Top 4 Reasons Why Blogging Is A Good Idea

(. . . from the perspective of someone who has decided to get back into this part of the blogosphere one step at a time, beginning with a new post.)*

1. It keeps the brain moving.
Not blogging means I'm not looking for post ideas and I'm not considering all the things I could be posting about from everyday experience. My mind isn't putting thoughts on the back burner to be turned into scintillating (or at least vaguely shiny in patches) posts to be published later.

2. Writing skills are always put to the test.
From speed typing to constructing my last sentence, I feel like my writing has deteriorated a bit since I stopped posting and commenting regularly, which is probably part of the reason why I let it slide for so long. Time to get my writing mojo back with some good old blogging time. (Maybe not as much as before, but a little. Every week. For the foreseeable future.)

3. All the interesting things happening in the blogosphere.
I miss know about this event or that blogfest, even if I'm not participating in them. There are so many great challenges circulating people's blogs year-round (including ones I know I've missed that I wish I had done, like the A to Z Blogging Challenge). I have no idea what's happening or coming up soon, and look forward to getting a sense of what exciting things have been happening while I disappeared.

4. The people.
More than knowing I'm missing out on some great blogging events, I miss knowing what's going on with all you fellow bloggers. I have no idea who's left, who's still here, and who's made their debut. I miss commenting on your blogs and reading posts, as well as reading your comments on my own blog. If you're here, hello there! Please leave a comment so I can go and check out your blog and say hello in your comment section. Seriously. I want to say hi to people.

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So yes. I'm back, for the time being. It's already going to be a busy year--I'm a senior in high school this fall and am preparing for college applications and all the required tests for said applications--but I felt like I needed to stop pushing blogging aside and spend some time around The Eagle's Aerial Perspective, even if it's just a little bit. 

I won't be able to put in the hours like I did when I was blogging in previous years (I used to blog at least three hours a day, each day of the week, and I simply can't do that now) and I won't be able to comment as much on other people's blogs (which bothers me even more, since I want to visit everyone who I know stops by here and I won't be able to reciprocate all the time) but I'll be trying to post at least twice a month (hopefully more!) and visiting you all when I can. I don't know precisely what I'll be posting about; I think it will remain a combination of all the things that interest me, as my header has declared since . . . oh, years ago. Hopefully there won't be too much nonsense.

And here we go! The Golden Eagle Blogs Again, version 2.0.

*I tried thinking of five things about blogging to make it a nice, typical number for a list, but I couldn't come up with a good fifth one. Oh well. Four is decent, right?

How are you guys doing? What's been your favorite moment from this year, so far?

-----The Golden Eagle

. . . Hello, Blogosphere

*ducks in anticipation of tomatoes*

So, I kind of took an unplanned hiatus from blogging, except for a guest post by the lovely Rachel Morgan last week. By so doing I missed a blogfest and the Insecure Writer's Support Group and have neglected visiting and commenting on blogs, which I feel terrible about. My apologies to all the hosts and to the wonderful people who came by and read and commented on my blog recently, because I really didn't keep up my end of the bargain here.

I'm not exactly back into the blogging swing, either. May and June have kind of been crazy months and the next couple of weeks promise to be even crazier. I'm aiming for July to sort out--well, reinstate--my blogging schedule completely (of course, right when Google Reader shuts down, hurrah), so this post is more of a I'm-not-dead-and-hope-you-still-remember-me kind of announcement. I'm definitely going to be publishing posts in the future, just not on as regular a basis until the dust settles.

But enough about me. Anything new with you? Really, tell me . . . got a new project, draft, book deal, agent, pet, kid, whatever? Is there exciting stuff happening in your life? What are you looking forward to right now?


-----The Golden Eagle

You're All So Dedicated, And I'm Not: An IWSG Post

The blogosphere is rife with people pursuing their writing goals. There are a lot of inspiring stories; there are many success stories, a lot of ongoing journeys, and numerous struggles to actually get a book out there. Some of you have been writing for decades. I've seen posts on what feels like practically every writers' blogs saying something along the lines of "Writing is my life!"

Me, I sometimes feel like I shouldn't be part of some discussions because I'm not on a one-road quest for publication. Getting a book published (in print! On shelves! As an e-book! Through a publisher!) would be one of the highlights of my life, I'm sure, if it were ever to happen--but it's not Priority 1.

Basically, I worry writers will dislike me for not being dedicated enough, as writing is more of a hobby for me. I worry about being perceived differently because I'm not as passionate about the craft, unlike what seems to be the majority of people who write. I'm not about to throw myself into the painful process of querying and critique partners and pitches; I don't care enough at this point to run my work through that kind of stuff.

I sympathize with the trials of the writing process; I like to learn about the craft; but literary success is not something I'm going to be miserable about if I don't achieve it before I die. Writing is something I enjoy but I've never felt like it's my "true calling" or what have you. It's just fun, with occasional blood and sweat (and epithets hurled at the computer screen, if it's a particularly bad day).

What about you? Do you see writing as something you have to do and seeing your work published as your ultimate goal--or do you see it as something you do for fun, when you can, and without the publication process as the necessary endgame?

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About the IWSG (from the creator Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog):

It's time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic.

-----The Golden Eagle

The Overcoming Adversity Bloghop: In Which I Write A Short Story

Nick Wilford of Scattergun Scribblings is hosting a blogfest today! From his blog:

I asked you to contribute a short story on the theme of overcoming adversity, to be compiled into an anthology to help raise funds to send my stepson to a specialist college.

More information here.

And so, here's my story, which is called "Endurance" because I can't think of anything better, regardless of how obvious it may be. Anyway. I hope you enjoy it!

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Endurance

Four thousand years and the monolith still stood. Four thousand years had seen kingdoms, empires, civilizations rise and tumble off the edge of history like water over a fall, to crash against the rocks below and the memories of them to scatter into mist. Trees had shrouded it and merged their roots with its surface; the mountain had changed, the rocks shifting and half-burying the thing like a body whose consciousness had long vanished.

   It didn’t have a name. It had always had a title, an honorific by which it was acknowledged by those same civilizations that had tried to pry it apart, to chip away at its skin until all that was left was the hole in which it had been placed.

   It wanted a name.

   It wanted to get away from the cloying aura of the past and the memories of the rituals it had endured because it could not move, to avoid the horrible worship from others that persisted, tireless, only because they could not understand it. To escape from the refusal to acknowledge all it wanted was to get out, out, out.

   Another thousand years couldn’t do too much damage. Processing time behind the wall of its shell, it decided another two thousand years would be bearable. But to feel the organisms crowding around it, even the inert, brainless ones of the trees and the grass and the fungi, that was too much. It wanted company.

   Four thousand and three hundred and twenty seven years after its memory began, it sensed a more complicated presence. It was immediately recognizable as something more advanced, one of the things in this world bigger than plants but hardly more complex.

   It waited. Those things always passed by.

   The thing touched the hard surface as though it was an egg, capable of bearing the weight of a galaxy on its end—but if one knocked it wrong, liable to spill the trauma of history onto the mountainside, an outpouring of the past assumed forgotten.

   It continued to wait. It could sense that the birds had quieted, and the wind hung close to the ground like a scared child, and the mountain had stilled.

   But . . . there was a new thing, besides the air and the trees and the mountain. The thing had somehow exposed its surface, brushing away the organic detritus that had gathered over those millennia, for once being gentle instead of trying to crack it open.

   It did not recognize sunlight. It did not recognize that new thing in the sky, hovering like its own counterpart a million miles away. It felt an unburdening, a release of four thousand years of pain.

   Perhaps the sun was supposed to be its company. It tried to communicate.

   The sun replied.

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Any thoughts on the story?


-----The Golden Eagle

The Cheers, Cavanaugh Blogfest

Most everyone in the blogosphere has heard of one person: Alex J. Cavanaugh.

As a way of acknowledging him, Mark Koopmans, Morgan Shamy, David Powers King, and Stephen Tremp have come up with the brilliant idea of hosting an event in his honor, called the Cheers, Cavanaugh Blogfest. I jumped on as soon as I heard about it!

Blogfest questions:

In +/- 20 words, what does Alex look like?
In +/- 20 words, who could play Alex in a documentary (living or dead)?
In +/- 20 words, who does Alex remind you of?
In +/- 100 words, (excluding the title), write flash fiction using all these prompts: Cavanaugh, Ninja, IWSG, Cosbolt, Guitar.

Rules:
- Be a Follower
- Join the Linky List
- Post your 200 word contribution (on Monday, December 10, if you would)
- Have fun!

More information available at any of the hosts' blogs.

My answers:

What does Alex look like? Satellite dishes, obviously. My theory is, his avatar is an accurate representation of alien technology used to emulate humans/infiltrate society. It's the only explanation of how he manages to write so many comments in a day, aside from clones!

Who could play Alex in a documentary (living or dead)?
Casting aside the satellite dish idea for a moment, I'd have to say Orlando Bloom.

Who does Alex remind you of?
No one. I think he's a pretty unique person; or at least, he's the only super-amazing, highly-supportive power-blogger that I've met so far!

Flash fiction piece (untitled):

"Captain Cavanaugh!"
   "No interruptions now, trainee. Be ready to launch on my mark. The Cosbolt must reach our enemy's star system in less than one hour."
   "It's the IWSG. They've left their sign on our ship, sir."
   "The shuriken?"
   "Yes, Captain. And . . . some of the crew are saying there's an IWSG Ninja on board the ship. Strange reports are coming in from all decks."
   "There's nothing we can do about it now. We have to launch; I don't care if guitar music starts blasting through the intercom, the Cosbolt is on a mission. Engineering, get us into space! And you, trainee. Before you leave, I have only one thing to say: There's only one true ninja on board this ship, and he's sitting right in front of you."

(Word count: 131)


There's also a bonus part of the blogfest, which I thought I'd include:

In +/- 40 words, leave a comment for Mrs. Cavanaugh - thanking her for sharing
Dear Mrs. Cavanaugh,
Your husband is amazing, and a great thank you is owed for the personal sacrifices you must make due to Mr. Cavanaugh's blogging. So, thank you! And may you both live long and prosper.



-----The Golden Eagle

The Make Believe Anthology

The Make Believe anthology is out today! The blogger heading the launch day celebration is Lynda R. Young, whose story, Birthright, is included in the collection.

About Birthright:

Christa can mask the pain and hide the scars, but running from a birthright is impossible.
   She’s tried to escape her grief by fleeing to a small town in Florida. Much to her frustration, the locals think they recognize her even though she's never been there before. To make things worse, a man named Jack spouts outrageous theories about her.
   Both spur Christa to bolt, to start fresh yet again, but there’s something about Jack that intrigues her enough to stay. The only problem? Someone else wants her to leave, and they won’t stop until she’s dead.

About the other stories:

The Amulet of Ormisez by J. Keller Ford

There is only one way to save Elton Fletcher’s brother from an insanity-ridden death. After years away from home, fighting for his people, Elton returns to discover his only sibling, Cayden, possessed by greed and malice, and responsible for malicious, unthinkable deeds. Cayden, though, isn’t the only one afflicted by the Amulet of Ormisez, and Elton finds himself in yet another battle, where the price of failure could be his own life.

Petrified by Kelly Said

A mysterious storm has replaced summer with winter, devastating crops and smothering Castle lands in snow. Prince Sterling August stands alone as a leader, lost in personal grief as well as a desire to help his people but with an inability to do either.
   The answers he needs await him, but without Lochlyn, a woman who’s just as isolated as Sterling, he’ll never see what stands before him, cloaked in illusion.

Last Winter Red by Jennifer M. Eaton

Emily is a Red, a woman whose sole purpose in life is to produce offspring. When her husband dies and leaves her childless, she risks her life and forsakes the safety of Terra—a disease-free city born after the nuclear holocaust. Beyond its boundaries, she knows, survives a man with whom she can be properly paired.
   The Outside, though, holds secrets the government struggles to keep, and what Emily discovers on her quest for a mate will change her life forever.

Escort to Insanity by J.A. Belfield

From a charity auction, to a stroll in the park, to the craziest night of her life. Nicole Harrington can’t help but wonder how a simple event went so drastically wrong.
   Of course, the male escort she booked is wholly to blame. Not only charming but shrewdly intelligent, Benjamin Gold drags Nicole into a platoon of unimaginable problems—ones from which she’ll have to find the courage just to survive.

Sacrificial Oath by Terri Rochenski

An impetuous act unwittingly makes Alesuela the fulfillment of the Sovereign’s Blood Oath to their Goddess. In five days, she’ll be forced to make the greatest choice of her life: become the virginal sacrifice already promised, or force the man she loves most to die in her place.
   With an impossible choice in front of her, she searches for ways to undo the oath, and in her quest, finds not everything in her life is as she expects.

Purchase links:
www.amazon.com
www.amazon.co.uk
Barnes & Noble
All Romance
Diesel
Books On Board


About Lynda R. Young:
Lynda R. Young lives in Sydney, Australia, with her sweetheart of a husband who is her rock, and a cat who believes world domination starts in the home. She writes speculative short stories and is currently writing novels for young adults. In her spare time she also dabbles in photography and all things creative. You can find her here: Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads


Other people spreading the word about Make Believe:






Do you know Lynda R. Young? Have you read Make Believe yet? Do you check out many anthologies?


-----The Golden Eagle

Oh, How I Miss You Blogfest + NaNoWriMo Update

First, The Oh, How I Miss You Blogfest!

This event is hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh, Matthew MacNish, and Andrew Leon.

The general idea (from a host's blog):

The bloggers we really miss...
and the ones we would really miss!

Do you have a couple blogger buddies who aren't posting as often? Those who've pulled back and seem absent from the blogging world? Do you have blogger buddies you are grateful they are still around and would miss if they vanished? Now is your chance to show your appreciation and spotlight them! List one to three bloggers you really miss and one to three bloggers you would miss if they stopped blogging. Then go leave a comment on those blogs.

The bloggers I miss:

There are a lot of bloggers who have come and gone. Maybe it's the whole electronic format and people migrating from blogs to Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites--in addition to living their lives outside the internet, of course--but a lot of the people who I originally met in the blogosphere have since stopped posting.

This blogfest stirred me to look at my sidebar's blogroll, and I found many people who haven't posted in ages . . . it's been so long for some that the domain names have expired, Blogger's removed their sites, and so forth. Sadness. These are just a few of the people I miss:

Josh Hoyt from The Blog That Helps You Diagnose Your Characters.
Elena Solodow from You're Write. Except when you're Rong.
Sarah Pearson from Empty White Pages.

(There are so many other cool bloggers I want to mention, too.)

The bloggers I would miss:

This is a bit more cheerful, as these bloggers are still around! I want to just give you my main Google Reader folder or something, but as I cannot, here are three bloggers I'd really miss if they disappeared (all have been long-time followers of The Eagle's Aerial Perspective, sticking around for at least a year):

Old Kitty from Ten lives and second chances.
The Dandy Lioness from Chai Tea and Quills.
Laughingwolf from ...paws and reflect.

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And for those here for just the blogfest: 

If you don't want to bother with the personal, fiction writing element of this post, feel free to scroll down to the comments (assuming you want to comment) and ignore this bit! (Hope no one minds I'm combining two unrelated things in the same post.)


As for my National Novel Writing Month update:

I won NaNoWriMo on Sunday! Well . . . not officially, since they don't verifying winners until the 25th of November. But I'm beyond the NaNo goal according to Word.

I almost finished on Saturday, the 10th, but after writing 11k last Friday I didn't really feel like typing out 8k the next day to hit 50k. So, I finished on the 11th. Today I've written 4,233 words, for a grand total of 61,045.

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Which bloggers do you miss, or would you miss? Know any of the people I mentioned? Ever visited a blog you knew before only to find it's disappeared off the internet?

If you're participating in NaNoWriMo, how are you doing with the challenge?


-----The Golden Eagle

Gravity Trilogy Cover Reveal

Three alien couples in three space fantasy novelettes fall in love in the Gravity trilogy. After a couple months, Cherie Reich decided that her novelettes needed a new cover. She spoke with her cover artist, Aubrie Dionne, and the new covers for Defying Gravity, Fighting Gravity, and Pull of Gravity are now ready to be revealed.

Homesick upon the SS Perseid, Linia, a young linguist, thinks she signed up for a mission of peace, but her crew members have another plan: attack the planet Medusa.
   Bored with his dying planet, Alezandros, a space cruiser pilot, joins the Medusan Army in his quest for adventure.
   When the SS Perseid clashes with the Medusans’ space cruisers, Alezandros and Linia’s lives intertwine. Sucked through a wormhole, they crash upon a post-apocalyptic Earth and are captured by cannibals. In adjacent cells, Alezandros and Linia cast their differences aside for a common bond: escape. But when romantic feelings emerge between them, they might do the unthinkable because for a Medusan and a Persean to fall in love, it would defy gravity.

To Purchase: iTunes  Kobo  Nook  Smashwords  Amazon US  Amazon UK  Amazon DE  Amazon FR  Amazon IT  Amazon ES

Forced into executing Aresia’s people, Phoebus escapes the Aresian Guard by flying his spaceship through a wormhole.
   The only single woman of marrying age, Marissa flees town instead of becoming a third wife.
   When Phoebus’s spacecraft crashes upon an asteroid-ravaged Earth, he is captured by a rogue Earthling youth and thrown into a cellar. Marissa stumbles upon the spacecraft, but it explodes before she can find any sign of the alien. When she awakens, she discovers the alien’s whereabouts and vows to help him. But Phoebus’s Aresians have landed and are searching for him. Phoebus and Marissa must battle against their despair and their peoples in a quest for their freedom. And through it all, an Earthling and an Aresian will find it easier to fight gravity than their love for each other.

To purchase: Apple  Kobo  Nook  Amazon  Amazon UK  Amazon DE  Amazon FR  Amazon IT  Amazon ES  Smashwords

   A no-nonsense Earthling corporal, Nike accepts a mission to destroy the winged-people of Cupidis to give her race a chance at a new life.
   A spoiled Cupidian prince, Edonys gets whatever he wants until his dying father tells him he must choose a mate and take his rightful place as king.
   When Nike’s space cruiser lands upon Cupidis, she’s taken to the royal palace where she crosses paths with Prince Edonys. His arrogance leads her to believe her mission of domination will be easy. Edonys refuses his father’s last request to fall in love, but Nike isn’t anyone. She’s bold and different than any Cupidian female. When he shows her his planet’s delights, Nike and Edonys realize they must discover another way to save their loved ones because it will be easier for an Earthling and a Cupidian to ignore the pull of gravity than the pull of love.

Forthcoming end of July/early August!

Cherie is also giving away the complete trilogy. I'm using Rafflecopter--there's a Facebook login option, but you can also just use your email. There are several extra entry options as well.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author:

Cherie Reich is a writer, freelance editor, book blogger and library assistant. Her short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies, and her e-books include Once Upon a December Nightmare, Defying Gravity, Fighting Gravity, A to Z Flashes of Foxwick, and The Best of Raven and the Writing Desk. She is a member of the Virginia Writers Club and Valley Writers and placed third in Roanoke Valley's BIG READ writing contest.
   A self-proclaimed bookworm, Cherie received her bachelors of the arts in Classical Antiquities at Missouri State University. She currently lives in Virginia with her family and four adorable pets: Cinderella the cat, Romeo the cat, Abby the guinea pig, and Dash the goldfish. Besides working in a library, she is surrounded by over 1000 books in her room at home. Can anyone say bibliophile?

-----The Golden Eagle

Spotlighted At The Kelworth Files

Dropping in to say that Chris Kelworth from The Kelworth Files has spotlighted me on his blog as part of a series of short interviews of writing ninjas.

Hope you'll check it out!


-----The Golden Eagle

Teaser Tuesday (78) + Students for the Congo

Teaser Tuesday is a bookish, weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Gosh, it's been a while since I posted for this, since last April's month-long challenge took up all my Tuesday posts. Anyway, it's nice to be back into TT swing.

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week, my teaser is from Divergent by Veronica Roth. I'd been looking forward to this book--so many people said they liked it, the premise was interesting, and I thought the cover was cool . . . but I'm on page 378 out of 487 and,  frankly, wondering how fast I can get to the end so it will be over with.

I really do not like the world or the main character's attitude toward that world. To me, Tris (the MC) seems like she's willing to overlook corruption in the people around her but is happy to dig it up out of individuals against whom she holds certain grudges, without looking at all of the facts. And it drives me up the wall, not only because that's a bad idea, but because by doing so she seems to be playing right into the "antagonists'" hands. I cannot say she is for sure, of course, since I haven't completed the book, but that's what it seems like right now. (You may see a post about this book in the future, if it's true.)

Peter stops reading, and a few people turn around. Some, like Christina, look at me in a pitying way, their eyebrows drawn in, their mouths turned down at the corners. But most give me little smirks and eye one another suggestively. Peter turns last, with a wide smile.

-p. 243

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Now, on a more serious note, I wanted to mention Students for the Congo. It's run by Jen from Inside my head and other students, and their aim is to increase awareness about the Congo. They're also trying to raise money and have reached over $800 (so far) to send over. The more the word is spread the more it helps, hence this shout-out. Be sure to go check out the blog!

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Have you read Divergent? If so, what did you think of it, and did you like the main character? 

What are you reading now? Got a teaser from it?


-----The Golden Eagle

SLIPSTREAM Blog Tour: A Guest Post By Michael Offutt

Today it is my honor to host Michael Offutt, author of the new Science Fiction book Slipstream. He's an amazing blogger who writes about some truly interesting and thought-provoking subjects, so head on over to his blog and follow him. Or, you know, read this post and then head on over to his blog and follow him. Either's good.

And now, take it away, Michael!

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If you follow Eagle’s blog and are reading these words, you are most likely a person who is scientifically minded. Eagle has probably one of the best blogs that I visit for posting scientific thought amidst smatterings of book reviews and other things.

Anyone that knows me or visits my blog knows that I’m in the least, agnostic and at the most, atheist. I read Richard Dawkins, I post quotes from Sam Harris, and my heroes are Stephen Hawking, Neil deGrasse Tyson,  and Dr. Michio Kaku. I also love the teachings of the late Carl Sagan.

When I’m not working at the day job, I write science-fiction.  For my book, I combine real-world science with the idea of an intelligently designed universe. This doesn’t mean I believe in intelligent design. Rather, it means that I think intelligent design belongs in science-fiction. And this idea really rubs some people wrong.  If I wrote a fantasy novel and made up gods and gave them all names like Aburajj the Destroyer and Makeleh the Bringer of Light, no one would get upset.  But because the spirituality I choose to embrace in my book has (in part) to do with Christian lore, I've had some people be very vocal in how much they dislike that.

One person hinted in a review that spirituality should not belong in science-fiction. Fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

But where does it belong? Given my background, it makes perfect sense for me to talk about it the way that I do and in the format that I do.

In the end, I think that people who want a science-fiction view of what could be actual reality in twenty years or so will not like what I write. I'm not here to predict the future and give you a glimpse of things I see in a crystal ball at the end of the 21^st century.

SLIPSTREAM and the series A Crisis of Two Worlds is about a designer universe and what I hope is a new spin on angels and demons. The "spin" is I’m using real-world science and quantum mechanics.  And the final product…It’s all fiction folks! It's all make-believe and (in my mind) just as valid as a world that’s flat, filled with gods and hobbits, and an all-powerful ring to rule them all. To play the devil's advocate…aren't there already enough science-fiction books with spaceships and aliens? I wanted something different. I wanted a story based in present-day earth that combines some of the things that a lot of the people I know actually believe in. I think the result is going to be people will either love it, or they’ll despise it.

I have a contest for the release of my book.  I will pick one random person who comments on this post to win a $5 Amazon Gift Card and a SLIPSTREAM jeweled spider (the same person wins both prizes). The jeweled spider really sparkles in the sunlight. I hope whoever wins it really likes it. Also, please make sure that your email is linked to your signature in some way. :) And yes, the crystal spiders play an important role in my book.

Rules:

1) Mark my book “To Read” on Goodreads.

2) Comment on this post.

3) Tweet this post if you have twitter. You don’t have to sign-up for twitter. It’s the "honor" system. :)

That’s it. I will choose a winner on Saturday, May 19^th. And thank you, Eagle, for having me on your fine blog.

Slipstream on:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Goodreads

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So, what do you think about combining religion with Science Fiction?


-----The Golden Eagle

The Backworlds By M. Pax

Normally Tuesday would be for Teaser Tuesday, but I'm taking one more week off (hope none of you mind . . .) to celebrate the release of The Backworlds (came out yesterday) by the awesome blogger M. Pax, from the blog Wistful Nebulae.

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The Backworlds is here!

The first story in the Backworlds series by M. Pax. A vision of how humanity might colonize the galaxy some day in the distant future.

The Backworlds

After the war with Earth, bioengineered humans scatter across the Backworlds. Competition is fierce and pickings are scant. Scant enough that Craze’s father decides to hoard his fortune by destroying his son. Cut off from family and friends, with little money, and even less knowledge of the worlds beyond his own, Craze heads into an uncertain future. Boarding the transport to Elstwhere, he vows to make his father regret this day.

Available from: Amazon / AmazonUK / Smashwords / Feedbooks

Other links to more outlets can be found at either Wistful Nebulae or MPax

The Backworlds is an ebook and a free read. All formats can be found at Smashwords and Feedbooks.

It'll take a few weeks to work its way down to free on Amazon Kindle. It will also be available on B&N and iTunes. Sign up for M. Pax's mailing list to be notified the day it does go free on Amazon, and when the book becomes available at other outlets. You’ll also receive coupons for discounts on future publications. The NEWSLETTER (mailing list).

About M. Pax:

M. Pax’s inspiration comes from the wilds of Oregon, especially the high desert where she shares her home with two cats and a husband unit. Creative sparks also come from Pine Mountain Observatory where she spend her summers working as a star guide. She writes mostly science fiction and fantasy, but confesses to an obsession with Jane Austen. 

She blogs at her website, www.mpaxauthor.com and at Wistful Nebuae. You’ll find links there to connect on Twitter, Goodread, FB and other sites. 

The sequel, Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge, will be released in July 2012. It will be available in all ebook formats and paperback.

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Do you know M. Pax? Have you read The Backworlds yet? (I want to . . . so many books on my TBR list!)


-----The Golden Eagle

A-Z Challenge Reflections Post

Today's when the blogosphere once more turns to the A-Z Challenge, but this time, it isn't an alphabet-themed post. Instead participants and non-participants weigh in on what they thought of the Challenge. From the Challenge website:

Share your pleasures, your pains, your setbacks, your gains. Who did you meet along the way that you found to be especially helpful or inspiring? Did you have a favorite blog post? Or a favorite series? Which blogs did you discover during April that you will be returning to in the future?
   You can tell us what you thought were the highlights of your April Challenge, what you learned, what changes you might make next time, or what surprised you most. There are no limits as to what your Challenge experience might have been so tell us in your best way how you felt about the April A to Z Challenge of 2012.

Before I get to my reflections, I'd like to give a big, enthusiastic cheer for the hosts of the Challenge:

Tossing It Out (Arlee Bird)

Amlokiblogs (Damyanti Biswas)

Alex J. Cavanaugh (Alex J. Cavanaugh)

Life is Good (Tina Downey)

Cruising Altitude 2.0 (DL Hammons)

Retro-Zombie (Jeremy Hawkins)

The Warrior Muse (Shannon Lawrence)

The QQQE (Matthew MacNish)

Author Elizabeth Mueller(Elizabeth Mueller)

Pearson Report (Jenny Pearson)

No Thought 2 Small (Konstanz Silverbow)

Breakthrough Blogs (Stephen Tremp)
Coming Down The Mountain (Karen Jones Gowen)


. . . who are awesome and amazing people. Go follow them, if you don't already.

And now for drawing together an entire month into a single post. Well, let's start with the posts, since that's the main reason why I participated in the Challenge.

As you probably know my theme was science (unless you're a new visitor, in which case, Welcome to the blog! and yes, I'm that crazy), and my posts covered Astrophysics, Biotechnology, Cosmology, Dendrochronology, Exobiology, Fluid Dynamics, General Relativity, Helioseismology, Inorganic Chemistry, Jumping Genes, Kinematics, Lithology, Microbiology, Nanotechnology, Oceanography, Particle Physics, Quantum Physics, Robotics, Spectroscopy, Toxicology, Unified Theory, Volcanology, Wave-Particle Duality, X Chromosome, Y Chromosome, and Zoology.

I had a lot of fun doing all that research. Because I had a solid theme this year--unlike in 2011--I could plan ahead and had everything scheduled by the end of April 1. It took a big load off blogging for the rest of the month, since all I had to do was edit the posts the day before and comment. I wouldn't necessarily recommend scheduling ahead of time for everyone's style is different, but for relatively factual and static post subjects, I think it works. Scheduling has greatly caught on with me, actually, because I get the impulse to do it with all of my posts now.

All my A-Z posts/images together. If you want to, view my blog (or any other Blogger site) like this HERE.

And once the posts went up, it was great to read your responses and find out what you had to say over some of today's most interesting scientific fields and their respective discoveries and advances. The blogosphere has to be one of the sharpest audiences around, and sometimes it really was a challenge to reply to your comments and answer your questions!

Will I make any changes to how I performed during the A-Z Challenge when we reach April 2013? Maybe. I'll try to comment more--but though it wasn't the entire shebang, I'm relatively content with the 400 or so blogs I visited on the sign up list, plus visiting those who commented here and attempting to keep up with regular bloggers. I think if I'd tried visiting any more I would have completely burnt out a couple weeks after starting, and I figure moderation is better than Someone help me, I'm drowning in blogs . . . by the end of April. Not that I think so many people joining in on such an event is a bad thing; quite the opposite.


All in all, I thought the A-Z Challenge was a productive, worthwhile experience. I learned things I didn't know before, I met a bunch of new bloggers, I read some really cool posts, and for an entire month I published articles that I feel like I could actually hold up and say they have some quality.


For those who participated, how was your A-Z Challenge experience? Are you planning to do it again next year? If so, have any theme ideas hit you already, if you use themes*?

For those who didn't participate in the Challenge, are you glad that May has finally arrived and you will no longer be seeing posts with the same letter in your blog reader? Would you consider participating next year?

*(In 2011 I had grand plans for 2012 . . . I'm drawing blanks for 2013 now, but hey, there's still another ten months until crunch time rolls around again. :P)


-----The Golden Eagle

1000+ FOLLOWERS!

Public domain. SOURCE.

On April 14, in the midst of the A-Z Challenge, The Eagle's Aerial Perspective reached 1000 Followers!

I didn't post about this earlier due to having all my Challenge posts scheduled, and a hastily-written Sunday post didn't seem adequate, so here it is: follower celebration time!

Thank you so much, to those who've been reading this blog for months and years, and to people who have recently joined on. You all know who you are, and you help keep this blog on its feet--or, I suppose, in the air. Either way, I appreciate your show of support for what I'm doing, because it motivates me to produce higher-quality writing and I learn so much from individuals in the blogosphere. Also a shout-out to the A-Z Challenge, which undoubtedly boosted the number of visitors who came by in April.

1000 is such a milestone . . . one I didn't expect when I first started out in February 2010. It was just me and the web and a few blogs I finally stopped lurking and actively followed, and then a lot of "I have no idea what I'm going to post today, so I'll just pick something like, I dunno, how bad the weather and my word count is!"

It's amazing to be able to look back how far I've progressed since then. Though I still think there's an undercurrent of my original enthusiasm for blogging, evident in the fact that I'm still random from time to time, and you cannot categorize The Eagle's Aerial Perspective as a writing, science, review, or other specific type of blog, bad as that may be for SEO and whatnot.

But anyway, end monologue. Let's get to what I always do for follower posts: list the newest followers in the order and under the names they appear in my sidebar:

Carrie Bastyr
Caitlin
Rod Tyson
Traci Kenworth
Stephanie Allen
Caterina serra
Jeff Curie
Kathy Collier
Stacey
Rena
Jeremy
J.W. Alden
Tmsneed
Stephen Henry
Corvus Press UK
Pixel
Jamie Gibbs
Yadin
Alan crow
Jennifer Fischetto
Michael Horvath
Mikazuki
Ash-Matic
Bdon au
Valerie Furnas
Jason R.M.
Nathan
Briane Pagel
Super Earthling
Luna
Sergio Ormaechea Cebrian
Ana
Heather
Sue H
Youngman Brown
Shannon Cyr
Journaling Woman
Gail M Baugniet - Author
My Kid's Mom
Tomas Crespo
Shay Lynn
Ben Mckinley
Remo007
Heather M. Gardner
Encourage One Another
Sue
Brinda
Catherine Noble
Noushka Dufort
Wikes!
MOV-motherofbrothersblog
Bob Scotney
Djdaines
Running4him
Debra Harris-Johnson
Charles the Reader
Mark Koopmans
Angela Brown
Word Nerd
Lilly Sanovia
Deno
Weavinggal
Estrella Altair
Melody-mae
Lady Bluestocking
Kristen Pelfrey
Feather Stone
Danneromero
Teresa Cypherbuss
Michael Murray
Lily Tequila
Jean
Garrisonjames
Sfaturi
Anglers Rest
Amanda Trought
Em-Musing
Bish Denham
Maurice Mitchell
Cleemckenzie
Tracy Jo
Matthew B. Gordon
Heather
InspiringAlways
Danielle B.
Amanda Heitler
Matthewskl
KC Weldon
Kathy29156
Mftn
Matt
www.elcamperoinquieto.com
Elise Fallson
Monti
Nathanael
Simon Willis
Linda Fischer
Ana Minguez
And Silva
Yannick Leroy
Jessica.foster45
Libby
Romance Book Haven
Mildred
Nas Dean


***If I do not have your link, then it means I could not find it in your Google Friend Connect profile. If you do want me to add yours (or you'd rather I linked to another site/profile or I accidentally linked to someone else--my apologies) please leave a comment to let me know.***


View other lists of Followers:
1-500
500-600
600-700
700-800
800-900

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Again, thank you all for following this blog!

-----The Golden Eagle

Spotlighted!

Yesterday, over at Josh Hoyt's The Blog That Helps You Diagnose Your Characters. I hope you'll stop by.

(I also wrote a piece of flash fiction for it, so in case you'd like something to read . . . do head on over.)


-----The Golden Eagle

Are You Participating In The A To Z Challenge? + Announcing My A-Z Theme

There is only a week and two days until the A to Z Challenge officially starts on April 1, so time is ticking down.

You've probably heard of the event by now (which to date has over 1170 participants signed up) but if not, you basically post 26 times during the month of April, according to each letter of the alphabet. It's a great challenge.

And now, the part you've all been waiting for (not):

My A-Z Theme for the month is Science.

I had hoped to keep the theme a secret until I unveiled it in this post, but I made a bit of a mistake yesterday when I accidentally scheduled my unfinished K post (Kinematics) to go up on March 12. Seeing as it was March 22--yeah, I accidentally published it. It appeared in Google Reader and on people's blogrolls, which rather blew my cover.

But now that you know I'm posting about science, I hope you're all as excited as I am about it, because that's all I'm focusing on for April. The Challenge will start out here on The Eagle's Aerial Perspective with Astrophysics and continue with Biotechnology, Cosmology, etc.

I've tried to keep the scientific jargon to a minimum and explain terms that might not be familiar offhand, and there will be at least a couple images in every post that will (I promise) be no longer than four to six paragraphs. At the end of the posts, I'll be featuring a Notable Scientist in the field--or closely related field--just covered, with a video of the person if I can find one, which is not always. Plus, there will be links at the bottom of each post to the sources where I got the information, so you'll be able to go and check the facts for yourself (and probably correct me!) if you think something is wrong.

You may be wondering, overall, what fields I'll be covering. In that case, it's just the natural sciences (with particular emphasis on Physics and Biology). This is not because I think the social sciences, humanities, formal sciences, or other professions aren't worth writing or learning about, but I know (counting what little I do know) a bit more about the natural sciences. (Shout out to Charles Gramlich (*update*: his wife has been diagnosed with cancer, and they are both in my thoughts) and Josh Hoyt here. They both have excellent posts about the social sciences/psychology, if you're more interested in that.)


Oh, and do take notes as you read next month. It will all be on the test.



Just kidding. Trust me, there won't be a test. :)

Unless you'd all like one . . .


Are you going with a theme this year, if you are participating in the A-Z Challenge? If not, are you prewriting your posts? And since I know some bloggers are posting on multiple blogs: how many blogs have you signed up for the Challenge?


-----The Golden Eagle

On Fire for Alex J. Cavanaugh's CassaFire!

It's the big day, everyone! It's the release date of Alex J. Cavanaugh's new book, CassaFire (sequel to CassaStar).

The goal is to help CassaFire “catch fire” on the best seller charts and achieve the success of the first book, CassaStar. There’s also a special package of prizes being given away at the author’s blog (copies of CassaFire, CassaStar, tote bag, mug, and bookmarks) as well as book giveaways during his two-week blog tour. See Alex’s site for details.

About the book:

CassaStar was just the beginning…

The Vindicarn War is a distant memory and Byron’s days of piloting Cosbolt fighters are over. He has kept the promise he made to his fallen mentor and friend - to probe space on an exploration vessel. Shuttle work is dull, but it’s a free and solitary existence. The senior officer is content with his life aboard the Rennather.

The detection of alien ruins sends the exploration ship to the distant planet of Tgren. If their scientists can decipher the language, they can unlock the secrets of this device. Is it a key to the Tgren’s civilization or a weapon of unimaginable power? Tensions mount as their new allies are suspicious of the Cassan’s technology and strange mental abilities.

To complicate matters, the Tgrens are showing signs of mental powers themselves; the strongest of which belongs to a pilot named Athee, a woman whose skills rival Byron’s unique abilities. Forced to train her mind and further develop her flying aptitude, he finds his patience strained. Add a reluctant friendship with a young scientist, and he feels invaded on every level. All Byron wanted was his privacy…

A review of his novel CassaStar, from Library Journal:

“…calls to mind the youthful focus of Robert Heinlein’s early military sf, as well as the excitement of space opera epitomized by the many Star Wars novels. Fast-paced military action and a youthful protagonist make this a good choice for both young adult and adult fans of space wars.” 

Trailer (you really should see this, because it's amazing):

Science fiction - space opera/adventure

Print ISBN 978-0-9827139-4-5, $15.95, 6x9 Trade paperback, 240 pages

EBook ISBN 978-0-9827139-6-9, $4.99, available in all formats


Links to purchase:
Barnes and Noble: http://dft.ba/-CassaFireBaN
Amazon: http://dft.ba/-CassaFireAmazon
Amazon Kindle: http://dft.ba/-CassaFireKindle

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CONGRATULATIONS, ALEX! :)

-----The Golden Eagle

I'm A Saturday Savvy Sensation!

Laura Barnes at Laura B Writer has featured me HERE on her blog today.

Hope you'll stop by and check it out! (And follow her blog if you don't already, because it's awesome.)


-----The Golden Eagle

My SantaFest Gift

Back in 2011 (oh so long ago) I participated in the SantaFest hosted by Laura at Daily Dodo and Loralie Hall at Apathy's Hero. I thought I'd post the gift I got, because it's awesome, and I'd like to thank whoever made it:

Thank you, Secret Santa! (And if you're reading this and want to reveal yourself, feel free.)

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I hope you're having a great weekend, everyone!


-----The Golden Eagle

Here's To The New Year

The last day of 2011 has arrived, and out goes another year.

It feels like it was the beginning of 2011 just a few months ago . . . though in other ways it doesn't feel like it's gone that fast at all.

I've had a pretty good year. There were downs and there were ups, but some cool things happened and the bad could have been worse. There were a lot of unexpected things that I am grateful I got to experience; like finishing my first novel and writing two others, going to my first dance competition, passing a series of tests I had been worried about, getting to know some nice people.

And, of course, there's been the blogging. Blogfests (sometime I'd like to go back and count them all . . .), the A-Z Challenge (yup, I'm planning to do it next year as well), REN3 (let's give another shout-out to the great hosts), Terry Pratchett Month in September (glad to know there are other fans out there), going through NaNoWriMo with the other writers in the blogosphere, and just generally watching as people traverse their own ups and down, reach their goals, do interesting things. You people are amazing, and I'm honored to get the chance to know you, if even just through blog posts.

How was your year?

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Finally . . .

I hope you have an awesome 2012!

-----The Golden Eagle