The 2015 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge Team!

And the 2015 A to Z Team is...

...okay, well, technically the team is already up and running right now in 2014, so telling you it's the 2015 team is kinda/sorta misleading.

So, it's actually the 2014/2015 A to Z Team.

Maybe I should explain...take too long...let me sum up. :)

As the A to Z Challenge grows by leaps and bounds each year so does the list of A to Z Team Members.

There's a lot of behind the scenes work, that I won't bore you with, but just know that we need lots of great bloggers to organize such an amazing Challenge.

So, without further ado, here is your new A to Z Team line-up...

The Founder
Arlee Bird

The Veterans
Alex J. Cavanaugh
Jeremy Hawkins 
Stephen Tremp
Nicole Ayers
Matthew MacNish (Returning)

The Staff Members
AJ Lauer
Pam Margolis
Heather M. Gardner

The Brave New Members
C. Lee McKenzie
S. L. Hennessy
Zalka Csenge
Susan Gourley
Lisa Buie-Collard
J.L. Campbell
John Holton

What a fantastic group of people!

Make sure to visit the A to Z Main Challenge Blog frequently to keep up with all the latest and greatest updates about our next Challenge and to meet some of these new members as they post on the blog!

Also, don't forget, all of these awesome people are going to need ambassadors/minions/helpers/assistants/teams/whooligans/alliances and/or sidekicks.

If you're interested in helping out the greatest Blog Challenge on the internet, stay tuned.

Holiday season is upon us

If you haven't noticed, it's not long to Christmas, Hanukkah and many other festivities relating to the middle of winter or the solstice.  It's even closer to Thanksgiving.  If you like being bombarded with things you can buy and throw away again when you're bored with them you are probably enjoying life to the full.  Since I dislike waste, and don't like shopping, and would rather sit in a corner by a log fire with a book (or my eReader) than party outrageously, this is the time of year that I go into hibernation.

What really frightens me is the number of books that are available now.  Self-publication has a lot to do with this.  The flood has turned into a tsunami, and good books are being tossed in the flotsam of life, hoping to surface long enough for the right reader to find and enjoy them.  It always was this way around now, every commerical organisation hoping to make its big buck in the run up to the present-fest.  I don't compete - I try not to bring my books out when there is fierce competition, fuelled by deep pockets.

But I do try the odd promotion.  I'm working on an anthology for middle grade children (8+), with six writer friends, called BookElves Anthology Vol. 1 and I'm doing some Giveaways.

I'll draw your attention to Read Tuesday, styled as a "Black Friday type of event for readers and authors" which takes place on December 9th.  Hundreds of special offers will be featured, on all types of books, with particular emphasis on family friendly ones.  And in the lead up to the event there are things to interest authors and readers and bloggers, so that probably includes you!

The A to Z Blog Challenge is another promotion for authors and bloggers, but of a less 'in your face' kind (on the whole).  I'm constantly amazed by the number of writers taking part.  Not all of them blog stories during the Challenge: some choose different topics entirely, others mix and match.  It's only five months till we reach G in the Challenge, so anyone writing short stories may already be past that!  I have seen blogs that do a serial through the month, but I confess that turns me off.  It's difficult to get into those serials if you're blog-hopping, and very disappointing if you arrive on day 23 and find the story makes no sense to you.  I also learned the hard way the first year I took part, that doing a detailed background to your stories only works if you already have a core of readers who would be interested!  It may help your own writing, though.  Blogs that do flash fiction during the month work best for my style of doing the challenge - but you may disagree.  That's what makes this whole thing so much fun.

I've met some wonderful people and wonderful writers during the Challenge, so many that I'm hard pressed to keep up with them all.  Damyanti Biswas writes amazing short stories as well as talking about writing, and she does two blogs (at least) plus Team Leading through the Challenge!  I've thoroughly enjoyed Sue Ann Bowling's Homecoming blog for the last three years thanks to her Challenge participation.  She writes great stories as well as blogging about her Alaska home.  Sadly, Sue is seriously ill, but I hope this mention cheers you up, Sue. 

More writing blogs I've enjoyed through the Challenge you could look out for:
Hilary Melton Butcher at Positive Letters, Inspirational Stories
Ragged Writers
Sara C Snider, a lovely author
Patricia Stoltey, Writing, Colorado and things
Madeline Mora-Summonte's Flash Fiction Collection
Silvia Writes
Noelle Granger Sayling Away
Tyrean's Writing Spot
and so many more, and not forgetting Samantha Redstreake Geary and Csenge Zalka who were among my co-minions #Team Damyanti on last year's Challenge.

Jemima Pett writes scifi/fantasy The Princelings of the East for older children and is working on a new scifi series, with asteroid miners and sentient trees, for publication in 2015.  Twitter + Pinterest

Themes That Rocked the Challenge - Karen in Guatemala!

Today we welcome author Karen Jones Gowen and her rocking theme of life in Guatemala!

Your theme was living in Guatemala – which you do! What prompted you to select that theme?

We had recently moved and at the time, it was the most interesting topic I could think of! It also gave me an opportunity to take lots of photos with a purpose.

Which letter and topic was your favorite?

Probably "W" for women, because I find the Mayan women so fascinating. They work extremely hard, are quiet and family-centered, and they dress simply and modestly in their native clothing that has particular meaning to them. I admire the women I see around me in this community a great deal and I could have done an entire month on just that theme. Maybe I will!

Which letter was the most difficult?

I don't think there was a difficult letter because I had so much to say about my new environment there were usually numerous topics for each day. The hardest thing was narrowing it down to just one! Even X was easy because many items in the Mayan language begin with X-- it has the "sh" sound-- and we'd just been to visit the city of Xela.

What would surprise people the most about Guatemala?

There are a lot of misconceptions in the U.S. about it, I think, and one of the most common is that it's a dangerous place with crime and bandits everywhere. I'm sure there are places you wouldn't want to go alone at night in the cities, but so far I've found a feeling a safety and neighborhood in the town of Panajachel, where we live. People watch out for each other and children, families, everyone are out on the streets day and night. I feel safe everywhere I go.

What was the biggest adjustment when you moved there?

Termites in the house! Apparently termites are part of living in Guatemala and they are everywhere outdoors, often finding a home inside as well. Our rented home has wood beams in the ceiling and I quickly learned the habits of these invaders. Finally, we moved out for a couple months while parts of the ceiling were being replaced, and although it's still a problem, it's not as bad. (I can't believe I'm even saying "not as bad." Guess I've adjusted a little!)

What is a tuk tuk?

It's a little car/scooter that holds 2 or 3 people plus the driver and functions as a taxi. For a small fee, they will drive you anywhere in town. And they are everywhere on the roads so it's easy to flag one down.

What’s the most unusual vegetable in Guatemala? And have you encountered anything you won’t eat?

So far I've been sticking to the ones I can recognize, like onions, carrots, squash and peppers. I used to like chicharones, or in English "pork rinds"-- they were a snack I enjoyed occasionally in the U.S., but the way they prepare them in Guatemala is a lot different. The first time I tasted them was the last. My dog loves them though!

Have you thought of a theme for next year’s Challenge?

I haven't yet decided, but it will somehow be themed around Guatemala. People really seem to enjoy learning about it and seeing the photos, and it helps me to appreciate the beautiful and interesting land where I now live.


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