Starting is the hardest part…

Some people might argue that waiting is harder, and in some cases I’ll give it to them, such as my pal Andrew F. Butters, whose family has been going through quite the time with their daughter, who was diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis in March 2014 and had surgery two months ago. Go visit their blog to read all about it: you will be amazed and moved. Especially when you check out their daughter’s {words fail me} scar.

Anywho, you may (or may not) have noticed that I haven’t written a blog post since November. It’s not that I haven’t had things to say (I have), it’s just that starting again is extremely difficult. Once you break a habit, it’s hard to get back into it. And I’ve also been fighting a number of invisible illnesses… (depression, fibromyalgia, anxiety, insomnia, etc.) and some days I haven’t even been able to get out of bed. (Like today.)

So why am I up and blogging now? Well, last year, some of you may remember that I participated in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, and for some insane reason, I’ve decided to do it again this year. Essentially, every day in April (except Sundays), we post a blog, starting with, of course, the letter A on day 1, and going on to B on day 2, etc. until we end up with Z on April 30. (By the way, I signed up to participate again the minute you could, and I’m #25 on the list. How could I give up that primo spot?) Other than like, three ideas, I have no idea what I’m going to write about, and haven’t written a single post. So, we’ll see how it goes. And thank you in advance for rambling along on this journey with me.

Since I like spreading my insanity to others, and also that apparently I’m quite persuasive, I thought it would be fun to make other people do it with me… and I managed to convince two of my writing pals to join me in this madness. (Well, to be fair, one of them was already planning to participate, but she agreed to be my ‘partner’ and help cheer me along.) I hope that each day you will go read what they have to say as well.

I asked them to give me some info to share with y’all, so here ya go:

First up is my pal Gareth S. Young

1. why you decided to participate:
I am doing the A to Z Challenge because DSavannah threatened to eat all my cadbury’s chocolate buttons if I didn’t.

(dSavannah note: It’s true. I totally will. And perhaps have already done so.)

2. what you plan to do for the challenge (i.e. wing it? Stories? Etc.):
For the challenge, I intend to wing it…but in the style of a graceful hummingbird and not the cartoonish aerial stylings of a puffin. But yes, it will all be made up. I haven’t planned this at all. Which is why you shouldn’t hold it against me if it sucks. Which it won’t because of the hummingbird thing I mentioned…

3. Your bio:
Gareth S. Young was born and raised in Scotland, but has now lived for more than 15 years in the American Midwest. This has played havoc with his accent.

In 2010, he published his first full-length story, a mystery/suspense novel called Monsters.

In April 2013, his short story “The Orange-headed Serpent” was published in the Orange Karen Anthology.

(dSavannah note: His story is soooo lovely and excellent. And by the way, you can read about #TeamOrange and the fundraising anthology right here on my blog, as well as on Karen DeLabar’s website.)

2015 will see the release of Dynamo City: The Wolves of Dynamo, part one of an audacious YA urban fantasy series.

(dSavannah note: Cool! Even I didn’t know that!)

Other upcoming works include Persephone, the much-anticipated follow up to Monsters, and part two of the Dynamo City saga.

Gareth’s Social Media Blah Blah:

• His blog
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Goodreads

Second is Samantha Bryant

1. why you decided to participate:
This year, I’m participating because I had such a wonderful experience participating last year. I made connections with so many bloggers, several of whom have become my friends.

2. what you plan to do for the challenge (i.e. wing it? Stories? Etc.):
My debut novel comes out on April 23, so my theme is Going Through the Change: A Menopausal Superhero Novel. I am posting about the book itself, and my experience in writing and publishing it.

3. Your bio:
Samantha Bryant is a middle school Spanish teacher by day and a mom and novelist by night. That makes her a superhero all the time. Her debut novel, Going Through the Change: A Menopausal Superhero Novel is now available for pre-order for Kindle and will be released by Curiosity Quills on April 23, 2015.

Samantha’s Social Media Blah Blah:

• Her Blog
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Amazon
• Goodreads
• the Curiosity Quills page
• Google+

Honorable mention is needed for Chad A. Clark, who was my partner last year. He isn’t participating this year because he’s in the midst of moving, and his new baby is due any day now!

AND: I’m so excited to share about his new book, A Shade for Every Season, a collection of flash fiction stories.  And yours truly created the cover!  🙂

PS. Special thanks are needed for the #AtoZchallenge2015 co-hosts, helpers & assistants. It’s a big job they’ve got here.

Thanks are also needed for Jeremy [Retro], who created the art for the challenge, and which you will see every day, all the letters of the alphabet.