The A to Z Challenge is Coming and the Big Reveal

The A to Z Challenge is blogging the letters of the alphabet six days a week in the month of April. It’s a great way to meet new bloggers. Here’s how it works and some tips.

Start with A on April 1st
Then B on April 2nd
And so on

We post Monday thru Saturday. Sundays are a no-blog/letter day.

You can go freestyle or pick a theme, but the topic of your post must reflect the letter of the day.

Visit 5 blogs a day (or more) starting with the blog after yours on the list.

Short posts are essential!

Turn off word verification. (Or you won’t receive many comments.)

All of the co-hosts have helpers this year and we will be monitoring the list for non-participants.

Be sure to grab the badge above and link to the A to Z Blog

Your hosts:
Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out, Damyanti Biswas at Amlokiblogs, Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh, Tina Downey at Life is Good, DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude 2.0, Jeremy Hawkins at Retro-Zombie, Shannon Lawrence at The Warrior Muse, Matthew MacNish at The QQQE, Konstanz Silverbow at No Thought 2 Small, Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs, Livia Peterson at Leave it to Livia, L. Diane Wolfe at Spunk on a Stick’s Tips, and Nicole at The Madlab Post.

For more information on the A to Z Challenge, visit the blog. If you haven’t signed up, click HERE to do so.

Today is also The Big Reveal, hosted by Mina Lobo.

In staying with the theme of my blog, and since my book How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now came out last month, publishing and promoting tips for writers and authors will be my theme. I’ll also feature a daily photo from my collection (I’m a professional photographer by trade) that coincides with the letter.

Are you participating in the A to Z Challenge and what’s your theme?

The Tope Ten Movie Countdown Blogfest

Hosted by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh. Join the fun and post your ten favorite movies.

LEGEND

I remember seeing previews for the movie, and a music video of “Is Your Love Strong Enough,” and experiencing chills. Surely, the movie isn’t as dreamy and gorgeous as the preview and video? To my utter delight, this fantasy epic fulfilled my expectations! No, it’s not a perfect film. And the director’s cut didn’t make it better, as some scenes were missing and the haunting Tangerine Dream soundtrack removed. However, this has remained one of my most favorite movies for almost thirty years. And yes, I cry every time when they find the dead male unicorn.

THE TERMINATOR

This movie not only blew me away back in 1984, it sparked a fascination and admiration for James Cameron’s directorial style. Like all of Cameron’s films, at its heart, The Terminator is a love story. Separated by time and brought together for barely one day, Kyle and Sarah’s love and struggle to survive stirs the soul. I enjoyed the following two sequels (and pretend the fourth never happened) but the first movie remains my favorite to this day.

THE CROW

I recall that fateful day star Brandon Lee (son of Bruce Lee) was accidentally killed on the set. It seemed doubtful it would ever come together, but the crew finished the movie without Brandon, and in the spring of 1994, released an incredibly sorrowful tale. Based on a graphic novel of the same name, which was also inspired by true life tragic events, The Crow gains its power from Brandon and the performance of a lifetime. Perhaps knowing this was his final film - that his death, on top of the death of the original creator’s fiancé, was ingrained into the movie - made it all the more powerful. The Crow is a moving tale of love and revenge.

HEAVY METAL

Yes, the 1981 animated film. It’s my guilty pleasure movie! I saw it eleven times in the theatre, owned a bootleg tape, and now own it on DVD and Laserdisc. I loved the soundtrack. (I have three copies of that!) While the animation was an odd blend of good to sub-par (due in part to eight different studios working on segments of the film) the visuals and music really stuck with me. Ultimately, my love of this movie has to do with the final segment - Taarna. The story of Taarna, a warrior willing to sacrifice herself to vanquish evil, really struck a chord in my heart. I also own the making of the movie book, the t-shirt, two official movie posters, and my D&D character was called Taarna.

LORD OF THE RINGS

Since it is ultimately one long movie, I’m listing the trilogy as one pick. These films were so majestic, so well-done, so true to the spirit of the books, it’s incredible. (And even better, they skipped all those boring pages of description!) No need to describe them, as everyone has seen LOTR, but it’s the ultimate fantasy story. Fellowship is probably my favorite of the three, and my favorite character is Pippin. I mean, who wouldn’t want to hang out with Pippin and cause trouble all day?

THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROVE

This is my favorite Disney animated film! One of the last cell animated movies ever made by the studio, this film takes full advantage of its humorous cast. Almost every line is a laugh riot! I quote it all the time - “Uh-huh! Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh!,” “You threw off my groove!,” and “I win!” Love the character of Kronk! Sting’s song at the end is great, too.

THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL

I’ve been a Muppet fan since Kermit first sang “It’s not easy being green.” Loved the TV show, loved all the movies… This one hits a special note! Made in honor of the late Jim Henson by his son, Brian, the Muppets tell the tale better than any. We watch it every Christmas Eve, reveling in the music, laughing at the humor, and yes, crying at least twice during the course of the movie. The perfect Muppet film!

OVER THE HEDGE

I never read the comic strip, but I adored the movie. RJ’s tricks to entice the other animals to forage in the human’s domain result in some priceless adventures. Hammy the squirrel is easily my favorite - probably because I’m just about as hyperactive. (Although I’ve tried energy drinks and they do not make me so fast the world stops - darn!) Great cast, too.

MADGASCAR III

I loved the first one, thought it dipped for the second, but the third one was the best! A circus was the perfect setting for the cast of characters, and introduced several new ones. The sea lion was adorable and had such a genuine heart. The big performance just popped off the screen in 3D. I wish there really was a circus act like that! Keep making them, I’ll keep watching them.

BORN FREE

This movie came out the year I was born and as a child, I watched it every time it came on TV. I also owned the movie on record, so I listened to it repeatedly. (This movie was a big influence on my love for animals, especially cats.) This is the true story of Elsa, a lion raised by George and Joy Adamson, and then trained to return to the wild. The movie will tug at your heartstrings, and while it has a happy ending, I watch it knowing what happens to Elsa just a few months later. Needless to say, I spend half the movie crying. My husband says I’m not allowed to watch it anymore…

Developing Contacts for Book Promotion, Passing Time, and Blog Blitz

I visited Jessica Bell’s blog this week with a detailed checklist of contacts you need before beginning book promotions. Even if your book is already out, the list will give you some fresh ideas.

Passing Time: Nine Short Tales of the Strange and Macabre By Ellie Garratt 

Nine dark fiction stories that may just give you nightmares.

A man lives to regret Passing Time. A father will do anything to save his son in Expiration Date. An author finds out her worst nightmare is back in The Devil’s Song. A woman gets more than the claim fee when she takes out vampire insurance in Luna Black.

In Dining in Hell, the Death Valley Diner becomes the wrong place to stop.

A serial killer wants to add another file to his collection in The Vegas Screamer. In Eating Mr. Bone, an undertaker could meet an unfortunate end. A con man meets his first ghost in Land of the Free. And will truth finally be set free in The Letter?

Book Links:
Amazon
Amazon UK
Goodreads

About The Author:

A life-long addiction to reading science fiction and horror, meant writing was the logical outlet for Ellie Garratt’s passions. She is a reader, writer, blogger, Trekkie, and would happily die to be an extra in The Walking Dead. Her short stories have been published in anthologies and online. Passing Time is her first eBook collection and contains nine previously published stories. Her science fiction collection Taking Time will be published later in the year.

Author Links:
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Amazon

D.L. Hammons came up with a wonderful idea:

"Everyone knows I like to try new and different things, so today I present to you the BLOG BLITZ. Here’s how I see it working. Sign up on the linky list below, making sure to record your email address, and you’ll instantly become a member of the Blog Blitz Team. Then from time to time, I will select a deserving blog (that must be part of the Blitz Team) and a specific date. I will then email the team members that information and on that date we all will go out of our way to visit that blog and leave an encouraging comment on their most recent post. I'm talking about hopefully a 100+ comments appearing out of the blue in one day!

"At first I'll pick who gets blitzed, but then I'll start taking recommendations from other members for deserving targets. My only restriction about who joins the Blog Blitz Team is that your blog cannot be primarily for commercial gain."

The Multi-Genre Author with Susan Whitfield

Now that I’m a multi-genre author, I thought I’d explain how I became one. When I started writing seriously back in 2004 I knew I wanted to write a mystery because, after all, that’s what I enjoy reading most. So I wrote Genesis Beach, which began as a short story and turned into a novella because I didn’t have enough room to tell my story. Eventually the book became a novel, by the sheer numbers under consideration by a publisher. In it I introduced Logan Hunter, an intern for the SBI, (NC’s equivalent to the FBI).

When I fell into that dark area called “writer’s block”, I whipped out fresh clean paper and started writing another book about Logan Hunter, set in another area of North Carolina. This time she was a full-fledged SBI agent and I challenged us both by having her track down a serial killer in western North Carolina. Just North of Luck remains my most graphically violent novel.

I added Hell Swamp and Sin Creek to the mix, giving Logan plenty of heinous crimes to investigate. Along the way I added some awkward romance and showcased different parts of North Carolina in each book. Now that I’m writing the fifth book in the series, I’ve aged her and certainly she has matured into an experienced agent not to be underestimated.

But after the fourth mystery, I wanted a diversion, so I wrote a women’s fiction, Slightly Cracked, the plot of which I’d be carrying around in my head for some time. It’s about life-long friendship with plenty of hilarious antics to be sure.

I also authored a unique cookbook featuring recipes from mystery writers across the country who graciously shared family recipes with me in exchange for promotion under each one.

So now I’m “multi-genre”. It just happened. I don’t have the space here to expound on my journey, but I can truthfully say that I’ve enjoyed the ride. I hope to write another women’s fiction soon and I’m already doing research for an historical mystery. Maybe I bore easily but I suspect that there’s more to it than that. I’m having the time of my life learning new writings skills and techniques and experimenting with new characters and even new genres.

It’s kind of what makes me tick. Is multi-genre for everyone? Probably not, but I’m enjoying myself and discovering that I can not only make readers squirm with discomfort but also make them giggle. Now that’s priceless!

Find Susan Whitfield here:
Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter