The Paying it Forward Blogfest is Here!

So it's finally here - the Pay it Forward Blogfest! Big thanks to Matthew MacNish and Alex Cavanaugh for organizing the bloghop... and now on to the "cool blogs" that I'm going to point out to the rest of you...

1. The first one I want to give a shout out to is Helen Ginger's Straight from Hel blog. She has interesting posts about writing and great authors who visit her - and a newsletter you can sign up for that delivers tips and links right to your inbox. Plus, I really love the blog's title ;-)

But most of all, I like Helen's blog because when I get her emailed newsletter in amongst the notices from the schools and my kids' coaches, it reminds me that I am a writer.

2. While it's already a popular blog, I have to list Adventures in YA & Children's Publishing as my second shout out. Marissa, Martina, Clara and Lisa do an excellent job, posting interviews with authors, giving craft advice, and helping newbies like myself navigate the ever changing seas of YA.

And, of course, I'm grateful that I was chosen to be in their current "First 5 Pages" workshop ;-) I'm getting tons of great advice that's helping spark new ideas...

3. The third blog I'm going to point you to belongs to Lisa Ricard Claro, over at Writing in the Buff. I met her during the A to Z blogfest last April, and she wrote a wonderful article for the Summer issue of CapeWomenOnline magazine (my place of work) You can read her story about growing up spending summers on Cape Cod HERE.

BONUS BLOG #4. Okay, this one isn't about followers, but it is about paying it forward...

Have you all heard of Annie Leonard and her Story of Stuff project? She produces short films - and has published a book - examining various elements of our lifestyle choices. I discovered her website and blog when I was researching an article about Bottled Water that I wrote for CapeWomenOnline magazine. Her video about the Story of Bottled Water helped me truly understand the absurdity of the bottled water industry, and she was kind enough to give me permission to link to it in my article. I made my young daughter watch her Story of Stuff video, and realize why she didn't need EVERY product she saw advertised on t.v.

Annie's latest project is the Story of Broke, inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement sweeping the country. It'll be available online in early November. If you haven't watched any of her videos, go to her blog now and check them out. Or bookmark the site to watch later. And if you have young children like mine, The Story of Stuff really helps cut down on the whining ;-)

Okay, those are my suggestions. Now I'm off to hop around the blogosphere and see what other blogs my friends are recommending.

Have fun!