The two lovely ladies who I tagged me on this blog tour are Vikki Clafin of Laugh Lines and Sharon Greenthal of Empty House Full Mind. I met Vikki a year ago while writing on a book project together and was blown away by her sense of humor. We're both mid lifers who view the world through the same funny lense, which is why her blog posts resonate so deeply with me. I felt a connection to Vikki as soon as I met her on the inter webs and hope one day we'll be able to connect IRL. Whenever we DO meet, the first thing I'm going to do is give this lady a BIG hug!
Sharon is another mid lifer I connected with last year and she's one of my biggest mentors. Although her main focus in writing is on empty nesting. parenting and marriage, she also delves into social issues and politics on her blog. Sharon is one of the busiest women I know---aside from writing her own blog, she is the co-founder of Midlife Boulevard and manages a busy Facebook page for midlife women. She writes for numerous sites and was recently a guest on the Katy Couric show. I'm so proud of all the things she has accomplished in her writing career and honored to be considered her friend.
There are instructions for this blog tour, and they are as follows:
1. Thank the blogger who tagged you and tell us a little bit about her.
2. Answer four questions about your writing process.
3. Tag three of your favorite bloggers and tell us a little bit about them.
QUESTIONS:
1. What am I working on? I'm working on the final edits of my book, "Who Stole My Spandex? Midlife Musings From A Middle-Aged MILF." If you want to know more about it, you can check out my author age at: www.marciakesterdoyle.com. Aside from posting on my own blog site weekly, I also write for four different sites---The Huffington Post, In The Powder Room, Humor Outcasts and What The Flicka. What else am I working on? Teaching my 18 year old to lift the lid and pee in the toilet, not on the bathroom tiles.
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre? When I first started blogging, I wrote mainly about menopause. After several months, I realized how I was limiting myself and decided I needed to expand my reach by writing on a wide variety of topics. Although the middle age years are still my main focus, my odd comedy tends to resonate with most people and I'm thrilled to say I have a wide demographic of readers ranging in ages 18-88. How cool is that? But what makes my writing unique from other blogs out there is my warped humor. No one else talks about rhino thongs, kumbaya singing possums around a campfire or cornhole playing yard gnomes.
3. Why do I write what I do? When I first started writing many moons ago, I wrote poetry and fiction, but I had to go into my dark place in order to produce anything decent. Dwelling in a cave is not much fun, and a few years ago I decided to branch out into comedy. This was the perfect move for me because humor comes naturally to me since I live in a nuthouse where no topic is sacred and the wine flows freely.
4. How does your writing process work? This goes back to the wine. My husband and I like nothing better than to sit in our backyard garden oasis on a Saturday night and brainstorm over a bottle (or three) of wine. This is where the singing possums and dancing gnomes come in. The problem is that the following morning I can barely read my scrawled notes, and what I CAN read is strange material from my alter ego. Hello, Ms. Pinot Grigio, Mistress of Wacky World.
There are SO MANY blogs out there that I love, but here is a handful I read on a regular basis:
1. Sarah Almond of The Sadder But Wiser Girl is one of my best friends in the blogosphere. We share the same warped sense of humor and laugh late into the night about stupid stuff like ear wax casseroles and crap pockets. Sarah is my go-to girl and one of the funniest people I know. If you want a good belly laugh, be sure to visit her hilarious blog.
2. Kristi Campbell writes over at Finding Ninee and is by far one of the most prolific writers in the blogosphere. What's cool about her blog is the illustrations she draws to accompany her posts. They leave me in stitches because I can relate to EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. Kristi is a special needs mom to a beautiful little boy named Tucker. As much as I love her sense of humor, it's her poignant posts that leave a lump in my throat and make me want to reach through the computer screen to hug her. She is one of the kindest, most compassionate women out there and I just love her to bits. Do yourself a favor and read this awesome lady's blog.
3. Crystal Ponti of Mommifried is one of my absolute favorite ladies in the blogosphere. She's also one of the busiest. This mom of five writes an entertaining blog with funny posts, delicious food recipes and advice for mothers. Crystal is also a social media guru and the founder of Blue Lobster Book Company. I signed on with Crystal because she is incredibly organized and has the best PR skills of anyone I've ever met in the publishing business. The success of her book, Mother Of All Meltdowns, convinced me that she was the best person to represent my book. She has the patience of a saint because I'm constantly badgering her with questions and she handles everything like the pro that she is. Our relationship has extended beyond the business side of publishing and I consider Crystal a true friend. Please check out her blog, and if you have a manuscript you're interested in publishing, this is the woman for you!
