Nominations for the Annual Bloggers Awards are Now Open @sacha_black #WeekendBlogShare

Over at https://sachablack.co.uk/2016/04/22/nominations-for-bloggers-bash-awards-are-now-open/

Nominations for the annual Bloggers Awards are Now Open

NOMINATIONS WILL CLOSE ON MAY 10th 2016

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THE AWARDS

Best Overall Blog

This award is for the blogger who has the best overall blog. Who is the blogger that for you, excels in a variety of categories? Perhaps they’re sociable and engage with readers, maybe they share others posts, or have a writing style that keeps you coming back time and time again.

Whoever you choose needs to be an all rounder, a blogger that for you is head and shoulders above the rest.

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Funniest Blogger

Which blogger continually makes you laugh out loud? Has someone made you laugh so hard you cried? Maybe you snorted drink through your nose at one of their jokes. Who’s the funniest blogger of them all?

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Most Inspirational Blogger

Who consistently inspires you? Is there a blogger that’s thought provoking and inquisitive? Or perhaps they have become a muse to you with constant provision of inspirational content or imagery? Who’s the one blogger that’s touched your heart? This is the nomination for them.

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Best Dressed Blog

This is for the most stylish blog. Who’s blog looks sleek and sexy? Maybe they use stunning imagery, or a well designed theme, or perhaps they just have a unique written style to their blog posts. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so only you can judge whose blog is the best dressed.

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Most Informative (Original Content) Blogger

This award is for those bloggers with the most informative original content. Who, time and time again writes fascinating content. Perhaps they are a history blogger, maybe, a blogger who writes about writing craft, or maybe they like archaeology, or wine tasting, or perhaps they are an artist or musician. The topic could be anything, what were looking for is a blogger who shares a wealth of knowledge that they have carefully researched and pulled together themselves.

Who do you find yourself longing to read because of their content? This is the nomination for them.

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Best Book Review Blog

We created a new award because we felt there were so many dedicated book reviewers out there that they needed an award in their own right.

Which book reviewer do you love? This isn’t about being prolific this is about quality reviews. Who’s the most thoughtful reviewer? Perhaps their thoughts on a book persuaded you to read it, maybe they use their blog as a platform for authors as well, or perhaps you love them for their scathing honesty!

Whoever you choose to nominate in this award, please ensure their blogs are PRIMARILY book review blogs.

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Services to Bloggers

Who’s the kindest blogger of them all? Which blogger goes out of their way to help others? Maybe someone helped you kick start your blog with tutorials or maybe they continually reblogs your posts. Perhaps someone consistently provides useful posts on how to boost your own blog. Or maybe you want to nominate someone who provides a platform for others.

Who do you want to thank for their dedication to other bloggers?

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Hidden Gem

Which blog doesn’t get the notoriety they deserve? Maybe you stumbled on them by chance, and discovered a minefield of information. Maybe they make you smile or have such an original style you can’t help but go back.

Who would you like to have the limelight for a change? This is the award for them.

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Newcomer Award

This is for bloggers who have been blogging less than a year. So bloggers who joined the bloggisphere after 1st June 2015

Who joined the bloggisphere with a bang? Perhaps they are funny, or well designed, or maybe their posts make you smile time after time. Whatever the reason, this is for a newbie blogger that you think deserves recognition.

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Best Pal 

Which blogger do you want to go to the pub with? Or maybe have dinner with? Who never fails to reply to comments, and has thoughtful things to say. Maybe they encourage the community through weekly challenges or blog parties. Who wouldn’t the blogging world be the same without?

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Head over and make your nominations TODAY https://sachablack.co.uk/2016/04/22/nominations-for-bloggers-bash-awards-are-now-open/

The Bath Short Story Award and the Very British Authors Tour 2013

The long list of 46 entries out of 1149 original ones has been released today. Sadly I’m not on the long list, but I enjoyed the challenge, here is my entry, I wrote about my mad weekend when I had “One of those good ideas!” which has friends rolling their eyes and heading for cover! Find out which stories did make the long list here; The Bath Short Story Award’s long listed titles may be viewed at: www.bathshortstoryaward.co.uk

The Very British Authors Tour 2013

 

“AUTHOR’S WANTED” the Tweet, caught my eye, I click on the link and it takes me to Clive’s blog page. Just one of the founders of the tour, Clive and his fellow author have created a plan to spend a year celebrating British authors through a sophisticated type of chain letter. I usually shudder at the thought of chain mail, it gives me bad vibes, but this one intrigued me. Each author will be a “Host” to ten other authors and each will have a link between them to promote each other, my intuition gave me a nudge. I read the article through again, my inner voice shouts at me to join the tour. So I follow the instructions, take up the invite to join and press “Submit”. The prospect excites me, it feels right to be a part of this homage to British writers. The “Spirit of Britain”, which engulfed the country last year with the Queen’s Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympics, rolls over my shoulders and tickles the hairs on the back of my neck. We were so proud to be British and I want to feel that again.

Within hours my request is accepted, advice given, downloads sent and contact with my “Host” author made. We’d been around the world and back in just a few clicks; my “Host” is British, but now lives in Australia!

Now I need to create an “Imaginative unique post”, to promote myself and the tour. The world is limitless, my brain explodes with ideas which all need considering. In the last seven months my learning curve in social media has been steep; from zero to blog and Twitter with major lessons in the technology. Turning the lessons into success on the internet gives me an ultimate thrill of satisfaction for someone who grew up without computers. It’s contagious, the more that I can achieve, then the more I want to learn.

I have a great friend and advisor who helps me with the technical side. She is now on holiday and her parting words to me were;

“Don’t get into any trouble while I’m away!”

I really want to write a great post with pictures and links, it drives me on and is my only desire, but I need a little assistance;

“Trouble, trouble, trouble” I title the cheeky e-mail that I eventually write to her, praying that she will at least read it out of curiosity and hoping that she will reply. Hyped by my excitement to get on the tour, I have asked if they can take some “Very British” photographs for me and send them on.

 

Time ticks slowly by and I itch to publish my post, to jump on the band wagon as early as possible. Five hours later, e-mails arrive full of photos and downloads from their phones, plus laughter at my manic enthusiasm and stories of their own about a broken boiler and a smashed fence. Crazy times! I am guilty of taking up their time whilst being psyched by the photos which I upload to my post.

Nearly completed, just a form to add as a “Contact me” to the post. Not to be flawed I search Google for help, but the best answer appears to be a “Plug- in”. What’s that? Dare I e-mail my friend once more? It’s Sunday evening at 10pm. This is a test of friendship surely?

Another twenty-four hours passes by in trial and tribulation, e-mails and tests, learning curves rising again, problems occurring. This is consuming my life and all of my thoughts, I am determined to succeed.

Tuesday; my friend telephones our first verbal conversation. It’s easy not to “Talk” anymore with modern social media. We agree to try a test run where I will add a form which we think will work, I will then publish the article and she will take a look. We have the option to delete it if the form is wrong. But it is a mad twist because I need to leave for work immediately and she has a new fence to build. So we agree to rendezvous on the internet later. I drive to work too fast, deal with paperwork that I can’t recall and exceed the speed limits on the return journey. I can not remember the morning my thoughts are consumed with the blog.

“R U free yet?” I send a text message to my friend.

“10 mins? Holding a fence panel can’t let go!” She replies.

I decide to start making the lunch; the fridge door is open and my arms are full of salad and cold meat when her next text message comes.

“Go, go, go! I’m free now!”

“2 mins” I reply.

I hit the “Publish” button and send a text message which says “Done” and I wait.

“Form ok, have sent it back, don’t know where the h*** it’s gone to though!”

 Rushing now, I open new tabs and accounts, this is ridiculous! But I’m laughing and can picture my friend laughing too! I find her reply sat in my e-mail “Inbox”, it all worked, what a relief! I phone to thank her but have no mobile phone signal Grrr! I wave my phone around and the signal gains strength, I can make my call. We laugh at the chaos and realise that we could have used the land-line telephones to make the calls, and then I tell her that I could have used my lap-top computer for the test if I’d really thought it through. We laugh some more at ourselves but we’d done it and I felt like I’d won Olympic gold, it meant so much to make it all happen.

Now all that is needed is one finishing touch…..

“AUTHORS WANTED” I tweet!

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BBC Sports Personality 2012

Nominees for the BBC Sports Personality 2012 have been announced. The 12 finalists are; Bradley Wiggins, Nicola Adams (Boxer), Ben Ainslie, Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah, Kath Grainger (Rower),Sir Chris Hoy, Rory McIlroy, Andy Murray and Paralympians; Sara Storey, Ellie Simmonds and David Weir. The awards take place on the 16th December.

Good Luck everyone.

Costa Book Awards Shortlist

The shortlist for the Costa Book Awards were announced yesterday. There are 5 categories;

Novel Award nominees are; Bringing Up The Bodies, by Hilary Mantel, Life! Death! Prizes! by Stephen May, The Heart Broke In by James Meek and Days of the Bagnold Summer by Joff Winterhart.

First Novel Award nominees are; The Notable Brain of Maximilion Ponder by J.W. Ironmonger, Snake Ropes by Jess Richards, The Innocents by Francesca Segal ans The Bellweather Revivals by Benjamin Wood.

Other categories are; Biography Award, Poetry Award and Children’s Book Award.

Winners will be announced on the 3rd January 2013

http://www.costabookawards.com/this-year.aspx

Good Luck Everyone!