#AtoZChallenge – Page 2 – Fiction Can Be Fun

An A-Z Journey through the Challenge: Q

As we may have mentioned once or twice ;), we’re both great fans of April’s A-Z Blogging Challenge. Set up by Arlee Bird back in 2009, it’s grown like topsy since that time. As neither David nor I are able to participate again this year, we decided instead to highlight one (or more) blogs each day, to encourage you to visit, to make new friends, and to find some entertainment during the current crazy world we’re in.

Some of these highlights will be old friends we’ve made during previous challenges, but some will be new. We don’t plan to stick to any theme other than maintaining a (possibly tenuous) connection to the letter of the day.

So, we kick of the start of a third week with today’s letter – Q

A reminder that you can find participants via the Master List, but in order not to miss any of April’s blogging riches, you may also seek participants via the hashtags #AtoZChallenge and #A2ZChallenge on Twitter.

For today, I’d like to add:

The Quiet Writer is the blog of author Rachel Walkley where she wisely states “this blog is for me, as all blogs should be”. Rachel is another A-Z veteran, with 2020 being her sixth year of participating in the Challenge. Her interest in history led to previous themes of stately homes of the wealthy, the enduring gardens of Britain, and the Medieval structures of cathedrals and castles. This year she’s providing wonderfully detailed tales of buildings associated with entertainment – which will undoubtedly form a tremendously useful archive of research material for fellow authors.

If you’re catching up, here’s our previous highlights …

The letter A
The letter B
The letter C
The letter D
The letter E
The letter F
The letter G
The letter H
The letter I
The letter J
The letter K
The letter L
The letter M
The letter N
The letter O
The letter P

Let us know of other blogs connected to the letter Q which we should read.

An A-Z Journey through the Challenge: P

On to today’s letter – P

You can find participants via the Master List, but in order not to miss any of April’s blogging riches, you may also seek participants via the hashtags #AtoZChallenge and #A2ZChallenge on Twitter.

Today’s shout out has to be for the awesome-sauce James Pailly and his blog Planet Pailly. James is both a good friend to this blog, giving us a great short story from a prompt we posted, and giving us a #SecondThoughts piece which led to the creation of our new series ‘Now with added…’. The majority of James’ blog is given over to presenting science and sci-fi concepts in an accessible way, but he also presents some of his fiction writing too, and also his thoughts on writing as a process (as part of the Insecure Writers Support Group). His theme this year is the background to his forthcoming ‘Tomorrow News Network’ series, and specifically the first novel ‘The Medusa Effect’. There is a popular meme, ‘Take my money!’: if I only has the snippets to go on, and if James’ decides to go down a Kickstarter or Unbound route, I would definitely contribute to getting this book puplished. ‘Nuff said.

If you’re catching up, here’s our previous highlights …

The letter A
The letter B
The letter C
The letter D
The letter E
The letter F
The letter G
The letter H
The letter I
The letter J
The letter K
The letter L
The letter M
The letter N
The letter O

Let us know of other blogs connected to the letter P which we should read.

An A-Z Journey through the Challenge: O

On to today’s letter – O

You can find participants via the Master List, but in order not to miss any of April’s blogging riches, you may also seek participants via the hashtags #AtoZChallenge and #A2ZChallenge on Twitter.

For today, I’d like to add:

The Old Shelter sees Sarah Zama’s sixth year of participation in the Challenge. Sarah’s area of special interest is social history during the 1920s, and this year’s theme is Life in the Twenties. With individual posts ranging in subject from Nationalism and Minorities to Kitchen Appliances, there’ll be something for everyone. Sarah’s posts are always impeccably researched (references included) and contain some wonderfully atmospheric period photographs.

If you’re catching up, here’s our previous highlights …

The letter A
The letter B
The letter C
The letter D
The letter E
The letter F
The letter G
The letter H
The letter I
The letter J
The letter K
The letter L
The letter M
The letter N

Let us know of other blogs connected to the letter O which we should read.

An A-Z Journey through the Challenge: N

On to today’s letter – N

You can find participants via the Master List, but in order not to miss any of April’s blogging riches, you may also seek participants via the hashtags #AtoZChallenge and #A2ZChallenge on Twitter. For today, I’d like to add:

NamySaysSo, a rather wonderful collection of short poems and microfiction. Today’s is topical, and rather heart-breaking in a way, but beautiful nevertheless. I don’t normally read much poetry, but I’m looking forward to digging into the archives here.

If you’re catching up, here’s our previous highlights …

The letter A
The letter B
The letter C
The letter D
The letter E
The letter F
The letter G
The letter H
The letter I
The letter J
The letter K
The letter L
The letter M

Let us know of other blogs connected to the letter N which we should read.

An A-Z Journey through the Challenge: M

On to today’s letter – M

You can find participants via the Master List, but in order not to miss any of April’s blogging riches, you may also seek participants via the hashtags #AtoZChallenge and #A2ZChallenge on Twitter.

For today, I’d like to add:

Ronel the Mythmaker is the blog of Ronel Janse van Vuuren – award-winning author of Dark Fantasy for New Adult, Young Adult and Children. Ronel’s fiction is filled with mythology and folklore, and this year her Challenge is an A-Z of Faerie – a subject in which she is quite the expert. I first met Ronel through a past Challenge, but have come to know her better also via the marvellous Insecure Writers Support Group.

If you’re catching up, here’s our previous highlights …

The letter A
The letter B
The letter C
The letter D
The letter E
The letter F
The letter G
The letter H
The letter I
The letter J
The letter K
The letter L

Let us know of other blogs connected to the letter M which we should read.

An A-Z Journey through the Challenge: L

On to today’s letter – L

Literacious: With a theme of pairing spices and kid’s literature, what’s not to like? Each day, Laura presents a spice or herb (or occasionally a blend) and then goes on to present a recipe where you can use said spice, and links it to a children’s story. I’m looking forward to chasing up the references on both counts.

Labanan: I’ll be honest and say I’m not entirely sure how the web-name marries up with the title of the blog, or the name of the writer, but Jan Morrison’s A2Z posts on the subject of revising your #WIP are on point and well worth a read.

If you’re catching up, here’s our previous highlights …

The letter A
The letter B
The letter C
The letter D
The letter E
The letter F
The letter G
The letter H
The letter I
The letter J
The letter K

Let us know of other blogs connected to the letter L which we should read.

An A-Z Journey through the Challenge: K

So, we kick of the start of a new week with today’s letter – K

You can find participants via the Master List, but in order not to miss any of April’s blogging riches, you may also seek participants via the hashtags #AtoZChallenge and #A2ZChallenge on Twitter.

For today, I’d like to add:

Keith’s Ramblings which takes us on an A-Z journey through multiple obsolete words. Each day of the Challenge, Keith crafts short pieces of flash fiction encompassing that day’s obsolete words. Extra points to Keith for teaching us the word loganamnosist (someone with an obsession for discovering long-forgotten words) and for living a few steps from the beach on the Sussex coast (yes, I may be more than a touch envious).

If you’re catching up, here’s our previous highlights …

The letter A
The letter B
The letter C
The letter D
The letter E
The letter F
The letter G
The letter H
The letter I
The letter J

Let us know of other blogs connected to the letter K which we should read.

An A-Z Journey through the Challenge: J

Today’s letter is J

Joy Weese Moll: Joy’s theme this year is ‘what to pack on a creative journey’. Her series starts with ‘A for Advice’, and includes some of her own – “Give yourself permission to ignore other people’s advice – but extend that courtesy to others too.”

If you’re catching up, here’s our previous highlights …

The letter A
The letter B
The letter C
The letter D
The letter E
The letter F
The letter G
The letter H
The letter I

Let us know of other blogs connected to the letter J which we should read.

An A-Z Journey through the Challenge: I

Today’s letter is I

You can find participants via the Master List, but in order not to miss any of April’s blogging riches, you may also seek participants via the hashtags #AtoZChallenge and #A2ZChallenge on Twitter.

For today, I’d like to add:

I Just Have to Say has a somewhat unusual theme – Shirley Dietz shares the lessons she has learned from being a carer to her husband, who is suffering from Lewy Body Dementia, and a companion/carer to her elderly mother. Having been part of the family team of carers for my father when he suffered from two forms of dementia, this is a subject close to my heart. Shirley’s A-Z blogs posts to date cover everything from the practical to the emotional. that this is by no means a depressing read is entirely due to Shirley’s can-do nature and empathy.

If you’re catching up, here’s our previous highlights …

The letter A
The letter B
The letter C
The letter D
The letter E
The letter F
The letter G
The letter H

Let us know of other blogs connected to the letter I which we should read.

An A-Z Journey through the Challenge: H

… with today’s letter – H.

C.G. Harris: C.G. Harris is the nom de plume of two separate writers working together on some books that I am definitely going to need to have a look at very soon. The theme Harris has gone for is slightly nebulous, but full of humour. A little jaunt through writing, with a focus on sci-fi and fantasy, written with a good deal of wit. I’m looking forward to following the rest of their posts this month.

I’d also like to give a shout-out to John Holton, another stalwart of the Challenge that makes sure it all happens, and a great human being. I am in awe of someone who could make a mistake in blog scheduling so that it was ambiguous what his theme was going to be for the challenge and then just go ahead with BOTH themes.

If you’re catching up, here’s our previous highlights …

The letter A
The letter B
The letter C
The letter D
The letter E
The letter F
The letter G

Let us know of other blogs connected to the letter H which we should read.