Not Rubbish Art... Art Made of Rubbish!

Mrs. Frog by Haley Kendal

I've been following some amazing artists on twitter lately... and some have inspired me with their bold and unorthodox ideas! I have found adorable handmade animals (via @leanimale) and self-expression photography (via @kfreemanexposed)... I have found magnificent photos on Pinterest (via Ozlem Yikici)... and finally, I have found... Rubbish Art.

'Murdering Mary Sue' by Sophie Hardwick

(source)

It's been a while since I had a guest on my blog, so there's one today! Sophie contacted me and said she could deliver a great blog post for Against the Odds. I think she did an amazing job! When's the last time you did some Mary Sue-prevention? Read on...

Change Your Mind by Marcia Richards

(Source: Mindful Success)

Hello there, faithful followers and fans!

Today we have gathered... to blog-hop for another Life List Club Friday of FUN! While I am yapping away at dear David Walker's place, it is my EXTREME pleasure to host Marcia, whose post rings so true to my style that I'm afraid we might have been separated at birth. Oh well. Check it out! (Then head to David's later!)

Party with the Life List Club. There's presents!

Hey! Where did all the boy hats go?!

Today we celebrate!

Well technically, we should do this every day to keep our skin glowing and grow younger instead of older... like Benjamin Button (though that was kind of creepy). But in case you only celebrate if there’s an occasion (which is ludicrous, shame on you), here’s a good reason for you to put on a party hat and stuff your face with cake. Remember, if you’re on a diet, this is your day off it. If you’re at work, take your lunch break and live a little. And if you’re depressed… well, don’t be.

Why Break-ups Can Be the Best Thing. Ever.

I have a very special guest post for you today! 

My good friend and fellow blogger/twitterer Alivia Anders, whose blog I frequent a lot, is featuring here today with some thoughts on love and writing. You see, she is an obsessive writer. (Check out a sample of Illumine here.) She tends to string words together in a very entertaining sort of way, not to mention that she always has a lot to say about a lot of stuff. Go check her blog, and you’ll know what I mean.

So today's topic is how break-ups can be build-UPs sometimes. Yeah, it hurts. But in the end, we are better and stronger for it. And I think my friend will agree.

Why Writers Have to Stick Together by J.A. Bennett

You know what they say about birds of a feather...

Hello heya and howdy! Time for another one of those crazy blog hops for us LifeListClubbers, who really like to stick together as we are birds of one feather... or something like that. 

Today I have the pleasure of hosting J.A. Bennett, who is a good friend and fellow writer/lifelister, and as you can see from the image and title above... she'll be talking about sticking birds together with glue and... nah, just kidding! The only thing we'll be sticking together today will be writers. Read on. 

Let Your Writing Brew by Sonia G. Medeiros

Time can be your enemy... or your friend.

Happy Friday, lovely minions!

Today’s another blog hop day for the Life List Club. Which means we hop from place to place to support everyone in their goal-setting and muffin-eating… or is that just me?

I have the pleasure of hosting Sonia G. Medeiros, who’s a fellow fantasy writer and #myWANA dweller. Today she talks about brewing ideas and since there are a lot of food references, I’d suggest you have lunch first and read second.

(F8) Magic Dish Water by Kimberly Kinrade

It's time for MAGIC! See what inspires fantasy writer Kimberly Kinrade.

***

Do you see the magic in the everyday moments? 


As a fantasy writer, I create magic all the time. My characters dive into darkness, challenging monsters, overcoming fears, and mastering their powers.

(F7) Keeping the HARRY POTTER Love Alive

I was quite selfish with this feature. I FORCED poor Ava to comply and write me a Harry Potter post. Fortunately, she agreed before I pulled the Chinese torture implements. *phew*

You may have come across Ava’s name and links to her blog on here a couple of times. OKAY, a few times. But that’s only because I’m addicted to her writing. It’s so fresh and so… consistently good. I’m starting to believe this girl couldn’t get in a writing funk. I may have to prick and poke to determine if she’s a good candidate for my super-secret Writer’s Block Antidote Research program (W-BAR).

(F6) Warning: Supernatural Forces at Work

*cue X-files music* You have entered… the Twilight Zone. Please, leave your shoes, jacket, and personal belongings on the front step. You won’t be needing them.

GOTCHA! I couldn’t resist a good old-fashioned leg-pulling. (No, not Chinese torture.) Now, onto today’s feature…

(F5) England, My Rebound Country

(Artsie-KittyGirl @ DeviantArt)

You know that crazy b*tch Tracey Hansen?

The short version is: she’s a freelance writer, author, and blogger. But that’s the boring cover version you get when you could care less about the person behind the handle. That’s why I’m here: to give you the dish behind the feature, and believe you me, you want to read on if you’re British, American, human, or somehow all three (hey it happens). So who is Tracey Hansen?

Tracey Hansen’s butt is showing on her Twitter profile (@THansenWrites) -- she says it's an ass-stool. Tracey Hansen can rap by memory the entire song ‘I Am’ by Eminem. Tracey Hansen was meant for Samantha’s role in Sex and the City.

Thursday Themes: Brainstorming Gone Wild

Does your blog have themes? I bet it does; it seems trendy right now. But I’ll tell you what, it’s not only trendy, it’s also very useful.

This whole thing reminds me of the planners vs. pantsers debate. Pantsers are supposed to have all the fun while planners bang their heads against the walls when they hit an impasse in their outlines. But this is not really the case, is it?

Outlines give us both structure and freedom. One of my favorite authors – Holly Lisle – swears by outlines, and I know why she does that. Because pantsers can come up with an entire first draft riddled with plot holes while planners have something to lean onto when they hit a road bump. Of course, it’s all about individual style also, so don’t reach for the tars and feathers just yet.

(F4) Which One Are You: Writer or Artist?

(Meet Dan. Yes, he is crazy.)

Dan Cavallari is a man of many talents. Apart from being a freelance writer and photographer, he plays the guitar and has recently published his first novel called Confusing the Seasons, which is a bitter-sweet account of a man’s life after he had lost his wife. In addition, Dan makes the whole social media concept seem so easy, what with working, blogging, tweeting, and amassing a Facebook fanbase. 

Not too bad for a man who almost crashed his bicycle into a moose once.

(F3) Vampire Story with a Twist

L.M. Stull is as elusive as the Loch Ness Monster. Even though you can see her writing everywhere, nobody knows how she manages to run (and co-run) 3 sites (L.M. Stull,  Deepwood, Inc., and Between the Lines), work on 3 books (including Memoirs of a Monkey, which will be out this summer, courtesy of Black Kettle Publishing), and blog-hop like a crazed rabbit on a deadline.

Some say she can multiply herself at will. She confirms this by mentioning her small army of clones. Others speculate that she uses little pink mice to do her chores, which tells us that she probably has a serious Disney affliction. (Who doesn’t?) If you ask her, she’d say you can find her chained to a desk in a law firm. Ha! Yet another ploy to deflect those hunters. There aren’t many sightings of this creature, but I have a sneak peek for you guys, which she specifically gave me after a lot of arm-twisting on my side. In addition, you can stalk her on: Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

(F2) Storytelling in Video Games

What? I thought it was all about killing monsters and conquering lands! Wait, let's rewind.

J.F. Jenkins is a mother, fantasy writer, and gamer fan. If you ask me, it’s a good combination as any. When she came to me with the idea for the article, I was pleasantly surprised. If you think that gamers are only into their games and don’t have much time for anything else, you’d be wrong. This lady here has published a book called Legend of the Oceina Dragon (Kindle edition), and she is plotting the rest of the saga as we speak. In addition, she gives sneak peeks from Book 2 on her blog, so go check it out. 

(F1) Cotard's Syndrome: The Zombie Mind

(comicadze.com)

Okay, so we should probably start this off with a BANG, right? That’s what I have for you today. It’s one man’s insight into a convoluted Psychological disorder (come on, you saw this coming) called Cotard's Syndrome.

AUTHOR: Andrew Kincaid is extremely versatile online and in life. He used to have this horrific blog called Stygian Underground (A Glimpse into the Darker Side of Life), which was the place where all the cool vamps, zombos, and creepy dolls went. But since Andrew wanted to merge it with his other blog (Lucid Dreams and Saturn Skies, which is more eclectic), he came to me with this homeless puppy (a.k.a. article), which I had to adopt because I’m a bleeding heart, mostly.

Looking for Guest-Bloggers (Ongoing)

I am open for business! Er… I mean my blog is.

I know, I know. I’m not a big-star blogger and my blog is hardly in the top-bloggers lists, BUT I would love to have some guest-bloggers over. I might as well name the puppy and call it Friday Features. So if we come to an agreement, I’ll add your post under the Features page, which means that every time someone clicks on it (and I’ll make sure it’s a lot), the odds will favor your post. And I’ll leave this offer open for a while until the day I get tired of it, which I don't expect to happen soon.

But wait! There’s a catch. (Of course there is.)