And the Survey Says...

I was a big fan of Family Feud growing up...and I've been formulating a bit of a survey in the back of my head as I read the wonderful guest posts here and observe the interactions between bloggers and readers and writers and others who drop by. We thank you ALL for visiting. The A-Z is NOT just for writers. There just happen to be a lot of us who joined. However, it is an event for BLOGGERS.

So to all you BLOGGERS out there...here's your chance to participate in the behind the scenes survey that they revealed the results of on the show. Of course, the answers will be public, but if necessary, I will do a follow up post tallying the answer should there be (gasp!) so many comments (I hope..) that you can't possibly read them all.

Please read each question carefully. Some will sound a bit alike. Are you ready?By the way, no right or wrong answers, just hoping to start a dialogue, or perhaps if I get lucky, a knock-down, drag out DEBATE! I love those comment chains...so lay it on us, total truth please:

1. AS A BLOGGER, how do you interact with your commenters?
   
   
2. AS A COMMENTER, what is your preferred method of being noticed for taking the time to leave a comment?
   
   
3. Now here's the rub: are those answers the same? Why or why not?
   
   
4. Do you tend to read blogs that are similar to yours, say a writer learning from another how to market well, or to get tips, etc?
   
   
5. Do you read a variety of blogs, and if so why?
   
   
6. How do you decide who goes in your blog roll in your side-bar? Is it ALL the blogs you follow?
   
   
7. Do you return follow just based on unspoken etiquette principle, or is there more to your decision?
   
   
8. To you have link back signature? If not, why? If yes, why?

Also, please feel free to only answer the ones you're interested in, but for survey tallying, please number your answers for this math nerd. I do love long, rambly comments, but for the sake of my purpose here...please play along according to my admittedly, totally, control-freak bossy tendencies.

As Brenda (The Closer) would say, “Thank you, thank you so much!” Or something. I've only watched one episode and am hooked. In my netflix queue. Feel free to correct my quote...

If you don't me well enough, in your opinion, please pay me a visit. I blog here @ Life is Good.  I have a fairly decent "About Me" tab.

If you missed my April 2012 A-Z Challenge "Postcards from Sweden", it's not too late to read those either ;-)

Tina

P.S Of course I'll answer all of these myself. But at the end of the day so as to not influence the totally truthful results. Snork.

I'm An International Superstar Thanks to Blogging A-Z!

Please give a warm A-Z welcome to Claire Gillian, a number-crunching executive by profession, an after hours writer by passion, and a darkly romantic curmudgeon. While Claire’s writing spans all ages and subject matters, she’s happiest penning romance drenched in humor with a dash of intrigue and loads of spice. She released her debut novel, The P.U.R.E. in April 2012.  An International Superstar thanks to Blogging A to Z!

Haha! No, not quite, but it makes an eye-catching post title doesn't it? But I was the focus of an article about my working experience in the UK  many (thirty) years ago. I first wrote about my summer working in the UK during the April A to Z Blogging Challenge in my "L is for London" post. BUNAC, the sponsor of my work abroad program happened upon it thanks to their Google alert. They contacted me and asked if I wouldn't mind writing a post for their blog about my experience, to help ease anxieties of those considering the program. I said, "Of course!", dug out some old photos and souvenirs and sent them on. On July 3rd, BUNAC emailed informing me my guest post was up AND added this extra tidbit:

We’ve also been approached by The American magazine, an ex-pat magazine for Americans living here in the UK, who want to run the blog as an article. We’ve forwarded on your story and photos and I believe they’re planning to run it in the August issue.

Sure enough, the kind people at BUNAC put me in contact with the features editor of The American. I sent them higher resolution scans of certain pictures and added a couple of additional paragraphs. My story ran in the August issue. Click the image to go to the online magazine, then go to page 18!


So the morals of the story are: Blogging A to Z can be a wonderful catalyst for the coolest kind of serendipity and always tag your blog posts. You never know who might stumble upon them. Cheers and happy blogging!




Thanks Gillian for sharing your great success story - what can happen from one simple blog post.  I've always wondered why tagging is necessary since I have a search function...but this looks like it answers my question!
Tina

Letter Play - Sunny Side Up Snapshot Sheets

The following crafts tutorial is brought to you by Nicole from The Madlab Post...

It’s time for Letter Play - Where DIY activities, cinema and life offline collide!

Here is a little quick and upbeat photo project that you can do at home just for fun or give to your kids to do at their summer camp. It is inspired by last week’s Alphabet Remix discussion on suicide. The following instructions will help you create a cute little sheet to look at on days when you’re feeling down and out.

The materials you will need include one yellow 8 by 11 inch sheet of cardstock paper, three photos cut into 2½ inch squares, one pencil, one or more pens, one ruler, one marker, glue, scissors and four of your favorite inspirational quotes on either happiness or the sun.  

Instructions for How to Make Sunny Side Up Snapshot Sheets:

Step 1. Drawn nine 2½ inch squares on your yellow cardstock sheet, using a pencil. 

Step 2. Cut off the excess space from this sheet and then outline your pencil markings with a marker.

Step 3. Write one inspirational quote in four different squares on your cardstock sheet, using an ink pen.

Step 4. Glue one photo each into three empty squares on your cardstock sheet. You can use photos of yourself, your loved ones, favorite places or photos of things that make you smile. I used photos of Barbie dolls because those photos were the only ones that I had access to that could be cut up at a moment’s notice. If I dedicated more time to this project, I would have likely opted for photos of my cat or humorous images of myself that were snapped for fun.

Step 5. Fill the two remaining empty spaces on your cardstock sheet with smiley face stickers, pictures of the sun or images taken at dawn. Since I don’t have any smiley face stickers at the moment, I just doodled some things in those spaces, just to help you get an idea of what could be done.

….and voila! Instant happiness, or so you think, right? Well, at least it gives you something to help lift your spirits on a cloudy day. Stick it on your bookshelf or regriferator -- pin it to your vision board or hang it on your door. Whatever you do, Stay Golden :)

Also, if you have some time, support the IndieGoGo campaign for “Rear View,” a short film about a man who hides his dark feelings and suicidal thoughts while trying to maintain his tough image for the sake of his career. From my understanding, this film will be made in Texas and could use all of the support that it gets.The director and producers are also donating any funds that they raise beyond their goal, to Suicide Prevention programs.

Happy Friday to You All. Until next week...have fun playing with letters!

Do you like group blogging activities? Sign up for the Monday Movie Meme, a weekly blog series that inspires discussion about entertainment, in a whole new light and provides recommendations for your DVD, on-demand or theater fix. New topics are posted every Monday at The Madlab Post!
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NICOLE
@MadlabPost on Twitter

Books by Some of Our Author-friends #goodreads

 I've been stocking up my Kindle, and was wondering if there was a convenient list of folks we know who've published books. And since I couldn't find one, I decided to start it off. I'll be pasting below the books I can think of. I'm adding only the Amazon links, but you can click through to the author sites for more options and also more books they've written. I've added a bit about each book, so if you see what you like, go buy it!

If you're an author-friend, or a reader who loved a recent download, leave a comment with the link to the book.

So here it goes, in no particular order:

 Alex J Cavanaugh: Cassafire
From the Amazon best-selling author - CassaStar was just the beginning… The Vindicarn War is a distant memory and Byron’s days of piloting Cosbolt fighters are over. He has kept the promise he made to his fallen mentor and friend - to probe space on an exploration vessel. Shuttle work is dull, but it’s a free and solitary existence. The senior officer is content with his life aboard the Rennather. The detection of alien ruins sends the exploration ship to the distant planet of Tgren. If their scientists can decipher the language, they can unlock the secrets of this device. Is it a key to the Tgren’s civilization or a weapon of unimaginable power? Tensions mount as their new allies are suspicious of the Cassan’s technology and strange mental abilities. To complicate matters, the Tgrens are showing signs of mental powers themselves; the strongest of which belongs to a pilot named Athee, a woman whose skills rival Byron’s unique abilities. Forced to train her mind and further develop her flying aptitude, he finds his patience strained. Add a reluctant friendship with a young scientist, and he feels invaded on every level. All Byron wanted was his privacy…

Toby Neal: Torch Ginger:The island of Kaua`i is remote jungle, golden beaches and ancient culture—but transients are disappearing in paradise, and only Detective Lei Texeira notices. Fleeing a failed engagement, Lei transfers to the island of Kaua`i, where she uncovers a pattern of disappearances that may be related to a bizarre cult—or is it just one madman at work? In Lei's world, everyone is guilty until proven innocent.
In Blood Orchids Lei battled her personal demons and won—but now they've come roaring back with reinforcements, including charming real estate magnate Alika Wolcott and former fiancé Michael Stevens. In the midst of the biggest case sleepy Kaua`i has ever seen, Lei must also discover who she loves.

Frederick Lee Brooke: Zombie Candy (Annie Ogden Mystery 2)
Frederick Lee Brooke serves up another literary treat with this bizarre and comical tale of love and betrayal. Candace Roach enlists her best friend Annie Ogden (our favorite sleuth from Doing Max Vinyl) to find out what her husband is really up to on his weekly business trips - but their home-cooked aversion therapy gets out of hand and hurtles along an astonishing highway of the undead.

Home from Iraq but unsure about her future, Annie Ogden isn't your typical woman sleuth. Her best friend, Candace Roach - gourmet cooking instructor, owner of a house in Tuscany - isn't your typical wronged woman either. Candace teaches gourmet cooking, and loves nothing more than orchestrating a four-course meal full of flavorful surprises and artistic touches. A selection of her recipes is found in an appendix to the book.

J.C. Martin: Oracle: With London gearing up to host the Olympics, the city doesn't need a serial killer stalking the streets, but they've got one anyway. Leaving a trail of brutal and bizarre murders, the police force is no closer to finding the latest psychopath than Detective Inspector Kurt Lancer is in finding a solution for his daughter's disability. Thrust into the pressure cooker of a high profile case, the struggling single parent is wound tight as he tries to balance care of his own family with the safety of a growing population of potential victims. One of whom could be his own daughter. Fingers point in every direction as the public relations nightmare grows, and Lancer's only answer comes in the form of a single oak leaf left at each crime scene.
                                                   


Rick Gualtieri : Bigfoot Hunters  Evolution is about to be kicked in the teeth by some very large feet.When Harrison Kent suggests a camping trip to the dense woods of Colorado, his friends are all for a little adventure. What awaits them, though, is far more than they ever bargained for. They discover that Sasquatch is real; however, these are not the shy creatures of legend. A madness has claimed them, one which has erased their once-peaceful nature and left in its place an unstoppable horde of ravenous monsters.

 Mary Pax: Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge : The Backworlds Book 2. The interstellar portal opens, bringing in a ship that should no longer exist. A battleship spoiling for a fight, yet the war with Earth ended two generations ago. The vessel drops off a Water-breather, a type of Backworlder thought to be extinct. She claims one of Craze’s friends is a traitor who summoned the enemy to Pardeep Station. A betrayal worse than his father’s, if Craze lives to worry about it.

Jonathan Allen: Corridors of the Dead : In a time long before humans walked the Earth, a mysterious being known only as The Lost Aetelia crafted an elaborate series of Watchtowers, along with their resident guardians, the Aetelia, to watch over the operations of the Universe. In time, a rebellious group of these Aetelia came to Earth in an attempt to challenge the established structure of the Universe. A bitter war ensued, and these rebels, who had come to be known as Watchers, disappeared from human history.
The time of the Aetelia - now known as angels - is returning. After a fateful night of violence, Artist Matty DiCamillo finds herself drawn into this world by a mysterious savior, who becomes a driving force in Matty's new life.

Patricia Lynne : Being Human: For Tommy, there is only one thing he needs to do: survive.
Only surviving isn't that easy. The hunt for blood can be tricky when humans know to fear the night. Desire sits on the edge of his mind, urging him to become the monster humans think he is. Vampire Forces, a special branch of police, is determined to turn every vampire to ash. Tommy included. The only human Tommy can trust is his twin brother. A bond connects them, and with Danny's help, Tommy starts to understand the human world he struggles to survive in. He'll learn what friendships means and feel the sting of betrayal, find that sometimes the worst monsters are very human, and come to understand that family means more than blood.
Tommy just wants to survive and he knows what he needs to do. But with the number of humans that mean more to him than a meal growing, he'll learn there's more to life than simple survival. He'll discover being human doesn't mean being a human.

Marian Allen: Turtle Feathers: The dog Joseph's stepmother gave him leads him away from his intended route. Disobedience puts a young mermaid's life into the relentless claws of a crab. A penguin thinks his fortune is made when he discovers a cache of Scotch. More off-beat animal stories from the author of LONNIE, ME AND THE HOUND OF HELL.

Special A to Z Participant - Lynda R. Young

Today’s Special Challenge Participant is the awesome Lynda R. Young! I met Lynda during the first Challenge and she never ceases to amaze me. Lynda embodies a generous and sweet spirit in more ways than one. Her writing tips are the best and she makes you think. (Thus reading her blog first thing in the morning sometimes makes my brain hurt!) But for the Challenge, she did something a little different with her blog…

You’re a writer – what made you decide to feature your photos for the Challenge?

Last year my A-Z theme was writing tips. It was super fun, but after two and a half years of blogging, it's quite a challenge to come up with new tips for 26 days straight. So this year I wanted to share a little more of who Lynda R. Young is and a big part of me is my artistic side. If I'm not writing, then I'm doing something creative.

Which photo was your favorite and why?

The dwarf pigface about to bloom is my favourite. The lighting was perfect for the shot and the colours are vibrant. I even managed to get it in focus.

Tell us more about your spelunking adventures.

Spelunking is off-the-beaten-track cave exploring which requires rope, a hard hat, and an adventurous spirit. Because I'm so little I could get into some pretty tight squeezes. The dirtier I got, the more fun I had. One time on a trip to Ireland I went cave exploring with some friends. We had a single torch (flashlight) between the three of us and we didn't have any safety gear. Unable to see the other side of an underground river, I jumped across and split my head open on a stalactite. I ended up getting two stitches and a cool scar. So much fun.

You had some great ocean shots – do you live near the ocean?

I live 10 minutes drive from Cronulla Beach, Sydney. The funny thing is, none of the shots I included in the challenge were from Cronulla. When I'm travelling, if I'm near an ocean I'll always make a point of checking out the view. I love the many moods of the ocean and the huge variety of different colours it has to offer.

What the heck is a Kookaburra?

The kookaburra is a native Australian bird with a distinctive call that sounds like a laugh. It always makes me feel happy when I hear it.

With all of the water shots, have you ever dropped your camera in water?

No, thank goodness. I'm a little paranoid about it so I always keep a firm hold of the camera. However, I learned the hard way to always carry around extra batteries. The one and only time I visited the amazing site of Pompeii, my camera battery died. I lost so many incredible photo opportunities there. Makes me a sad panda.

Which is more beautiful – the ocean or the desert?

That's a difficult one to answer. They both have their own unique beauty. However, after travelling for three days on the back of a camel across an Indian desert, I wasn't able to fully appreciate the beauty of the desert through the haze of heat, thirst, and a need for a good long shower.

Have you ever found the end of the rainbow?

I wish I could answer yes to that question. I'm still searching…


Thanks, Lynda!

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