Welcome to this year’s fun spotlight introduction of Blog Battlers!
Every month we’re shining the light on a participant.
Welcome, A. E. Branson!
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Blog/Website: | https://www.aebranson.com |
| How long have you been a writer? | That depends on your definition of ‘writer’ 🙂 Off and on since childhood, began self-publishing around five years ago. |
| 3 random facts about you! | 1. Yes, I know I’m crazy 2. Have petted a rhinoceros 3. Believe in miracles (or does that tie in with the first statement?) |
| What genre(s) do you write? | SciFi/fantasy for the most part, will dabble in others if the mood hits |
| What is your favorite BB story/entry you’ve written? What is the URL? | Impossible to pick out a favorite, but the most ‘fun’ to write was “A Sticky Situation” at https://aebranson.com/2019/07/08/a-sticky-situation/ |
| Have you published any books? Self/Indie published? Traditional? Hybrid? | All self/Indie, unsure if I’d even want to do the other stuff. |
| If you have published books, where can people go to buy your books? | The e-book versions are available at all e-book retailers and the print copies are available at Amazon. |
| Who or what inspired you to start a blog and share your writing? | Research … I love books, but the blog long felt like a nuisance to me until I attended a workshop by fellow blog-battler Melanie Peters. In fact, it’s thanks to her I found this place! |
| Any advice you could share with your fellow BBers? | Keep writing! |
| Where are you weakest as a writer and would like to get more feedback and help with? | Compound words…. No, really, any helpful criticism is appreciated because there’s always room for improvement. |
| How did you discover BB? (If you’d care to share!) | Oops, I already answered this one – thanks, Melanie! |
Thanks so much for sharing, AE!
Enjoy February’s stories by tapping here.
And keep your eyes peeled for the next Prompt Word coming Friday, March 5th!
Q&A Time
Please take a moment to ask AE some questions in the comments section.
Really loving this series of spotlights. It’s so fun to learn more about the people behind the keyboards! A.E., where were you when you petted a rhino? Such a cool fact! 😀
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Many years ago my husband worked in a zoo, and for some reason I was hanging around with him after hours. We were visiting with one of the ‘large mammal’ keepers, and he took us to visit their pair of rhinos. They were both very friendly, and the male especially liked being scratched behind the ears (yes, there was a fence between me and the rhino). According to the keeper, this particular rhino would even lie down like a dog so you could rub his belly, although I didn’t take it that far. Regardless, at the time I kept thinking to myself, “Wow, I’m petting a rhino!”
Yes, I love these spotlights, also. Looking forward to seeing the rest!
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Ah, that’s such a cool story! That must have been an amazing experience. I often wonder which of the “dangerous” animals have the capacity to be affectionate — especially when they don’t feel under threat from humans.
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I’m more inclined to trust herbivores than carnivores, although a hippopotamus would still make me leery!
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I’d swim with a great white over a hippo any day… Those things are terrifying! (How have I never written a hippo horror story yet?!)
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Thank you for the shout out! I am hopeful we can hang out for more blogging sessions and look forward to reading more of your work. It’s terrifically talented folks like you who I am forever grateful for making connections and eager to continue learning.
– Melanie A. Peters
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Thanks Melanie, I definitely appreciate all that you do! It’s always a treat whenever you get to contribute to BB, too. Making these connections is great in more ways than one!
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Abe… first up… you know Melanie! She’s one of the first bloggers I hooked up with years ago. I’d like to say good friend now too. In fact she did tell me you’d been to a workshop and the connection only just dropped…. you believe in miracles apparently….how are you with coincidences lol.
Good to hear more about you too. Faces behind the words… which reminds me I’ve not filled one of these out yet… no doubt Rachael will get annoyed with me soon haha.
Compound words… shoot I can’t say I’ve really thought about those. Probably did at school. Dammit now I’ll be overthinking them haha. Unless you mean chemistry… I can do those, magnesium sulphate. There you go for contention as no doubt across the pond it’s spelt wrong 🙄
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A.E. & Gary,
You are some of my best blogging friends! I am so grateful for your support and opportunities to connect. I am so glad that this spotlight featured you. Keep writing! Yes! Keep writing!
– Melanie
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Talk about building a community!
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It definitely is a small world, isn’t it? 🙂 And you haven’t filled out this form yet? Great jumping Jupiter, we want to learn more about you, too! Your fans are waiting….
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Haha, fans indeed. I did get an email from Rachael ages ago saying get it sorted. In fact the draft post for hers and mine are waiting already…my bad 😱
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It’s the little things like that that can lead to those little miracles. 🙂
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LOL If it makes you feel any better, Gary, I haven’t filled it out yet, either. My bad!
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Haha, I’ll try and do mine before this time next week! Already done the next prompt and a couple of stories to read of the last one then no excuses 😱
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True! ;D
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A.E., who is your favorite writer? And do you have a favorite book?
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The ‘Favorites’ question always flummoxes me – despite an inclination toward certain genres, I can usually find something good in just about anything. My early inspiration was in Laura Ingalls Wilder, and then J. R. R. Tolkien captured my imagination. Dean Koontz is a contemporary writer I pick up quite a bit. Considering I read Strunk’s and White’s Elements of Style around every 18 months, some might call that a favorite….
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Hey, Elements of Style is a great read…
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Brief and to the point – like we can all strive for.
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Another great spotlight installment!
I’m really enjoying these. Although we read each other’s works, we don’t always get to get to know each other. This project bridges the gap. If you connect with someone, there is a higher chance of you coming back and reading their stuff in the future. Great community-building strategy.
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I agree. : )
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Amen!
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