What Constitutes Quality Blog Content? Plus All I Want for NaNo (Everybody Sing!), Movie Trivia Answers, and Ninja News

I’m welcoming J. A. Bennett today to tell you about a couple amazing things that are happening in conjunction with NaNo. I’ve participated in NaNo and visited the site often, (I wrote CassaFire during NaNo 2010), but I had no idea what the organization was doing for the writing community.

All I Want for NaNo

I first heard about NaNo WriMo three years ago shortly after I started blogging. I thought people were nuts for even attempting to write 50k in a month. Yet, I couldn’t pass up the chance to try it out for myself. Since then, I’ve done NaNo (including camp NaNo) 4 times--this November will make 5.
Because of this, I’ve spent a considerable about of time on NaNoWriMo.org and they’re doing some amazing stuff for people. I have a 14 yr old cousin who went to LTUE last year because NaNo came to his school, and he decided he really liked writing. If that isn’t awesome, I don’t know what is.
In these past three years I’ve felt awful for not giving back when NaNo has been doing so much for writers everywhere. That’s why I decided to write an anthology with a few awesome friends and donate all the proceeds to NaNoWriMo. Since the stories are about Christmas, we’re doing a bloghop entitled “All I Want for NaNo”.

I wanted to kick things off today on Alex’s blog with the Twelve days of NaNo (make sure you sing along)—

On the Twelveth day of NaNo my critique partner gave to me:
Twelve pens a scratching
Eleven beats a beating
Ten backed up hard drives
Nine pages of notes
Eight sprinters sprinting
Seven new ideas
Six hours of writing
Five thousand words
Four plot bunnies
Three metaphors
Two awesome hooks
And a climax that takes place in a tree

The bloghop and book release are taking place on November 1st. Please join us!
On November 1st post what you want for you NaNo and put a buy link to The Spirit of Christmas Anthology, as well as the blog hop code in your post. Get as creative as you like, pictures--flash fiction--video, think outside the box.
Get all the information and the code HERE at JA’s blog.

Congratulations to the contributing authors and good luck to all NaNo participants!
Now to go find that tree…

Ninja News!

Available Monday, October 22nd!

Just in time for Halloween, here's the cover of the latest installment of E.J. Wesley's Moonsongs series, Dragon's Game! (New Adult - speculative - Novelette)

Add Dragon's Game to your Goodreads shelf. And for a limited time, you can catch up on the entire Moonsongs series for just .99 cents (regularly $2.99). Moonsongs Anthology 1 (books 1, 2, & 3) is on sale October 15th - 20th at Amazon and Barnes and Noble

Available now – Courage by Carrie Butler!

Rena Collins never thought she'd long for the past…

Buy it now at Amazon
Also, you can pick up the first book in the Mark of the Nexus series for free through Friday - Strength

Chicken Soup for the Soul - It's Christmas was just released and includes "The Treasure Hunt" by LD Masterson.



Congratulations to all three authors!

Movie Trivia Answers!

1 - “When there’s no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth.” (1978) - Dawn of the Dead
2 - “Be afraid… Be very afraid.” (1986) - The Fly
3 - “Smile, you son of a b____!” (1975) - Jaws
4 - “I will not be threatened by a walking meat loaf!” (1981) – An American Werewolf in London
5 - “Who’s laughing now?” (1987) – Evil Dead II
6 - “Mrs. MacNeil, the problem with your daughter is not her bed, it’s her brain.” (1973) – The Exorcist

What Constitutes Quality Blog Content and What About Hits?

Monday Arlee Bird tossed out a post about being respected as a blogger, most viewed posts, and what makes a post go viral. The comments were just as interesting and went off in several new directions. It sparked some thoughts in me (which can be dangerous) and I thought I’d continue a few idea streams here.

When it comes to page views and viral posts, I’ve blogged long enough that I know what topics are going to generate the most attention. (I know which ones are likely to kick my comment count over two hundred as well.) However, when it comes to page views and hits – I don’t really care! That’s why I don’t have a stat counter. They aren’t accurate anyway. And what does an extra five thousand views really do for me? I don’t get new followers or new people commenting, nor does it do anything for my book sales. Blogging is about community and friends – you guys – not about racking up the page views anyway.

(You want impressive when it comes to blogging? Someone led me to a blog that had 58,000+ followers and each post racked up 5000 comments (the maximum allowed) in one day. And as far as I could tell, it wasn’t someone famous, and the posts weren’t anything out of the ordinary. Heck with page views – that’s just amazing!)

Another aspect discussed was what makes for valuable blog content. Is it information? Controversy? Thoughtful, reaction-inducing posts? I guess it all depends on what you are looking for in a blog and what your goals are with your own.

As you know, I post a variety. My bio on the left states my interests up front, and it’s those things I usually discuss. I feature a variety of things, just so there is something for everyone. (If you come here and can’t find something on which to comment, then I am at a total loss.) It’s rarely anything like this or something that would stir up controversy. This blog is about fun. As it reflects my books and my writing, as I write light space opera, it’s a good fit.

And it’s by no means easy. It takes me two – three hours to put together a post. I put forth the effort because I want to present the best to you guys, my readers. You guys are important – you’re my friends, and that trumps all. And once I get through this month, there will be a little less promo and more cool Ninja stuff here

So there you have it. And I promise never to cop out on a post and slap a kitten photo up just to get hits. (Unless Pat’s cat Cassie poses as a Ninja for Halloween…)

Are you participating in NaNo this year? (Did you sing the song for JA?) Stoked about the new books? Get any of the trivia correct? And are you happy with your blog? What content matters to you? Do you care about page views? What matters most to you when it comes to blogging?

How Do You Follow Blogs? Plus Sharknado at the Ballgame, Video Game Trivia, and Ninja News

Ninja News

Nothing like scrolling through blog post titles on Feedly and seeing this - We Love Ninja Captain Alex! Thank you so much, Sheena-kay. That really caught me by surprise. I’ll try to live up to your kind words!

The Goodreads giveaway for CassaStorm ended Monday, and when I forwarded the winners to my publisher, I noticed two of my blogger buddies had won a copy - Sarah Ahiers, JA Bennett, and Tony Laplume. Congratulations, guys!

The next posting for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group is in two weeks on August 7! My awesome co-hosts will be M. Pax, Karen Walker, and Melissa Maygrove.

Don’t forget the Anti-Blogfest Gary Fest! Short and simple – name three blogfests you’d never participate in. Sign up HERE.

Sharknado Invades Baseball!

It’s everywhere, including the President’s Race! For the first part, keep your eyes on the big screen until the action moves into view.

How Are You Blog Following Now?

How do most of you follow blogs? Has it changed since the death of Google Reader?

I’ve noticed a slowdown in followers via Google Friends Connect this summer. I have that option, plus Feedly, Bloglovin’, Linky Followers, and email in my sidebar. (My blogger profile isn’t linked to my Google+ profile, or I’d have that option in place as well.)

I’m wondering if people aren’t just skipping GFC now? I have several bloggers I follow that way but pulling up their profile reveals they’ve never followed me through GFC. They comment here all the time though, so they're following me somehow.

If the blogger has GFC, I still click to follow, and then go add their link to my Feedly Reader.

Are you guys still using GFC? Using something else instead?

Video Game News and Trivia!

Video games Need for Speed, Assassin’s Creed, Warcraft, and Angry Birds are all coming soon to the big screen – films are in the works.

And on that note, here’s some video game trivia for you:

1 - What is the best-selling iPhone game?

2 - How many Pokemon films have been made?

3 - What’s the highest grossing movie based on a video game?

4 - What is the longest running video game franchise still being made?

Ready for the IWSG and Anti-Blogfest next month? Surprised by the Sharknado craze? Know any of the trivia? And how do you follow blogs?

Epic Ninja News, Movie Review, and Kela Thinks I’m Famous

Special Feature and Special Request!

Kela is the sweetheart who runs Teardrops on my Books. Tuesday, she honored me by saying I was famous. Thursday, she featured me in her Thursday Tag HERE. For your amusement, I invite you to read my answers. Thanks, Kela – you rock, my friend!

I have a very special request of the Ninja Army. Not for me, for my friend Andrew. I’d previously mentioned the book he did for his students, Charter Shorts, which goes to benefit the school.
Friday is the last day for Briane's Star Wars Trivia Marathon. Andrew is in second place but can still pull out a win with some help. If you go to Briane’s blog and state that you Champion Andrew, he gets an extra 10,000 points. (And it’s been an ongoing thing this week, so if you’ve already commented on an earlier post, you can comment again on the latest one.)
Thanks to all who showed their support for Andrew! Championing is now over.

Epic Ninja News!

This is what happens when I skip posting just one day…

Candilynn Fite has started a monthly contest, Follow My Lead – and the prizes include a fellow author’s books. This month, it’s Roland Yeoman’s End of Days. Awesome idea, Candy!

Here’s the basics:

Entries must be original work of the writer.

Only one entry per contestant.

300 words or less.

The piece must follow the prompt provided, but may sway in any direction.

The contest piece should be written about the image, in some form or fashion.

The prompt should be used in the story and included in word count.

Ends June 30, 2012

Jamie at Mithril Wisdom has more fun at work than I do – they created a zombie game app that works with Google Maps. Visit his site so you too can send zombies to attack your friends where they live!

The awesome Arlee Bird at Tossing it Out is looking for people to hijack his blog! If you are interested in doing a guest post, contact Lee.

Author Bryan Thomas Schmidt lists Five Great New Epic Series for Your Summer Reads. And hey – my Cassa books are listed! Thanks, Bryan.

Michael Abayomi had some great news about his 6-part epic fantasy series, Guardians & The Lost Paradise: “The first two chapters are now on display at The Lost Paradise as part of my about-to-be-launched Indiegogo campaign to raise enough money to produce all 6 books in the series.” Good luck, Michael!

The ladies at Falling for Fiction (Cassie, Jade, Hope, Kelley, and Jenny) are hosting the Hookers & Hangers Blogfest on July 16 and 18. Go HERE to sign up!

Rick at The Writer and the White Cat announced that starting the first of July, White Cat Publications, LLC. will begin accepting submissions for their new magazine of urban poetry titled Nain Rouge a Journal of Urban Poetry, Prose and Art.

Lydia Kang is hosting an amazing giveaway – critiques, books, and Amazon gift card!

JA Bennett is hosting a two hundred followers giveaway – Amazon gift card and a critique!

Heads up! Since the next posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group falls on the USA’s Fourth of July holiday, we will be posting BOTH Tuesday and Wednesday of that week.

Movie Review

Immortals
Finally saw this on NetFlix. Glad I waited.
This movie misses the mark on every level. It’s poorly edited and constructed. Everything about it feels odd. Even the special effects. The worst part is the goofy costuming. My wife commented that in one scene, the Oracles looked like matching salt and pepper shakers. Part of the problem is this movie takes itself way too seriously. Directed by Tarsem Singh who directed The Cell and… not much else. The best thing I took away from the film was that actor Henry Cavill will make a good Superman in the remake.

Don’t forget to visit Kela You guys are awesome!

Whoa! Participating in Candy’s monthly contest? Ready to unleash some zombies? Reading for some summer reading? Feeling lucky with a contest or two? Did you lose part of your life watching Immortals? Both Brave and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter come out this weekend – seeing either of them?