The Versatile Blogger Recommended Blogs, Part 2

2012 feels so fresh and new, doesn't it?

Here's some of my favorite blogs that you should check out this year. Some I peek at when I need a break and some when I need to think outside the box.

Angie's Desk by Angela Benedetti
Angie writes gay romance and erotica for Torquere Press, but in her blog, she also cover social justice and equal rights.

Lakeshore by Jay Lake
Sci-fi author Jay Lake talks about life, his daughter who's the same age as GK, and the struggles of fighting cancer for the last three years. DH and I both read Jay's blog because DH was in Jay's shoes seventeen years ago.

Musetracks by Jennifer Bray-Weber, Marie-Claude Bourque, Candace Wall and Stacey Purcell
I don't read Musetracks because I know two of the gals personally or because of their great programs, like Agent Shop. I eagerly await Jenn's Wednesday Writing Prompt. Beefcake. Yum!

Neil Gaiman's Journal by Neil Gaiman
It's Neil "F***ing" Gaiman! What more do you need to know? Seriously, though, Neil promotes a lot of causes in his blog that I support, like the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and Kickstarter.

Nina Cordoba by Nina Cordoba
I've known Nina for almost seven years. Trust me, her real life is so funny, no one would believe it.

Professor Beej by B.J. Keeton
Beej really is an English professor who analyzes pop culture. He's also the only person I know more obsessed with Star Wars than GK.

Alice's Bucket List by Alice Pyne
Alice is a sixteen-year-old woman, who lives in England and faces terminal leukemia. She's braver and smarter and far more articulate than most adults I've encountered in my life.

The Girl with the Shakespeare Tattoo by Joni Rodgers
Joni is a writer who happens to be a cancer survivor. She beat the odds to become a NYT Bestselling author. I cannot gripe about anything in my life after all Joni's accomplished with hers.

The Versatile Blogger Recommended Blogs, Part 1

As a nominated Versatile Blogger, I must nominate fifteen other blogs in turn.

Today's list is solely for those of you pursuing a writing career. Tomorrow, I'll list the fun blogs.

Here's my must-read list if you're a writer:

The Business Rusch by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Kris has been in this crazy business for over thirty years, as a journalist, a publisher, an editor and a fiction writer in multiple genres. She probably has more knowledge in her pinky finger than the lot of NY publishers combined.

The Writings and Opinions of Dean Wesley Smith by Dean Wesley Smith
Like his Significant Other, Kris Rusch, Dean's been in this business a very long time. He's seen it. He's done it. And he's willing to share.

A Newbie's Guide to Publishing by J.A. Konrath
Yes, Joe can be a pill on his blog (and other people's). However, I admire the man for being on the cutting edge of the industry.

The Passive Voice by the Passive Guy
Passive Guy is the pseudonym of a long-time California contracts attorney. He posts terrific insights in the world of publishing contracts with a dry wit that will leave you in stitches.

Write It Forward by Bob Mayer
Bob takes his Special Ops training and applies it to the world of publishing. I highly recommend his book by the same title.

The Official Website of Jon F. Merz by Jon F. Merz
Jon is a writer/producer who really gets the concept of transmedia. He's turned his Lawson Vampire novels into a web series and is shopping the pilot for TV.

The Self-Pubber's Pub by Gerard de Marigny
Like me, G started self-publishing this year. The man has some wickedly funny observations on the business. Also, DH gave G's book, The Watchman of Ephraim a thumbs-up (which, if you knew DH, is nearly impossible to get).