2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge Reflections

Source

I'm posting my A-Z Challenge reflections a bit behind schedule.  I didn't want to miss the chance though.  The idea of the post is to reflect about your the overall challenge and discuss what you liked and didn't like.  Overall I enjoyed writing about the penny dreadfuls of the Victorian era.  (Hey, if you missed any of my posts, please click here.)  I learned a ton about the literature in the 1800's and however bad the writing was considered back then, there were many wonderful and iconic pieces of literature created.  And some like The Demon Barber and more have stood the test of time.  Interestingly, the cheap printing methods opened up the lit flood gates to the masses, providing mid to lower classes access to exciting, affordable stories.  When you think about the vast majority of changes the publishing industry has endured over the last few years with the surge of e-publishing, the comparisons between then and now are eerily similar.  

My dislikes for this year's A-Z challenge really came down the time management.  I would have preferred to spend more time visiting and reading my author/blogger friends than writing all the content.  I know that sounds utterly ridiculous, but I think next year I may create another challenge or team that visits the blogs and then highlights the best content every week.  This way I can participate in the process, but spend more time visiting and supporting others, especially folks that are new to the challenge.

Lastly, I want to say a special shout out to the late great Tina Downey at Life is Good. We miss you Tina! God bless!

Those are my thoughts for this year!  I've been participating since the beginning and I'm proud I finished it, but WOW was it tough!  What about you?  Did you have any thoughts on how you'll take on next year's challenge?

Mina Burrows

A to Z Theme Reveal Blogfest - Penny Dreadfuls

It's A-Z Theme Reveal time! I'm sending a BIG THANK YOU to my GothMom, Mina Lobo, for creating this awesome blogfest and also to all the Blogging from A-Z folks.  I had a hard time coming up with a topic, so I stuck to what I enjoy the most.

*Drum roll*  Well friends...you know how much I love classic horror literature.  If you're new to my blog, then you might want to check out my Creepy Classics section.  Dark, classic literature has always intrigued me and one area I've wanted to delve deeper into is the Victorian era's penny dreadfuls.  A few years ago, I featured a couple of classic literature short stories/penny dreadfuls, The Picture of Dorian Gray and The String of Pearls but I always wanted to do more.  Now with the explosion of the popular Showtime series, Penny Dreadful and with the A-Z Challenge, there couldn't be a better opportunity.  Am I right?  You betcha!

Join me next month and I feature an overview of dozens of penny dreadful stories to include where you can read it (if possible) and any other cool facts I can find.  If you're interested in seeing which ones, check out my penny dreadful montage below.

What about you?  What theme did you choose?  Are you exciting for A-Z this year?

Have an awesome week.

Mina Burrows