We Preempt This Post for an Important Announcement

         There was another post scheduled for today but then I changed it.  Actually I've had a few different posts scheduled for today but I've changed them as new ideas took precedent.  But that in itself is going to be a topic of an upcoming post.  I won't say when that post will be since that date might change.  Change can happen, right?  So let me tell you what's happening right now.
But first....!
          Yes, actually, first let me present another "Comment about a comment" based on my post at the beginning of the year titled "Where Am I Now Anyway?".  Here is one more:
Sarah Allen said...

Ha! That's awesome :) Since I usually write posts at night and schedule them for early morning, while I'm still asleep, the time disparity definitely happens for me too. I think its fascinating that we can do it that way, although you're right about possible miscommunication or misunderstanding. Sarah Allen (my creative writing blog)

January 4, 2012 9:43 AM 

        This is sort of an illustration of what I was talking about at the beginning of this current post.  Except rather than the night before, I might write a post a few days before it goes on line or in some cases weeks or months ahead of time.   What sometimes happens in those cases is that something else may come up to cause that original post to get preempted or even changed or cancelled entirely.   No blog bit written for some point of time in the future is necessarily guaranteed a place in time.  

       It is fascinating that we have the ability to manipulate what we write on a blog as opposed to what we write for a book or have scheduled for publication.  I've never done it yet, but I could go back and change an older post if I wanted to and that is something you couldn't do very easily with a hard copy of something you've written. Blogging is media juggling and that's probably why I like it so much.

And now...

     Here's what I think takes precedent to what I was originally going to talk about.   It's the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.  Still a month away, but it weighs heavily on my mind as it probably pervades the thinking of my illustrious co-hosts and many of you who have signed up and perhaps may be even faithfully following the Blogging from A to Z Challenge Blog and Twitter  Daily News.   If you are not following these sites, I encourage you to follow the links over to them, mark them, and check them regularly.  There is some fun stuff coming.

         If you haven't heard yet, we are making a push for 1000 sign-ups by Thursday March 1.  That's less than a week away, but we can make it with your help.  By the time you read this (when my future will be your present),  we'll have passed the 700 mark on the A to Z Linky List.   On the first day of sign ups we passed the 300 mark.  I believe we can at least match that first day over a period of nearly a week.

        What can you do?   As any of you know who have been checking my Sunday Summary posts on the A to Z Blog, many bloggers have already been promoting the Challenge on their own blogs.  Some of those posts have been very creative!  And all of them help the cause.  We're requesting that over the next few days you do a special post to put out a call to those who may not have heard about the A to Z Challenge or just haven't made the effort to sign up.   If you can at least make a mention on your blog it would help.   Word of mouth is the best promotion.

         Then, try some other ways to spread the word:

• Direct email to those bloggers you know who haven't signed up.
• Announce in places where there could be bloggers (church, school, meetings, etc.)
• Post notices on bulletin boards (library, church, school, laundromat, etc.)
• "What's happening" sections of local newspapers.
• Whatever means your creative mind comes up with.

      Why the thousand by March 1st?  Oh, I don't know--it sounds good.  But seriously, we want this to be the jumping up point for the next and final phase of sign-ups.  We expect a sudden rush in the last week of March and last minute decisions at the beginning of April.  Those of you who have already begun visiting those who are now on the list know how advantageous it has been to have these early sign-ups.  I've seen many of you making the rounds and making new friends in the process--not to mention the added followers.

       If more people sign up in these weeks before the Challenge rather on those last few days, we are all ahead of the game and will be less likely to miss some of those blogs that might have waited or will allow our own blogs to have the opportunity to be viewed and marked now as opposed to later.  It's a win-win situation for all concerned.  So please help us in our push for a thousand by March 1st.

And Still More News....

       Next week on February 28th is the release of Alex J Cavanaugh's Cassafire.  There's a big party on that day to celebrate.   Join him to help his book catch fire on the book charts.

        Don't forget our other co-host Stephen Tremp has a great book called Opening and it's now available.

        Karen Gowen's Celery Tree online bookstore is also a place for you to check out for fine books from many of your favorite bloggers and it's something that you can be a part of as well if you have a book to market.

        Go down the list of all of the co-hosts to visit their sites if you haven't done so already.  There are books, artwork, and some darn good company to be found with all of them.  

      And One More Thing...

        There's still a video contest going on.   We stop taking submissions on March 11th so there's still time for you to make your own video and enter it in the contest.   Check the A to Z Blog for rules, sign-up, and list of entrants so far.

         That's a lot going on!  And now back to our regularly scheduled blogging--unless I change my mind.

          What have you been doing to get others to sign up?   Are there any other ways you can think of to get the word out about the A to Z Challenge?   What is the most unique or original way that you've heard about the Challenge or something else getting promoted?

         I'll leave you with the following message from our sponsor courtesy of Dale Smurthwaite:

Related articles

• #atozchallenge: A to Z Challenge Sunday Summary (2/19/12) (a-to-zchallenge.com)

Celery Tree Pays It Forward: Guest Karen Walker

        Nobody can argue that Amazon.com was a brilliant idea. To create an online bookstore, where, from the comfort of one’s own home, you can browse thousands of book titles, order them, and have them delivered to your home all with just a few strokes on the keyboard. And shelling out some money, of course.

        Karen Jones Gowen has taken that idea one step further. She created an online bookstore for authors to support other authors. To join, you simply agree to purchase a minimum of six books per year. In exchange, the book you’ve written is part of the pool of books others choose from.

        I loved the movie Pay it Forward, because that concept is so beautiful. I didn’t need any encouragement to support other writers I’ve become acquainted with online. I try to purchase their books when I can. But this makes it so much easier to do so, because now many of them are in one place.

        Please take a few minutes to check out the website: http://www.celerytree.com.

        If you love books and love helping others and want to do so in a new and creative way, you’ll love Celerytree.

                                                                                 Karen Walker

One of the books available from CeleryTree is Karen Walker's Following the Whispers.
      In her poignant memoir, Karen Walker traces the effects of a cold, loveless home environment and an early sexual molestation on her growth, marriage, motherhood, and career. After freeing herself from a desert of a marriage, Walker loses custody of her child and then journeys to discover who she is and to find some sense of wholeness.
      The journey takes her from her old life to new friendships, new lovers, and new professions. From New York to Portland, Oregon, and eventually to Albuquerque, New Mexico, Walker seeks someone to love her as she is. She finds that and more -- a loving connection with her son. This fifty-year emotional odyssey ultimately leads Walker to a self who can look back over her life with a contentment and satisfaction that allow her to follow the whispers that the future may bring.

Karen Walker is a writer who has published essays in newspapers and magazines, as well as an anthology series. After a 30+ year career in marketing and public relations, she went back to college to complete a Bachelor's degree and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2005 from the University of New Mexico's University Studies program with a major emphasis in Creative Writing. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her husband, Gary, and their dog, Buddy. When she’s not writing, you can find her doing international folk dancing, singing at retirement communities with her trio, Sugartime, hiking, reading, or hanging out with friends. You can also find her online at: http://www.karenfollowingthewhispers.blogspot.com

Karen Walker's blog can be found at http://www.karenfollowingthewhispers.blogspot.com
You can also find Karen at CeleryTree

...A Little Help From Our Friends: Helpful Bloggers to the Rescue

          As I have been teasing all week, today I have a special announcement.  And I guess it would be of little surprise to anyone that this announcement has something to do with the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.  If this is your guess, then you are correct.

          The Blogging from A to Z April Challenge is climbing toward 300 participants with a probability that we may go over this amount before the arrival of the start date.  Last year I was nearly overwhelmed by the almost 100 bloggers who participated in A to Z.  I knew that this year would be even bigger since we had a much earlier start to get the word out to the blogging community.

            Fortunately, popular bloggers Alex J Cavanaugh, Jennifer Daiker, and Talli Roland came to my rescue to make the Challenge easier to administer and be a greater success.  However we came to the conclusion that even we might not be able to satisfactorily pull this off to a point that would make the Challenge as great as it could be.  For this reason we are expanding the A to Z Team.

Here are the four added members of the A to Z Team:

Jeffrey Beesler from World of the Scribe....

Candace Ganger from The Misadventures in Candyland

Karen Jones Gowen from Coming Down the Mountain: From Reclusive Writer to Published Author....

Stephen Tremp from Breakthrough Blogs..

           Some of you may already be familiar with all or some of these bloggers.  I'll let you visit each of their blogs so you can say hello and get to know them better.  They each have their own unique strengths and talents which should help make the challenge more fun and more rewarding for all of us. 

           In the weeks to come, we will be offering our special Challenge posts to make your April a more successful race to the finish line.  Be sure to watch the posts of the A to Z Team as we present tips from our experiences in blogging, writing, and life in general.  It won't always be A to Z of course, but we hope the special posts we give you will be something you will find useful and enjoyable. 

          The A to Z Team will be here to answer your questions as best we can and provide support to your blogging efforts.  Let us know if you feel like you need some attention or any suggestions.  Don't forget though, we are also participating in the Challenge and even with the added members our capabilities are limited.  That's why there is one more team member who is the most important one of all.

           Who is that most important team member?   It's YOU!  Without the participation, interaction, and mutual support that only each one of you can give to the Challenge community as a whole, this run through the alphabet is going to be less than the best we can make it.  We're counting on you--every one of you--to see us to the end of April with a grand sense of accomplishment.

            I'll have more to say about all of this in the next few weeks.  I'm sure that our A to Z Team members will likewise have their own words of encouragement.  We're all friends here and never underestimate the power of friends.  We can do this challenge together--so let's do it! 

            There is one more request.  Over the next few days if there are any other bloggers that you think would benefit from this Challenge or who are still on the fence trying to decide if they should do it, please try to get them to sign up this weekend.  We can make it to our goal of 300 by Monday if we try.  Please do what you can.

            Now enough from me.  Head on over to the above links and visit the blogs of our A to Z Team members, say hello, and if you're not following them yet, do so now.  And don't forget to continue going through the Linky list and visit, comment, and follow.  In other words:  network, network, network. April will be here soon. 



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