#AtoZChallenge – Page 3 – Fiction Can Be Fun

An A-Z Journey through the Challenge: G

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.

Today’s letter is G …

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 just the one:

The Great Raven is a book reviewing and science fiction blog from one of the great friends we’ve made through the A-Z Challenge – Sue Bursztynski. As well as being a good friend to Fiction Can Be Fun, Sue is a writer, educator, librarian and book reviewer based in Melbourne, and has taken part in the A-Z Challenge for many a year. This year, Sue’s subject is characters from Arthurian legends in fiction. Sue’s knowledge of literature is positively encyclopedic and my TBR pile grows each year at the excellent quality of her suggestions.

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

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

An A-Z Journey through the Challenge: F

…. today’s letter – F.

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:

Fascinating Quest. Nimi Arora’s theme for the challenge this year is inspired by time spent visiting an ICU ward a few years ago. Each day, a fascinating insight is given to the life of the ward and it’s visitors – I’ll leave it to you to discover how the daily letter criteria is filled. The main character in all of this is the ward itself and the series is an excellent example of presenting a location in this way.

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

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

An A-Z Journey through the Challenge: E

Hopefully all the Challenge bloggers have enjoyed their Sunday off and are raring to go for another week’s blogging. We kick the new week off with today’s letter – E.

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

QP and Eye QP and Eye tells the tale of the second phase of Myself & Himself’s journey around Australia. Linda & Basil started their Australian travels in 2018, before settling down. The rampant bush fires and floods experienced in their home base set them off on their travels again. Towed by a truck, their home for the journey is a caravan dubbed Coddiwomple – the meaning of which is “to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination”. I suspect we could all do with some virtual travelling right about now.

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

The letter A
The letter B
The letter C
The letter D

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

An A-Z Journey through the Challenge: D

…. today’s letter – D.

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, was surprisingly difficult – there were a couple of D’s that were interesting but not what I wanted to highlight, and there are a couple of D’s that have already tapped out, or are hoping to catch up over the weekend. Not Sure. Anyway, I’d like to add the following to our roll call:

DJRanch is yet another blog that is completely new to me – and that is one of the great things about both the A2Z challenge and our focus on it here at FCBF: the opportunity to make new friends. Donna is linking several challenges together this month, and is offering her top-class photography, together with a piece of poetry inspired by the photo and the daily letter-prompt.

D wouldn’t be complete without a shoutout to the indefatigable J Lenni Dorner, one of the cornerstones of the challenge. This isn’t just a nod to someone who works hard to make sure that everyone who does the challenge has a good experience though. J has set herself the task of improving her author brand this month, with 26 posts linked by the things that are important to her as a writer: there’s going to be advice on writing, a serialised story, and her thoughts on her heritage, and how others can include this without following the too well trodden path of cultural appropriation. Well worth taking a look at what she has to say.

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

The letter A
The letter B
The letter C

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

An A-Z Journey through the Challenge: C

April’s got off to a sunny start – will today’s letter C signify the start of colder weather?

Having browsed the Master List of Participants, I can see that April is going to be full of blogging riches for readers. For today, I’d like to add:

Curious Daydreams, the personal blog of speculative fiction author Anstice Brown where she shares her passion for reading, creative writing & artwork. For the Challenge, Anstice is posting a range of ideas and tips designed to keep families entertained during the current stay-at-home regulations. I was particularly taken by the Positivity Board unveiled in A – an idea I will certainly be using for my home office.

The Curry Apple Orchard, retired teacher Linda May Curry heard her parents & grandparents tell family stories during her childhood. Wanting to ensure these stories were available to future generations, she’s used the structure of past Challenges to pull them together. This year though, she is writing fiction, largely inspired by and based upon the tales she’s heard of her free-spirited maternal grandmother.

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

The letter A
The letter B

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

An A-Z Journey through the Challenge: B

April has begun, and the runners and riders are off! Today is B – B for Blog!

Debs got us started yesterday with two blogs that were new to both of us, both of which I’m looking forward to looking at in more detail. For today, I’ve got:

Black and White: Words and Pictures by Anne Nydam, which has the added advantage (from the perspective of connections to B) of being on the Blogger platform. Anne is looking at nursery rhymes, and illustrating her posts with block prints of pictures associated with the rhymes. Some of these come from venerable books of nursery rhymes, and some are her own charming productions which come from her own book. I haven’t quite worked out why, but Anne is slightly ahead of the rest of the pack already. As of writing, today’s post isn’t up yet, but yesterday’s ‘G’ was excellent, and I enjoyed looking over the rest of the series.

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

An A-Z Journey through the Challenge

Today being April 1st, we start our journey with the letter A.

I’m kicking off with two new (to me) blogs …

Into Another World is the blog of reader, parent and fantasy author Susan Leigh Noble, who’s selected the theme of Comic Strips for her Challenge. Susan’s A is for Archie – a comic strip about American teens I remember with great affection and pleasure from my childhood. Despite being English, I grew up overseas where I read American rather than British comics – I believe I’m going to enjoy this nostalgic journey.

The A-Zs of Worldbuilding from fantasy author Rebekah Loper couldn’t be more different. Rebekah is proof that many an A-Z blogger goes on to successfully publish from the work produced during an A-Z Challenge. There have been two previous A-Zs of Worldbuilding and this year’s posts will lead to a third edition. Rebekah’s A is for Afterlife and the whole series will examine how the religious beliefs you’ve established for your characters can influence your choice of customs and rituals.

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