Follow me Friday Blog Hop (and a little bit of validation!)

What an exciting week and welcome to my new followers from last week's hop! Normally on a Thursday nights I update my Blog for the fabulous Follow Friday Blog Hop. This week I'll be answering the hop question but also blogging a little bit about my great news and a book series I really enjoyed and I never see discussed. There is no featured Author this week so maybe I'll pretend it's me :-)


The question this week is:


Who has been the most supportive of your writing? Hands down I would have to say my husband. He really encouraged me to finally get started and is the one who picks up the slack around the household or suffers most when I am busy writing. He's been telling me to write for almost nine years now. I should have listened sooner. We have almost 2 acres. The outside has traditionally been his responsibility and the interior mine. He's had to pick up the slack inside, find ways to entertain the kids while doing the outside chores (although playing in the manure compost pile would not have been my first choice) and spends evening such as this one being ignored while I write away. If he wasn't willing to do this things would be much more difficult. I'm not saying he doesn't get frustrated, but him entertaining the kids is the key to me accomplishing anything on the weekends or before 9 PM. Love you hubby!


First for my great news: 4 Corners Press (http://www.4cornerspress.com/) had several contests for their launch. I entered their short story contest and as you can probably guess since I'm blogging about it, I was one of two winners. My prize is to have my story published in their anthology: Dream On an Anthology of Dreams to be released this summer. I've been given the opportunity to expand my story up to 10,000 words and have my very first writing deadline that is not self imposed. I am so excited to have my story in print! I write because I enjoy doing it. I am finally fulfilling a dream that I have talked about for years. I'd like to think I'm good at it,  but have to admit the validation that comes with winning and having something published doesn't hurt. I definitely have my moments of self doubt when it's late at night and I've had a long day at work, my two year is fighting sleep once again, the house is a disaster zone and I'm drop dead tired and I wonder, what am I accomplishing sitting down to write so late.Is it hopeless? Is it worth it?  Moments like this reassure me - yes, it is. I


I still try to squeeze in some time to read. One of the best series I've read in the past year is the Grace series by SL Naeole. It is a complete YA series of 4 books, all published and available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com for $2.99. I love to start a series when they are all published because I can follow the ride from beginning to end without gaps in space. I also love feeling like I'm getting my money's worth and at 400-500 print pages of beautiful writing these are well worth the $2.99 and enjoyable for adults (I hate to lump myself in that group) as well as the YA audience. The first in the Series, Falling From Grace introduces us to Grace Shelly, her best friend Graham and the angelic Bellegarde family. The Publisher description reads:


"Grace Shelley's about to face the worst day of her life. Her best friend has left her, her father's starting a new family, and she's the most unpopular girl in school. She's going to need a miracle to survive the first day back to school. That miracle comes in the form of angel named Robert, whose life is changed more by her than she is by him."


 There is romance, there is heartbreak, there is both beauty and violence.There are a host of other creatures besides Angels. SL's website is http://slnaeole.com/. I'd encourage you to visit and take a look or give Falling From Grace a chance.It is rated 4.5/5 stars on both Amazon & Barnes & Noble and I can't understand why nobody is talking about it.


As always, thanks for following!


Melanie


P.S. If you're interested in participating in the Follow Friday Blog Hop here are the rules:



Your rules

1)      Follow this blog.

2)      Follow Elizabeth Sharp, the originator of this hop

3)      Follow the featured author of the week, MD Christie.

4)      Go to Sharp words and copy the image code found there and paste it in your blog. Add your name to the link at the bottom of the post while you are there.

5)      Copy and paste the rules in your blog, as well as this week’s question.

6)      Answer the question

7)      Follow, follow, follow. This is about networking, people, making connections with people in your community. So talk to us. We don't bite!

8)      If someone stops by, says hi and follows you, the polite thing to do is follow back.

9)      Comment here and introduce yourself and you just might find a new follower or two.

M

T

T

Follow me Friday hop. What's in a name?

This week's Follow Friday blog hop topic is "What's in a Name."

I have a first name, a last name, a middle name and a maiden name as well as a pen name, however, this blog is about my blog name and how I came up with it. My blog is relatively young, only a couple of months in age. I came up with the idea to start one through my writing group, many of whom participate in this Follow Friday blog hop. I hoped that by creating my blog it would help me create my identity as as MG Ainsworth, the writer as well. It would be a place to share a little bit about myself: my background, my current projects, my progress and my goals.

Easy blog names could have been MGAinsworth.blogspot, WriterMGAinsworth.blogspot or MGAinsworthbooks.blogspot. I have never been one to take the easy way. I wanted a blog name that could stand out. I wanted it to have a little more pizazz and to identify with who I am as a writer. In my very first blog entry I explained that given my work and family commitments I find the majority of my writing happening after 9 PM and on weekends. It is not easy and would not be possible if I wasn't a bit of a night owl. I don't function in the morning without a lot of Pepsi and never really get in my groove until at least 10 or 11 AM, but I can really get the creative juices going in the evening. When my book is complete there will be very liitle, if any, that was written on a weekday before 9 PM. My blog is always updated after 9 PM. I am literally living my dream of being a writer after 9 PM. Alternately, I am writing after nine hours of work at my day job that currently pays the bills. In either case I am writing after nine, and this gave birth to the name of my blog. It's part of my identity as a writer and describes when I write. Thankfully my muse is a night owl as well.

So when 9 PM rolls around you'll know what I am doing: writing and occasionally updating my blog. Thanks for following writingafternine!

Want to join in the Follow Me Friday Fun? Here are the rules:

The rules

1)      Follow this blog.

2)      Follow Elizabeth Sharp, the originator of this hop

3)      Follow the featured author of the week: Paige W. Pendleton

4)      Go to Sharp words and copy the image code found there and paste it in your blog. Add your name to the link at the bottom of the post while you are there.

5)      Copy and paste the rules in your blog, as well as this week’s question.

6)      Answer the question

7)      Follow, follow, follow. This is about networking, people, making connections with people in your community. So talk to us. We don't bite!

8)      If someone stops by, says hi and follows you, the polite thing to do is follow back.

9)      Comment here and introduce yourself and you just might find a new follower or two.