You Must Be Crazy! #atozchallenge

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

#AtoZchallenge: The blog hop that made an online community by asking bloggers to spend the month of April using the English alphabet as inspiration for their posts. We're glad you stopped by today.

Crazy! That's what you have to be to participate in the A to Z Challenge!

How many of you heard that from your blog buddies when you announced on your blog that you were even thinking about attempting to write every day in April (except Sunday, of course), starting with the letter A on April 1 and ending with the letter Z on the 30th? How many of you heard this from your real-life friends, even your significant other?

How do you respond to such aspersions being cast upon you?

I'm willing to bet that, for most of you, this isn't your first go-around with the Challenge. You've had to deal with these questions about your sanity before. You've dealt with them, and you come back year after year to participate with us again.

Whether you're doing this for the first time or the tenth, Arlee, J, Jayden, Csenge and I are happy you're here. More importantly, everyone else participating is happy you're here. We're going to do a lot of writing over the remainder of the month, and we're going to read a lot, too. That's the best way to encourage other bloggers, to read what they've written, even if it's something you generally don't read, and to leave them a comment, even if it's just, "Hi, I see you're doing the A to Z Challenge too!" or "Just stopping by from the A to Z Challenge. Happy blogging!"

And as for those people who think you're nuts for doing this, ignore them. Do your own thing and show them why you did it. By the end of this month, you'll have written 26 posts and read at least five times that many more, and by doing it you'll be a better blogger. It was the A to Z Challenge that was my "baptism by fire" into the blogging world eight years ago, and what I learned is that yes, I can blog every day. Yes, I can make friends doing this. And yes, it is a lot of fun.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here:

https://www.neatoshop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

Book Blog Tours #AtoZchallenge

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

#AtoZchallenge. The blog hop that made an online community by asking bloggers to spend the month of April using the English alphabet as inspiration for their posts. We're glad you stopped by today.

Book Blog Tours 

There are plenty of authors and book bloggers in the A to Z challenge. Simon says raise your hand if you know what a book blog tour is!

*cough* This blog held one earlier this year. If you're not a newb, your hand should be up. *cough*

Okay. Simon says you can put your hand back down. Book Blog Tours are an easy way for writers to reach a larger audience. It also gains your blog extra exposure from people who are looking for information on a certain book. Plus, it's an easy post to create, so that's freebie content.

Sometimes bloggers who aren't authors or book-bloggers aren't sure how a novel could tour on their blog. Here's a list of ten categories of blogs and ways they could invite certain books to tour:

1. Culinary blogs could host novels that have unusual food. (The Hunger Games eventually got a cookbook.) Or non-fiction recipe books, because those can tour too. 
2. Entertainment blogs could compare a book to a movie, television show, or play. Or perhaps use books that reference certain bands or music. (Rock-fiction is a thing.)
3. Genealogy blogs could host books that feature characters who look up their genealogy.
4. Health blogs could discuss books with characters who have certain health issues. (The diverse book movement is encouraging more of these!)
5. Lifestyle and Social blogs could interview authors or characters who live the certain lifestyles featured on the blog. (I've interviewed an author who lives on a boat and another who traveled around the world.)
6. Mythology and Folklore blogs are perfect for novels with that subject.
7. Parenting/Family blogs are a great place for children's' books to tour.
8. Spirituality and Religion blogs might be a good place for books with characters of faith.
9. Travel blogs could compare their journey with those of a character who travels.
10. Women's Interest blogs could feature books with strong female characters.

I hope this list has inspired you to invite an author to tour on your blog. Do you know of a book that fits one of the types of blogs listed?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

A to Z 10th Anniversary! ( #AtoZChallenge )

You can still sign up (until April 6) at this link...

We're celebrating our Tenth Anniversary here at the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

#AtoZchallenge. The blog hop that made an online community by asking bloggers to spend the month of April using the English alphabet as inspiration for their posts. We're glad you stopped by today.

**********

A is for A to Z

        "A" can be for Arlee--that's me!--but better yet "A" is for A to Z Challenge.  Since this is the opening post at the A to Z Blog for the 2019 Challenge I'd like to welcome everyone who is joining us as a participant or as a supporter reading our posts.

          A to Z is mostly about fun, but it can help bloggers in many ways.  Whether you are reviving a dormant blog or building content for an active blog, you can probably think of many good reasons to participate.  You might even end up with a book compiled from your April posts!

          So let's dive into the alphabet for the month of April.  Visit as many A to Z posts as you can each day and leave comments so that those bloggers will know you stopped by.  If you haven't prescheduled your posts, don't get stressed--keep your posts short so you don't tax yourself as well as overburden your readers.

           But that's my suggestion and it's your blog so you know best about your situation.  No matter how you approach A to Z we want everyone to have a great time. 

            And away we go!

*********

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nZ7UupzB78MvJnraN9khkLJT3jM6uOP1LTDc8gaQluY

That's the link to the Master List. You can find, and hop to, all the blogs officially participating on that sheet.

Grab your A to Z gear, and other cool goodies from our graphics guy, here: NeatoShop.com/artist/Jeremy-Hawkins

Masquerade: Oddly Suited #IWSG #Book Spotlight

#AtoZchallenge is taking part in the blog tour for Masquerade: Oddly Suited, a young-adult romance anthology from The Insecure Writer's Support Group which is coming out on 30th April 2019!

About the Anthology

Title: Masquerade: Oddly Suited
Release date: April 30th, 2019
Publisher: Dancing Lemur Press
Genres: Young Adult Fiction: Romance – General / Paranormal / Contemporary
Print ISBN: 9781939844644
EBook ISBN: 9781939844651

 

Find love at the ball...

Can a fake dating game show lead to love? Will a missing key free a clock-bound prince? Can a softball pitcher and a baseball catcher work together? Is there a vampire living in Paradise, Newfoundland? What’s more important—a virtual Traveler or a virtual date to the ball?

Ten authors explore young love in all its facets, from heartbreak to budding passion. Featuring the talents of L.G. Keltner, Jennifer Lane, C.D. Gallant-King, Elizabeth Mueller, Angela Brown, Myles Christensen, Deborah Solice, Carrie-Anne Brownian, Anstice Brown, and Chelsea Marie Ballard.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these ten tales will mystify and surprise even as they touch your heart. Don your mask and join the party…

 

eBook / Paperback / Goodreads / Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest

 

Stories Featured

Oddly Suited, LG Keltner
The silliest situations may be oddly suited for romance.

Behind the Catcher’s Mask, Jennifer Lane
Who can help her through a meltdown on the pitcher’s mound?

The Dark Charade, CD Gallant-King
The new girl in town falls in love for a mysterious boy who is maybe, probably, most definitely, a vampire.

The Cog Prince, Elizabeth Mueller
Falling in love, saving the day, and a masque—oh my! Will a missing key free a clock-bound prince?

A Diver’s Ball, Angela Brown
You can be anything you want in the online world of Cumulus. A human. An elf. A powerful beast mutation from your wildest imagination. But can you be in love?

Flower of Ronda, Myles Christensen
What if life's price of servanthood could be changed?

Fearless Heart, Deborah Solice
Is he a figment of her imagination conjured to keep her sane, or is he something else…something more?

Charleston Masquerade, Carrie-Anne Brownian
Can two worlds come together and find love?

Sea of Sorrows, Anstice Brown
What could a shapeshifting siren know about love?

Remedy, Chelsea Marie Ballard
Everything is against Remy and Rudy, but on the night of the Masquerade Ball, they must choose: each other or their lives?

You can find out more about the authors of Masquerade: Oddly Suited here.

 

Giveaway

The authors of Masquerade: Oddly Suited are giving away a $50 Amazon gift card to one winner. To enter, please complete the Rafflecopter below. The giveaway is open internationally from 12:00 am GMT 17th March to 12:00am GMT 6th May.

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Tour Schedule

Visit the other blog tour hosts below to find out more about the stories and authors featured in Masquerade: Oddly Suited.

• Mon 18th March: Spotlight @ The Story of a Writer
• Fri 22nd March: Guest post by Anstice Brown @ Nicki Elson’s Not-So-Deep Thoughts
• Sun 24th March: Interview with Jennifer Lane @ Nancee Cain, Romance with a Serrated Edge
• Tues 26th March: Guest post by Angela Brown @ Blog of Author J Lenni Dorner
• Wed 27th March: Debut author spotlight with Chelsea Marie Ballard & Anstice Brown @ Operation Awesome
• Fri 29th March: Spotlight @ April Blogging from A-Z Challenge
• Mon 1st April: Interview with Deborah Solice @ Dusting the Soul
• Thurs 4th April: Spotlight @ Elements of Emaginette
• Fri 5th April: Guest post by C.D Gallant-King @ Writer’s Gambit
• Mon 8th April: Interview with Elizabeth Mueller @ Just Jemi
• Fri 12th April: Guest post by Carrie-Anne Brownian @ Jennifer Lane Books
• Mon 15th April: Guest post by Chelsea Marie Ballard @ My Pet Blog
• Tues 16th April: Guest post by Myles Christensen @ Quiet Fury Books
• Mon 22nd April: Interview with all the authors @ Alex J. Cavanaugh
• Sat 4th May: Interview with L.G Keltner @ The Cynical Sailor & His Salty Sidekick

How To Make Your Blog "Comment Friendly"

The A to Z Challenge is a great way to find new blogs to read and to find new "blog buddies." One of the best ways to make new friends is by commenting on their blogs and replying to comments they leave on yours.

This sounds like a simple enough job to do, and for the most part, it is: Wordpress users have no problem commenting on Wordpress blogs, and Blogger users have no problem commenting on Blogger blogs. But, what if you're a Wordpress user who wants to comment on a Blogger blog, or a Blogger user who wants to comment on a Wordpress blog? The two commenting systems are like chalk and cheese, and both have their idiosyncracies. What I'd like to do now is to give a few pointers to users of both systems so that commenting will be a breeze (more or less) for the users of the other.

WORDPRESS

The controls for simplifying commenting for Blogger users are on the Settings > Discussion screen.

• Checking the box beside "Comment author must fill out name and email" will give users who don't have a Wordpress account (or who aren't signed on to Wordpress) three lines under the comment box for the user's name, email, and optionally the URL to their blog. (Note To Blogger users: although it isn't required, it's a good idea to enter the URL to your blog in the space provided. That way, the author can find you.)
• Unchecking the box next to "User must be registered and logged on to comment" allows non-Wordpress users to comment.

BLOGGER

The controls for simplifying commenting for Wordpress users are on the Settings > Posts, comments and sharing screen.

• It's a good idea to set the "Comment Location" to "Popup Window." Blogger can be fussy, and sometimes when you have this set to "Embedded," a person trying to leave a comment who's either doing so anonymously or with their name and blog URL can get stuck in CAPTCHA hell, having to play the Picture Game over and over until CAPTCHA is convinced you're not advertising porn, CBD oil or online casinos. I and several others found this didn't happen when the blog uses the popup window.
• Google, in their infinite wisdom, decided to do away with using Open ID as a way to identify yourself when leaving a comment on Blogger. Now, you can either allow anyone (including anonymous users), only users with a Google ID, or the owners of the blog to comment. I know there are a thousand reasons why you don't want anonymous comments, but that's just the way Google set things up. So, set this to "Anyone (including anonymous users), knowing that users who don't have Google accounts will be required to check a box to prove they're not a robot, and you might want to set Comment Moderation to "Always" or "Sometimes." (Note to Wordpress users: if leaving an anonymous comment, you'll want to add a footer to your comments (a manual process) with your name and a link to your blog, so that others can find you.)
• Please turn off word verification. This will also turn off the CAPTCHA Picture Game.

GENERAL

When commenting, you can leave a link to your own blog OR leave the title of your blog from the Master List. There are a lot of people who believe in reciprocal comments. They also believe if they can't find your blog in the first three tries, they'll (rightly) give up. Here's where they are most likely to look for you:

• The link you left on the comment form on their blog.
• Your Blogger or commenting profile, if their blog uses that and yours works.
• The name of your blog on our Master List. (Which only works if you've given that information.)

So, you could sign your comments with your URL. Or as "John Doe of Blog Name."

I hope this is helpful. If you have any questions, leave me a comment.