Love Song (#BOTB & #IWSG )

         Starting a blog was like starting a business and waiting for the customers to come in.  Getting them in the door wasn't always easy.  Eventually I was a neighborhood fixture and I got to know those around me and they got to know me.  Some people like me and some people don't.  Kind of sounds like life...

The Insecure Writer's Support Group

Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog. 

The co-hosts for the February 3 posting of the IWSG are Louise - Fundy Blue , Jennifer Lane, Mary Aalgaard, Patsy Collins at Womagwriter, and Nancy Gideon!

February 3 question - Blogging is often more than just sharing stories. It’s often the start of special friendships and relationships. Have you made any friends through the blogosphere?

           I couldn't have asked for a better question to lead-in to the topic on some of our blogging minds these days.  After all, April is fast approaching and that means it's time for another Blogging from A to Z April Challenge--the twelfth annual Challenge!   

           If you don't know about the Challenge I invite you to check out the info on the blog site to find out more.  I started the Challenge in 2010 in order to connect with more bloggers and gain more followers.  When I had first started blogging, I knew very few other bloggers and the A to Z Challenge rapidly connected me with others who were trying to expand their range of blogging relationships.  It works!  I now have so many relationships in the blogging world and this has made the blogging experience so much more valuable to me.

           My list of blogging friends would have to start with Stephen T McCarthy who introduced me to the blogging world.  After I began blogging I connected with poet Yvonne Lewis who was the very first to sign on in that first Blogging from A to Z Challenge.  In 2012 I had the pleasure of meeting Yvonne in person when she came to visit Los Angeles where I live.  She still regularly comments on my blog and probably many of yours.

          Then of course is the invaluable support I've received from Alex J Cavanaugh who also was on board with that first A to Z Challenge of 2010.  He was an important part of the A to Z Team for several years and through his help we increased A to Z sign-ups from about 100 in the first year to thousands in following years.   Alex has been a great blog friend throughout my blogging years and A to Z might not be where it is today if not for him.  Thank you, Alex!

         Our current A to Z Team has been in place for a few years now and they have done a terrific job in keeping the Challenge going.   My utmost thanks goes to J Lenni Dorner who has provided so much effort in moving the Challenge forward each year.  J has some interesting ideas for this year's Challenge so be watching the A to Z site for upcoming details.

          By now most anyone reading this post has seen the wonderful art work of Jeremy Hawkins who has been providing the graphics for A to Z for many years now.   You can see some of the badges he has designed on the sidebar of my blog among many other places.  Jeremy as been a wonderful blogging friend to me as well as to many of you.

           The other bloggers who keep the A to Z Challenge running each year and will be returning this year are Zalka Csenge Virág @ The Multicolored Diary, Jayden R Vincente @ J R Vincente Erotica Writer, and the hyper-prolific blogger John Holton @ The Sound of One Hand Typing.   These are all bloggers with whom I've established a very special relationship with that came through our participation in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.

           And through all of my years of blogging and especially through participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge I have made countless connections and established many more relationships too numerous to account in this blog post.  So this is my testimonial concerning the value of Blogging from A to Z, Insecure Writer's Support Group, Battle of the Bands, and so many other blog networking events where it comes to meeting and getting to know other bloggers.  It's worked for me and so many others.  It can work for you too!

           Hope you'll join us for this year's Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.   It's lot's of fun and you might just hit the blogging jackpot that reaps more friendships as well as readers for your blog.  April is just around the bend so now is a good time to get ready for the 12th annual Challenge.  

           We'll be looking for you!

And since it's the first of the month...

Battle of the Bands

        Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and now hosted by StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   This event happens each month on the 15th and on some there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month.  My blog is one of those with a second Battle with some exceptions like if I don't feel like it.   The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for                                                            more Battle action.

Lovesong

       Since we're talking about love of friends and other passions, and since we're in February which might be considered a "love month" then what better song to use for the first Battle of the month than "Lovesong" by The Cure.   I had lots of covers from which to choose, but I narrowed it down to a couple of artsy sounding ones.   So let's get down to this Battle!

Voltaire "Lovesong"  (2004)

           This artist appeared in my "China Girl" Battle of last May and ran away with a win.  Can he do it again with his version of "Lovesong"?  Voltaire has an art/pop/rock sound that I enjoy.  See what you think...






Tori Amos  "Lovesong"   (?)

             I've always liked Tori Amos's music.  I just never listened to it that much.  Shortly after I moved to Southern California in 1991, I bought a copy of the early Amos album Little Earthquakes.  But I was buying a lot of CD's back then.  Most of my albums got relatively few plays.  Maybe after hearing Tori's version of this song you might think I should listen to her more...






Time to Vote!
        
          Maybe you love this song or maybe you don't.  Either way I hope you'll at least give the versions a listen to discern your favorite.   Which version do you prefer?   Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind.  You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

        Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.


Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands

  'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'

'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

The Doglady's Den 

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 

Cherdo on the Flipside 

A I Love Music


Winner of this Battle Announced on Monday February 8

            I plan to be here then with an outcome so I hope you'll take the time to see if your favorite song version won.  And maybe I'll come up with some other thoughts as well.  You'll have to come back to find out.

           Are you going to participate in this year's Blogging from A to Z April Challenge?   Have you kept up with most of your original blogging friends and connections?    Have you met with any of them in person?

Everything's A-Okay

        My heartfelt thanks go out to all of you who left kind comments, emails, and even a phone call as I went through my little medical scare this past week.   Actually it was no small deal, so I'll have to commend the fine medical staff at Kaiser Permanente Hospital for seeing me through the ordeal.   The many prayers and wishes of good will that came from the blogging community also was a big help in keeping me optimistic throughout the week.  Most of all I praise God for giving me more time for blogging and living and everything that makes my life good

        The situation I faced was a pretty common one that some of you might have also dealt with in your own lives.  About twenty years ago I was diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia that likely was with me since birth.  As I grew older the situation became worse.   This was essentially addressed in 1998 and I've been doing well since.  However a blockage of one of my heart arteries worsened to the point that last week I had a bit of an incident.   Not a heart attack or stroke, but that would probably been coming if not for the procedure that opened the closing artery with a stent put in place.  I should now be good to go many more miles before my time is up.

         So that means more blogging for me and with more blogging comes more Battle of the Bands posts.  I hope everyone is still good with that after my last two Battles that featured songs of Justin Bieber.   As some who follow my blog might have noticed, I tend to carry on themes through my Battle series.  Remember how my "Manhattan" theme went on through four different Battle of the Bands post.   There is a method to my seeming madness at times.

       Some of you might recall that after "Manhattan" I began a theme of "Love and Ego", hence the Justin Bieber songs.   Also I use songs that I like a great deal or I have found particularly interesting.  So far I have not used any songs that I don't like.   Coming on Wednesday I'll be continuing the "Love and Ego" theme with a song that seems an appropriate continuation of my previous Battles.

        The last song, "Sorry", is an apology to a lost lover in hopes of winning that love back.  My next song will be of a similar theme--a plaintive appeal for a lover to return.   Very different style from the Bieber song which will make some of you happy, but it's a very old song that has remained relatively popular even in our era.

         This post is a tease for my Wednesday BOTB post, but more than anything it is a thank-you to some fine blogging friends.   We may disagree at times and we might poke a bit of fun at each other, but there is a bond among us that provides a lot of support and encouragement.   I have felt this more than ever over this past week.   Just keep loving and respecting each other for who we are and what our interests are.   It's all good.  Just different and sometimes even strange to us.  




       

The Big Sign-Up Day Is Here At Last! ( #AtoZChallenge )

       Six years ago while trying to come up with something that might boost my blog following and readership, I came up with the first Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.   Thinking that the concept was nothing more than my own personal stunt to get some attention for my own blog, the interest that others had in joining me in the event caught my attention.   I realized that this blogging event was something that others could enjoy and also reap the benefits for their own blogging.   This was how it all began and now here we are ready to head into our 6th annual April Blogging Challenge!

       With five Challenges behind us and thousands of bloggers having participated in one or more Challenges, the A to Z Challenge community is now extensive with members coming from all over the globe.   The Challenge of 2015 might just be the biggest ever.   If you are planning to join us then today is the first day to get on the list.  The sign-up list will be open until April for any of you who want to think some more about joining.  You have plenty of time, but don't wait too long or you might forget.   No point in waiting when you can sign up now.

          The A to Z Challenge has become so big that there is no way that I could keep this going on my own at the large scale it now is.  I am deeply indebted to the A to Z Team for all the work they have been doing so far and will be doing in the months to come.  Later in this post you will find a list of these A to Z Co-hosts and the links to their blogs.  Show your appreciation to them by following each of their blogs and getting to know them.  This is a great Team!   And of course this Challenge wouldn't be the success that it is without all of you wonderful bloggers.  Thanks to all of you!

          Read on for some important guidelines on participation and hints to make your Challenge experience the best it can possibly be.

Please read and follow the sign-up instructions outlined below so you sign onto the list correctly!

The premise of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge is posting every day in April except Sundays (we get those off for good behavior.) And since there are 26 days, that matches the 26 letters of the alphabet. On April 1, blog about something that begins with the letter “A.” April 2 is “B,” April 3 is “C,” and so on. You can use a theme for the month or go random – just as long as it matches the letter of the alphabet for the day.

The A to Z Challenge is a great way to get into the blogging habit and make new friends. For more details and its history, go HERE

We recommend short posts, turn off Word Verification, and visit five blogs (or more) a day beginning with the one after yours on the list.

Blogs must be on an open platform – no Tumblr, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. – and comments enabled.

To streamline legitimate blogs from advertisement blogs, the Co-Hosts will be visiting each blog on this list throughout the Challenge. Blogs on the list showing no activity once the Challenge starts or miss five days in a row will be removed.

Please note your blog name and number in all correspondences. Remember that as blogs are removed, your number will change.

There are categories for those looking for like-minded blogs. Select ONE category code and enter it after your blog’s title/name. The code applies to your blog, not your theme for the Challenge and is purely optional. See the first few blogs on the list for examples. However, if your blog has adult content, you MUST mark it (AC) or it will be removed from the list. Codes are as follows:

ANIMALS: (AN)
ART: (AR)
BOOKS/REVIEWS: (BO)
CRAFTS: (CR)
CULINARY: (CU)
EDUCATION: (ED)
FASHION: (FA)
FILM/MOVIES: (FM)
GAMING: (GA)
GARDENING: (GR)
HISTORY: (HI)
HUMOR: (HU)
LIFESTYLE: (LI )
MEMOIR: (ME)
MUSIC: (MU)
MYTHOLOGY: (MY)
PERSONAL: (PR)
PHOTOGRAPHY: (PH)
POLITICS: (PO)
SCIENCE: (SC)
SOCIAL MEDIA: (SO)
SPORTS: (SP)
TRAVEL: (TR)
WRITING/STORYTELLING: (WR)
ADULT CONTENT: (AC)

Be sure to grab the badge and display it in your sidebar so we know you are participating and link to the A to Z Challenge Blog.

For more information we recommend you follow the A to Z Challenge Blog and the hosts:

Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh
Jeremy @ Hollywood Nuts
Nicole Ayers @ The Madlab Post
Author Stephen Tremp
Heather M. Gardner
AJ @ Naturally Sweet
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian
Matthew MacNish @ The QQQE
Zalka Csenge Virág @ The Multicolored Diary
S. L. Hennessy @ Pensuasion
C. Lee McKenzie @ The Write Game
Joy Campbell @ The Character Depot
Susan Gourley @ Susan Says
John Holton @The Sound of One Hand Typing
Lisa Buie-Collard, Author

We also have a Facebook Page
Email address is contactatozteam@gmail.com
Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge and Twitter id is @AprilA2Z

Sign up below and join us for a month of alphabet fun!



       Now let's get ready to Blog from A to Z!

       If you're thinking about not participating this year, what's holding you back?   What do you think is the best aspect of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge?      Do you have any questions about this year's Challenge or is anything in this post not quite clear to you?

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Defining Respect as a Blogger

"Can I please get some respect here?"

What Hath I Wrought?   

      "If you open a can of worms you might as well make spaghetti."  "When you bust a beehive you'd better run like hell."  Maybe you've heard those sayings before.  I never have and I think I just made them up for this post.  You're welcome to use them whenever you want to.  Be sure to link to this post if you do use them (so this post can get more hits).

        In any case, my Monday post Do You Feel Respected as a Blogger? did a little of both of these things.  I sure busted the beehive and got swarmed, but I ain't runnin'.   I'm gonna face the swarm and the stings and try to calm the buzz that was created by that post.  The spaghetti thing sounds disgusting but that probably is the best solution to the controversy stirred by the post in question.

        I'd planned on taking the respect issue to a different level today and tie everything together neatly into a compact little post.   Fat chance of that I guess.  First there were your comments.  Thanks to all who left such fantastic comments on my "Respected Blogger" post.  I know I can usually count on my readers to provide great comments, but this time you outdid yourself.   Did you ever!   That threw one monkey wrench into my short sweet Friday post idea.

        Then Alex J. Cavanaugh went and threw a hornet's nest into the bee fray with his response to my post.  Time to be afraid!  We had bees and hornets and earthworms all over the place and everybody running like crazy.  I will say that most everyone was running to the same place but I won't get into that today if I'm going to have a relatively short post that more than a dozen people will read.   Today I just want to define some of the terms being used and elucidate what may have been misunderstood in my Monday post.

A Clarification of What Some Wondered 

           In answer to the question "Did your blog post go viral?", the answer is no.  Nor did I expect my Monday post to go viral.  The content for virality wasn't there.  My Monday post was an information gathering post and I think it was pretty successful in that respect.

         My ratio of comments to page views was 50% which is way higher than I normally get.  That was until Alex's post drew more traffic and the ratio dropped to just under 40% which is still not bad.  On a typical post I get an average of 25% of those who stop by leaving a comment which I find acceptable.   As the page view numbers increase the comment ratio decreases.  On my posts that have surpassed 1000 views the comment ratio goes down to about 1% --and that's getting into the realm of more comments than I can handle comfortably so 1% of the high numbers is fine by my estimation.

          However let's save the stats issue for another post as it gets a bit more complicated--too complex to get into on a short Friday post.   Alex and many others brought up the stat issue and it's an important one for bloggers to address.    There were other issues mentioned as well that will be examined in a later post.   As it is, today's post is getting too long if I am to take into account what some of you indicated in the "Blogger Respect" post comments.  Likewise, I will examine in a later post the subject of viral posts--what they are and why we would want them.

Here's the Point I Was Trying to Make in my
 "Blogger Respect" Post

         For me--and I think for many of you--the act of writing a blog post includes an intrinsic desire for someone to read what we have labored to produce on our little sites.  We read each others blog bits and say nice things and hope that they in turn will come see our site and say nice things in return.  It's all nice with feelings of love and friendship and, yes, respect within the community in which we blog.   There's nothing wrong with that and I thought I clearly indicated that in my "Blogger Respect" piece.  I cast no condemnation or disdain for the concept of blogger community.

        The respect question that I was asking had more to do with how those outside the community look at your or my blogging activity.   Are we respected as bloggers beyond our own limited community?

         When I first started my blog I was so proud and excited to be a blogger.   I told my friends and family about my new blog.  I put up my blog link on Facebook.  I even printed up business cards with my blog address so I could give them to the people I would engage in conversation about my blog.  I was excited, but I was about the only one.  People I'd talk to about my blog would politely listen and then change the topic a soon as they could.  No one cared.  Business cards probably ended up in trash cans.  I wasn't getting any respect for being a blogger.

         Even after I'd become fairly established as a blogger and known in the community of bloggers with whom I interacted, I didn't get any real respect for my blogging from most people outside that community.  In the writers group I attend they gave me the floor to talk about blogging and then moved on without much of a word more.  Blogging is apparently not real writing to most of them.

          "Blogger" is almost like a joke in some circles.   Other than a few high profile bloggers, the press looks at us with disdain much of the time.  Even President Obama referred to "bloggers" in an almost derogatory fashion in a speech on Thursday October 17, 2013.  Most of us are just wannabe journalistic types, people yakking about some niche they're absorbed with, or small time authors trying to get their books noticed--not what I think but I'm speculating that this is along the lines of what a good many people probably think when they hear the term "blogger".

       LET ME REITERATE!!   THAT LAST THOUGHT IS NOT THE WAY I SEE IT.  I am one of you (those of you who blog for whatever reason)!   I am a blogger and I'm proud of what I do and I respect what you do.   I am glad to be a part of such a special community of humans.  But I want blogging to be more respected than it is.   The world doesn't have to read our blogs, but it would be nice if they considered blogging to be just as viable a means of communication as other forms of journalism and writing.

      I hope this clarifies my position on what I consider respect as a blogger.   Perhaps I did not express myself well enough on Monday.  Or perhaps some were not reading closely enough or misconstrued what I had said.  Or maybe I was misinterpreting the signals I was receiving in the response to what I had said.  Maybe one of you who is more precisely analytical than I (Andrew Leon or Jagoda for example) can tell me what happened.

       I want respect as a blogger just as I think you would like to be respected for the life accomplishments of which you are proud.  But there is more to this than what I've touched upon in this post.  Upcoming posts will explore the concepts of the viral blog post and community.  And I will also take the issue of respect to the next level as I have been promising.  I hope you stay with me and continue to provide me information that can be helpful to all of us.

      And to think that my post about respect was just a tossed out lead-in to my Battle of the Bands post on Tuesday!  You can still visit that post and cast your vote if you'd like.  And you can see what song inspired my "Blogger Respect" post.   Thanks to all of you who do that.

        Did I clarify what I mean by respect as a blogger?   Do you think that a lot of non-bloggers just don't get what blogging is about?    From a professional standpoint, do you see blogging as something that is worthwhile or mostly a matter of being a part of a community in a hobby-like fashion?
     

         
**FREE PROMOTION**

This weekend only you can get a free download of FAR OUT: The Hiidden Truth by Elbert Derryberry.  The "sales" number went way up on Wednesday when I first announced the giveaway.  Give this one a chance.   Read my review at Amazon to get my take on this e-book.

 A search for the Hidden Truth! A Futuristic Science Fiction adventure with a Christian slant. The hero travels through both space and time, to challenge the reader to question conventional wisdom and to look for the Hidden Truth.

I know the author through the Writers Workshop West, the writing group of which I am a member.  This is Mr. Derryberry's first book.   I encourage you to download the book and give it a read.  It's short so it will be a small investment of your time.  And while it's free the monetary investment is nothing for you.   If you read the book, please don't forget to review it on Amazon.   Support this new author!

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Hear Me Roar! --Nancy S. Thompson Guest Post

             Some of the most visited posts on my blog and some of your blogs have been those dealing with blogging.  Can you imagine that!   We love blogging so much that we even love to read about it.  Today we get some more thoughts about blogging from Nancy S. Thompson.   Nancy recently released her book The Mistaken which has been getting very favorable reviews.   You can visit Nancy at her own blog. 


Hear Me Roar!

Thanks for having me back, Arlee.  While trying to come up with a topic we’re all interested in, I was made to consider what we all have in common.  Many of us are writers.  And we blog.  We do this for many reasons, but we all probably started for the same one, because, as writers seeking publication, we were told we needed to build a platform.

But what’s the point of that platform?  Is it simply a means to have your voice heard and hopefully get noticed?  Well, sure, that’s part of it, of course—a large part, no doubt.  But more than that, blogging is about sharing information.  Yeah, we can all Google just about anything imaginable and come up with some article or website, but blogging is more about sharing our personal experiences.  It’s really just an online diary, but one meant for public consumption.

We all use various forms of social networking—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, whatever—and they’re each good for their own brand of information.  But blogs are better suited to our purpose of making our voices heard in that it puts more than just a face to who we are as writers and, more importantly, as human beings.  It gives us heart, creates a fabric woven with threads of our accomplishments and failures, our dreams and expectations, our needs and losses, and, more than anything, our desire to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, something that needs us just as much as we need it.  A community. 

Facebook, Twitter, and all the rest, they just give our audience a tiny glimpse of who we are, single frames in a two-hour movie.  Our blogs are more of a bridge that leads to the very essence of who we are and what we value most.  It’s a place to employ creativity, exhibit perseverance, and build trust through consistent, honest content that both educates and entertains.

While relevance is always important, I think, as far as our blogs are concerned, it’s less about cosmic relevance and more about how we’re relevant to each other, one on one.  I read other blogs to learn what worked for that writer, where he got hung up on his journey, how she found the best way to write a query, if traditional publishing is the only legitimate path, and all sorts of other things.  Yet for each person, the answer is completely unique, and I am made to consider how their choice might, or might not, work for me.

Through it all, blogging has led me to—and made me a part of—a community like no other.  Though wholly virtual, the relationships are authentic and absolute, and that is the very heart of blogging, to be able to touch and affect those you cannot see, yet still hold in the highest regard.   

        How has community been valuable to you from a blogging standpoint?   Why do you blog?    What unexpected rewards have you received from blogging?    Do you feel that you have built that all important "platform" that is recommended for writers or those in a specialized field?




Praise for The Mistaken:

“A deliciously slow burn that builds to a ferocious crescendo, Nancy S. Thompson's THE MISTAKEN kept me riveted until the very last page. Tyler Karras is a complex and flawed protagonist, and his redemptive journey makes him the perfect anti-hero. This psychological suspense is a standout, and I can't wait for Thompson's next book.”

~ Jennifer Hillier, author of  CREEP and FREAK

“Nancy S. Thompson's debut novel, The Mistaken, is a first-rate thriller full of hair-raising twists and turns.  Pursued by the police and the Russian mafia in San Francisco, brothers Tyler and Nick Karras are fascinating, fully-drawn, desperate characters.  The action is non-stop.  Thompson's taut, intriguing tale of revenge, mistaken identity, kidnapping and murder will keep you enthralled and entertained.” 

~Kevin O’Brien, New York Times Bestselling Author of DISTURBED and TERRIFIED

“Fast-paced and emotionally gripping - once the ride begins, you won't stop reading until it ends."  ~Alex J. Cavanaugh, author of CASSAFIRE and CASSASTAR

http://nancysthompson.blogspot.com/

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