Would You Live On Mars? Now's Your Chance.

Would You Live On Mars? Would you? Many would be tempted to say yes. How about a one way ticket, knowing you will never return to Earth? Surprisingly, there are no shortage of applicants who would want to do this. 

Mars One, a group that plans to send humans on a one-way trip to Mars, has announced its final 100 candidates. They have been selected from 200,000 applicants and will go on to further testing later this year, which they expect to include team-building exercises and later, isolation. 

Eventually, 24 will be selected to make up six crews of four, which Mars One says they hope to launch to the Red Planet every two years from 2024, with the aim of starting a colony there. 

The Dutch non-profit hopes to use existing technology to carry out the mission. However, the planet has always been a difficult target for exploration, with only around half of all unmanned missions succeeding. The journey itself is expected to take around seven months, and a recent MIT study found that, should the first explorers succeed in landing, using current technology they would likely survive just 68 days. 

In addition to the video clip below, check out this CNN LINK for these incredible videos regarding this ambitious project. Amazing how fast our world, errr, solar system, is changing. Literally. Deep Space, here we come.

Question: If given the opportunity, would you spend the rest of your days on Mars?

You can visit Stephen Tremp at his Website Breakthrough Blogs. Stop by Friday through Sunday for the Weekend Follies, a great way to get a few laughs as you wind down the work week.

Ask Us Anything You Always Wanted To Know About The Co-Hosts But Never Remembered To Ask!

So, let's do a quick check:

1. You have signed up for the 2015 A to Z Challenge

2. You decided if you would like to do a theme, and if you do, you have signed up for the Theme Reveal Blogfest

3. You have started obsessing over scheduling posts for April (or maybe that's just me)

What's next?...

Meet Your Co-Hosts!

Following the traditions from past years, you get to ask the questions about things you would really like to know! Each co-host will pick some and feature them in their introduction post. This way we make sure you find out all the really important, relevant information about your friendly neighborhood A to Z Team, such as

... Which exotic fruit we'd be willing to eat on a bet,

... What our opinions are on cross-breeding dragons,

or

... For which historical figure we harbor a secret crush.

(Come on, everybody has one!)

So, without further ado: Ask us anything in the comments! The more questions, the more entertaining our introductions will get...

Cheers!

The Great and Powerful A to Z Theme Reveal Blogfest!

The Great and Powerful A to Z Theme Reveal Blogfest!

Sign-ups for the 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge are already under way. If you have done it before, you know how much fun it is (good for you!) and if you have not, this is your chance to give it a try! You can sign up to participate here.

One of the most burning questions participants ask themselves every year is: "Should I have a theme?"
Themes are not mandatory, but definitely fun. They let your visitors know what to expect, and help you create posts that line neatly up from A to Z. They also have an added bonus: They let you participate in a whole separate blogfest!

Two years ago A to Z participant Mina Lobo started the Theme Reveal, and we thought it was such a great idea that we made it tradition. It is now our very own, grand and festive way of rolling out our themes together!

Here is how the Theme Reveal Blogfest works:

Sign up on the Linky list below, and on March 23rd (Monday) publish a post on your blog in which you reveal your theme, tell us why it is exciting, and give us a hint of what to expect from it! Then, once your post is up, use the Linky to visit all the other blogs announcing their themes. Enjoy!

This is a great opportunity for all of you to get a jump start on your A to Z experience. You can link up with fellow bloggers, scout out and bookmark themes that you look forward to, and set out delicious themed bait on your blog to lure in wandering participants! This way, by the time the frenzied posting begins on April 1st, you will already have an audience eagerly awaiting your posts.

Sign up below, ready your theme, and post March 23rd on your calendar!

Characters Who Blog

Tomorrow is a very special day, a day devoted to flowers, and candy, and hearts, and of course . . . LOVE. And in honor of this very special, very commercial holiday, I thought I would give you a peak at the A to Z’s of what it’s like to be a symbol of love. Check it out!

I hope you enjoyed a little taste of alphabetic awesomeness. Don't forget that sign-ups for the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge are going on right now! Join us on this awesome blogging adventure. And we're still looking for Minions to help us out, so if you're interested, please let us know in the comments below. 

Happy blogging everyone! And (early) Happy Valentine's Day!

A to Z Co-host S. L. Hennessy can be found blogging at Pensuasion.

A Little Group Love

If you're like me, January flew by so quick that it seems that Christmas was just yesterday. And now here comes Valentine's Day. As a romance author, this can be a big week. Like last year, I spend a few hours on the 14th peddling my books at an author event. There will be twenty other authors involved so it will be a great networking opportunity also.

As a writer, every networking opportunity is one not to be missed. And what greater one than A to Z Blogging Challenge. There are some bloggers who would like to be involved but find posting every day to be too much of ... a challenge. But some still find a way to be part of the whole, crazy-fun event if they're part of a group blog.

A perfect example of a group blog participating in the challenge is IWSG blog. The seven administrators of the blog take turns and none are over-burdened by how many posts they have to do. The group decided together on a theme, easily done, and that will help the creativity factor of the blogging challenge. And by the way, you should visit the blog today for a special guest, Literary Agent Alex Slater.

Untethered Realms is another group blog participating this year. They have twelve contributors. I don't know their theme this year but with all that creative talent behind their posts, you can bet it will be really cool.

Another great way to network is to work as a helper to one of the busy folks working behind the scenes to make sure the list is up-to-date. If you'd like to help me, just say so in the comments or visit my blog at Susan Says and leave a comment there. Lots of virtual kisses and love coming your way if you do.

Are you part of a group blog? Any group blogs you're especially fond of? Are you interested in being one of my firebugs? Did you think I meant something different with that title 'Group Love.'