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The 2024 OFFICIAL MASTER LIST: https://tinyurl.com/w54yupwe
Showing posts with label blog hop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blog hop. Show all posts

Friday, February 8, 2019

Day Five #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!

First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!


First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop! badge


Today we're featuring one of the blogs in this event.

It's extra special because it's the blog of one of the co-hosts. The lovely JR Vincente!
Please note the featured blog has ADULT CONTENT.

Blog of: JR Vincente



Does your blog support diverse books?

The diverse book movement recognizes all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, Native, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities. https://diversebooks.org

Yes!

Are you willing to include debut authors?

Yes!

Why do you take part in the A to Z Challenge?

I love a challenge and I love to blog, so it's a great combination!

Why did you start blogging?

I wanted to do the A to Z Blog Challenge and I needed a blog.

What goal do you or your blog hope to accomplish this year?

I would like to publish the novel I am currently editing, B is for Blackmail, and finish writing its sequel.

As a reader, what most motivates you to buy a new book to read?

An interesting synopsis or cover.

What is one question or discussion topic which you would like the author(s) to answer or remark on?

What compels you to keep reading a character's story?

Find this blogger at:

https://jrvincente.wordpress.com
https://twitter.com/JRVincente
http://facebook.com/jrvincente/
https://www.instagram.com/jaydenvincente/
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/63297099

Time to HOP over to today's stops:


http://jemimapett.com/blog/
http://jlennidornerblog.what-are-they.com

Rafflecopter has FIVE prizes for the First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!

There are FIVE prizes up for grabs on the Rafflecopter.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4fa90ac733
You have all month to complete as many options as you choose.


Keep coming back to the A to Z blog every weekday this month so you don't miss any of the First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Day Four #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!

First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!


First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop! badge


Today's featured book and author:

Golden Rainbow


Author Name: Balaka Basu
Age category: Adult
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs

Brief description:
Golden Rainbow is an interesting collection of 26 memoirs written as short stories. These are not heroic tales but ordinary stories of ordinary people; nevertheless, they are thought-provoking. Some of them will make you laugh out loud while others may make you cry. The stories are rich in emotion, empathy and compassion.They are deeply profound. Reading the short stories is like a visit to Kolkata and typical Bengali life. You will connect with so many characters from your own real life but with different names. The anecdotes are not just stories but also a smart commentary on the various aspects of society. Easy to read, they will directly appeal to anyone fond of short stories. This book is not just a one-time read. It gets better with each reading.

Golden Rainbow on the #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!

Link to buy the book: amazon.in
Link to buy the book: Amazon

Why did you take part in the A to Z Challenge the year that your book was "given life"?

I just wanted to blog regularly and write.

Why did you start blogging?

To give words to my emotions

EXCLUSIVE TOUR CONTENT:
Quote from the book.

‘I was a golden bird inside a golden cage, now I have wings to fly’

As a reader, what most motivates you to buy a new book to read?

The blurb

What is one question or discussion topic which you would like the readers of this post to answer or remark on in the blog comments?

How they liked my style of writing



Find this author at:

https://trinalooksback.com/

Time to HOP over to today's stops:


https://www.literaryau.com

Rafflecopter has FIVE prizes for the First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!

There are FIVE prizes up for grabs on the Rafflecopter.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4fa90ac733
You have all month to complete as many options as you choose.


Keep coming back to the A to Z blog every weekday this month to follow the First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Day Three #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!

First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!


First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop! badge


Today we're featuring one of the blogs in this event.



Blog: Operation Awesome operationawesome6.blogspot.com



Operation Awesome is a blog for writers


Does your blog support diverse books?

The diverse book movement recognizes all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, Native, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities. https://diversebooks.org

Yes we do!

Are you willing to include debut authors?

Yes! In fact, we put one in the spotlight almost every Wednesday.

Why do you take part in the A to Z Challenge?

To gain exposure and because J is a team member here.

Why did you start blogging?

To help fellow writers.

What goal do you or your blog hope to accomplish this year?

We hope to help more writers get published and support authors at every stage of the publishing journey.

As a reader, what most motivates you to buy a new book to read?

A recommendation from someone with similar reading tastes, or a book that sounds interesting.

Find this blog at:

operationawesome6.blogspot.com
Twitter @OpAwesome6
facebook.com/operationawesomeblog


Time to HOP over to today's stops:


http://thegirdleofmelian.blogspot.ca
http://operationawesome6.blogspot.com

Rafflecopter has FIVE prizes for the First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!

There are FIVE prizes up for grabs on the Rafflecopter.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4fa90ac733
You have all month to complete as many options as you choose.


Keep coming back to the A to Z blog every weekday this month to follow the First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Day Two #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!

First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!


First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop! badge


There are FIVE prizes up for grabs on the Rafflecopter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4fa90ac733/?
Rafflecopter has FIVE prizes for the First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!
It will take all month to complete all the available options.


Time to HOP over to today's stops:


https://jrvincente.wordpress.com/
http://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com
https://www.literaryau.com

Keep coming back to the A to Z blog every weekday this month to follow the First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!

Monday, February 4, 2019

Kicking-off the #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!

First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!


First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop! badge


There are FIVE prizes up for grabs on the Rafflecopter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4fa90ac733/?
Rafflecopter has FIVE prizes for the First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!
It will take all month to complete all the available options.
When you're commenting here today, why not include a mention of what prize you're hoping to win?

The list of blogs in this event:


http://operationawesome6.blogspot.com
http://thegirdleofmelian.blogspot.ca
http://jemimapett.com/blog/
https://amreadingbookreviews.wordpress.com/
https://www.literaryau.com
https://jrvincente.wordpress.com
http://uniquelymaladjustedbutfun.blogspot.com
http://jlennidornerblog.what-are-they.com
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com

Thanks to those bloggers for signing up!

The tour kicks off here with:

Writing Book Reviews As An Author


Author Name: J Lenni Dorner
Book publish date: MARCH 26 2019 (Available for pre-sale)
Age category: Adult
Book's genre: Reference - Craft of Writing

Book's title: Writing Book Reviews As An Author: Inspiration To Make It Easier

A brief description of the book:

This book aims to provide inspiration to encourage people to write more book reviews. It is written for authors, though any reader can benefit.




Link to buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MYDYDZX
Link to buy the book: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/918883

Why did you take part in the A to Z Challenge the year that your book was "given life"?
It's the ten year anniversary. I'm very excited to be a co-host of the A to Z Challenge. This is an incredible community.

Why did you start blogging?
This is answered in my very first blog post. "You may wonder why I started a blog. I may wonder that too! Actually, this blog was started because I heard about the A to Z challenge from some NaNoWriMo friends."

Do you have any other books coming out soon?
This is my current new publication.
"WRITING BOOK REVIEWS AS AN AUTHOR:
INSPIRATION TO MAKE IT EASIER"

I have several stories in the works though.

What other books do you have available?
"Fractions of Existence"
Amazon An urban fantasy. Free on Kindle Unlimited.

Preparing to Write Settings that Feel Like Characters - Amazon and Smashwords

Brief tip on writing:
Here's a motivational quote of mine about when you feel like giving up on writing.
#WriteTip motivation to not quit writing by @JLenniDorner


Where did the idea for this book come from, other than the alphabet and the challenge?
The idea came from interviewing so many debut authors at Operation Awesome. I noticed that some authors reviewed a lot of books, and others had never written one. I set out to inspire those who didn't write reviews. It turned out to be long enough for a month of blog posts (this coming April). Then I noticed I had enough to make a reference book.

What writing goal do you hope to accomplish this year?
My biggest writing goal this year is to publish two books in 2019.

EXCLUSIVE TOUR CONTENT:

Writing Book Reviews As An Author: Inspiration To Make It Easier by J Lenni Dorner quote excerpt


As a reader, what most motivates you to buy a new book to read?
A recommendation from a trusted source, reading something interesting about the book, or the book being by an author I like.

What is one question or discussion topic which you would like the readers of this post to answer or remark on in the blog comments?
What motivates you to write book reviews? Or, if you don't write them, what deters you?

J Lenni Dorner author image


Blog link: http://jlennidornerblog.what-are-they.com
Website link: http://www.what-are-they.com/
Twitter handle: @JLenniDorner
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhatAreThey
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/j-lenni-dorner/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jlennidorner/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jlennidorner/
YouTube: youtube
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/J-Lenni-Dorner/e/B00RM7E0EQ
Goodreads author profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13725994.J_Lenni_Dorner
Bookbub author page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-lenni-dorner
Smashwords author page: https://www.smashwords.com/interview/JLDorner
NaNoWriMo participant page: https://nanowrimo.org/participants/j-lenni-dorner
Tumblr: https://jlennidorner.tumblr.com/
All Author page: http://jlennidorner.allauthor.com/
Other link: https://operationawesome6.blogspot.com/p/j-lenni-dorner.html
Another link: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/2018/04/j-is-for-j-atozchallenge.html


Time to HOP over to today's other stops:


https://amreadingbookreviews.wordpress.com/
http://jlennidornerblog.what-are-they.com
That's right, it's me, JR Vincente, over at J's blog with my book, Runaway.

Be sure to tell us which prize you're hoping to win and why you do or don't write book reviews. Keep coming back to the A to Z blog every weekday this month to follow the First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!

Monday, January 7, 2019

First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop SIGN UP

From now until January 18, you can sign up for the First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop!



This is ONLY for books written as a result of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Bloggers who took their April A to Z posts and created books from them.
  • Just because a writer took place in the challenge does not mean they have authored a book BECAUSE of the challenge.
  • You will be asked to provide a link to the challenge blog posts so we can verify your participation.
  • This is FREE. None of the websites hosting will ask you for payment.
  • If you want your book reviewed, you may be asked to provide review copies.
  • If you have more than one book out because of the challenge, you will need to fill out the form more than once.

The form for authors is below and also at: https://goo.gl/forms/mrGYtrmioKdE6Jjk1

BOOK BLOGGERS who have previously taken part in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge:


If you are a book blogger, or wish to offer a book review and/ or book tour stop, please read this:
  • Only books written because of the challenge will be offered. Expect many to be self-published or small press.
  • You will be asked to provide a link to your prior challenge blog posts so we can verify your participation.
  • This is FREE. None of the websites hosting will get paid for these tours or reviews. (You will likely get an increase in traffic though.)
  • If you are willing to review books, that's great! We will ask for details on the form. You may opt to review during this event, or during the April A to Z challenge 2019, or any time during 2019.
  • You may also sign up to only offer tour stops.
  • You will only be offered books that match your criteria. See the form.

The form for bloggers is below and also at: https://goo.gl/forms/RH0a0tvm5AxIqqmg1

Yes, you may be an author and opt to also sign up for the blogger option. Yes, you may be a blogger/ reviewer who also wrote a book for the challenge and sign up for the author option. In other words, yes, you may do both.

The April Blogging from A to Z Challenge is not only for writers and book bloggers. We are interested in ideas on how we could offer something similar to this for our other categories. As these are our two most popular ones though, it made sense to start here.

FOR AUTHORS



FOR BLOGGERS IN THIS EVENT

(This event being the "First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop")


First Annual #AtoZChallenge Book Reviews, Tour, and Blog Hop
WEEKDAYS in February 4 to 28 2019
19 days total

Be sure to also stop back on
March 1 2019
when the Tenth Anniversary of the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge sign ups OPEN
and
March 18 2019
for the
THEME REVEAL sign up!



Answers to FAQs: *update*
As long as the posts from the A to Z challenge were your motivation, inspiration, the "push" to get you to go from idea to book, sure, the book counts. If you can say something like, "If I hadn't done the challenge, I might not have written this down, and thus wouldn't have moved on to create a book," you're good.
If you have MOVED blogs, please indicate this. We will need to verify your previous participation.

Saturday, April 5, 2014

E is for efficiency in the A - Z

Working the A - Z requires a certain amount of effort and efficiency for all bloggers involved. Here are some tips for making your A - Z journey a little bit more efficient.

1. Keep up by posting the letter of the day. Getting behind in your posting can be frustrating, and it’s very time consuming to catch up again. Luckily, we have Sunday off to catch up, or take a breather and simply catch our breath.

2. Blog hop by visiting those who visit you. In the interest of efficiency, click on links from their comments too, rather than navigating back to the main list all the time.

3. Choose a section of the list and visit those blogs. Make it a manageable number, so you don’t get overwhelmed.

4. Visit your new followers to build your own community and network efficiently.

5. Pre-schedule your posts for a couple of days or the week, leaving you more time to blog hop and get to know more bloggers.

These are only a few ideas about how to be more efficient in the A - Z Challenge. We want to know your tips and tricks for being efficient in this electrifying annual blogorific event. Please share them in the comments. Thank you.

Here’s to all you wonderful A - Zers out there! We hope you’re having a wonderful time, getting lots of exciting comments and meeting a ton of energetic bloggers out there!

M. J.


©2014 All Rights Reserved

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Get to Know Me, An Unconventional Librarian #atozchallenge

You're probably wondering what a librarian has to do with the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, right? It's simple; librarians like information and the Blogging Challenge is a giant repository of information! One thing you learn in library school is that information wants to be free, which I thoroughly agree with.  Blog hopping is full of free resources that help enrich my life. I'm a student of life and am always wanting to learn something from someone, ANYWHERE.



And speaking of learning, can I tell ya a bit about myself? A very long time ago in a galaxy far far away, I earned a BS in English writing, technical writing to be exact. Don't know what that is? Sure you do, read the how-to manual of any gadget you buy.  A technical writer wrote that.  I took that degree and quickly moved to Texas from PA to work for the US government. While in Texas


  • I learned how to shoot a gun
  • I drove a flight simulator
  • I fingerprinted people
  • I worked on a NASA project that invented voice activated technology
  • Met an astronaut 
  • Worked with a governor
  • Got stopped at the Texas/Mexico border
  • Became a mother 
  • Learned to drive

What have I learned from all of these experiences? I've learned that life is too short not to try everything at least once and that Texas really is a whole 'nother country. Once back up North with my Yankee family, I:

  • Became a certified teacher
  • Became a certified librarian
  • Learned Czech
  • Traveled to Prague
  • Taught preschool
  • Wear a tiara to work
  • Sang in French at a French monastery
  • Read over 100 books last year
Have you learned enough about me yet? My love of learning keeps me motivated every day. That's why I love blogging and the A to Z Challenge; it's like Texas, it's a whole 'nother country blog hop! 

What do you love about the A to Z Challenge?

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Internet Nation – d’Verse Open Link Night

By M. J. Joachim

Linking up with d’Verse Open Link Night.



Blog away, blog away
That’s what we do
Sharing a thought
Inspiration too


Never you mind
Of your passion or station
That’s how we roll
In this Internet Nation

Captured by blog hops
Oh, so much fun
Posts overflowing
We’re never quite done

Like laundry and dishes
They keep coming back
Addicting and challenging
As we build up our stack

Thank you for visiting and commenting on the A – Z Blog today! We look forward to seeing you again real soon!

The A – Z Blog Team

©2014 All Rights Reserved

Photo Credit: Jeff Ogden, Internet Users by Language Pie Chart (April 2012), CCA – Share Alike 3.0

Friday, May 24, 2013

Tim Brannan guest post

Hello everyone and my name is Tim Brannan, some of you might know me from either of my two blogs The Other Side (gaming, horror and geek life) or The Freedom of Nonbelief (atheism, science and human rights).  I also am one of a groups of bloggers at Amazon Princess and Red Sonja - She Devil with a Sword.  I am guest posting at the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

One of the reasons I first got into blogging was to expand my abilities as a writer and help build an audience for my various game books.  I started my blog, The Other Side, as a design journal for my then WIP The Witch.  Then something interesting happened.  I became part of a community.  Sure I had been part of an online community before, via message boards, chat and even going all the way back to BBSes and Telnet.  But a blogging community is something a little different.  I can say my bits here and then others respond, I respond back and there is the back and forth that is very nice.  I then go to other blogs and repeat the process as a responder.   Over the years I have integrated nicely into a community of other bloggers in both gaming and atheism.  I continually get ideas based one what ever the topic du jour is.

I do not underestimate the value of community here.
That is one of the reasons why I feel the Bloghop or Blogfest is critical part of my blogging experience.  For the month of May I am participating in seven different bloghops/blogfests.  I am considering adding an eighth.

I enjoy participating in these for a number of reasons.

First off it exposes me to new bloggers.  I get to read something new and potentially someone new to follow with each one.  For the A to Z challenge I end following a dozen or so new bloggers.  Likewise it exposes me to a new audience and potential followers to my blogs. There are a lot of blogs out there. There are even blogs out there that have similar interests to that I never saw before.  Joining a Horror-related bloghop, for example, is a good way for me to find people with similar tastes outside my normal circles, but joining a "First Loves" bloghop really gets some diversity for me!

Secondly it stretches me a writer.  So with all of these blogs you think I have a lot to talk about.  Yet I have to admit that there are some days that I open up Blogger and stare at a blank screen. A good bloghop gives me ideas, and failing that it gives me motivation.    One of the more obscure ones I joined was one dedicated to silent film star Mary Pickford.  Now you might ask how a game-blog with an emphasis on old-school games and horror can have anything to say about a silent film star, but in truth there was a movie that had a huge influence on my future writing.  Being able to share that with my primary audience (my regular readers) and my new audience (people in the blog hop) was great, especially since I needed to write from the point of view to satisfy both.

At this point I do want comment on not alienating your audience.  I know there are some people, not a lot, but some, in my regular blogging circles that do not like blogfests, and the A to Z one in particular.  I want to be cognizant of this.  Not tailoring my involvement to the loudest minority mind you, but what it means to my primary audience.  If I were for example were to spend the entire month of June doing nothing but talking about silent movies the people that come to my blog for gaming material will be turned off and leave.  I participate in these bloghops/blogfests, but I have to make sure that anything I post would have been something I would have posted anyway.

I enjoyed being in the A to Z blogfest the last three years.  Each year I do something a little different.  I am thankful to all the mods, helpers and minions that made this years' run so much smoother.  A real special thanks goes our to Arlee Bird for driving this Leviathan every year.  This year I was more focused and did things that will end up in my next book Eldritch Witchery.  Again, stuff I was going to write anyway and share.  This time it ended getting more diverse feedback than say if I had done it in June.

In the end I guess these things are what make of them.  For me they have been a great experience both as writer who happens to be blogging and as a blogger in a community of bloggers.   Now if there was only a central place where all the blogfest and bloghops were advertised that would be great!

Maybe someone else can take that on. I have some posts that are screaming at me to write. ;)

About the Author: Tim Brannan is an author and blogger living in the suburbs of Chicago.  He has worked on a number of games including the Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG, Ghosts of Albion, and The Witch.  He is currently working on Eldritch Witchery for Elf Lair Games and Darwin's Guide to Creatures for Battlefield Press for the Gaslight RPG.  When not working on game material or blogging he spends time with wife and two sons.  During the day he designs curriculum for universities going online. Prior to this he was teaching Statistics at the university.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Blogging Basics: Blog Hops/Fests & Memes

Last week, we discussed the basic ways of making connections in blogging.  This week, we'll touch on the next step, which involves taking part in blog hops, blog fests, challenges and memes.

Last week's steps were 1. Visit Blogs, 2. Leave Comments, 3. Follow Blogs, 4. Have Something to Say, and 5. Respond to Comments on Your Own Blog and Visit Back.

Before we get started, we should probably define the terms we're discussing:

1. Blog Hop/Blog Fest: This is a virtual party that often involves a theme.  People sign up to participate in whatever the theme is.  They then post to that theme on their own blogs during the designated time period.

Ex: The A-to-Z Challenge.  We challenge participants to blog every day except Sundays during the month of April.  Further, we ask participants to go in alphabetical order with their posts.  Any theme will do, as long as the basic rules are followed.

Note: Blog hop and blog fest are fairly interchangeable and don't necessarily have a different meaning.  For the rest of this post, they will be referred to as blog hops or, simply, hops.  Challenges, campaigns and any other types of hops/fests will be included in this simple definition.

2. Meme: An ongoing blog hop, of sorts, that occurs repeatedly and consistently, such as once per week.  These are always to a theme.

Ex: Wordless Wednesday.  There are many different iterations of this meme, but they usually involve posting a photo or image of some sort once per week, rather than posting a written or wordy post.

Why do people do blog hops and memes?

It's a fun and easy way to meet other people.  Why do we have parties and meet-and-greets in person?  Same reason.  You get a bunch of people together so they can meet, rub elbows, forge relationships, and enjoy themselves in the process.  And when it's done via blogs, no one has to spend money on food and decorations.

How can they help me make connections?

When you participate in a hop or a meme, you sign up on a linky list or submit your name/blog in some fashion.  You're then expected to try to visit other participants, and the same is expected of them.  This means you have people dropping by your blog who might not have done so if you hadn't both signed up for the hop/meme.  Exposure may gain you readers/followers.

What are the basics in participating in blog hops and memes?

1. Be sure you're interested.  Don't sign up for every single blog hop or meme you happen across unless you are genuinely interested in doing so.  Choose only those you actually want to take part in.  If you don't enjoy the hop/meme, it will be obvious in your post.  And if you sign up for too many, you will quickly find yourself overwhelmed.

2. Participate once you sign up.  Don't sign up for hops and memes only to draw people to your blog.  You must follow through and put your post up on the appropriate date.  While you may think it will benefit you just to have people drop by, despite not taking part, you may find it harms more than helps, as people are deterred by your lack of participation.  (Note: Honest mistakes happen.  Don't be afraid to address that you forgot to put up your post once you realize what happened.  People will understand.)

3. Follow the rules.  Yes, sometimes the rules may be flexible, but try to keep to the overall idea of the original hop/meme.  Don't sign up for a blog hop about cats and post about UFOs.  Follow the rules as they've been set out, so that you aren't cheating other participants or the hosts of the fun of the hop/meme.

4. Visit other participants.  Try not to just throw your post up then leave it.  You should make an effort to visit at least a few of the other participants and leave comments for them.  If you truly enjoy the topic, which you should if you signed up, you'll enjoy reading other people's take on the topic.  Get out, have fun, rub elbows.  The main point in a hop/meme is to meet other bloggers you may have something in common with.

5. Help "advertise" the hop/meme.  If they've made a badge, be sure to put it in your sidebar.  Even better, link the badge to the host's site, so others can participate if they'd like.  Put the badge in your hop/meme blog post, along with a link to the host's site.  If you can mention the upcoming hop/meme in advance, try to slip that in somewhere.  The more, the merrier, so you want more participants to share in the fun.  Be sure that you make it clear that this post is part of the hop/meme.  If participants are confused about your post, there is a good chance they will skip it.  I always try to put the badge beneath my introduction or at the top of the post, so participants who are stopping by know they've reached the right place.

The best way to learn about a hop/meme is to participate and learn as you go.  Just bear the above pointers in mind and jump in with both feet.  Hops and memes are meant to be fun, so don't be too serious about it, and don't allow yourself to get stressed out about it.  Enjoy yourself!

May you find your Muse.

Shannon
The Warrior Muse  




Monday, December 17, 2012

Choose Your Own Apocalypse

Hello out there, A-to-Z'ers!

Perhaps you've heard, or maybe not, but the world is ending Friday, December 21, 2012, or so say the Mayans (or at least the people who have decided this is what the Mayans had to say).  What better way to ring in the end of the world than with a blog fest?  Join Shannon, of The Warrior Muse, and Chuck, of Apocalypse Now, for the Choose Your Own Apocalypse Blog Fest, Friday, December 21, 2012.


Assuming the world doesn't end until later in the day, it should be quite the party!

You see, while many people think the world really is going to end on Friday, the 21st, most of them can't agree on HOW.  Will it be an alien invasion?  Zombies? Collision with a mighty meteor?  The super flu?  Solar flares?  Oh my, there are so many ways the world could conceivably end, but the question is, what do YOU think will happen?

Visit one of the following blogs to sign up:

Shannon: The Warrior Muse
Chuck: Apocalypse Now