A to Z Challenge Reflections, Ninja News, Celebrating Small Things

Congratulations to everyone who completed the Challenge! Be sure to grab your survivor badge.

Before I dive into my Reflections post…

Ninja News

Very special thanks to ML Swift for his IWSG post. Mike started a monthly spotlight feature, and Wednesday it was me. And I was completely blown away! I was truly humbled, Mike. I’m just a dude with a blog, a guitar, and a couple books trying to do his best…

THE RETURN TO CAMELOT trilogy concludes in THE SPIRIT OF NIMUE. 
By Donna Hosie

Natasha Roth and her older brother, Arthur, have removed the magical darkness that had fallen over the land of Logres.

But all actions have consequences….

Available May 31, 2013

My Challenge Reflections

This was my fourth Challenge and my third as co-host. That first year changed my blog forever, which is why I will always champion it.

Once again, this year was massive. We have an awesome team in place and worked hard to make it the best experience for everyone. The codes were something new this year and that seemed to work very well.

The introduction of minions was a Godsend. I thanked them Tuesday, but I can’t begin to express enough thanks. My Ninja Minions rocked. They really helped keep the list free of ad sites and non-participants. And helped this Ninja keep his sanity.

I was pleased so many liked my theme. It was a lot of work. Between selecting movies, characters, blogger buddies, song, trivia, not to mention finding links, images, and adding the Ninja News and formatting, each post took a minimum of four hours to put together.

But it was worth it to feature twenty-six of my blogger buddies, most of whom thanked me in an email or on their blog. I picked everyone and everything with care, making sure every post was special to that person.

My only regret is I had over sixty names on the original list and I wished I could’ve highlighted everyone. There’s always next year, although at this point, I have no idea how to top this year…

My thoughts, the good and the bad:

I did gain a big batch of new followers and found some cool new friends. I also became reacquainted with some older followers through the Challenge. (Yes, I need to update my blogroll soon…)

Some of the themes were really amazing. I intend to interview some bloggers for the A to Z Blog again this year, highlighting their awesome themes.

Some themes worked better than others. Many writers highlighted their books in a unique manner, such as Nancy Thompson, Julie Flanders, Carol Kilgore, L. Diane Wolfe, and Charity Bradford.

Others posted snippets of their work: Gwen Gardner, LG Keltner, and Christine Rains. Nick Wilford even wrote his day by day, using words suggested by commenters that corresponded to the letter of the day!

And some other cool themes included Mary Montague Sikes’ animal painting a day, Father Dragon Al’s dwarves preparing the Dragon Cave for the tour, Golden Eagle’s daily science, Clarissa Draper’s mind puzzles, and Elise Fallson’s “ology” series.

I confirmed my geek twin in Lynda Young - scary how similar our tastes and how much we have in common!

There were a few who had really long posts. We encourage short posts, but I wonder if we shouldn’t suggest a word count, such as 200-400?

I didn’t encounter word verification very often, which was great!

Comments and blog visits:

This deserves a section all by itself!

Many people see a surge in comments during the Challenge. I normally post every other day, so mine tend to dip a little, which is fine.

I knew I was in trouble when my A post garnered 263 comments. (And since I reply in batches, about 250 of those were unique.) I may have clones, but no way I could keep up with that.

And the comments didn’t dip below average until the end of the third week.

Whoa…

I told Lee, I think there may be such a thing as too popular.

Every day my Blogger Buddies folder in my reader would hold 150 or more posts. Add new followers and comments, plus my section of the Linky List, and you’ll start to get a feel for my daily experience. I’ll admit it was more than I could handle, and I had to skip a few blogger buddies now and then just to maintain.

So for anyone I missed or did not return your comment, I’m sorry! Next year I’ll make more clones…

Did anyone else drown in comments?

Overall, another amazing year! Lee, thanks again for your vision. 

As for VikLit’s Celebrating the Small Things – I’d say surviving the Challenge qualifies!!



What were you thoughts now that the Challenge has ended?

Do not sign up now! Wait until you have posted your Reflections and then come back to add the exact link to your post.




Enjoy May’s IWSG posts? What are your thoughts on this year’s Challenge? Did you make some new friends? Have any issues? What themes were cool to you? Ready for next year? Who else went into hiding on Thursday?

And who else is seeing Iron Man III this weekend? I won’t be seeing it until Saturday as I’m seeing something even better tonight. Will explain next week…

Big Thanks, Ninja News, Jewel of Shaylor Cover Reveal, and a Neumarian Uprising!

A huge thanks to everyone who helped with my cover reveal of CassaStorm last Friday – and those who are posting it this week! I was truly overwhelmed. I’d hoped that maybe twenty or thirty people might help, but over a hundred posted for me. Thank you! Yes, I am very excited about the cover – best one yet. Special thanks to Carrie Butler who made the awesome graphic of all three of my books!

Ninja News

Misha Gericke announced the nominations for the Paying it Forward Awards – thanks to whoever nominated me for two categories! Voting is open until February 28. Good to luck to everyone.

Livia gave me the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Thank you Livia! I’m supposed to tell you seven things, but since that would be boring, I’ll just tell you one – I hate Brussels Sprouts.

Passing it on to three bloggers who inspire me:
Robin at Your Daily Dose
ML Swift
Mark at Left and Write

Laura Bambrey’s new book, Yes No Maybe, is available now! Congratulations, Laura.

Hildie McQueen’s Street Team, McQueen’s Moonlighters, is up and running! What is a Street Team? “A street team are a group of people that enjoy a specific author’s books and assists in promoting the author by giving out book cover cards, pens, buttons and other promotional items for the author.” Check out her site for details.

Nigel Mitchell just announced that TOONS is now live. He’s released Part 1 (Bad Toon Rising) and Part 2 (Get Lucky) of the series. Congratulations, Nigel!

Roland Yeomans is the talented author behind almost two dozen books – and this month, the proceeds from sales of his books go to the Salvation Army. If you’ve never purchased one of Roland’s books and experienced his rich writing, February is the month to do so!

Cover Reveal!

Jewel of Shaylar by Laura Eno

Archaeologist David Alexander investigates the cave where his father disappeared and hurtles into another world, one filled with magic and bizarre creatures. The mad ravings in his father's journals of icemen and dragons may not be fantasies after all.
Convinced his father may still be alive, David begins a treacherous journey to find him and discover a way home. Along the way, he encounters a few unlikely friends. A Dreean warrior, a beautiful thief and a satyr join him as he searches.
David's arrival into this new world sets off an explosive chain reaction of events. Faced with powerful adversaries and few clues, he may not get the chance to rescue his father before disaster strikes, condemning both of them to death. Or worse.

Find Laura: Website, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Neumarian Uprising!

We need your help! Thanks to our spy, Ciara Knight, we are able to communicate with you today via blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other social media.

The Neumarian uprising has begun. We are fighting for freedom and equality for all, but we need your help. Ciara informed us that you might want to know more about the uprising and why we ask you to risk your lives for our cause. To answer these questions I’ve agreed to let Ciara tell my sister’s, Raeth’s, story about her captivity. It will be free for you on a site called Amazon until March 1, 2013.

Our spies have told us this will help spread the word and find more recruits for our rebellion against the tyrannical queen. You can help by simply downloading a free copy of Weighted, a prequel to the Neumarian Chronicles. If you are intrigued and wish to follow our uprising, Escapement, book I of The Neumarian Chronicles, will be available for only $2.99 until March 1, 2013.

Escapement, is told by Princess Semara. Don’t hold the fact Semara is a princess against her like I did, there is more to her than you can possibly imagine.

Here is a brief explanation of her telling of our uprising:
Ten years after the great war of 2185 the queen’s reign is threatened by uprisings and fear. In celebration of my sixteenth birthday it is my duty as princess to sacrifice a slave to be initiated into the ruling council, solidifying my mother’s empire. When my own erratic powers surface I’m captured and tried for treason. Slaves hate me, my mother wants me executed, and my only chance of survival rests in the hands of a young man, Ryder Arteres, whose sister I sentenced to death.

What people are saying about Escapement:

“A heady mix of action adventure and steampunk -- leavened with a dash of romance -- ESCAPEMENT offers up its fair share of thrills, horrors and heart-pounding moments. A strong start to a captivating new series.” - Jana Oliver, author of The Demon Trapper's Daughter

“A riveting tale of justice, mercy, honor and love. Take a deep breath and hold on, because you'll be turning the pages of Escapement quickly. Three unlikely comrades, Princess Semara, Ryder, and his sister Raeth, embark on a journey that will alter their lives forever. The beautiful love story nestled into these action-packed scenes will make you sigh and remember why you love to love. After reading the prequel Weighted, I knew this story would be amazing, and it was. Ciara Knight truly has a gift for creating awesome worlds and characters you won't forget.” -Lindi Peterson--Award winning author of Summer's Song.

“Betrayal, secrets, and a rebellion send readers on a grand adventure, caught in the plight to discover Semara’s gifts and purpose.” -Alex J Cavanaugh, author of Amazon best sellers CassaStar and CassaFire

“The most unmissable series ever! I couldn't stop reading, the action and romance too breathtaking to break the spell!” -ARC review by Sudah on Goodreads

"A courageous heart-stopping journey by young people to save their kind." -Hildie McQueen, bestselling author of Where the Four Winds Collide

If you’d like to see a peak into our world, please view this short clip on YouTube.

If you are now ready to join our fight, please add Escapement to your TBR shelf on Goodreads. Shout out on all your social media sites, and tell everyone you know to stand up and fight.
Be Bold.
Be Brave.
Be Free.
In the name of the rebellion,
Ryder Arteres

Visit Ciara Knight to enter the giveaway.

Thanks again and hope everyone liked the cover for CassaStorm. Picking up some new books? Voting for Paying it Forward or joining the Street Team? Ready for Laura Eno’s new book? And are you part of the Neumarian uprising?

2013 Academy Awards - Nominations and Predictions, Ninja News, and Questions Regarding Blog Visits and Writing

2013 Oscar Nominations and Predictions

Most of you have seen the list of nominees, so I’ll just focus on a couple categories and my predictions. And if you thought my Super Bowl predictions were suspect…

As for overall nominations, Lincoln leads the pack with twelve. Life of Pi is next with eleven, then Argo with seven, and Django Unchained with five. Even The Hobbit has three nominations. And might I add it’s rare I like so many of the nominations. That will make some of the categories even more difficult.

Best Visual Effects has three likely candidates out of five - The Hobbit, The Avengers, and Life of Pi. I’d be happy with any of them winning, but I’m giving the edge to Life of Pi for the amazing CGI tiger.

For Best Cinematography, I’m going with Django Unchained.

Best Animated Film doesn’t really have a strong contender, so it’s anyone’s game.

For Best Director, Steven Spielberg for Lincoln. (And Ben Affleck was robbed – no nomination for Argo here.)

In the category of Best Supporting Actor, we have five strong entries, most notably Alan Arkin from Argo, Tommy Lee Jones from Lincoln, and Christoph Waltz from Django Unchained. Again, I’d be happy with any of them, but edge goes to Waltz for his captivating performance.

For Best Actor, no contest - Daniel Day-Lewis. He WAS Lincoln.

I’ve seen four of the nine Best Picture nominees - Lincoln, Argo, Life of Pi, and Django Unchained. And here is my big prediction – Lincoln is going to sweep most of the categories, including this one. If Lincoln starts gaining momentum early, and especially if Spielberg wins Best Director, then Best Picture is a lock.

The last time I was right in my Best Picture prediction was 2007 and No Country For Old Men, so I think I’m due!

What are your predictions?

Ninja News

ML Swift started the The Progressive Book Club: A unique blog hop that's an online book club and meets the third Wednesday of every month. Visit his site for details.

My publisher always keeps me updated as to which Science Fiction Conventions they are sending promotional materials for bags and giveaways. And I had to laugh at the one coming up next weekend – Rusty, dude, you have your own Con! Rustycon is January 18-20 at the SeaTac Marriott Hotel in Seattle, WA. I think Rusty should get free admission and special VIP treatment…

Questions and Ponderings

Usually my posts are so full of news and announcements I don’t get time for this stuff!

How does everyone visit blogs?

Through Google Reader? Your blogroll? Comments from the previous day?

I start with my blogger buddies folder in Google Reader, then check a couple other folders, and then check comments for someone I missed. (Sometimes it takes me until the second day to visit commenters.)

Thanks to those who visited my discussion on outlining with M. Pax on Wednesday. There were a couple interesting questions and I’d like to boggle your minds with my answers.

Nancy Thompson asked: I’m curious how you write outline. Is it handwritten or done on the computer? Is it free firm or true outline style? How many pages of outline are typical & how many pages of text do you produce from a page of outline?

First one is handwritten, and then the remaining versions are on the computer so I can add to them. Free form. Printed out, my outlines are three to five pages long. And the outline for CassaStorm was over four pages and produced 82,000 words, so I guess around 20,000? Maybe I need to write even longer outlines…

Johanna Garth asked this after reading that I don’t name secondary characters until later: So now I’m curious how the characters are referenced in the first draft. By letters, numbers??

By blanks. Lots and lots of blanks! Yes, it’s interesting when I finally do select names (usually just before my test readers and critique partners see it) and try to place them in the correct spots…

And if that doesn’t puzzle you, here’s another one – I don’t divide my manuscripts into chapters until the very end. Yes, I send them to my publisher that way – sans chapters. (To my credit, there are breaks!)

Anybody else wait until the last minute to divide up a manuscript?

What are your Oscar predictions this year? How many of the nominees have you seen? Joining the Progressive Book Club? Going to Rustycon? How do you visit blogs? And anyone else share my strange writing style?