Tag Archives: Blogging

8-Year Blogiversary + Random Search Terms Answered

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Happy 8-year blogiversary to my li’l ol’ blog!

Eight years seems so long ago and yet at the same time it feels like I’ve been blogging even longer . . . just not much recently. XD Still, 350 posts (351 now!) isn’t bad.

Anyway, I had plans to do something fun/exciting for this but haven’t really had the time, sooo this is just a quick post so it won’t go unmarked. 😛

For fun, here are some random search terms that have led to my site and some answers to them!

  • howl’s moving castle head cold — I’m proud of whoever searched this and pleased it brought you here. XD
  • forgive yourself thunderstorm — Yes, please do, thunderstorm.
  • good words for watsup — Um. Maybe how’s it going? Or, I don’t know, maybe … what’s up?
  • many happy returns tolkien — Yes indeed. But only on January 3rd.
  • dastan and tamina fanfiction — I don’t have any but I ADORE Prince of Persia, so.
  • Various searches for Marvel characters (mostly Loki or Hawkeye) and/or fanfiction, doubtless leading to random Marvel dreams I wrote down and posted here in the past, before it was cool probably. *awkward laughter*
  • Some questions about different Melanie Dickerson books and characters. O_O
  • Various searches for Ren: The Girl with the Mark and whether there will be sequels. (*SOBS* Sadly, no. T_T The original show is so good, though! Despite the cliffhanger.)
  • diana wynne jones where to start — Start with Howl’s Moving Castle! I have spoken.
  • pictures of perfectionism — Oh dear. I … I … feel called out. *nervous laugh*
  • types of mentor in fantasy movies — Well, not just in movies but definitely some mentors in this post …
  • power of three word count diana wynne jones — Now I want to know the answer to this too. Well, a random page in my copy of Power of Three has 241 words on it, and at 328 pages, that averages to 79,048 words. Give or take. Probably take, since chapter beginnings/endings have fewer words …
  • the owl of kedrans wood — Who was searching my book’s title? O_O Sorry to disappoint but it’s not published at this point. *more awkward laughter* At least I’m over half done writing the third book in the series??
  • diana wynne jones quotes — Ooh, try this post! Great DWJ quotes there.
  • amazon — … Well then. That’s awkward.
  • sherlock holmes consulting detective checklist form — I find myself fascinated by this search and how in the world it could have led here. XD

So there is your dose of humor/randomness for the day.

Happy 8th birthday, Road of a Writer. *blows out virtual candles*

And thanks, dear readers, for coming along with me so far!

Have a nice Thursday. Cheers. ❤

6 Year Blogiversary + Giveaway!

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Just a quick post today (and a giveaway!) to celebrate SIX YEARS of blogging!

*confetti*

Yes indeed, this week I’m celebrating the anniversary of starting this blog half a dozen years ago! I can’t believe it’s been that long. O_O

I want to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you who read my online scribblings! I know I’m not the most consistent blogger these days… *cough* Especially this summer, which has been crazy. (I do hang out at my book blog too sometimes and it’s hard to juggle both right now…) And I appreciate you sticking around. 🙂

Your comments and support mean the world to me and I just want to say thanks for hanging out in (or visiting!) my corner of the blogosphere!

STATS

  • 6 years
  • 320 posts including this one!
  • 631 followers (1337 including linked social accounts)
  • 7,331 comments
  • 21,082 visitors
  • 54,180 views
  • 368,000 words written in posts (that’s 7.3 NaNos. O_O)
  • and none of this includes my book blog. XD

But it’s not about the numbers, it’s about sharing ideas and journeying along with ALL OF YOU GUYS and I appreciate y’all so much!

I’ve met some of the absolute BEST people through blogging, and you people improve my life SO MUCH.

Thanks for coming on this crazy writing and bookish fantastical adventure with me so far. ❤

GIVEAWAY

To celebrate, and say thanks, I have a giveaway for you guys!

Actually, two giveaways: one US only and one international.

Firstly, I’m giving away a paperback set of the first two books in Patricia C. Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles, specifically, Dealing with Dragons and Searching with Dragons! This is a fun series and I especially adore the second one, and want to share the love!

Enter paperback giveaway HERE!

(1 winner. Open September 11 – 16, 2019. US addresses only, please.)

***

Secondly, I’m giving away FOUR (4) sets of swag! See, I have quite a few extras of bookmarks and other fun swag like a handful of stickers/postcards/business cards from various authors, from various giveaways and attending Realm Makers two years. (Mostly Realm Makers. XD) SO I thought it would be fun to share the love! Especially for anyone who really wanted to go to Realm Makers and didn’t get the chance.

Please note most of this swag is fantasy or spec-fic or writing-related.

This one is open internationally! There will be four winners for these random swag packs. (One person will recieve the set of bookmarks/swag pictured above, and the other three winners will receive different ones but a similar number.)

Enter swag giveaway HERE!

(4 winners. Open September 11 – 16, 2019. Open internationally.)

***

Those with US addresses are welcome to enter both giveaways if you like.

The winners will be chosen at random via the rafflecopter, contacted by email, and announced here on the blog on September 18! (Winners will have one week to respond and if I don’t hear back, I’ll choose a new winner.)

Have at it and enter away!

And here, have some virtual cupcakes too! *passes them out*

Y’all are AWESOME! Thanks for celebrating with me and being amazing! Love you all!

(P.S. The voting phase of the Silmaril Awards is currently underway, so you have until September 13, 11:59 pm Central to vote for your favorite fantasy characters!)

5 Year BLOGIVERSARY + Giveaway!

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Hi everyone! Guess what’s special about today? 😉 (Okay, okay, the title may have given that away. *cough*)

It’s my 5 Year Blogiversary! 😀

Yes, you heard that correctly.

On this day, half a decade ago, I posted my very first post on this blog!

It’s been a long, exciting journey, and I just started another shiny website too (as well as having a book blog I’ve been enjoying for a few years) — but this is where it all began, and it’s still the heart of my online presence as a writer, and… well… a human. 😉

So I’m celebrating with a giveaway (Hobbit-birthdays and all that sort of thing, so read on for that) and general merriment and partying.

*passes out virtual cupcakes and tosses confetti on everyone*

The Stats

  • 5 years
  • 293 posts (as of this one!)
  • 590 followers (plus social media = 1,091 followers, hence the number on the side. ;))
  • 6,700 comments
  • 16,298 visitors
  • 45,789 views

Top Commenters

Commenters are my favorite — this means you! Also, special shoutout to my top commenters of late. You guys are amazing! THANK YOU! (Everyone, check out their amazing blogs! ^_^)

My top 10 most popular posts this year

Thank You

I just want to say thank you.

Thanks to all my lovely readers, followers, and commenters! You make this blogging thing worthwhile. 🙂 It’s been such a joy taking this road with you all. Thank you for joining me in the journey. ❤

*GROUP HUG*

Blogiversary Giveaway

Okay, here’s the part you’re REALLY here for! 😉

There are 5 (ish) prizes — because 5 years — and they are (surprise, surprise!) books!

I love sharing books with people, and I also frequent library sales and collect beloved books. So I’ve decided to share a few of my favorites with y’all! ^_^

But just a second, because I’m going to tell you all about one of the awesome prizes. 😀

Stellar September

I’m extremely excited to be showcasing The Electrical Menagerie by Mollie E. Reeder today!

I won an ebook ARC copy of this book, and loved it so much that I raved about it in a review, got a paperback copy when I got to meet the author at Realm Makers (!!!), and just ordered a second paperback copy just so I could give it away on my blogiversary post today. 🙂

Mollie was also awesome and donated two sets of gorgeous character cards, of the delightful characters from The Electrical Menagerie, for me to share with y’all! (Visit the artist on Instagram.) One set I’m giving away with the paperback (US), and one set I’m offering as an International prize, because I love you peeps too! ❤

But wait, there’s even more delightful news! 😀

The Electrical Menagerie got a starred review on Publisher’s Weekly yesterday! :O I’m SO excited for Mollie, and so proud of her and this splendiferous book (and its characters. ;))! I just love it so much, and I hope more people will discover it. ^_^

If you’re curious to read it, now is a fantastic time to try it out, because the ebook is only 99 cents on Amazon right now, for a promotion Mollie is calling Stellar September. And is it ever stellar! 😀 So go get yourself a copy! ❤

And, of course, enter to win a paperback copy of this (and other books) below. 😉

You can learn more about The Electrical Menagerie, Mollie, and the characters, and sign up for Mollie’s newsletter for a free novelette about Huxley (it’s hilarious, FYI!), at thecelestialisles.com or writeratops.com!

The Giveaway Prizes

  1. The Electrical Menagerie by Mollie E. Reeder (paperback) — Steampunk (ish). The rest of these books I got at library sales, but this one I ordered. It’s a recent release, which I may have flailed about a lot. 😉 And since I’m writing steampunk right now, and love humor and dynamic characters, it seemed to fit the theme of my giveaway. 🙂 Let me just tell you that if you love The Greatest Showman, or steampunk, or dynamic duo friendships, or humor/snark, or magical worlds (floating islands with sky-trains run by stardust!), you simply have to try this book out! ❤ Included with this book is a set of the 4 lovely character cards!
  2. Magician’s Ward by Patricia C. Wrede (paperback) — Regency Fantasy. You can read my full review here, but this is a fascinating and fun story set in an alternate Regency London, about the fabulous magician (and eligible bachelor) Mairelon the Magician, and his ward, Kit, who is a street-thief-turned-Regency-lady. And yes, this is as fabulous as it sounds. XD It’s technically the second book in a duology, but I read it as a standalone and understood it just fine. (I’ve since read the first book, and enjoyed it, but not as much as I loved this one.) This is an ex-library paperback and is slightly worn — apologies! — but the story inside is lovely. 😉
  3. Conrad’s Fate (Chrestomanci Series) by Diana Wynne Jones (hardcover) — Fantasy. You know this had to be on here, because of COURSE I have to give away a DWJ book. 😉 Even if you haven’t read any of the Chrestomanci books before, you can start with this one (as it’s sort of a prequel). It’s a lot of fun, and features a teenage Chrestomanci/Christopher Chant, which was AWESOME. It’s also a buddy story, from the point of view of the “servants” at an older, fancy, British-like house, with magical shenanigans and humor. I love it. 😀
  4. The End of the Third Age by J.R.R. Tolkien (paperback) — This is the tail-end of a series of books featuring some of Tolkien’s older drafts of The Lord of the Rings (edited by his son Christopher Tolkien). But the reason I’m giving away this one is that it has the UNPUBLISHED epilogue of The Lord of the Rings, which never made it into the final version, but which I strongly believed SHOULD HAVE. It’s about Sam and his kids after the end, and makes the end of LOTR not sad, say I — it ends on a better note. There are two versions of the epilogue, both collected in this volume, and even if you don’t read the rest of the book, you HAVE to read them. And I want to make it possible for some LOTR fan to read it, so I’m giving away a copy. 🙂 (Plus, what with the Silmaril Awards going on right now — don’t forget to vote for your favorite characters this week!! — this feels like an appropriate thing to give away. ;))
  5. If You Want To Write: A Book About Art, Independence, and Spirit by Brenda Ueland (paperback) — Nonfiction. This is one of my favorite books on writing. I wrote a whole post about it once, which you can check out to see if it’s the sort of book you would like. And since this is “The Road of a Writer” and I know many of you are writers, it seemed fitting. 🙂
  6. Another set of Electrical Menagerie character cards (INTERNATIONAL) — Because, as I mentioned, Mollie kindly sent along two sets, and I wanted something for any of my lovely non-American readers who would like to enter a giveaway. (Huxley makes a great bookmark. I’m just sayin’. ;))

Giveaway details

  • You must be subscribed to my newsletter, or if you haven’t, your email address will be added to my newsletter, from which you can unsubscribe any time. (But I like to think that the sort of people who enjoy the sorts of books I’m giving away above, will be the sort to enjoy my newsletter. ;))
  • This giveaway is open from September 11 – 15, 2018
  • The books are US entries only (sorry! Because shipping) but the second set of character cards are just for international entries! 🙂
  • There will be 6 winners
  • Winners will be chosen by random draw. The winners be contacted by email, and posted here on or after September 17

You can subscribe to my newsletter here. 🙂

Enter the giveaway in the form below, or, if it’s not working for you, click here!

Giveaway Form

That’s it!

P.S. If you want to follow me on Instagram, I’m hoping to post a different fun picture there each day this week during the giveaway to showcase each of the books, so… there’s that. 😉

Whew! I think that’s all the fun I have for you guys today. 🙂 (Special thanks to Mollie for providing the character trading cards for the giveaway!)

Do you want to read The Electrical Menagerie? And which of these books would you most love to win? 😀 Thanks for joining me in my blogoversary as I celebrate 5 years of blogging! You’re all awesome! ❤

Original Tag: Writerly Spring Cleaning Challenge!

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springcleaningwritertagchallenge

Happy Spring, my dearest Roadlings! ^_^ *frolics*

Since today is, in fact, the first day of Spring (for those of us in the northern hemisphere), and this is, in fact, a writing blog (little as you may notice with all the bookish things going on from time to time. ;))… I’ve decided to combine the two in a fun way!

Behold, my very first original tag!

I’ve created a tag challenge for writers, themed around Spring Cleaning, and I hope you’ll join me in trying it out!

It’s fairly short (only three and a half questions, though some are multiple choice or just jumping-off points, so it’s rather flexible actually) and I just know it’s going to be fun. 🙂

Spring is that special fresh-and-new time of year when everything gets brighter and warmer and greener and more alive—there’s a new LIFE to everything and a sort of brilliance to it. While that time may not be here yet in actual weather, depending on where you live, what better time than Spring to get re-excited about writing?

So I encourage you to get your mop and duster (er… pen and pencil) and dive right into the . . .

Spring Cleaning Writer Tag Challenge

springcleaningwritertagchallenge

Rules:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you
2. Share the picture
3. Answer the questions (naturally…) or even pick and choose which ones you answer
3.5. Tag 3 other writers and inform them that you tagged them (via comment/message/email or hey, even carrier-pigeon or smoke signal; I’m not picky)

THE QUESTIONS

1. Dust-bunnies and Plot-bunnies: Reorganize Your Writing Goals (Or Make New Ones)

Remember those writing goals/resolutions you made on January 1st or thereabouts and then stuffed under the bed to gather dust-bunnies and plot-bunnies? Well, it’s been nearly three months since then, and as that’s approximately a quarter of the year, it’s about time to pull those out and re-evaluate them (if the plot-bunnies have left enough to read after their chewing, or the dust-bunnies enough to make it legible after all this time of accumulating).

Which goals/resolutions have you accomplished? Which need to be re-focused on? Which are totally not happening and need scrapping? What new goals do you have? Give an update and get your goals cleaned out and reorganized!

Or, if you like, scrap them all and make some new goals to share—especially if the Deadly Bunny Duo of Dust and Plots and Doom have left no other options… which is okay! Spring is for new starts, anyway!

2. Which Stage Are You At?

Everyone’s writing (and spring-cleaning) processes are different, and at different stages. Pick the one that most applies to you and tell us where you are in your writing process!

  • a. Remodeling layouts (planning the story)
  • b. Painting the walls in colorful hues (writing)
  • c. Polishing the windows and scrubbing the floors and putting flowers in vases (editing)
  • d. Blueprints (not to the cleaning or remodeling yet… just drawing up plans for the very beginning inklings of a story)
  • e. Some combination of those things (cleaning out a closet)

Speaking of cleaning out closets…

3. Treasure From the Back of the Closet: Snippet Love

This one’s for the “Oh, I forgot about that!” feeling of delight when you find something delightful tucked away. Those bits of writing you’ve scribbled off so far this year and need to be dug out of a pile and aired in the sun…

Share one to three snippets you love!

3.5. Bonus: Do Some Actual Spring Cleaning of Your Writer Self!

  • Organize your notebooks and papers if you’re a physical type of writer
  • Sort your computer files and tidy them up if you’re a digital sort
  • Do some real-life cleaning up of your desk or writing space or room in general, if you exist in the physical world at all (which I rather hope you do)

Not required, but you get bonus points for any or all of these (in the form of… er… virtual cupcakes?), and I promise you’ll be a happier writer if you do some organizational writerly spring cleaning of your own! 🙂

You can even use the excuse to share a picture of your writing space or notebooks or computer—please do, because pictures make everything funner!

Here’s a copy-pastable list

1. Dust-bunnies and Plot-bunnies: Reorganize Your Writing Goals (Or Make New Ones)

2. Which Stage Are You At? Expound!

a. Remodeling layouts (planning the story)
b. Painting the walls in colorful hues (writing)
c. Polishing the windows and scrubbing the floors and putting flowers in vases (editing)
d. Blueprints (not to the cleaning or remodeling yet… just drawing up plans for the very beginning inklings of a story)
e. Some combination of those things (cleaning out a closet)

3. Treasure From the Back of the Closet (Share one to three snippets you love!)

3.5. Bonus: Do Some Actual Spring Cleaning of Your Writer Self! (and share a picture!)

Tagging

I tag/challenge YOU if you’re reading this and are a writer!

Do give it a try, and then link me to your post so I can read it! Or answer in the comments. 🙂

(I’ll be answering these questions here on my blog next week, in case you’re wondering. ;))

I also specifically tag:

Sarah @ Dreams & Dragons | Christine @ Musings of an Elf | Jenelle @ Jenelle Schmidt | Skye @ Ink Castles | Madeline @ Short & Snappy | Claire @ Overactive Imagination | Tracey @ Adventure Awaits | Kelsey @ Kelsey’s Notebook | Shantelle @ A Writer’s Heart | Kyle @ Kyle Robert Shultz | Daley @ The Invisible Moth | Lisa @ Lisa Pickle | Mirriam @ Mirriam Neal | Ness @ Of Words and Books | DJ @ DJ Edwardson | H.L. Burke @ Impossible Worlds

(No pressure, though!)

Meanwhile, what think ye, Roadlings? Fun? Complicated? Are you going to do it?? And what’s a writerly spring cleaning thing you’d like to do? (Yes, you may bemoan your lack of spring-ish weather in the comments-section if you like. XD)