Do You Luv the #atozchallenge?

Words from the Bird: 

      We will soon be announcing our individual co-host subordinate administrative assistant teams.  Alex has already announced his.  I will be doing so on my Friday post at Tossing It Out.  Soon we will also be adding a special tab at the top of the A to Z Blog page with our helpers listed.  Be sure to stop in to get to know all of these fine bloggers and follow their blogs along with those of the co-hosts.  We are all here to make the Challenge more fun and more efficient for everyone.  We appreciate the support you give us.

      The A to Z Team will be trying to address as many of the concerns some of you have been asking about here on this blog in the weeks to come.   If there are any topics that you would especially like to see us discuss here please let us know.   Watch this blog for important A to Z updates.

A to Z Luvs U:

     Tomorrow is Valentines Day so don't forget the one you love.  Over the past  couple of weeks many of you have been showing some A to Z Challenge love with some truly endearing promo posts.  It's so nice to see so many love letters in honor of the letters of the alphabet and the Challenge that goes hand in hand with those letters.

Here are a few bloggers who luv the A to Z Challenge enough to have included a post on their blog about it:

Thank you Belinda Nicoll at My Rite of Passage for telling your readers about what you're planning for April.   Sounds like a great idea to me!

Don't worry, Deena at e-bookbuilders.   You sound like a natural for the Challenge and I think you'll do a great job if your A to Z promo post is any indication.

Danielle Zecher has decided to take on another Challenge after enjoying last year's A to Z.  She talks about it in her post on the blog Sweet Tea Reads.

Sunni at Surviving Life announced the Challenge and at the same time did her bit of public service with instructions on how to remove the Captcha word verification from Blogger blogs.   If you're still wondering about this process, check out Sunni's post.

Rebekah Loper says she's not going to do this year's Challenge, but she gave us a very nice promo post.  Maybe she'll talk herself into participating after she reads her own post.

Teresa at Journaling Woman added her own bit of Challenge news with a reminder for others to sign up.  Good to hear from you, Teresa!

Carol Kilgore tossed her blog into the A to Z fray.  Stop by Under the Tiki Hut to wish her well.

A challenge enthusiast from India, Phil of Philipscom posted a big announcement about Blogging from A to Z on his blog.

Keep Spreading the Word:

       Thanks to all of you who have been telling others about the April Challenge.  I know that there are many more than I have listed here.  Feel free to promote each other's A to Z posts with your own posts.  A big part of the A to Z Challenge is about networking and building community.   Be sure to keep on visiting the list and making new friends.

        The A to Z Challenge is all about the participants!  And we luv all of you!

Related articles

• Why YOU should consider doing the #atozchallenge, but why I'm not . . .
• Building Your Blog Readership Through the #AtoZChallenge
• This Is the Place for #atozchallenge News!

Meet Author AJ Lauer: Author of Armageddon: Pick Your Plot

Please join me in welcoming today's guest, AJ Lauer, an A-Z participant and author. The book you're about to hear about is so unique I think we'll be burning of some fiber optic/cable/whispernet or other magical stuff that makes books go from Amazon to my beloved Kindle in about...oh there it is. I've interviewed AJ so you can get to know her a bit better.

A-Z Participant Profile: AJ Lauer, author of Armageddon: Pick Your Plot

Hi, AJ! Welcome to the Blogging from A-Z blog! Why don't you start by telling us about your blog?

Naturally Sweet started as a place to put my early-college angst. It was a way for me to keep in touch with friends from high school and my first boyfriend, a daily journal of writing snippets and figuring out how I fit into the college scene. Over the years it has become a bit more intentional. I use it now still to keep in touch with friends, but also to reflect on my profession and our adventures here in Colorado. And of course to share my writing efforts.


 How did you find Blogging from A-Z? 
Last February, I caught a horrible, awful cold. After about 2 days of whining and moaning and TV, I got bored and challenged a fellow writer friend to a duel. We spent the next four weeks duking it out creative-writing style in a shared Google doc. It was so much fun to push myself to write every single day. When we finished I knew I needed another challenge, and knew as soon as I saw it, that A-Z was the perfect next thing!

You've already signed up for this spring's challenge. What brought you back?
I had so much fun last year! I met several of my favorite blogging buddies, and truly enjoy the challenge of coming up with things to write about every day for a month. A-Z is also part of the reason that my co-author Dan approached me to write Armageddon. He is a talented graphic artist and does something super-cool every year for his birthday. Last year he decided to have an armageddon themed birthday party in honor of the Mayan calendar myth, so decided to make a Pick Your Plot book that explores apocalypses. He'd seen that I had been doing a lot of writing, so asked if I would like to co-author the project. Of course I said yes - how could I resist such an offer? So I'm back this year for the challenge of the writing, and also just to see what neat things come out of it.

Wait, a Pick Your Plot book?  Yup - kind-of like a Choose Your Own Adventure (TM) book. The endings range in topic from Ragnarok to nanobots to (of course) zombies. Since it's about apocalypses which are by nature somewhat unavoidable, you die in 33 of the 42 endings. The odds are definitely not in your favor, but each one is written to be entertaining. Our friends who attended Dan's party loved the book and immediately asked about 'real' publishing, so we decided to go for it. Feedback so far has been very positive - you should check it out! ;)

That sounds awesome! What are you writing about for A-Z this year? Well, last year I did the theme of "things I like" because it was general and easy to come up with topics. This year I've decided to write a scene or character description for each letter. It will be a bit more challenging, but should lead to some fun stuff. I'll start pre-scheduling posts in March, to make sure I've got enough time to do each one well.

Thanks for stopping by! We look forward to seeing what you write this spring. 

Thanks! I'm definitely looking forward to it

AJ's blog: Naturally Sweet 

The Book! Armageddon: Pick Your Plot 

Other places to find AJ: Facebook (public), Facebook (book fanpage)

List-Loving Rosalind Adam Pays a Visit

 

Please join me today in welcoming second time challenge participant Rosalind Adam to the A-Z Blog! She's got some nuggets of truth and hints for you to digest as you prepare for THE CHALLENGE. I meat to shout that, because in the words of my two teen boys, it's going to be EPIC. They'd of course roll their eyes knowing I was using that word, but I do like making them roll their eyes...

So without further ado, glean what you can to better be prepared for April. You've got your badge up, right? You're signed up, right? You've started your networking (the purpose of the challenge – building your blogging community, right?) I think I've used up my “right” quota for the day...

10 Reasons for Loving Lists by Rosalind Adam

1.  When I was a teenager I loved the weekly Top 10 Chart hits, the Top 100 Records of the Year, the Top 20 films and so on. I was obsessed. I kept all manner of lists in the back of my school note book. Now the Internet is full of them so it’s not just me!

2. Today I can spend hours sorting out new playlists on my iPod. It’s replaced the hefty task of shuffling my LPs into preference order. I love the way that Word produces a list of my writing files in alphabetical or chronological order at the click of a button, and don’t even get me started on the lists I create with Excel.

3.  Lists are an excellent way to dump all that rubbish clogging up your brain. I’m always making To-Do lists, and as for shopping lists, they’re a must otherwise I’ll come home with pudding and forget all about the main course! 

4.  Lists of names make compulsive reading, like those Past Presidents on Sports Club walls or the list of attendees at a conference. I always hunt for my name on those attendance lists, even though I know I’m there.

5.  Then there are dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopaedias, I love them all, especially catalogues. I may not need any of the items on offer but I have to pause over the list of small kitchen items because you really can’t have too many grippers for opening jars.

6.  Lists attract our eye, rather like a poem. There can be nothing worse than looking at a page of densely typed words. A list has a visually satisfying shape to it.

7.  When we see an article or blog post in list format, we know we’re going to get brief nuggets of information. There’ll be no rambling or repetition so we feel more inclined to stop and read.

8.  It has been proven that having a number in your blog title attracts more visitors, a ploy regularly used by advertisers.

9.  I’m guessing that most bloggers love to check their stats. Me too. Yet another example of the thrill of lists, and who doesn’t like to watch their list of followers grow? Incidentally, this is a guaranteed outcome of taking part in the A to Z Challenge!

10.  For me the A to Z Challenge is the ultimate in list making. I’ve already started making lists of the A to Z content for my theme and I’m going to include a small list in each day’s post, a list within a list. I will be a truly happy blogger.

Are you making lists to prepare for your A to Z contributions? It’s the only way to survive the month. See you in April. You’ll find me at Rosalind Adam is Writing in the Rain

Thanks Rosalind for being here today. I really like how you took your passion for lists and showed us what an asset that can be as we prepare! 

~Tina, coordinator of guest posters. Drop me an email if you'd like to be one.  tndowney at gmail dot com or the infoaz2013@gmail.com.  I check my personal more often...and I'm info@ email girl, so either way, you're talking to me.  If you want to talk to another co-host, use the contact tab above.

Getting to Know Your Co-Hosts - Shannon, The Warrior Muse

ABOUT ME

Name: Shannon Lawrence
Blogs: The Warrior Muse, Writing From the Peak (as Managing Editor)
Publications: Sunday Snaps: The Stories, an anthology
Other Places to Find Me: LinkedIn, Facebook (blog), Facebook (personal), Twitter (@thewarriormuse), She Writes, Google+

10 GETTING TO KNOW YOU QUESTIONS

1. When writing, do you prefer to compose your first-draft by hand, on your computer, or using Morse code?  While I wish I knew Morse code, I usually compose in a mix of pencil and computer (but never the two together...that would be messy!)  For novel writing, I prefer that go directly onto the computer.  A specific computer, in fact.  For short stories and such, I will often write on paper first, though not always.  It really just depends when and where the mood takes me, and if I feel like paper and pencil or computer keys.

2. Who would win a fight: Jiminy Cricket or Tinkerbell?  Tinkerbell, hands down.  That girl is feisty.  She's pretty scary.  J.C. is a bit of a softie, and I feel like he'd run and hide when he saw the pixie dust flying.

3. Cake or pie?  Cake.  Always cake.  While I won't turn down pie (for the most part), a moist delicious slice of cake is impossible to say no to.

4. Describe the last Halloween costume you wore.  I was a rainbow faerie this year.  I'd intended to go with something different, but found a rainbow wig and colorful wings that I couldn't resist.  Below is a pic of hubby and I (he made that Batman costume).  I also had on rainbow striped leggings.  Fun!

5. Where do you hail from?  All over!  I was born in California, and have lived in Oregon, Maryland and Colorado.  Not as many places as some, but good enough for me.  We've had opportunities to move, but have so far passed them up; some of those opportunities were for overseas.  Maybe some day.  I really love it here in Colorado, though.  I AM a Coloradan.

6. Do you know how to Gangnam Style?  Heck yeah, I do!  I like to bust it out to humiliate my children.  That's why we have them, right?  Unfortunately for my son, he's very easy to embarrass.  My daughter, on the other hand, is impossible to humiliate.  I imagine my son will adjust, as both his parents are smart alecks (I can never figure out the proper spelling for that word...).

7. Where do you go to get away from it all?  I like to hike, and I back up to a place called Ute Valley Park, so I can go there if I need a walk or to hide myself.  If I'm okay with being around other people, but want gorgeous views, I'll go to Garden of the Gods.  It relaxes me.  Both places do.

Garden of the Gods in the fall

Can you see why?  That's Pikes Peak in the background.  I know I'm home when I see Pikes Peak.

8. What makes life worth living?  So much.  My kids, my hubby, my family, my writing, nature, my surroundings, my kitty, my friends, movies, books, the simple pleasures.

9. Who inspires you to write?  My fellow writers.  My friends and family.  My writer's groups.  Nature.  I find my inspiration all around me.  I love writing!

10. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?  Cone or cup?  Sprinkles or hot fudge sauce?  I like anything chocolate, but chocolate and marshmallow make me supremely happy.  I prefer a cup.  I don't like the taste of cones, and I'm always sad when that is the flavor I'm left with.  I prefer whipped cream, hot fudge and a maraschino cherry.  Not the mediciny ones I always manage to get from Baskin Robbins, though.  What's up with that?

I hope you feel like you've gotten to know me a little better!  What are your answers to these questions?  I'd love to see your views in the comments.

May you find your Muse.

Shannon L.
The Warrior Muse

Latest And Greatest With NASA

So what’s the latest and greatest regarding NASA? And why should I care, you ask? Hasn't the shuttling of the Space Shuttle Program and cutbacks in funding and lack of vision from our political leaders made this once awesome organization boring and irrelevant? Well, please allow me dispel these thoughts and take you on a tour of the NASA Web site. 

NASA: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research. Since February 2006, NASA's mission statement has been to "pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research.” You can check out the latest and greatest in news, missions, multimedia, apps, and other ways to connect with NASA. You can even plan a visit to some of their eighteen facilities across the United States. 

NASA For Students: Have kids? Are you a school teacher, home schooler, or know someone who is? Then the NASA for Educators, the NASA for Students, and the NASA Kids Club and are worth a navigating and Bookmark or save in your Favorites. NASA for Students is broken up into grade groups of: K-4 5-8 9-12 Higher Education Each group has age appropriate links. 

   

NASA also hosts youth ambassadors from around the globe for successful outreach programs. NASA’s Web site is a great site for kids to research homework and for author to research their novels. What about classrooms and partnering with other classrooms around the globe?  

Virtual Tours: Can't work out a visit to a NASA facility? Check out their interactive features such as their Interactive Features and Virtual Tours.  

Connect with NASA: Yep. There's an app for that. Check out the various apps and social networks NASA has such as Facebook and Twitter.  

What's Next For NASA? NASA is conducting an unprecedented array of missions that will seek new knowledge and understanding of Earth, the solar system and the universe. NASA has observatories in Earth orbit and deep space, spacecraft visiting the moon and other planetary bodies, and robotic landers, rovers, and sample return missions. One example is designing and building the capabilities to send humans to explore the solar system and working toward a goal of landing humans on Mars. NASA has a payback on our hard-earned tax dollars, providing great paying jobs, supporting entire communities, and opening doors for incredible future opportunities such as planet colonization and mining asteroids (more on this in a future post). 

Stephen Tremp, author of the BREAKTHROUGH series, has a B.A. in information systems and an MBA degree in global management. Stephen has a background in information systems, management, and finance and draws from this varied and complex experiential knowledge to write one-of-a-kind thrillers. His novels are enhanced by current events at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and other scientific research facilities around the world. These potential advances have the ability to change the way we perceive our universe and our place in it! 

You can visit Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs. 
BREAKTHROUGH and OPENING can be downloaded:  Kindle for $2.99  

The #atozchallenge Team Needs Volunteers to Help!

Wanna help us out? We're seeking minions to help do some of the behind the scenes grunt work with us. You'd get a special badge emailed to you so that no non-minion could have one. Perhaps you object to the word minion. Of course, we'd never call you that in public. It would be a secret between the team and you priceless minions. You'd get the prestigious title of “volunteer administrative assistants” in public.  (You'd be listed as an assistant on the A-Z Blog and that would probably bring you more traffic.)

Are you game? Here's how it works. Each team member wants their own number of volunteers, and will choose their volunteers in their own way. No, even though it sounds like it, it's not a popularity contest. 

What it really boils down to is what we've been trying to show bloggers about this challenge, and about blogging itself. It's a community and friend building activity.  For example, I have a lot of blogger buddies I know well and trust. I know they'd follow the guidelines, I know they'd follow through. I know who to pick if they volunteer.  Consider it a perk of being an active part of the blogging and A-Z community.

So! If you want to be a minion/volunteer/list checker, etc. Here's what you do. Leave a comment saying you volunteer.   We'll let you know by private email who we've picked, and then once all is settled, we'll put your names up as minions, I mean volunteers!

Questions? Stick 'em in your comments, or send to the new infoaz2013@gmail.com. Be aware there you'd get me (Tina) because that's one of my jobs. So you might as well email me drectly with general questions.  My email is tndowney (at) gmail (dot) com.  Either one, just I check my own more often.

~ Tina, on behalf of the entire A-Z Team

How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now!

I’ve been involved in the publishing industry for almost ten years and taught publishing and promoting seminars for over five years. They are my favorite seminars - I get so fired up when I speak in front of a room of hopeful writers! After years of attendees asking for a book, not to mention my husband prodding me to write one, I finally wrote one. And today, I can finally say - yes, I have a book!

HOW TO PUBLISH AND PROMOTE YOUR BOOK NOW!

By L. Diane Wolfe

Publishing and promoting made simple!

Have you always dreamed of publishing a book but didn’t know where to begin? This book walks you through the steps of identifying markets, budgeting, building an online presence, and generating publicity. Get the whole story on:

• Traditional publishing

• Self-publishing

• Print and e-book setup, formatting, and distribution

• Finding your target audience

• Generating reviews and media interest

• Networking and developing an online presence

• Promotional materials and appearances

Uncover your ideal publishing path and numerous marketing options before you begin. Writing is your dream. Give it the best chance for success!

Publishing/Marketing, 214 pages, Dancing Lemur Press LLC
$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase here: Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Amazon Kindle Available soon for all e-readers.

“She gives an unbiased take on the advantages and disadvantages of traditional publishing and self-publishing and publishing paths that combine the two… It's the perfect book for those who want an overview to begin the decision-making process.”
- Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning series of how-to books for writers

“A must-read for writers planning on self-publishing or any writer who wants the ultimate how-to on promoting. Tons of links, advice, and how-to, whether you're going for print or e-publication.”
- Helen Ginger, author of Angel Sometimes

Known as “Spunk On A Stick,” Wolfe is a member of the National Speakers Association and a motivational speaker. She’s conducted seminars on book publishing and promoting for five years and assisted writers through several author services. Her other titles include “Overcoming Obstacles With SPUNK!” which ties her goal-setting and leadership seminar’s information together, and a YA series, “The Circle of Friends.” Wolfe travels extensively for media interviews and speaking engagements, maintains a dozen websites & blogs, and contributes to several other sites and newsletters.

Spunky’s sites: Blog, Website, Twitter, Facebook, and Deviant Art

And today I am giving away one autographed copy and some cool swag at my blog, so please visit Spunk On A Stick’s Tips!

This Is the Place for #atozchallenge News!

Blog Topics    

     Do you ever get the feeling of deja vu at the Blogging from A to Z Blog?  Why do we repeat topics?  Why do all of us bloggers repeat topics?  Maybe sometimes it's because they bear repeating.

     I realize you may have seen more than one blog post about Word Verification, Following, Social Media, and many others.  I've also seen these topics on some of your blogs.  In fact today on my blog Tossing It Out I've got still another post about Blog Comments.

      Why do we all do it?  It's because there are new bloggers out there who don't know about some of these things and there are still old bloggers who haven't gotten the message apparently.

       So please bear with us because we may be repeating things we've said before.  We may do it here and the co-hosts may do it on their own blogs.  And we certainly don't mind if you take on some of these topics as well.  If something needs to be said, let's say it!


Thank You A to Z'ers!

        We try to keep an eye out for those of you who help to promote the A to Z April Challenge and we periodically recognize those who have caught our attention with special promotional efforts.  We encourage you to do whatever you can to get the word out about the April Challenge so we can get more participants joining in the fun.

         Some of the things you can consider is shouting out on all the social media platforms, posting notices, contacting your newspapers, doing radio or TV interviews, and holding up signs on street corners.  Be creative!  Send us links, stories, or pictures that tell us about your efforts and we'll put them up on the A to Z Blog site.  

        Here are some of the wonderful bloggers who featured the A to Z Challenge on special blog posts:

       A to Z Opening day saw plenty of blog announcements including one from Scribbles From Jenn.

Halls of the Nephilim was one of the sites that actually put up the Linky list for sign-ups.

Sophey Says she saw the A to Z links on Twitter which just goes to show the effectiveness of the tweets.   Keep on tweeting about the Challenge people!

 Returning for another year of A to Z is Catherine Ensley's Words World and Wings.

As is Heather at Stretching My Wings -- Welcome back!

Nicki at Off the Beaten Plan described her intent for April.  Sounds like she'll have her hands full with a real Challenge to herself.

Shannon at Moments of Introspection provided a big send off to help start the Challenge sign-ups.

Tim Brannan is a Challenge veteran and knows how things roll with us.  Thanks, Tim, for helping to promote opening day on your blog The Other Side.

Also returning for another year is John at The Sound of One Hand Typing.  He put in a nice plug for this April's Challenge.

Alana from Writercize is also back for another go at the A to Z.   In a recent post where she gave the Challenge a promo she also included a link to the very nice story she did about me last year.

If you're still trying to decide whether or not to join in the A to Z event, pop on over to Raising the Curtain to see if that post convinces you.

Connie at Peanut Butter and Whine linked to the Challenge in her announcement to join up.

Another blogger returning for the A to Z fun is Patricia Stoltey, who offered some helpful tips about the Challenge at her blog Patricia Stoltey.

Jennifer at A Creative Exercise also called out for the cause of the A to Z.

A special A to Z post was offered at the blog Pouffia--another first timer for the Challenge.

Tami at Thrift Shop Commando let her A to Z intents be known to the world.

If I weren't doing the A to Z Challenge already, Mina at Some Dark Romantic would have convinced me with her great post about why one should do the April Challenge.

       I'm sure there are many more of you who provided special posts and we thank you for them.  We'll try to keep up with all of you, but we're sure you'll understand the magnitude of catching every one of your posts and listing them on this site.   Don't let that stop you!  Keep promoting the A to Z.

Special Co-Host Announcement:
     
      Damyanti, at her blog Daily (W)rite, has an offer of featuring books for authors during the #atozchallenge.    She still has a few openings.

     Here's what Damyanti has to say:   "Basically, I’m going to feature excerpts from 26 books with Titles beginning from the 26 letters of the alphabet. These could be books I have fallen in love with, or books by friends whose work I would recommend."

        If you have a book you'd like to have included go to Daily (W)rite for more information.


Be sure not to miss a single post at the A to Z Blog or you might be missing something you need to know.  Even if we do sometimes repeat ourselves.

       Will you be doing a feature post on your blog about the Challenge?    Can you think of some other ways to get the word out to bloggers about the A to Z?   What are some topics you'd like to see covered on this blog?    

Related articles

• 8 Places You Should Promote Your Blog to Get More Readers
• A - Z April Blog Hop Challenge
• Would you like your Book Excerpt featured this April? #atozchallenge

A to Z Challenge Sign-ups start today! #atozchallenge

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Please read and follow the sign-up instructions outlined below so you sign onto the list correctly!   Please do not just sign up without reading and then come back to ask us to correct your errors!
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       The list is open.  You can now sign up.  Please enter your information carefully with your correct blog URL (address) so that the link goes to your blog main page (and not a specific post).  Before doing this read below about the new category codes we are offering.

       If you still are not familiar with what the A to Z Challenge is then click the tab at the top of this page that says "What Is Blogging From A to Z".

       Also, please stop by the co-hosting blogs to let them know that you have signed up for the Challenge.  Show us your appreciation by becoming a follower of our blogs and introduce yourself to us.  You can find the list of A to Z co-hosts to the right of this page about halfway down the sidebar.  While you're on the sidebar please become a follower of this blog and click that you "Like Us" on FaceBook.

        Once you've signed up, show others that you will be part of the A to Z Challenge by adding the official A to Z badge to your blog site.  Use the code on the sidebar to create a badge that clicks directly to the A to Z Blog site.  Or if you prefer to just add the image, then please add the A to Z Blog URL so your visitors can click on the badge to be directed to this blog site.  Your help is very important in letting others know about the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

       Since the more the merrier for this mega-networking event, help us spread the word: 

•  Tweet it on the #atozchallenge tag
•  Blog about it
•  Connect with us on twitter via @AprilA2Z 
•  Connect with us on Facebook 
•  Add us on Google+
•  Guest post AZ Challenge tips from now till end March on the main blog if you're a challenge veteran 

 
       For more information and to stay on top of developments, I recommend you follow the  

A to Z Challenge Blog (@AprilA2Z) and the hosts: (please follow both blogs and twitter for updates!)

       We have Contact Us and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) tabs at the top of the A to Z page in case there are things you need to know or problems that you may have concerning the Challenge.   Let us know if you find a link that you think is faulty or directs you to a non-participating site.  We are going to try to keep the list filled only with active A to Z participants, but we will need everybody's help to do this.   After today, the A to Z Linky list will be found at the tab at the top of the page that says "2013 A to Z Challenge Sign Up/List" .    

 This year, per many of your requests, we're introducing Blog Categories for Participants. This is entirely Optional, other than for blogs with Adult Content, which will be taken off the list unless marked (AC). 

If you'd like to pick a category, please choose One from the list of 22 categories listed below, and add the code after your name/ blog name while signing up on the linky list. e.g. Damyanti Biswas - Amlokiblogs (WR)

Only the codes from the following list will be admissible, in the format they are presented below, in capital letters enclosed in parentheses:  e.g. (WR)   You may sign up with just your blog name, and include none of the following codes.   But please note that once you have decided on a code, you won't have the option to change it.   Multiple entries of the same blog, and ad sites will be deleted.
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1. WRITING :                          (WR)

2. BOOKS:                              (BO)

3. FILM :                                  (FM)

4. PHOTOGRAPHY:               (PH)

5. GARDENING:                     (GR)

6. CRAFT:                               (CR)

7. ART:                                    (AR)

8. MUSIC:                               (MU)

9. CULINARY:                         (CU)

10. LIFESTYLE:                      (LI )  

11. FASHION:                          (FA)

12. PERSONAL:                      (PR)

13. SOCIAL MEDIA:                (SO)

14. GAMING:                           (GA)

15. EDUCATION :                    (ED)

16. POLITICS:                          (PO)

17. HISTORY:                           (HI)

18. SCIENCE:                          (SC)

19. HUMOR:                             (HU)

20. TRAVEL:                             (TR)

21. MISCELLANEOUS:            (MI)

22. ADULT CONTENT:             (AC)

       There's lots more to come on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge Blog so keep checking back on a regular basis so you don't miss any news.  Now get your link on the list if you've decided to be a part of this year's Challenge.  The list will be open for sign-ups until April 1 so if you're not sure whether or not you want to participate you will still have plenty of time to decide.  But get your name on the list as soon as you've made your decision.  There are new blogs to discover, bloggers to meet, and networking to be done!


Here is the 2013 A to Z List:


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Please read and follow the sign-up instructions outlined above so you sign onto the list correctly!   Please do not just sign up without reading and then come back to ask us to correct your errors!
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Sign up now or as soon as you've made your decision to join us in the 2013 Challenge. You'll be glad you did!


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Please read and follow the sign-up instructions outlined above so you sign onto the list correctly!   Please do not just sign up without reading and then come back to ask us to correct your errors!
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If you have any questions or comments please let us know in the comment section below.

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