7 Themes for the Blogging from A-Z Challenge

With the holiday season around the corner, the last thing on people's minds is blogging and what to write as far away as next year. Me? I'm full of good intentions that get lost along the way, so I like the thought of advance planning.

I already know what I'll be blogging about in the A-Z next year, or so I think for right now, until another shiny, new idea comes along. In case you haven't settled on a theme yet, the holidays are a great time to look around and see what possible fun and exciting topics you can cover.  Here's my shortlist of things I'd be interested in seeing done during the Challenge.

A-Z of planning for a new year (Helpful, if you're the sort who can't seem to get things rolling motivation-wise or resolution-wise when January 1 hits)

A-Z of getting though the holidays with your sanity intact (think, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, etc. or any other one for that matter. This guide will help you organize and delegate tasks before, during and after the holidays)

A-Z of planning and researching your projects (Some of us are useless when it comes to getting ourselves organized and ready to work when we're taking on anything new, including writing a book)

A-Z of handmade gift items (If you're good with crafts and such and like the thought of personalized gifts)

A-Z of fun projects for children (This might interest you if you're that relative who gets landed with the job of babysitting all the little tots during family gatherings)

A-Z of getting through the A-Z Challenge (This guide would help the disorganized among us to plan for the chaos that descends during the A-Z if we do little or no planning beforehand)

A-Z Holiday Devotional (If you're religious or spiritual and use devotionals to jumpstart your worship sessions)

Can you think of any other fun topics that would be great to tackle during the A-Z? Anybody planning to take on any of these? Have you started planning for the A-Z?

J.L. Campbell lives in Jamaica and writes romance, women's fiction and young adult fiction. She blogs at http://www.joylcampbell.com

Deep Space Here We come!

Hey Folks, As always, thanks for stopping by. This is a very exciting week. Two things are happening you should be aware of.

 

First, NASA is testing Orion, the spacecraft that will someday take mankind into Deep Space. First up is a planned trip to an asteroid around 2025, then it's off to Mars a decade or so after that.

 

You can watch live coverage beginning at 1:30 a.m. PST/4:30 a.m. EST on NASA TV.

 

The New Horizons Spacecraft: Get ready to learn some really cool stuff about Pluto!

 

Launched nine years ago, is about to encounter the Pluto. This will be the first man made craft to visit the planet. New Horizons has spent much of its life in a hibernation of sorts to conserve energy, and will power up December 6th in preparation for a 2015 summer rendezvous with the dwarf planet.

 

Despite the risks, the mission is poised to return a glut of discoveries, continuing the legacy of the first planetary spacecraft: the Mariner missions that visited Mercury, Venus, and Mars in the 1960s and 1970s, and the Voyager missions that explored the outer planets in the 1980s. Those missions were pioneers, as nearly every image and measurement revealed fantastic worlds never seen before.

Hubble image shows Pluto and three  moons, Charon, Nix, and Hydra.

 

Pluto is one of the largest objects in the Kuiper belt, a collection of cold bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune and the last frontier of the solar system. The first Kuiper belt object wasn’t discovered until 1992. There are now more than 1,000 known Kuiper belt objects, and scientists estimate there are hundreds of thousands of them.

 

These objects have been around since the formation of the planets, so they serve as relics that help researchers understand the history and origin of the solar system. And Pluto contains clues about these ancient, icy bodies. For example, any craters on its surface will help scientists estimate how frequently Kuiper belt objects slammed into one another in the past.

 

Reference: http://www.wired.com/2014/12/new-horizons-pluto-mission-wake-up/

Stephen Tremp is the author of the Breakthrough: The Adventures of Chase Manhattan. You can visit him at http://authorstephentremp.blogspot.com

The Insecure Writer's Support Group Guide to Publishing and Beyond

If you are a writer looking for resources, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group has something for you:

Available now – The Insecure Writer’s Support Group Guide to Publishing and Beyond!

Tapping into the expertise of over a hundred talented authors from around the globe, The IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond contains something for every writer. Whether you are starting out and need tips on the craft of writing, looking for encouragement as an already established author, taking the plunge into self-publishing, or seeking innovative ways to market and promote your work, this guide is a useful tool. Compiled into three key areas of writing, publishing, and marketing, this valuable resource offers inspirational articles, helpful anecdotes, and excellent advice on dos and don'ts that we all wish we knew when we first started out on this writing journey.

ISBN 9781939844088
235 pages, FREE
Find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, Goodreads.



We invite you to check out the book and our sites:
Insecure Writer’s Support Group website
IWSG Facebook
IWSG Critique Circle.

#atozchallenge #roadtrip -- Stormy needs to stop for supplies!

 Hi!

It's ME!

Stormy the Weather Gnome!

We're changing things up a bit so you don't get bored.

Don't worry, we're still on the road to nowhere, still can't drive 55, AND still running against the wind.

***

Just a quick side-trip note while Stormy picks up some much needed personal gnome travel items.


One of the co-hosts of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge, Alex J. Cavanaugh, has some special news to share today.

As you may know, he founded the Insecure Writer's Support Group, which started out with just a few bloggers and now tips the scales at 268 members, has it's own website, Facebook page, Facebook critique circle and now...

...has its own published book!

From Alex:

Which is available NOW!!!

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group Guide to Publishing and Beyond

Tapping into the expertise of over a hundred talented authors from around the globe, The IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond contains something for every writer. Whether you are starting out and need tips on the craft of writing, looking for encouragement as an already established author, taking the plunge into self-publishing, or seeking innovative ways to market and promote your work, this guide is a useful tool. Compiled into three key areas of writing, publishing, and marketing, this valuable resource offers inspirational articles, helpful anecdotes, and excellent advice on dos and don'ts that we all wish we knew when we first started out on this writing journey.

ISBN 9781939844088
235 pages, FREE
IWSG sites – website, Facebook, and Facebook Critique Circle
Find the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, Goodreads.

Thanks to everyone who contributed and to my IWSG Admins who worked so hard to put it together. This was a huge project, but we wanted to celebrate three years of the IWSG right and highlight its blog and Facebook members in the process. We hope you’ll find some great information within the pages and spread the word about this awesome book.

You guys rock!

You need to go check this out!

***

Hey, FYI, it's December.

Sign-ups for the 2015 Challenge start in January.

It's time to start thinking about your April theme!

Thankful Today

Black Friday is finding me at home just as it has for the past decade. No crowd fighting, traffic jams or parking lot cursing for me. This day is more restful for me than the actual day of Thanksgiving. With six children in our family, we have a good-sized gathering at our house. I make everything. I get help with cleanup  but mostly the day is massive work for me. But today, I'm not fixing any meals. Good turkey sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner while mom rests.

I'm sure I'll be working on some writing projects but I wanted to take a moment to share what I'm thankful beyond just my wonderful family and comfortable home.

*I'm part of wonderful writing groups both online and local. I can find the answer to almost any question I have about this business and I learn from them.

*Beyond questions, these groups offer endless moral support.

*With the world in shambles in many ways, I'm glad I can search out facts from a variety of sources online and form my won opinions. I always suspect bias when I read or watch traditional media like newspapers and TV.

*Along the same lines, I'm thankful that where I live the government never tries to shut down or block twitter or other social media expressions.

*And I'm thrilled with the invention of online shopping. I'll probably get more Christmas shopping down from my office than most of those people standing in long lines at stores. And now that my children are grown, I don't have to search out any 'toy of the season' like I did when my boys were into The Power Rangers all those years ago.

*I'm absurdly grateful when readers take the time to review my books.

Hopefully, you have today as a holiday after yesterday's indulgence. Or if you're not from the USA, I hope you know that we're thankful to have friends across the globe.

Anything besides family, home and hearth, you're thankful for today? Do any digital shopping today or did you venture out into the malls of bedlam? Any special online support you're grateful to have?

Susan Gourley writes epic fantasy and also romance as Susan Kelley. She's the author of the bestselling Recon Marines Series and The Warriors of Gaviron Series. Her blog is Susan Says.

When You Don’t Know What to Blog About…

The internet can seem like a scary place for bloggers who are experiencing a bit of writer’s block. After all, you have followers who visit regularly to read the latest pondering on your topic of choice. Who knows what’s going to happen if they arrive and there’s nothing new on the horizon? Do you even really want to find that out? Here are a few ways to get through those periods when your creativity engine has halted and you don’t know what to blog about.

Post a picture because images are nice to look at. It’s an easy way to deliver one thousand words to your blog readers without having to write a single sentence.

Tell a story because people relate to each other through shared experiences and intrigue. You’ll probably get return visitors if it’s funny, empathy from readers if it’s sad or hate mail if it’s controversial enough to make someone uncomfortable.

Ask a question because you’ve been dying to know something. Maybe you want to know if it’s just you who does that unspeakable thing sometimes in the middle of the night. Maybe you’re curious to find out where other people stand on a particular subject. Maybe you want options to troubleshoot a problem you’re having. Or maybe…just maybe…you want to outsource the need for having to come up with blogging ideas on your own. Whatever the reason for asking is…just ask.

Link to someone else’s blog because he or she has already done the work and beat you to it. Ugh. Don’t those prolific bastards just make you sick?! Yeah. They’re blogging it up while you’re staring at the keyboard and a blank page on the computer screen. Don’t hate them. Congratulate these bloggers instead by telling your readers to go check out the good blog post they recently put up. It will make you look good to your blog visitors because you’re helping them find other cool blogs to read and it will also save you from having to put up your own post…at least for now.

Respond to a current event because everybody has an opinion about the latest stories being reported on by the media. Whether it’s Dunkin Donuts’ new Cronut, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay,” Ebola, Immigration, Olivia Pope’s outfits on the last episode of ABC’s “Scandal,” Martha Stewart’s recipe for pumpkin soup, there’s something in the news that you surely can comment on in 400-500 words or more. Do that.

Review a product, service or event because that new thingamajig you recently bought or ate or participated in has exceeded your expectations. That is, unless it fell short of what you thought you were getting into, for one reason or another. Either way, blog about whether you are happy with your purchase or experience. The information could possibly be very helpful to another person who is considering buying/reading/eating/using/doing the very thing you already bought/read/ate/used/did.

What do YOU do when you don’t know what to blog about?

A-to-Z Challenge Co-Host Nicole Ayers blogs at The Madlab Post and she is an official ambassador of the 2014 Couch Fest Films Festival. Connect with her @MadlabPost on Twitter.  

Themes That Rocked the Challenge - Joss and Dogs All Day!

Today we welcome Joss from Dreaming of Publication and her theme of dogs all day long!


What made you choose dogs as your Challenge theme?

Dogs have brought so much joy to me, throughout my life that I wanted to do something that celebrated them. The A to Z challenge provided the perfect opportunity to do just that and so I figured, why not.

Which dog or letter is your favorite?

I had so many wonderful dogs, owners and charities get involved that it would be impossible for me to choose just one. They were all amazing and absolutely adorable.

Which letter was the most challenging?

Definitely X. I just had no idea how I was ever going to find either a dog whose name began with X or a breed. To my amazement I found the Xoloitzcuintle or Xolo for short and an amazing doggie rescue along with them, called The Naked K9 Rescue. Xolos are adorable, by the way, you should definitely check out the rescue if you are looking to add an lovely new, furry, or not so furry friend to your life.

How many of the dogs featured were your own?

Well, I only have the two dogs now Harley De and Ludo, both of whom played a part, but there was also a couple of my past pups in there too. Indie who was a lively little Westie and Hooch, our Rottweiler, who sadly passed away a few months before A to Z began.

Which breed makes the best family pet?

That depends on the family. There is such a diverse range of breeds out there, all with a very different set of needs. The more active family might enjoy a working breed such as a Border collie or Springer spaniel while the more relaxed family might favor something a little less energetic like a Chihuahua or a Bulldog.

When it comes to finding the perfect dog for your family, you really have to do your research. There are so many aspects to consider beyond is the dog cute.

A good rescue centre is a great place to start, because they know the dogs in their care and will take the time to help pair you and your family with just the right pet.

One thing that people really do need to remember; however, is that it doesn’t have to be pedigree to be great, there are a lot of wonderful mixed breeds out there. My Harley de included.

What is the most misunderstood breed?

Right now I think it is probably Pit bull terriers, they have a terrible reputation which is entirely unfounded. It’s important for people to remember that any dog can be dangerous. Dogs are what we make them. If you raise them right, any breed can be fantastic. It’s the irresponsible owners not the dogs that cause the problems.

What’s the funniest dog story you can tell us?

That has to be a story about my beautiful Rottie Hooch. Hooch was very much a lover of food and in his later years his waistline really suffered because of this. Like most dogs who are a little too fond of their food, hooch was not adverse to stealing it.

One afternoon, while my husband was working in the loft and I was in the living room playing a game with my son, hooch decided to do some thievery of his own and headed for the kitchen.

Shortly after, there was a loud crash, followed by a fair amount of rustling that brought me quickly to my feet and had the hubby yelling “Hooch!!!”

As I opened the living room door and headed out into the hall the hubby’s anger turned to laughter. Somewhat perplexed I rounded the corner and smiled. Dan was gazing down from the attic, at our big dumb rottie who stood below wagging his stump and giving his best “What I didn’t do anything face.” A face that might have had us fooled if it wasn’t for the bin lid stuck around his neck.

What theme are you considering for the Challenge next year?

I’m really not sure yet. I was thinking I might go for easy and just do a random things theme, but knowing me I’ll probably change my mind last minute. Nothing like giving yourself a stress boost, right?

Nothing like those last minute posts for stress. Thanks Joss!


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

Effectively Human: 2nd Annual Holiday Food Drive #feedthehungryeh

Effectively Human:

2nd Annual Holiday Food Drive

I can say I was honored to be asked to help out with this, it brings to light a need for all of us to do something to help others. Also a great person we had lost this year, Tina Downey... who had helped in the first year of this drive... so I was thrilled to be asked by "M. J. Joachim" that she was going to keep this going...

A bright spirit shines down on us, smiling that our efforts don't go unnoticed.. remember we can do something and we should do something... so please COMMENT/SHARE/HELP!

Be Safe, Be Well... Hug Someone you think might need it and please, GIVE... thank you!

Jeremy

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So here is the information:

2nd Annual Holiday Food Drive
December 4 - 6, 2014
Everywhere on the World Wide Web
Hosted by Effectively Human
CLICK HERE, CLICK HERE!

Goal: To help fill our local food bank shelves, so as many people as possible can get the food they need.

How? Promote local food banks via sharing their websites on our social network sites, profiling them in our writing, sponsoring activities for them and volunteering to help them in any way we can.

For 3 days we want to saturate the web with anything food bank and hunger related to raise awareness about hunger and help feed those in need.

Why? Because people are hungry, food banks need our support and we want to help.

#feedthehungryeh

Characters Who Blog

The other day I caught the end of the Lord of the Rings: Two Towers film on TV. It's my favorite of Peter Jackson's adaptations, in no small part because of his depiction of Gollum. A tragic character, I always find myself drawn in by his multiple personality disorder and obsessive love for the object of his (both literal and figurative) demise. 

As such a fascinating creature, I couldn't help but wonder what he might write about if he participated in the A to Z Challenge. Let's take a look: 

I have such a soft spot for tortured characters, especially ones who are at odds with themselves. Gollum was definitely some of Tolkien's best work. I hope his blog inspires you in your upcoming A to Z Challenge foray! 

Have a great weekend everyone and as always, happy blogging!

S. L. Hennessy can be found blogging over at Pensuasion. 

Man-Made Islands ... Cities of the Future?

Problem: Many large cities, such as crowded Tokyo, are running out of space for an ever expanding population. And the problem is only getting worse as the global population increases. Especially for cities built on a shoreline such as an ocean or a major river where expansion is limited by mountain ranges or other geological obstacles. 

Solution: Artificial islands. Man-made islands are an answer to finding suitable space to expand living, work, and leisure space. Man-made islands are constructed by people rather than formed by natural means. They are created by expanding existing islets, construction on existing reefs, or amalgamating several natural islets into a bigger island. 

A number of countries have been reclaiming land for centuries such as the Netherlands. But man-made islands are an engineering feat that have only recently left the drawing board. And the vision will continue to grow exponentially into truly amazing cities and other marvels during our lifetime that will marvel the imagination 

San Diego's Plan for Floating Airport. Why Not?

But Wait, That’s Not All: Airports are also being built on man-made islands. Japan and China are helping to lead the way. Yep, a mini-series is on tap for this very topic that will truly amaze you. Really. It will. San Diego has plans on the table for a solution to their land-locked airport that is in need of expansion. Check out this Reference. 

Storyteller's Perspective: Story Books and Story News

I always like to see folktale and fairy tale news on my feed. It gives me hope that people are still interested in them, and also shows how much is still out there, waiting to be re-discovered. Storytellers, professional or not, are always on the hunt for new stories, and if you are one of my kind, the kind that mostly works with traditional tales, every new folktale collection you come across is a potential treasure trove.

Christmas is... well, more than a month away, but this past week my Facebook wall has been so clogged with folktale collection news and reviews that I decided I might as well compile a Storyteller's Most Wished For list for the season (and beyond). Here are my Top 3 picks:

(Note: I have not read any of them yet, so this is not an endorsement of their contents. I am just excited as a puppy about the upcoming possibilities)

The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales
Remember the flood of "500 New Fairy Tales Discovered" articles on your news feed? I do. It was around for more than a year. This new volume contains a collection of them translated into English. There has been a previous edition of some of the tales, and they were really great, so I am absolutely looking forward to this one. Have you ever seen a title and thought "whatever it is, I gotta read it just for the title?" Well, that's me and The Dung Beetle Prince.

The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm: The Complete First Edition
All the gore and none of the Disney. This has been all over my feed this week; I even wrote about the hype and why dark stories are important for children on my own blog. This is the first complete unaltered English edition of the first Grimm collection, including tales that have been censored or left out of later volumes. Yes, Rapunzel gets pregnant. Cheers.

Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange
The first English translation of the oldest known Arabian stories, from the 14th century. Like the Arabian Nights, except from an even older source. Apparently it includes stories about treasure hunts similar to the City of Brass, one of my all-time favorite stories in the world. I am shamelessly excited about this one.

In advance I wish you all a holiday season filled with the smell of new books and quiet reading hours!

You can find Csenge (@TarkabarkaHolgy) at
The Multicolored Diary - Adventures in Storytelling
MopDog - The crazy thing about Hungarians...

Why Blog, or "A Break From Blogging? What Is That?"

Why do you Blog? Do you ever take blogging breaks? How does that work? I remember the days when I didn't care about whether or not I blogged on a schedule or what I actually blogged about. I blogged whenever I found something to write about. It was MY blog, right? Now, going on my third year of blogging more diligently, I find other bloggers talking about frustration with their blogs. Numbers aren't high enough, or it's too difficult to find something to blog about, or it takes up too much time, and the like. Why do you blog? Have you questioned whether or not it is time well spent, or just a waste of it? I think that, as with anything done regularly, we all question the why of what we are doing and whether we're doing it because we have to, or choose to. I understand blogging burn out. I've been there. It isn't fun. But neither is feeling cut off from my perceived communication with a larger world. I regularly participate in at least five blog hops. I do this because each of these offers me something I like having in my life (and schedules I can keep up with!). I feel that each blog hop speaks to different parts of me, who I am and what I'm interested in. Plus I'm always finding out new things and "meeting" new people. How about you? What's in it for you?
This is my second post here on the A to Z blogging Challenge site and I appreciate the opportunity to participate. A huge thank you to all my teammates and their help in showing me the ropes. I hope to have something a bit more interesting to post in the months to come... 

Images From:
bonniegroessl.com
gabrielweinberg.com

Cookbooks Make Great Challenge Posts

Everyone loves a good cookbook. Even if you don't cook, I bet you can find someone who would appreciate knowing about the latest cooking trend. Perhaps it's time to gift someone a new cookbook to replace their tattered old favorite?

No matter the reason or the season, cookbooks make great challenge posts. Let's take a look.

Starting with the letter A you could feature:

The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Then move straight to:

Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

Meandering through the alphabet is easy; Jamie Oliver is cute and also works for letter J.

Jamie's Dinner

If vegetarian fare is more your thing, why not feature Yotam Ottolenghi's 

Plenty More

Ever have trouble finding a post for Q? This is where creative license is at it's best! You could try

Quantum Wellness

or even

Quaker Oats 

If you can't find a cookbook that starts with the letter Z you'll have to improvise. Perhaps the letter Z is in the title somewhere?

Chocolate & Zucchini

See? Easy peasy lemon squeezy! I hope I've given you some tips that will help you craft the most amazing challenge posts yet.  Good luck, you can do it.

All photos courtesy Goodreads.com 

This Week on Route AtoZ: Ghosts, Puppies and a Sparkling Anniversary! #atozchallenge #RoadTrip

There is a lot of activity buzzing in our A-to-Z Road Trip section of the blogosphere. If you haven’t visited new blogs on the 2014 signup list, now is the time to get acquainted with some of the sweetest, scariest and most sparkly blog posts you’ll read between now and the next Road Trip check-in. Don’t know where to start? Here is what’s going on at a few blogs worth visiting that you may have missed back in April.

Diana at PartTime Monster has a travel itinerary that includes thirteen fictional places where one can hang out with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a bunch of Hobbits. Safety is optional. After tearing some tendons in her calf and foot, Marianne at Adventures in the Ballpark is trying to figure out how we’re supposed to identify aches and pains that come from aging versus those that are the result of injury. Regardless, she’s content with handling the balls life throws at us as they come, and to that end, celebrated her recent 39^th wedding anniversary with ice cream and relaxation.

Guilie Castillo at Life in Dogs chronicles the unlikely and short-lived friendship between a puppy and crab who met on the beach while also paying tribute to her late street rescue named Frida in celebration of the Day of the Dead. Aside from doing NaNoWriMo and finding tricks to keep her face from looking extra shimmery, Lisa-Marie Jordan at this little life of mine added one of the coolest Owl light switch plates to her redecorating process, not to mention bedroom paint color choices with fun names including “Silver Screen” and “Twilight Grey.” The sounds of both names are reminiscent of the movies, which is fun. After Manzanita at Wanna Buy a Duck met another blogger in person, she shared an overview of their outdoor escapades, complete with bright Halloween costumes, mountain climbing and visits to ghost towns in Montana. 

What activities have YOU noticed the A-to-Z community blogging about lately?

Have you visited the 2015 A-to-Z Challenge Blogging Team yet?

A-to-Z Challenge Co-Host Nicole Ayers shares observations on films at The Madlab Post. She supports organizations that provide humanitarian aid in the wake of disasters. You can connect with her @MadlabPost on Twitter.  

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.