A to Z 2015 Blogging Challenge Theme Reveal

Announcing My Theme -- 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge:

For a list of other participants in the A to Z Theme Reveal 2015, click on the link to the left.

Resources for Crime Fiction Writers +

A Mystery for Readers to Solve ... follow the clues

It is not too late to sign up for this year's A to Z Challenge.
You still have about ten days. When I last checked, there were about twelve hundred participants. If you've participated before then you already know how much fun and how rewarding this challenge is. If you have never participated or if you are knew to blogging, this is the jumpstart you've been waiting for. There will never be another opportunity like this. You will meet life long friends and blogger buddies and numerous people who are always willing to share advice. If you are like me and have been on a blogging hiatus, this is the perfect time to reconnect with old friends and make many new friends.

Yes, this is challenging, but the feeling you get upon completion is too hard for me to explain. It is a feeling of accomplishment, yes, but so much more. If you are on the fence or undecided, I highly recommend that you give it a shot. You won't regret it. I'm sure you already know this, but I would be remiss for not mentioning the creator of this amazing and fulfilling challenge, Arlee Bird, over at Tossing it Out. He began the challenge in 2010, with about 100 participants and in only one year, the numbers jumped to well over 1000 participants for 2011. You can read Arlee's story about the challenge and how it started: What is the A to Z Challenge

Now it is Time For the Big Reveal:

For anyone who has ever visited my blog, I am sure it will come as no surprise that I am once again going with a Crime Fiction Theme.

It's what I read. It's what I write. And, for most of my adult life, it is what I have done for my day job.

Yup! That's my theme again!

Resources, Tips, & Stories for Crime Fiction Authors (and readers)!

It won't be exactly like my theme from 2013, I promise. I missed 2014 and regretted it. I'm adding some variety & spice.

I will cover topics related to all aspects of criminal cases, including, but not limited to:

• Crime Scenes
• Autopsies
• Police Interrogations
• Police Procedurals
• Mysteries
• Motives
• Murder    
  
• Alibis
• Legal Process
• From Crime to Courtroom
• Courtroom Procedure
• Hearsay & other Evidentiary Terms
• Indictments -- Jury Trials, Jury selection, Jury Verdicts, Sentencing & Appeals
• Death Penalty
• Weapons -- ammo
  

There are two (2)  things that I intend to do differently (or two (2)  areas of interest I intend to add to my posts)

Not all Posts -- just the posts that pertain to this topic

1. I will touch on areas that I have noticed (or I have noticed that other readers have noticed) -- legal and criminal topics that some writers get wrong. I've read a plethora of blog posts about writers making mistakes when it comes to handguns and ammo. I am certainly not a firearms or ballistics expert, but I will share some of what I've learned on this topic and a few other topics that writers commonly get wrong.
2. I intend to use real life - true cases and fictional cases (from popular novels, film and television) to enhance some of my topics.
3. I won't be doing this for all topics. Research is extremely involved and for the sake of keeping my blog posts short and concise, I intend to write short articles, with the exception of four or five, which will be more detailed.

Bonus: Mystery Game & Chance to Win Prizes.

  Each blog post will contain a clue. The clue should be rather obvious and all you need to do is mention the clue in your comment.

Each clue will also play a bigger role, it will help solve a mystery. By the time you reach letter Z, you will have all the clues needed to solve the mystery.

I will announce my prizes on Tuesday, 3/31/15 and again at the beginning of the blog challenge and each day thereafter.

In order to win the big prize, you will have to solve the mystery and you also have to leave comments for at least 10 separate A to Z blog post. They do not have to be consecutive comments, but that will help you solve the big mystery.

Example: You solve the big mystery, but the only other clue you discovered was from day two (letter B) - you don't qualify to win the grand prize.

You solve the mystery and you left comments (including that day's clue) for Letters A, B, C, J, L, P, T, W, X, Z - Woo Hoo! You win the grand prize, because you also left comments (mentioning the daily clue) in a minimum of 10 blog post comments.

However: You and two others solve the mystery: I only have one (1) grand prize. So the three of you will each have your names entered one time into a drawing. Each have an equal chance of winning. One of you will receive the grand prize and the other two will receive runner up prizes (Runner up Prizes will not be less than $100 cash or equivalent.

Each week, I will pick a random person from the comment section. If you have left comments for all seven post that week you will receive seven entries. If you left three comments that week, your name will be entered (3) three times. Weekly winners will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card or an Amazon book of your choice.
I haven't selected the grand prize yet? In the past, I've given a Kindle Fire and an iPad mini as grand prizes.

I am open to suggestions for the grand prize -- for one lucky winner who solves the mystery. If several people solve the mystery, I am afraid I can only give out one grand prize. If several of you solve the grand prize (it won't be that simple. ha ha ha) -- then I will have to hold a raffle to choose the winner and the other contestants will all receive runner up prizes. Those prizes are to be announced -- depending on how many winners we have.

I hope you will play along and try and solve the mystery.

I look forward to reading your blogs next month.

Countdown to the A to Z Blogging Challenge 2015

A - to - Z Blogging Challenge (2015)

Less Than Two Weeks Until the Fun & Madness Begins

Are you participating this year? I love the sunflower image and it is a wonderful way to honor and remember Tina.

It's been a long time since I blogged consistently and there's no better time to re-commit myself to blogging than the annual A to Z Blogging Challenge.

My mom broke her hip in late December and I dropped everything and flew to Florida, to be with her. It's been a long and scary road, but she has turned the corner and will make a full recovery. After three operations in three different states, she is finally back in Louisiana, and learning to walk again. It was touch and go while she was critical. We traveled by air ambulance to three states, and she finally received her full hip replacement at Baylor, in Dallas, Texas. If not for the guru - state - of - the -art, hip builder, Dr. Molloboshy, she would have died. I can't post photos of her in the hospital. That wouldn't be kind, but I can give you a view of our air ambulance travel.

The air ambulance didn't have much room, so I got to be the co-pilot, which wasn't too bad after I got over my terror.

Our pilot was only 22. He was great, but his age scared me at first.

My mom is okay with this photo. It wasn't until the following day, 1/14/15, when they had to remove the rod because it was slicing into her pelvis and she developed an infection, that she started her rapid decline.

I learned a lot over the past few month. Things I already knew, but tragedy sends jolting reminders. I hate that it took a crisis for me to remember that we must always put family first. Never, ever take one day for granted. We don't know if we will be here tomorrow. If we are here, we don't know who will be here with us.

So, I didn't get much writing, revising, editing, blogging or much of anything else done, but I did learn to appreciate the smaller things in life. Now, I grab every precious, special moment of life and hold on to it with every bit of strength I have.

I'm looking forward to this year's A to Z challenge. I am eager to reconnect with so many of you and hope I make many new blogger/writer friends.

I'm still undecided on my exact theme, but it will most definitely fall into the the realm of Crime Fiction and/or legal/courtroom/police procedural resources for crime fiction authors. Hopefully, I can make it interesting enough that non writers or non crime fiction writers will stop by.

Once again, a great big thank you to Arlee Bird , the brainchild - creator of this amazing blog challenge. I also want to thank all of the fabulously cool, co-hosts of this year's event, beginning with the always helpful one -of -a - kind, Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.

The other co-hosts, who have graciously given their time so that we can participate in this unique and fulfilling challenge are:

Jeremy @ Hollywood Nuts

Nicole Ayers@ The Madlab Post

Author Stephen Tremp

Heather M. Gardner

A.J. Lauer

Pam an Unconventional Librarian

Matthew MacNish @ The QQQE

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

Zalka Csenge Vivag @ The Multicolored Diary

Want more info: Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge & Twitter id is @AprilA2Z

So, are you ready to roll? I skipped last year, which has only intensified my desire to participate this year. Last April, I felt like something was missing from my life ... duh!

I am working on my blog. I am going for a whole new design theme, upgrade etc. I will clean it up for the challenge, but have decided to hold off until May, for any major changes. I was about to add my domain name tonight, but luckily I caught myself before doing it. That would have been a nightmare.

I'm still on the fence about whether or not I should finally switch over to Wordpress. I know all of the benefits, but it all seems so foreign to me. Anyone out there care to share their story of changing from Blogspot to Wordpress? Are you so happy with your new and improved blog that you don't know what to do? Any horror stories or stories of losing all your content? What am I saying? That is a horror story.

If you haven't already signed up, don't miss out. Sign up now. A to Z Blogging Challenge Signup List 2015

See you (more) in April.