E is for ...

Elizabeth! Go figure . . .

And no, I promise you I am not narcissistic.

Something inspiring is more  like it ...
I am surprised of the journey I have  taken so far and am hopeful for what lies ahead.

I grew up in a home  where  the kids bee-lined it to their  bedrooms, screaming, "Dad's home, Dad's home--HIDE!" And we  meant it. We  were scared of him.

As a newly married woman so many years ago, I yearned to reinvent my parenting skills. My relationship with my father now is much different. Better--and we see  eye-to-eye (for the most part). The only reason why I bring up my past is because it amazes  me how far I've  come and that anyone in my position can most definitely  lead a happy and productive  life.

I coped with such atrocious circumstances through my art and writing. I combined the two very often and came up with graphic novel books that I had lost myself in. Of course they  are as cheesy as I'll get out, but through my characters, I learned how to deal with circumstances and even took out some of my aggression on them as I made  them endure situations, but I witnessed their growth as well. I had no idea that a few decades down the road I'd become published.

 I am glad that I had the  strength as a teenager to stick to the thing I loved most and turned it into something dreamers dream of becoming.

If I can do it, so can  you. Yes, you can let your light shine no matter your circumstances!


Would you care to share with us some of your roadblocks, and your action plan to clear them away?

D is for Dreams!

We're a couple of days in to this challenge, and I don't know how things are for you at your blog, but at mine, it's an explosion of activity! I've never had this many comments, and I've met such wonderful new friends!  I'm trying like crazy to keep up with returning comments, but just know that I will make it to your house eventually.  I'm so excited to be in this challenge because I'm using it as a means to my dream.

It's been a dream of mine to write a book. When I say write, I mean writing an entire book, with a plot, that others will enjoy reading.  I've got it started, five chapters, and it's a sci-fi space opera meets good ole tale of corrupt government agencies and the guys trying to bring them to justice.  I know I need to shorten that...just don't really know if it fits a genre that's already out there.  

Why blog, instead of working on the book?  Blogging to me means practicing my instrument. The more you practice, the better you play. Challenges such as this one with deadlines and a bigger audience means I'm trying some new stuff to see if it fits my style, my blog, my readers. I'm counting on you to tell me how I'm doing. So far two commenters have left constructive criticism. Wow. I've been asking for that in the blurb to my comment box for a very long time, and finally some brave bloggers are doing it!

If you'd like to comment and help me with my dream, come on over to Life is Good. Postcards from Sweden is my theme, and you learn a word or two of Swedish everyday.

What's your dream? I'd love to hear it.

Tina @ Life is Good

C is for Confidence!

Confidence!!

It’s the third day of the Challenge. Perhaps you are feeling overwhelmed. Maybe you still need to write your posts. Perhaps you are now wondering what the heck you signed up for with this Challenge!

Have confidence in your ability to finish.

You can do it!

And C is one of my favorite letters. I wonder why…?

Co-host Ninja Captain Alex is the author of CassaStar and CassaFire and his blog can be found HERE

B is for Books, My Favorite Thing

Lately I've been reading on the Kindle. Sometimes I'll get into the story and think about it when I'm not reading. That's like a real book. Sometimes the Kindle book bores me and I never finish, again like a real book. I tend to get bored much easier with e-books than I do with print books.

I miss browsing the bookstore. Browsing the Kindle store doesn't feel the same. Borders, my favorite sort-of local bookstore, was a favorite destination. There's just something about holding a print book in my hand, I love it! I love the smell, the feel, the anticipation!

I miss the loss of bookstores in my area. But I'm glad there are still options for buying print books online. Besides my personal favorite (Celerytree.com of course!) there are many other places to find great deals on print books. Amazon is awesome of course, because you can find practically any book that's ever been published, often at a cut rate price. Shopping Amazon for used print books is a trip!

I'm not of the school who believes that print books are dead or dying. And given the choice, I'll choose the print book over the ebook reading experience any day.

This B is for Books, preferably in print!

By KarenG Coming Down the Mountain: A Writer's Blog

A is for...All-Aboard

A is for….All Aboard

The day has finally arrived and everyone’s ticket has been punched, but it's not too late to jump on.  You can sign up here until Monday night.  Together we have already swelled to 1526 strong and once this train gets moving there will be no slowing it down.  How awesome is that?!  But there is still room for you!

Our fearless leader Arlee, along with his co-hosts, have slaved for months making sure every T is crossed and I dotted, ensuring each participant is as prepared as they can be for the next 26 days. I don’t know about you, but I’m psyched!  Since I’m not doing a theme and for the most part I’m winging this (some post are already scheduled), I totally expect to be a frazzled mess on May 1^st.

But I’ll be a mess with a satisfied smile on my face.  :)

Who's taking this trip with us?  All-aboard! 

DL