Just How Old Is Our Earth and Universe, 3.8 billion or 6,000 Years???

The Debate Continues: On February 4, Bill Nye (The Science Guy) debated creationist Ken Ham for two and a half hours regarding a number of topics that many followers of science and the Bible struggle to reconcile.

 

The age of the Earth and the universe is one subject that causes no end of frustration for both sides. Did our space time continuum come into existence 13.8 billion years ago, or six thousand years ago? This is a very important question, and in many instances vital (necessary for life) when it comes to where we spend eternity.

 

Science uses a myriad of physical evidence to conclude the universe we live in is 13.8 years old, give or take a few years. Reference

 

Those who promote it is 6,000 years old use the geneologies of man going back to Adam from the Bible to date the Earth. They also conclude the six days of creation are literal twenty-four hour periods. Dinosaurs and cavemen and everything that left behind a fossil also lived during the past 6,000 years. Herein lies the prolonged contention.

 

They will also state it was the Great Flood during Noah’s time that caused the physical features like the Grand Canyon and such. But even a flood of this magnitude cannot cause the extreme features our Earth exhibits. Perhaps some. But it cannot come close to explaining what would take hundreds of millions of years to make.

 

The Answer Is Quite Simple: The time between the verses of Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 holds the key. Some people call this the Gap Theory. I’ve heard both sides of the argument in great detail. Let them argue.

 

No one knows how much time transpired between these verses. It could be one day. Or it could be 13.8 billion years.

 

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

 

Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

 

Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

 

Important Note: God did not create everything we see around us during the "Six Days of Creation" detailed in Genesis chapter one. He created everything that makes up everything during Genesis 1:1. He simply spoke into being what we read in the following verses and this is what we see and experience every day. The stuff that makes up the stuff in our universe already existed. He simply spoke it into an orderly fashion for us to live in 6,000 years ago. Everything else, including dinosaurs, cavemen, and Pangaea occurred between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2.

 

Science and the Bible have had a long standing feud. Lots of people were killed because they took a stance different from what the established Church at the time held. Example: for centuries people held an Aristotelian geocentric view of our universe, mainly that the Earth was the center of our universe and everything including our sun revolved around it.

 

Galileo: When Galileo championed a heliocentrism view (the sun being the center and Earth revolved around it) he was persecuted by the Catholic Church. Simply because he used science to stand up to long held Church tradition.

 

The same can be said today. Many who hold to a centuries old tradition of a 6,000 year old universe will draw a line in the sand. I’ve even been told I can’t be saved if I do not accept the 6,000 year theory. Huhn???

 

Why Does It Matter? I have heard far too many people state they would love to believe the Bible and its message of salvation. But, because of the 6,000 year tradition they know is false, they simply cannot regard the Bible as truth. They see an error here, and conclude the Bible may be a good book, but cannot be taken literally.



Meet the Author. No, not Dean Koontz. Me.

 

The result is many people die in their sins and spend an eternity separated from God. How many when it is all said and done? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Millions? Why? Because of the 6,000 day theory that the Bible does not teach. Man does. Tradition does. But the Bible does not.

 

So you can see why I am passionate about this topic. Science and the Bible can co-exist just fine, thank you very much.

 

To see the debate CLICK HERE

 

Action and Modern Day Sci-fi writer Stephen Tremp is the author of the Breakthrough: The Adventures of Chase Manhattan trilogy. His third book Escalation is the final installment in the series and is set for release March 10, 2014.

 

Escalation is an epic clash where science and the supernatural take center stage for mankind’s destiny. The setting is global and the adrenaline-charged action is non-stop. You can visit Stephen at Breakthrough Blogs.

#atozchallenge -- Stormy the Weather Gnome introduces Heather M. Gardner

This is Stormy the Weather Gnome coming to you from the wild snowy tundra, otherwise known as Heather's front yard.

Heather is annoyingly shy so when the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge hosts mentioned she should write an 'About Me' post she got all flummoxed. Maybe even a little Hasenpfeffered.

So, I thought I would help her out cause, I ROCK, and that's just the kind of Gnome I am!

Heather is old and kind of wrinkly. She lives in a small town in New York with her family and a bunch of really frightening cats (they tried to eat the gorilla glue holding my feet together!)

Heather always wanted to be a rock star, and although she doesn't sound bad singing in the shower, she can't pull it off in front of real people.

Heather works part-time for the local volunteer fire department where she also joined the Auxiliary. She makes a general nuisance of herself around town as much as possible. You know the kind, always organizing events and begging for blood and money from the community. Literally. 

Heather has published her first contemporary romantic suspense book, Maguire's Corner. She is currently editing her second book in the series and hopes to have it published soon (or so she keeps telling me).

You can find Heather all over the inter-web.

Blog: The Waiting is the Hardest Part

Facebook: Heather M. Gardner, Author

Twitter: @hmgardner

Email: hgardner28@gmail.com

So, that's Heather in a nutshell, although what she's doing hanging out in a nutshell I have no idea.

She's a pretty cool chick but if you want to laugh your little resin butt off then come to her blog during the A to Z Challenge to check ME out!

I'll be taking over for the whole month of April.

I guarantee, you won't ever be the same after I get done with you.

Do You leverage #Socialmedia for #blogging? 20 #atozchallenge Tips

 Today, one of #TeamDamyanti , Vidya Sury , tells you how to spread your blog far and wide via social media.

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A blog hop is all about interaction, making friends and getting to know new bloggers. The #AtoZChallenge is a readymade opportunity to connect, interact, and take your blogging motivation to new highs.

So you've signed up for the A to Z Challenge (do it now if you haven't), and perhaps even the  A to Z Theme Reveal Blogfest where you join a huge group of AtoZers to post your theme reveal post. You're also busy outlining your posts and scheduling them for April, so you can be free to party.

Yes, it is a month-long blogging party that will change your life forever!

So, besides visiting other bloggers, how can you amplify your blogging presence?

Use social media!

Social media is a great way to attract new readers and engage with your existing ones. As bloggers we cannot afford to ignore social media.

If you’re still wondering why you should use social media…it helps you

·      increase your reach on social media

·      build a loyal fan base

·      invite collaboration opportunities

·     get a book written (yes!)

·      create community

·      make new friends

·      get gigs 

and so much more!

How to get started?

1. Clean up your sidebars

2. Place your "follow/subscribe" buttons prominently so your visitors can find them easily and follow or subscribe to your awesome blog updates. 

3. Display Social Media Connect buttons for the networks you frequent. The most common are: Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest and of course, email. You can get combinations of the set. Don't forget to customize the buttons with your own profile links.

4. Add Social Mediasharing buttons - so your visitors can share your posts on their social network of choice.

5. Have a Facebookfan page? Add the widget in your sidebar so you can build your audience right from your blog. All your visitor has to do is hit "Like."

6. Create readymade tweets so your readers can copy and tweet. Like this:

#atozchallenge tip: Visit AZ bloggers before Challenge begins, follow their blogs-build your network! www.a-to-zchallenge.com @AprilA2Z

Try clicktotweet so your readers can directly click to tweet.

7. Use a dashboard like Hootsuite to manage and schedule your social media posts. Install the Hootsuite “hootlet” for your browser to tweet/schedule a tweet for any page you are on. If you follow the blogger, don’t forget to tag them when you tweet. The Hootsuite dashboard lets you see your tweet stream, sent tweets, mentions and scheduled posts.

8. If you use Feedburner, use the “socialize” feature to autoshare your own post on social media as soon you publish.

9.  Use the #atozchallenge tag across all media to make them easily discoverable. Tag +April Hosteam on G+ (run by Pam), tag @AprilA2Z on Twitter (run by Nicole) and Blogging from A to Z April Challenge (run by Heather) on FB to get RTs and Shares of your posts.

10. Big on images? Add a Pin it button so your readers can share your gorgeous images on Pinterest.

11. Use LinkedIn? Import your RSS feed to your LinkedIn profile using the blog link application on LinkedIn to show off your posts on your profile.

12. Go to your Twitter settings - and set it up to share automatically to your Facebook profile.

13. Autopublish your Facebook Fan page posts to Twitter.

14. Spend some time every day acknowledging shares and engaging in social media. Thank people publicly, give them a shoutout!

15. And while you are at it, give your "About Me" page the once-over! Now is a good time to tweak that, too!

16. Don’t forget to TELL your readers to share your posts! For more tips: See this post by M J Joachim's Aztech, C. Lee McKenzie.

17. The A to Z Challenge is not just about you. Consider using Twitterfeed to auto-tweet your favorite blogs’ posts and you'll have a bunch of RTers for your own posts soon!

18. If you have a twitter account, consider joining Triberr.com. This will ensure a lot of bloggers RT your posts.

19. Use Roundteam.co to automatically RT tweets on the #atozchallenge tag, or from bloggers you like.

20. Finally, check that all your links work.

To summarize, sidebar must-haves:

• Subscribe / Follow button
• Social media connect buttons
• G+ button for your blog (different from the add to circles)
• Facebook Fan page Like Widget
• AtoZChallenge badge

Go forth and connect! Questions, problems? Ask away in the comments and Vidya will do her best to solve them for you!

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Have you signed up for the #AtoZChallenge Theme Reveal Blogfest?  Do it now!

Getting to Know Your Co-Hosts – Special Tribute to Jeremy Hawkins

Every year, we introduce the co-hosts so you know the people behind this massive endeavor. Unfortunately, co-host Jeremy Hawkins is unable to put together a post due to an injury. The other co-hosts decided to pull together and share some things about the amazing individual behind the A to Z Challenge graphics and website.

Condensed from his blog, this is what happened to Jeremy:

I fell on ice last Saturday and broke my ankle where the short of it is I have 8 screws and a new holding plate. I am heavy medicated and loopy, typing this I hope it makes sense. Now this is not the world's worst injury, I have never broke anything. I want to thank all my friends and family for all the support.
It's bed rest for two solid weeks and then back to the other doctor for more... I have an iPad once in a while so I am on Facebook.
I will try to catch up soon, thank you for your friendship and "I will be back"
-Jeremy [Retro]

Jeremy is the genius behind the A to Z Challenge graphics and the website design, taking time out of his busy design schedule to help the team. He is the author of several books featuring graphics, short stories, or both. He also designs badges, banners, and websites for others, and he has a complete line of t-shirts for sale at Neat-O-Rama.

In addition to helping with this site, Jeremy maintains his own blog at Being Retro, Howling Wolf Records’ site, the Horror Blogger Alliance, and Hate the Captcha, a blog dedicated to The Walking Dead.

He’s also interviewed many movie stars, artists, musicians over the years. Jeremy travels to horror and anime conventions and posts pictures of attendees and stars. He works with Howling Wolf Records and maintains their site.

What you really need to know about Jeremy is he has a heart of gold. He will do anything and everything for his friends, taking time away from his business and wife to do what is necessary. You can’t ask for a better friend.

You the man, Jeremy. And we think you rock! - Alex

Jeremy is more than a co-worker in this crazy train of the A-Z Challenge, he’s my friend. Please leave a comment. We want to cheer him up with a lot of them! Jeremy is one of THE most generous and self-less people I’ve met. He’s always there to lend a helping hand and a willing ear, and he’s truly a great listener. Always ready with a good quip, he cheers you up by just being himself.  True.

He’s also quite the artist. I’m not just talking all the badges and bling and banners and art he does for the A-Z and his friends. He’s a published artist.  Talented.

I’ve had the honor of beta reading several of his books which are now available at Amazon. Here’s a link to his author page. I’d say his specialty is photopainting – that’s what I call it anyway because honestly, what he does is so out of my realm of knowledge. I can’t even size a picture correctly, so it’s a good thing that he’s an admin on my blog, which he built from scratch, just as a favor. That’s another example of Jeremy just being himself.  Giving.

But wait! That’s not all! He’s also a t-shirt designer! He has his own section at Neatorama with his designs. These aren’t just great because of his art (and the great snark in a lot of the captions) but the t-shirts themselves are really great quality. I have two of them. I recommend a long browse so you can get what suits you best, but if you’re stuck for an idea, the Ninja Army shirt he made in honor of Alex is a good place to start!  Loyal.

I can’t say enough about this wonderful friend of mine, but since other co-hosts will be chiming in, I’ll have to leave you with this brief picture. Checking out his many blogs and websites will give you a bigger one.
~Tina

From Arlee -
Jeremy has been my go to guy for not only the A to Z Challenge, but for my own blogs when it comes to bringing things to life with his brilliant images. The man is like a mind-reader when it comes to creating his custom artwork. I just have vaguely say what I'm looking for and he'll quickly shoot me back something that looks like what I was thinking but even better. His creative artistry has been responsible for many of my badges, headers, and my iconic BlogMan logo.
You're a good friend to have, Jeremy. Sorry you've had the recent setback, but at least you've been keeping your sense of humor about it. And I'm sure your mind is cranking away some great new ideas.

From Heather -
Dear Jeremy,
My Facebook newsfeed is so incredibly boring without you. You make me laugh almost every day and I will be sad until you return. I hope you heal quickly and I will expect regular weather reports from your ankle from now on. Hugs & chocolate kisses!

From Nicole -
Whether navigating the horrors of the apocalypse or gathering human souls around to hear some good tunes, Jeremy is the elixir that saves us from the craziness of our universe. He makes all things pretty; glowing in wonder, sprinkled with funnies and covered in cool!

From MJ -
Jeremy is one of those people you’re glad you have the chance to meet in Blog Land. He’s a true friend, and an honest to goodness, kind and real person, the type of guy who makes the world a better place, for having known him. I got to know Jeremy better since co-hosting with him in the A - Z Challenge. I can say without reservation that I’m really glad I did. Best to you, Jeremy. Get well soon!

From Damyanti -
Jeremy is one of those guys who would do a lot without asking for anything in return, and then offer to do more. He does a great job with the graphics, and helps customize badges and a thousand other things-- always kind, unobtrusive and cheerful. He is a good friend, and a huge asset to our team.
Take care of you, Jeremy, and get well soon.

How Important is #Collaboration in the #Blogging Community? #atozchallenge

Composers for Relief: An Album of Collaboration

Arlee Bird started the A to Z April Blogging Challenge to encourage a feeling of community amongst bloggers-- scores of bloggers have benefited through this challenge and will do so again this year. This was made possible through the collaboration of the co-hosts, (Lee, Alex, Tina,  Jeremy, Nicole, Stephen, Heather, AJ, MJ Pam, and yours truly,of course.

Today, one of the members of #TeamDamyanti , +Samantha Geary Jones, is here with a post on collaboration, and how it resulted in an awesome project that might help lives come back to normal in the typhoon-ravaged areas of Philippines. Take it away, +Samantha!

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We all have hopes and dreams. Our hope is our strength. It’s what inspires us to be greater. What pushes us to venture beyond what we know and take a chance. A chance to inspire. A chance to be inspired. A chance to make a difference.

Imagine what we can accomplish, together.

When talents and dreams converge--that’s when the real magic begins.

And that’s exactly what happened in December of 2013. In the tragic wake of the worst natural disaster in Philippines history, over 30 compassionate composers and 28 amazing authors from across the globe, collaborated on a compassionate project to support the relief efforts in the most devastated areas ravaged by Super Typhoon Yolanda.

The charity event began with the Composers for Relief album--28 tracks embodying a sense of hope and triumph from the brilliant minds of film composers and musicians. Each track inspired an author’s tale, reflecting the soul of the notes with well woven words. These 29 stories transport you Beyond the Binding of the imagination in heart pounding sci fi, enchanting fantasy and gripping slices of realism.

Even now, the collaboration has captured the creative minds of film students at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in Malaysia, whose GLOBAL VISUAL HARMONIES project, under the direction of Ray Kril, adds a stunning element of hope in the form of short films inspired by the album.

 

I can’t think of a better way to build a community--one that transcends crafts and continents, cultures and creeds. Consider collaborating with your fellow bloggers and friends, authors and artists, musicians and filmmakers. 

That’s what the A to Z challenge is all about, coming together as a blogging community. In this challenge bloggers from all fields are welcomed, and it can become a cauldron of collaborative creativity.

Let’s take it to the next level-- reach out to one another. Take a chance. YOU can make a difference--you need only try. It’s amazing what we can accomplish, together. 

Begin the journey today by visiting the other bloggers in the A to Z Challenge Sign-up list. Or take part in the A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal. By the time the challenge starts, you would have made friends, and who knows, even thought of a project to do together-- which would enrich your life, and that of others.

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Beyond the Binding is available NOW on Amazon & Smashwords in all ebook formats . Cover designed by Jennifer Redstreake Geary

Composers for Relief is available NOW on ITunes, Amazon, CDBaby & Spotify

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 Have you taken part in a creative, collaborative project? Teamed with other bloggers to create something new, hosted a blogging event together? Has the A to Z challenge resulted in creative ideas of collaboration for you?

Getting to Know Your Fellow #bloggers #atozchallenge #photoblogs

Featuring Photography Blogs

It’s like visiting a museum or photo exhibit, as you wander through this amazing assortment of brilliant photography blogs. No camera captures the same subject. Nor does it delight in sharing a similar one the same way. Each photographer explores the world through a camera, letting each snapshot reveal a larger story waiting to be shared.

Spud’s Daily Photo: Bill Nichols combines a bit of history with photos he’s taken throughout the years. His photo journalism charms us with a unique point of view and delightful photography.

Throo Da Looking Glass: The combination of haiku and brilliantly captured photographs make this blog stand out. Combine that with the diverse collection of photos taken, and you’re sure to find something that captures your eye!

La Fotografia Efectista Abstracta:  This blog might be in Spanish, but the photos speak to a universal language. You’ll positively be amazed by some of the pictures you see here!

Outreach:  While photography is strongly present on this blog, you’ll also find a plethora of other intriguing posts. Everything from research to random bits of advice, contests and reviews are just a sampling of what you will find here.

Traveling Cats:  Cats, cats and more cats - from in the house to around the world, this is no ordinary photography blog!

Now I know there are a lot more photo blogs out there. These are just a few I came across while doing some blog hopping recently. 

Thanks for capturing the world in pictures for us!

M. J.

©2014 All Rights Reserved
Photo credit:  Blogfrog, Blogfrog Logo, CCA-Share Alike 3.0 

Don't Get Busted by the Photo Police: #atozchallenge advice

Hi friends (waving), PammyPam here!  If you're like me, you love love love to have photos on your blog.  Especially those big, bright, and beautiful (see what I did there) photos that are pin worth (as in Pinterest)! The problem is, how do you find these photos?

To be sure, there are many places on the internet that offer photos.  You can use pay services or copyright free sites, as well.  These are great ideas but you MUST remember to correctly cite the owner of the pics or you could end up with a visit from the photo police.  But what if you don't have the time or the notion to find just the right pic for your blog?

Do what I do, my friends, and take your own photos.

Yep, take your own photos.

If you have a camera enabled phone or even a small digital camera, you can become your own photographer! There are many benefits to using your own photos:

• They are free (no costs to join)
• They are yours to use again and again
• You control how they are used 
• Did I mention they're free?
• You can get exactly the shot you want

See? You can't lose with taking you're own photos.  I blog about books and there is nothing easier than going to my bookshelf, pulling out a book and staging it exactly the way I want it.  Maybe I want a shot of a dog reading a book? Easy, just go grab the dog, some doggie treats, and BAM. Done. Or perhaps I want that all to common Pinterest pic of a stack of books with a tea cup on top? Simple; snag the books I want, set them on the table with a tea cup, get down level with the books and POOF! Instant pic. See?

Once you've taken your photos, upload them to a photo editing site to create them to your liking ( I like picmonkey).  BE SURE TO WATERMARK THEM WITH YOUR BLOG NAME.  Save the photos and VOILA!  Not only do you have customized photos for your blog post, now you don't have to worry about the photo police coming to get you! 

Here's a tip: My A to Z Challenge always includes book titles; I start taking photos of books early to ensure I find a book for each letter of the alphabet. I do this process in steps. 

• Keep a list of the letters you need pics for
• Take the photos. 
• Upload them to a photo editing site and edit (make a collage!)
• Save new photo with the title of the book
• Upload to blog
• Write blog post

Don't try to do all of the steps in one sitting. You'll go batty.  Remember, this is supposed to be fun and to keep you from getting busted by the photo police; if you make it too difficult you might not keep up with it.  Slow and steady wins the race here, folks.

Where do you find your photos?

PammyPam

How to use the #atozchallenge to help your writing efforts

How to use the A to Z Challenge to help your writing efforts
Timothy S. Brannan, The Other Side

It is that time of year again. The holidays are done. The kids are all back in school. It is way too cold for yardwork or being outside so naturally our thoughts turn to writing.

Or maybe that is just me.

Strange Brew cover by Peter Bradley

I think I will hear some notes of agreement from many of you when I say I am not sure what I would be doing if I couldn’t write.  It is what keeps me sane…if you consider listening to imaginary people in my head and writing down what they should be doing sane, then yes.

I write. I blog. The lines blur until it comes to the final product.  But honestly it doesn’t have too.
Allow me to take a step back.  I have been blogging now since about 2007, prior to that I maintained a website since about 1995 or so.  I have always had something to say.  I began blogging as a way to gather up my thoughts for the book I was working on at the time.  So for me there is a lot of harmony between “book” writing and “blogging” writing.  I first took part in the A to Z Challenge in 2011.  I made it my own goal to visit and comment on everyone’s blog.  My own efforts though were less focused, I posted what I wanted on that day.  Yeah. I was pretty busy in April of 2011.  For 2012 I went really crazy and blogged on a theme (which is in my opinion the best way to go) and I also posted on my other blog, The Freedom of Nonbelief with the A to Z of the atheists that had most influenced me.  Both of these were good and it was a lot of fun, but I was still really busy.

Last year though I hit on the magical recipe.  On my main blog I actually focused on something I was doing for my book writing and made the A to Z part of my research and rough draft cycle.

The Witch

I write game books. That is books for Roleplaying Games. Think Dungeons & Dragons. Actually that is exactly what I was doing.  I began my blog as a sort of a “design journal” for my WIP “The Witch”.  As I went on I added another book, “Eldritch Witchery”.  So yes I write a lot about witches, magic and all that fun stuff.  Last year I did an A to Z of Demons.  This will all become part of my next book which I am currently working on the drafts.   This idea though really struck a chord with me.  Not only did I get my posts start and done sooner, I could use the feedback given by all my visitors to make edits in my document.  It went beyond the normal theme and into “theme with a purpose”.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to do the A to Z again this year.  I have new Kickstarter out for my next book on witches (and it is a huge manuscript) and that is taking up a lot of my time now.  Plus I didn’t get as far as I wanted on the demon book as I wanted.   But yet the material I got out of it last year is just too good NOT to do it again.

So this year I am once again doing my “Theme with a purpose”.  At present I have a few WIPs on my hard-drive. I am a freelancer and I use Kickstarter to help fund editing, art and layout so my projects are largely my own.  Top of my list is an A to Z of Vampires.  I have wanted to get a vampire book out for some time and it was almost my topic last year.

Here is my strategy:

1. Make the A to Z posting part of my own research.  I tend to research all over the place, so with something like this it is good to start early.  I might not have anything on Aswang yet  but a lot on Baobhan Sìth.   
2. The posts are notes, not the final document.  With the Demons last year sometimes I all had was a name and a vague idea on how I was going to use it.  Other times I had material that I could almost cut and paste right into my document.  The goal though isn’t to be “cut and paste” ready but have an idea on what I want. 
3. Post for feedback.  During the A to Z I get a much wider variety of readership than usual.  I also get more people replying to my posts.  You might not know anything about my games but there are enough horror writers on this challenge that I am certain to get some great feedback.
4. Make it worth your time and make it fun.  No one will read my posts if it looks like they were a chore to do.  If I am phoning it in so speak cause I can’t find a Vampire for “Q” (and I haven’t yet) then why should I expect anyone to read?  By the way if you do know of a Vampire that starts with Q then email me!

As of the writing of this post there are almost 600 people signed up for the A to Z Challenge and about 20% of these self-label themselves with the Writing (WR) or Book (BO) labels.   So this is something they could certainly try and anyone could do it.

Doing the A to Z Challenge is a Challenge, but it doesn’t have to be a Chore.

About the Author
Timothy S. Brannan is the author of The Other Side blog, http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/
He is also the author of “The Ghosts of Albion RPG”, “The Witch”, “Eldritch Witchery” and the upcoming “Strange Brew” which is currently in a Kickstarter Campaign. Please stop by and see if this is something you would like to support.

Related articles

• Tim Brannan guest post
• Eldritch Witchery Print Proof
• Guest Posting on A to Z: The Value of the Blogfest
• Ultimate Witch & Warlock

Getting to Know Your Fellow #Bloggers #atozchallenge

Featuring New Blogs and Blogs with

 <100 Followers

One of the things we like to do here at the A – Z Challenge is help new bloggers, and bloggers who don’t have a lot of followers, get more followers here in Blog Land. It’s one of those little things we do, to promote community and encourage people with their blogs. We even started a page at the top of this blog titled, Blogs with <100 Followers, because every blogger deserves to be cheered on with their blogging.

Here are a few blogs we know you’ll enjoy visiting that we’ve found.

My Daily Disaster: Matthew is a soldier sharing his unique perspective on how he sees the world. His blog is brand new, and his posts will definitely give you food for thought.

Fanny Barnes Thornton: Fanny participates in a lot of blogfests, so you never know what she might be writing about next. She’s an exciting writer, who shares all sorts of neat things about her world on her blog.

Runner 5: Runner 5 is currently in the midst of a 6-month total overhaul challenge. She’s taking one day at a time, to make herself into the best person she can be.

Yeakley/Jones Family History: Ann Hinds explores her family history on her blog. She’s a strong writer, with some wonderful stories to tell.

Midlist Writer: Sean McLachlan is a freelance writer specializing in history and travel. His blog includes satisfying book reviews and an eclectic variety of information bloggers, writers and readers will be sure to find exciting.

Of course, this brief list is far from exhaustive, as is the page of <100 followers we’ve added to this blog. Be sure and take a browse through all the links there, and if you know of someone not listed, please don’t hesitate to share a link to their blog in the comments.

Thanks for being such a great part of our community here.

M. J.

©2014 All Rights Reserved
Photo credit: Blogfrog, Blogfrog Logo, CCA-Share Alike 3.0

Calling all #atozchallenge participants to #SocialMedia !

A to Z April Blogging challenge is all about networking, connecting with interesting bloggers and making blog friends. 

To that end we usually recommend following other blogs, commenting on their posts.

Another way to cement these relationships is to follow each other on social media.

One of the things I want to encourage this year for AZers is cross connection-- follow as many AZ bloggers as possible on the following social networks:

Facebook

Twitter

G+ page

Start with following Blogging from A to Z April Challenge :

Facebook page

Twitter id and hashtag: @AprilA2Z and #atozchallenge

G+ page: +April Hosteam 

I'll also share my details here:
My co-host blog: Amlokiblogs
My participant blog: Daily (w)rite

My Facebook 

My Twitter: @damyantig

My G+: +D Biswas 

If you're on any of these networks, leave me the details in the comments below-- I'll follow you, and encourage others to do the same. While adding your social media details, make sure to mention the name and number of your blog in the sign up list. 

Use this format for your details:

My Blog Name and Number on the list
My Facebook
My Twitter
My G+

Follow each other as more AZ participants drop in their social media deets in the comments below.

Following other AZ participants on social media would create a buzzing network. And who doesn't want more followers, right?

 It would deepen a sense of community come April and the Blogging from A to Z Challenge! So what are you waiting for? Sign up for the challenge if you haven't already, and leave us your details in the comments.