, use the contact tab above.

Getting to Know Your Co-Hosts - Shannon, The Warrior Muse

ABOUT ME

Name: Shannon Lawrence
Blogs: The Warrior Muse, Writing From the Peak (as Managing Editor)
Publications: Sunday Snaps: The Stories, an anthology
Other Places to Find Me: LinkedIn, Facebook (blog), Facebook (personal), Twitter (@thewarriormuse), She Writes, Google+

10 GETTING TO KNOW YOU QUESTIONS

1. When writing, do you prefer to compose your first-draft by hand, on your computer, or using Morse code?  While I wish I knew Morse code, I usually compose in a mix of pencil and computer (but never the two together...that would be messy!)  For novel writing, I prefer that go directly onto the computer.  A specific computer, in fact.  For short stories and such, I will often write on paper first, though not always.  It really just depends when and where the mood takes me, and if I feel like paper and pencil or computer keys.

2. Who would win a fight: Jiminy Cricket or Tinkerbell?  Tinkerbell, hands down.  That girl is feisty.  She's pretty scary.  J.C. is a bit of a softie, and I feel like he'd run and hide when he saw the pixie dust flying.

3. Cake or pie?  Cake.  Always cake.  While I won't turn down pie (for the most part), a moist delicious slice of cake is impossible to say no to.

4. Describe the last Halloween costume you wore.  I was a rainbow faerie this year.  I'd intended to go with something different, but found a rainbow wig and colorful wings that I couldn't resist.  Below is a pic of hubby and I (he made that Batman costume).  I also had on rainbow striped leggings.  Fun!

5. Where do you hail from?  All over!  I was born in California, and have lived in Oregon, Maryland and Colorado.  Not as many places as some, but good enough for me.  We've had opportunities to move, but have so far passed them up; some of those opportunities were for overseas.  Maybe some day.  I really love it here in Colorado, though.  I AM a Coloradan.

6. Do you know how to Gangnam Style?  Heck yeah, I do!  I like to bust it out to humiliate my children.  That's why we have them, right?  Unfortunately for my son, he's very easy to embarrass.  My daughter, on the other hand, is impossible to humiliate.  I imagine my son will adjust, as both his parents are smart alecks (I can never figure out the proper spelling for that word...).

7. Where do you go to get away from it all?  I like to hike, and I back up to a place called Ute Valley Park, so I can go there if I need a walk or to hide myself.  If I'm okay with being around other people, but want gorgeous views, I'll go to Garden of the Gods.  It relaxes me.  Both places do.

Garden of the Gods in the fall

Can you see why?  That's Pikes Peak in the background.  I know I'm home when I see Pikes Peak.

8. What makes life worth living?  So much.  My kids, my hubby, my family, my writing, nature, my surroundings, my kitty, my friends, movies, books, the simple pleasures.

9. Who inspires you to write?  My fellow writers.  My friends and family.  My writer's groups.  Nature.  I find my inspiration all around me.  I love writing!

10. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?  Cone or cup?  Sprinkles or hot fudge sauce?  I like anything chocolate, but chocolate and marshmallow make me supremely happy.  I prefer a cup.  I don't like the taste of cones, and I'm always sad when that is the flavor I'm left with.  I prefer whipped cream, hot fudge and a maraschino cherry.  Not the mediciny ones I always manage to get from Baskin Robbins, though.  What's up with that?

I hope you feel like you've gotten to know me a little better!  What are your answers to these questions?  I'd love to see your views in the comments.

May you find your Muse.

Shannon L.
The Warrior Muse