I’m not a devoted, conscientious blogger and I don’t have a large following. I don’t post regularly; I write when I have something to say. Other times, I’m happy to read what others have written and to comment if it’s warranted. My blog is my way of sharing my experiences in self-publishing with others who are similarly occupied. It’s a blow-by-blow of my process, my successes (coming soon) and my efforts to learn, improve and grow as a writer and person. So when I think about my blog, I don’t expect much and generally, that’s what I get. Not much — but that’s okay. It’s what I signed up for.

I confess though, that lately I’ve been feeling a little down about the complete disregard my small community has been showing for my brilliant blogs. At least …

So it came as a nice surprise to learn that I’d been nominated for an award – The Versatile Blogger – by a blogger I follow and respect. Normally I don’t go for that sort of thing much. I want recognition for my novels; not so much for my blog. But the individual who nominated me writes a really great blog, consistently. She goes by the handle Gringa of the Barrio and you can check out her blog here. (If you haven’t already; I’m betting that she has tons of followers.)

Once I got over the mild shock of recognition I sat down to think about what it meant and whether I was going to thank the Gringa (muchas gracias and all that) and just quietly pass on actually getting involved … or what. After much thought I decided on the or what option. Here’s why.

The way the thing works is guaranteed to create a like-minded community and that’s what I’m after. You must understand, before we go any further with this, that like-minded means open to discussion, with all points of view freely aired and discussed. The only requirements are humanity and intelligence. It does not mean people who agree with me or who even share my perspective. So I welcome my nomination and am happy to jump into the pool with my blogging colleague, the Gringa. I’m very curious about the fourteen other bloggers she nominated.

Here’s my list:

Tony Single : https://unbolt.me/2016/12/20/donde-esta-santa-claus/

Simple Ula: https://simpleula.com/

counting ducks: https://countingducks.wordpress.com/

The Task at Hand: https://shoreacres.wordpress.com/

Granola Shotgun: https://granolashotgun.com/

David Masciotra : https://davidmasciotra.com/

The Science Geek: https://thesciencegeek.org/

sabinewaldmannbrun: https://sabinewaldmannbrun.wordpress.com/

robstroud: https://mereinkling.net/

Critical Dispatches: https://criticaldispatches.com/

Quintessential Editor: https://quintessentialeditor.com/

The Neighborhood: https://thepublicblogger.com/

A.M. Bradley: https://ambradleyblog.wordpress.com/

artstorus : https://artstor.wordpress.com/

Robert Morrisey: http://www.rmorrisey.net/

I was only allowed to nominate fifteen of my favourite bloggers. In the end I had to draw straws and leave out a few that I really like.

Almost forgot — I’m also supposed to share seven things about myself. I’ll get to that in my next post.