#AtoZChallenge Reflection Post - plus other news...Another #AtoZ Challenge, Andy David, Glynis Smy

Hi my friends!

Monday, May 7, we have been asked to write a post reflecting on the A-Z Challenge.

I thoroughly enjoyed posting my BLOGGERS WERE CHILDREN TOO! posts during the challenge, getting to know my blogger friends better, and showcasing blogs to my readers/visitors. Overall, my commenters were generous in their praise for the theme and judging from the frequent returns I believe they meant it. So, thanks for visiting me during the challenge. I hope I returned all visits. During the madness of April it is too easy to miss someone.

My complaint is that I didn't get the time to visit as many new people as I'd hoped. As the links will be up for awhile, I hope to still visit more entries to the challenge. I didn't go out to get a heap of new followers, and I didn't. I visited/commented on far too many blogs. Some were good, some were nonsense just written to get something on the page and that happens, but some were blatantly self-promotional material.

But can we as writers really afford to tap out that many words in comments that really don't mean a lot? I'm jealous of my writing friends who took the month off to work on their WIPs or just to enjoy a blogging break. This might be the way to go next April, I'm thinking, unless someone can give me a good argument otherwise.

Now, life goes on after and even during, the challenge, so...moving on.

NEWSFLASH NO 1: RomanticFridayWriters' next challenge (on May 18) is to re-post your favourite A-Z post in April. It's called APPRECIATING THE ZEALOTRY. Maybe a post you'd like more people to see, maybe a post that you think is great enough to expose to a larger audience, maybe a post you're especially proud of. The brainchild of Donna Hole, this is an easy challenge for those exhaused A-Zers, or those not participating in the challenge who wrote posts which had few comments due to the April challenge taking up most people's time. RFW will post a linky on their blog on Thursday May 17 so you can link your post. http://romanticfridaywriters.blogspot.com

NEWSFLASH NO 2: My dear poetic friend, Andy David, ex-Trinidad, now the US, is hosting a BLOG HOP the first Saturday of each month. All you have to do is link up your blog, OR a favourite blog OR a favourite post. The idea is like a continuation of the challenge, except you don't have to write anything specific, just post your link and during the month, visit some/all bloggers. If you want to extend your network, gain more followers, this is for you. Click on BLOG HOP above to sign up. 

NEWSFLASH NO 3: Last, but not least, today writer/poet, Glynis Smy adds author/novelist to her name. Her debut novel; Ripper, My Love, is launched in ebook format and paperback. The genre for this love story falls into the one of Historical Romance Suspense.

Growing up in late nineteenth century East London,
Kitty Harper’s life is filled with danger and death – from her mother, her
beloved neighbour and the working women
of the streets.

With her ever-watchful father and living surrogate
family though, Kitty feels protected from harm. In fact, she feels so safe that
while Whitechapel cowers under the cloud of a fearsome murderer, she strikes
out on her own, moving into new premises to accommodate her sewing business.

But danger is closer than she thinks. In truth, it
has burrowed itself right into her heart in the form of a handsome yet troubled
bachelor, threatening everything she holds dear. Will Kitty fall prey to lust –
and death – herself, or can she find the strength inside to fight for her
business, sanity and her future? And who is the man terrifying the streets of
East London?

Who is Glynis Smy?

Glynis was born and raised in England, in the coastal town of Dovercourt, near the port of Harwich (where the captain of the Mayflower lived). After qualifying as a nurse, she married her school friend, and they produced three children. During her rare quiet moments, she wrote poetry and articles for magazines. In 2005 she and her husband emigrated to Cyprus for a new life in the sun. It was here that Glynis lay down her cross stitch and started making writing friends on the Internet. With their support and encouragement she shared her poetry, and was successful in a few contests. She shared a short story with a friend, who wrote back telling her it was worthy of becoming a novel, and not to waste the premise upon a brief plot. The story is the one being launched today. Glynis found her love of writing 19th Century, historical romances and her second novel, Maggie's Child, will be published at the end of 2012.

Aside from writing and Cross stitch, Glynis enjoys creating greetings cards, and sells them to raise funds for a small hospice in Cyprus. One of her pleasures is to sit on the back porch with a glass of wine, and reflect upon her good life. She can often be heard chatting to new characters urging her forward.

Her desire to pay back those who had supported her is realised in a blog designed specifically to promote the books of others: New Book Bloggerhttp://newbookblogger.blogspot.com/. You can find her personal writing blog at http://www.glynissmy.com/. Glynis finds the community spirit of writers on Facebook a valuable one.

Want to purchase a copy?  Launch day price for the Kindle is 99c/77p!

Amazon Kindle 

Amazon.com Paperback  

Amazon.co.UK Paperback & Kindle UK

The Book Depository UK (free delivery worldwide)

The Book Depository. Com

Barnes & Noble

I hope you enjoyed my post.

• Did you participate in the A-Z Challenge?
• If not, did you reach your writing goals you'd set for yourself, or any other goals for April?
• What are your goals for May?