The time has come to activate the assets of my Mighty Minion Bureau. These agents are being dispatched into the blogosphere, on various assignments that carry out an important mission – to build, protect and sustain the overall enjoyment of the A-to-Z Challenge community.
They gather Intel on possible breaches of Blogging from A-to-Z Challenge guidelines and/or protocol. They generate the buzz on social media and engage in discussions with their fellow bloggers, surrounding our April alphabet party. They help this blogathon maintain a high profile, in their special role as leaders of the pack – among participants.
Sydney Aaliyah Michelle, one of my best 2013 A-to-Z Challenge minions, returns!
She is a voracious reader and movie fanatic who hails from Texas.
It took her 5½ years of living in China, however, to figure out she wanted to become a writer. Sydney is blogging the 5th Annual A-to-Z Challenge at her self-titled headquarters where she interviews people about their tattoos, discusses her favorite movie quotes and writes flash fiction as well as book reviews.
Sydney’s self-published debut Adult Novel ANOTHER NEW LIFE will be available by May with “grace, hard work and patience,” she says. An active tweeter (Follow her @sydliyah), she is also a NaNoWriMo winner who notes the sci-fi action flick “The Matrix” as the best representation of her life, can recite the entire script for the comedy drama “The Breakfast Club,” would cast British actress Thandie Newton to play her in a movie and loves “The Avengers” – particularly Tony Stark. When it comes to books, Sydney loves reading different genres, from Stephen King to Alex J. Cavanaugh, to Cora Carmac.
The man who became my partner in crime during a Monday Movie Meme re-launch, Dale Smurthwaite is a film lover and proud father of two sons, whom he raises in England with his wife Lady Kell. Dale, who enjoyed playing with Legos as a child, is blogging the 5th Annual A-to-Z Challenge at Smurfin’ the Web, where he makes predictions about which titles will win an Academy Award for “BEST PICTURE” in his Oscar Series and hosts the Eurovision Song Contest Series – complete with roundups and reviews on artists participating in this international music competition. (Eurovision is a televised musical contest that takes place in Denmark and is sorta like “American Idol”-meets- the Olympics!).
A periodic social media user (Follow him @SmurfinTheWeb or Connect with the Smurfdok on Facebook), he also blogs about his opinions on football and family while participating in fun memes and writing movie reviews. Dale is keen on legible, grammatically correct writing and reserves the right to delete any comments left on his blog that contain promotional language, all caps or text abbreviations – the latter of which I just realized while doing research for my announcement and thus, am glad that I learned these things now to keep in mind for future reference.
Music is Andrea’s (aka MusicFan Andrea) greatest passion and she shares her thoughts on the industry at Miss Andi’s Musings blog, while also highlighting a song of the week, celebrating the art that gives breath to her soul. She also loves Twitter (Follow her @MusicFanAndrea), writes poetry, short stories and insights to other great passions that possess her.
Andrea MusicFan is blogging the 5th Annual A-to-Z Challenge at Twelve Steps to Cloud 9 and The Script Bible. The former blog chronicles her 12-month road out of a depressive state to being accountable her happiness. The latter blog serves as a collection of stories about (and often told by) The Script, an Irish rock band from Dublin; featuring all sorts of tales - from their break-dancing skills and connection to Golden Globe winning actor Colin Farrell (“Seven Psychopaths,” “Phone Booth”), to almost being stabbed at one of their gigs.
YA paranormal fantasy author Sheri (a.k.a SA Larsen), is a mother of four, currently considering multiple offers of publication for her vineyard-set novel MARKED BEAUTY.
Sheri is blogging the 5th Annual A-to-Z Challenge at SA Larsen - KitLit Author (Writer’s Ally), where she reviews books, hosts giveaways and shares wisdom through quotes and stories that she hopes will challenge and encourage aspiring authors. As an ice hockey fan whose favorite books include PRIDE & PREJUDICE, BEAUTIFUL CHAOS and DANCING ON MY GRAVE, she is no stranger to social media (Follow her @SA_Larsen) and has written freelance articles for magazines. Sheri enjoys Guns N’ Roses, Prince and Sarah Mclachlan; her favorite movies include “The Shining,” “Gone with the Wind,” “Underworld” and “Flashdance.”
Montreal-based writer Deniz Bevan knits scarves, shawls and baby hats in her spare time while currently working on several historical romance novels.
She is blogging the 5th Annual A-to-Z Challenge at The Girdle of Melian, which features mini book reviews, giveaways, inspiration for her WIPs and interviews with authors. Last Spring, Deniz hosted a charity book fair that raised over $900 for a children’s library in Tanzania and used her knitting skills to save her local food bank from eviction. She is also a cat owner who lived in Instabul, Turkey for a year, won NaNoWriMo and engages with the Twitter community (Follow her @DenizBevan).
Florida-based Melody-Ann Jones Kauffman (a.k.a Safireblade/MAJK) describes herself as a “techno-genius with feminist tendencies.” She is blogging the 5th Annual A-to-Z Challenge at MAJK INK, where readers can find anime reviews and flash fiction as well as her thoughts on writing. After studying Information Security, she works as a developer at a University.
Melody-Ann is also a mother of two boys, whom she raises with her husband while collecting comics and Manga. An avid gamer who needed a 12-step program for World of Warcraft, this pet rescuer and self-professed geek doesn’t mind participating in conversations made of 140-characters (Follow her @Safireblade).
What common interests or experiences do YOU share with these bloggers?
Do YOU know anyone who would be interested in signing up for the 2014 A-to-Z Challenge?
Can YOU tell me what kind of characteristics makes a good, quality minion?
© 2014. All Rights Reserved.
Minion Badge Photo by Jeremy Hawkins, 2014 A-to-Z Co-Host
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Sunday, March 2, 2014 at 5:45PM 
Writer’s block and time management are some of the biggest challenges that I deal with while juggling blogging duties with filmmaking matters and my general day-to-day life. Thankfully, one of my favorite blogs by Australian husband and father Darren Rowse, has helped me hone in on a possible solution for the former matter that could help me also get a handle on the latter issue – themed weeks!