Pay It Forward Blogfest!

It's been a very long time since I participated in a blogfest, but I really liked the concept of this one hosted by Matt MacNish and Alex J. Cavanaugh.

The idea is to inform everyone of a few blogs that might not be getting all the love they deserve. I was only supposed to pick three, but that proved too hard.

So here is my list. Feel free to click three of your choice, and spread some love!

1) Aleeza Rauf at Aleeza Reads and Writes
Aleeza does fantastic, insightful, enthusiastic book reviews. If you ever want an honest, hilarious opinion on a book, this is where you need to go. No joke, she can probably read us all under the table. And she's a sweetheart, too.

2) Heidi Windmiller at ...then she writes
Heidi wears many hats: Teacher. Lawyer. Mom. CP Extraordinaire. She puts out thought-provoking posts and also has a great feature on Fridays where she gathers up interesting and informative links from the blogosphere and lays them out for everyone. What's better than getting to copy a smart girl's homework?

3) Leigh Ann Kopans at The Naptime Novelist
Leigh Ann's posts are introspective and funny, and she almost always takes the time to respond to her commentators, which I think is great. She comes up with great metaphors for the different phases of writing, from the joys to the heartbreaks, and once you visit you'll wish you lived close enough to have lunch with her. I know I do!

4) Francesca Zappia at Zap's Lobster Tank
If you're looking for someone who tells it like it is, Chessie is your girl. She's also a ridiculously talented writer and artist, and her creativity blows me away. She's one to watch, ladies and gentleman. Because I firmly believe that you'll be seeing her Sci-Fi novels on book shelves in the very near future.

And since I already broke the rules, I want to mention a few more popular blogs. Because they are popular for a reason.

1) Brodi Ashton
Brodi is the author of upcoming novel EVERNEATH, and is all around awesome. Her blog is hilarious, heartfelt, and well worth visiting.

2) Agent Vickie Motter's Navigating the Slush Pile
Vickie's blog is one of my favorite writing resources. She's done posts on everything from common spelling and punctuation errors to what you should and shouldn't say when you receive "the call." (From her lips to God's ears!) She also does book recommendations, and says why she would or would not represent the books she reviews. Even if you don't plan to query her, follow along anyway.

3) Katie Mills at Creepy Query Girl.
For real. Does anyone NOT love this blog? Katie is one awesome chick and I'm anxiously awaiting the day she becomes Creepy Agented Girl followed by Creepy Published Author.

Go forth and enjoy!