Makeover!

I've been blogging for over a year now, and the time has come for a bit of a shake up! Last night -- when undoubtedly I should have been doing something way more productive -- I decided this was it: my blog would get a new design.

After grappling with PhotoShop, downing several glasses of wine (which probably didn't help the process) and cursing at my silly little laptop, I finally managed to create a new template which mirrors the covers of my books. Yay!

I hope you like it!

How often do you redesign your blog?

Happy Friday, everyone!

A is for... Argy Bargy

Can you believe it's finally here? It's the first day of the A to Z Challenge, and as a co-host, I'm very excited! Almost 1,000 bloggers are participating -- yes, 1,000! -- and it's going to be a great month of blogging.

Welcome to all new followers! If you leave a comment, I'll be sure to make my way to your blog, too. I can't wait to meet lots of fun new bloggers. To the left of this post on my sidebar is a nifty button that will let you navigate through the other participants -- thank you to the wonderful person who produced it (whose name I can't recall right now!).

Right, with that out of the way, on to today! I was going to blog about adenoids, but that kind of fell through when the analogy I was going to make didn't quite work out. So . . . argy bargy! That makes sense, right? Adenoids to argy bargy?

First, a bit of history: regular readers know that I'm a Canadian who has been living in Britain for almost seven years now and, in fact, recently became British myself! However, I still marvel at the unique vocabulary here, so different from back home. Argy bargy is one of those phrases that always makes me grin.

What does it mean? 'A vigorous discussion or dispute.' There you go! My A word: argy bargy.

(Also A: Angels! As in, Ordinary Angels. As in, my wonderful friend India Drummond's book being released on Monday! She's also in the challenge, so if you get a chance, head over and say hi!)

Uno, Dos, Tres

Keeping 'er short and simple today, as I gear up for the A to Z Challenge starting on Friday! I've got three things to share with you. Aren't I nice!

1. Today is a hair salon day. Very important in my world, since I have short, platinum hair. It's not a good look when that grows out, believe me.

2. The bunion on my wrist is getting bigger! It's been such a pleasure watching it grow stronger and develop into the fine bunion specimen it is today.

3. I'm at author Caroline Smailes' blog today! Caroline is an author I first met on Twitter and then in person at her launch of Like Bees to Honey. She is super nice and SO supportive; she recently talked me down off the ledge when I had a mini-implosion. Anyway, please check out her blog if you get the chance because it's a great one, on any day!

Happy Hump Day, everyone!

A to Z Challenge: How to Blog Like It's Not a Chore

One very important bit of information before I launch into my post: tomorrow is my BIRTHDAY! Yes, I'll be turning the big 3-7. Yes, I'm getting old(er). No, I don't care!

As much as I love blogging, sometimes it can be a bit of a chore. I'm not in the mood; I've got nothing to say; I just want to have that glass of wine at the end of the day (although let's be honest -- I'm going to have it anyway, blogging or not).

With the A to Z Challenge coming up starting April 1, here are some of my tips to lighten the blogging load.

1. Keep it short, keep it short, keep it short! You don't need to write an essay.

2. Stick to one point. Blog posts that address one issue are easiest for people to read and comment.

3. If you can't think of anything to say - just have fun! You don't always need to be serious, and your readers will likely appreciate a little bit of levity.

3. Don't over think it. It's a blog post, not a peace treaty.

4. Drink some wine. Or eat some chocolate. That will make anything fun!

5. If you really don't feel like blogging - don't. No kittens will die. The world won't end. Take a break if you need it and get recharged.

There you have it! Want to sign up for the A-Z Challenge and have some fun? Visit Arlee's blog to give it a go - we're over 550 people now, I do believe.

I'm off to start the birthday festivities! See you on the other side.

From Arse to Zorba

Thank you to everyone who chimed in with their character suggestions yesterday! If you haven't yet, there's still time - I'll be choosing the winner next week.

So hey! It's Friday! I've had Eggs Benedict and a double espresso for breakfast, and I'm happy to report that I am finally going to see The King's Speech this evening (albeit in Leicester Square, which is the congregation point of all screaming teens from the suburbs). Still, I'm excited TO BE LEAVING THE FLAT!

Oh, a big thanks to Ellen from Pink Tea and Paper for her lovely review of The Hating Game. Yay!

Big news today from the A to Z Team: we have more hosts to help bring in even more participants for the April challenge. This year I'm taking part in the A to Z Challenge and am honored to be one of the hosts. The others are Arlee Bird, Alex Cavanaugh, Candace Ganger, Jen Daiker, Jeffrey Beesler, Stephen Tremp, and Karen Gowen. Have you signed up yet? Click the photo on my sidebar to join the fun!

What is the A to Z Challenge?

It’s blogging a letter of the alphabet every day the month of April (with Sundays off for good behavior.) It begins April First with the letter A and ends April 30 with the letter Z. Get in the habit of blogging on schedule and meet loads of new bloggers!

Have a great weekend, everyone!