Long Relationships

Hi all! Man it seems like forever since I’ve been able to post here. Do you feel the same?

Anywho, because of what happened, it came to my attention just how many people read here that have no way of getting in touch with me when the site is down. For the majority of you, that’s not a problem. Either you have my email address or you’re just not that upset about not being able to contact me for whatever amount of time. And that’s okay because I’m not always the best correspondent.

However, it would have been very nice to be able to let you know what was going on.

Because of that, I have been ‘inspired’ to tell you about a few of the other places you can find me, should something like this happen again. (Let’s all hope that it doesn’t.)

Twitter

Facebook

I’m at other places to, but these two are the ones I generally check in on every day. If you have any recommendations of other things I should join, let me know. Just keep in mind that I’m usually quite lazy and I’m proud of the fact that I have two social sites that I visit daily.

Feel free to friend me on any of these sites. It would be great, though, if you could let me know that you’re friending me because you saw this post. (“Hi, I’m ___. I read you on ___.) That’s not possible for all the sites, but I will definitely appreciate it if you put it in when you can.

Thank you all. Now it’s time for lunch.

Hi everyone!

Phew! We are back in action (as you can see). Did you miss me? I missed you!

Group hug!

Too much? Okay. I’ll behave.

I am very glad to be back in action and posting here on site. I apologize for all the down time, but as happens with technology sometimes, we had a bit of a technology burp. Apparently some drives and servers went down at headquarters and things were a bit messy for a while.

Don’t ask me to go into it further because it’s probably, ultimately, quite boring.

Thank you all for your patience (and for coming back after such a long gap). I know that going too long without posting can be a bit of a ‘virtual death’ for any site, so I doubly appreciate all of you who have been checking in with me via email, twitter and other things.

If any of you are interested in alternative ways to contact me (should the sites ever go down again, heaven forbid), leave a comment and I’ll post up some of my information.

I would like to reward everyone who stuck around through all this by holding a contest. I know I just held two big contests, but that doesn’t mean I can’t hold a few more, right?

If you have any ideas for a contest, please let me know. I’ll be taking your suggestions for the next few weeks so we can hopefully get something going soon.

Once again, my apologies, and thank you to everyone for your patience. I’m very glad to be back.

Have a good one!

Hello everyone!

As you have all probably well and truly noticed by now, 451press blogs have been having a few… problems lately. The sites take a long time to load sometimes and it’s not always easy to comment.

I want to apologize for all the problems and let you know that you aren’t the only ones having difficulties. It’s not just you, not just your computer. Even we bloggers are having difficulties just posting.

Why is it happening? Well, going by the amount of spam comments I have to clean off my sites every day, I think being attacked by one or more spam monsters is driving our servers down into the dumps a bit. Day in and day out of offers to increase the size of your man parts and show you free cartoon porn would do that do anyone, I think.

Hopefully we’ll have everything sorted out very soon and will be back up and running normally soon.

Always remember that you can feel free to contact me using the ‘contact me’ button under the site description. I’m not sure if anything would be so urgent that you would need to let me know, but hey, I’m always up for a casual chat as well.

Please bear with me as all this stuff is happening. It’s not fun for any of us and we certainly don’t like it when our readers are unhappy.

And, just to occupy your time, here is a link to one of my favourite web comics:

Questionable Content

Hello everyone.

I apologize for the delay in posting the winners from the last chance at commenting, but life happens. Yes, that’s all I’m going to say, and I’m going to take it for granted that you all understand.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to the 100 comment mark and thus no one won the awesome Aussie prize pack. Never fear, though, because that prize will not go to waste. (No, I’m not going to horde it all to myself.) In the future, I will be holding another contest of some sort and the Aussie prize pack will be up for grabs.

What sort of contest? Well, I don’t yet know. So if you have any suggestions, please feel free to let me know. I feel a bit creatively tapped out of late, so I am definitely open to ideas.

That being said, without further ado, I would like to say a hearty congratulations to the person who won the last prize being given out for this contest:

Shannon!

She will be receiving a very yummy block of chocolate sent straight to her mailbox as soon as she gives me her address.

Thank you all for participating in this contest. It has been a great month full of great conversations. I look forward to having many more conversations with you in the future.

I am also open to guest posts, so feel free to contact me with your guest post ideas and we’ll work something out.

I hope each and every one of you has an utterly fantastic weekend.

Hello everyone!

It’s hard to believe it’s already Thursday. A shoulder injury has me loathing computer work time a bit, and I will be glad once I am well and truly into the Australian long weekend.

Anyway, as you know, my first wedding anniversary was this past May 5th and since then I have been giving you chances to win some awesome prizes in celebration of the event. However, my goal was to get to 100 comments in one month.

…We aren’t quite there yet.

So here is everyone’s last chance to win some awesome Aussie prizes from yours truly.

As this is the last day and your last chance to win, I’m going to make things a little different.

You can still comment on the posts I have put up over this past month, but if you comment on this post, you must obey the rules.

This is a game of comment interaction. To keep the interaction going, you need to follow the rules: Answer the question of the person above you. Whenever you comment, you answer the question of the person above you (I will end this post with a question) and leave a question of your own.

You can also answer anyone else’s questions, but you have to make sure you at least answer the question from the person above you.

It’s as easy as that. Answer a question and ask a question in the same comment.

(I hope I’m making sense. Tiredness and shoulder pain may have gone to my brain.)

Try to keep the questions to the general site topic, but feel free to let the conversation flow. I will announce any and all winners tomorrow, so be sure to stop here throughout the day to join the conversation as well as stop by tomorrow to see if you have won.

My question is…

What is one thing that has helped your relationship survive?

Woo-hoo! We have our second contest winner here on Long Relationships. This winner gets a very yummy block of delicious milk chocolate. Everyone give your hearty congratulations to:

Jenera!

Jenera, who writes on her personal blog Just Me ~ Mommy, Wife & Everything Between, won with her comment on Love, Play…Work Together?:

“I think Daniel and I could work together without problems. Though I’m not sure if it’d actually happen seeing as how I don’t drive truck and he can’t sit and do computer work, lol.

I think if you have the same work ethics and styles even if in different positions, it can work out just fine.”

If you would like to win your own lovely block of chocolate, don’t worry! There are still two blocks of milk chocolate and one block of dark chocolate waiting to be grabbed up by the person who lands on the right number comment.

Also remember that there is a special Australian prize pack waiting to go out to the person who makes the 100th comment. That won’t happen, though, unless we reach 100 comments by June 5th!

So keep stopping by and speaking your mind for your chance to win!

***This post is part of the Long Relationships 100 Comment Contest. Click on the link to find out how you can win.***

Don’t forget to check out the Fiction Scribe 100 Comment Contest.

Dear Readers,

Recently my blog posts haven’t been coming up at all regularly. Sometimes there have been no posts for a length of time and then BAM a lot of posts, and other times it has been at least a little steady. I want to apologize to you all for not at least warning you that my life has been a bit wonky lately.

A few weeks back, I got sick enough to take me away from the computer some days. While I tried to stay caught up, it wasn’t easy.

Beyond that, a job opportunity recently came up. My husband and I discussed it and, while it was completely my decision to go for it, we could definitely use the money. I am paying bills just fine with my freelancing, but I’ll be paying them for the next ten years if something doesn’t change.

So I had to put together a resume and then go for the job interview after the week or so of being sick and along with road trips and volunteering.

Even with all this, I do know you all understand that life gets in the way of blogging sometimes (as it should). Despite that, I still wanted to apologize for things. As you can see, I have been a bit busy.

Thank you to everyone who has been commenting and participating in the contest going here until June 5th. Remember, we have to reach 100 comments before the 5th so someone can win the lovely Aussie prize pack I have on offer.

Thank you also to everyone who stops by, contest or not, and chimes in. It’s always nice to know I have readers out there who care enough about what I am saying to say something back.

Hugs and appreciation to you all. I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful weekend.

Yay! That’s right; we have our first winner of a very delicious block of DARK chocolate (and a couple of extra goodies thrown in just because). Everyone give your hearty congratulations to:

Sandra!

Sandra, who writes for Parenting Under the Stars here on the 451 network, won with her comment on Love Me to Love You?:

“I wouldn’t say I was at my highest point in self confidence when I married either. Sometimes you can grow together and make each other stronger though. I think the fact that you were careful with each other’s feelings is wonderful.

Just because someone appears to have higher self esteem or confidence doesn’t mean it’s ok to be highly critical or insulting either. Anyway I think being sensitive to others is a good quality and I would take that over some overly confident cocky insulter any day.”

If you would like to win your own lovely block of chocolate, don’t worry! There are still two blocks of milk chocolate and one block of dark chocolate waiting to be grabbed up by the person who lands on the right number comment.

Also remember that there is a special Australian prize pack waiting to go out to the person who makes the 100th comment. That won’t happen, though, unless we reach 100 comments by June 5th!

So keep stopping by and speaking your mind for your chance to win!

***This post is part of the Long Relationships 100 Comment Contest. Click on the link to find out how you can win.***

Don’t forget to check out the Fiction Scribe 100 Comment Contest.

I love spreading the love, especially when something good is happening in my life. That’s why, to celebrate my first wedding anniversary, I am giving away some sweet prizes (pun fully intended). And it’s easy for you to win!

So, what is the contest… Well, I am holding Long Relationships’ very first 100 comments contest. What does that mean? That means we are going to try to get to 100 comments on this site in one month – from today (May 5th) to June 5th.

Can you do it, dear readers? I think you can. Why? Because a lot of people are willing to do a lot of things (like tell all your friends to stop by and comment) for some free chocolate.

Gasp! Yes, you read right! I am giving away not one, but four blocks (200g) – blocks! – of chocolate. I have two blocks of milk chocolate and two blocks of dark chocolate ready and waiting to bring pleasure into your life.

I also have a very special prize to give to the 100th commenter: a bag of Australia’s delectable honeycomb and chocolate treat – Violet Crumbles. Mmm. Not only that, but also a selection of Australian goodies picked out by yours truly.

And all you have to do is comment…

If you comment on this post, tell me what kind of chocolate you lie – white, milk, or dark – and why. That’s all you have to do. Feel free to say more, but also feel free to talk about just that.

After that, any comment you leave on any posts (starting May 5th and up to June 5th) will be included in the contest. I’ll be keeping track of everything, so you don’t have to worry about anything other than stopping by and having your say.

See? It’s easy! So tell your friends to get their butts over here and comment.

My husband has chosen four random numbers, each in one section of numbers. (One number between 1 and 25, one number between 25 and 50, etc.) If one of your comments lands on one of those numbers, then you will have your very own block of chocolate on its way to you all the way from Australia!

Be sure to check back often because I will announce the winners as they match up with the number comment. Also make sure you always comment with a valid email address.

So spread the word and spread the love people. It’s my anniversary!

Well, it’s t-minus six days until it’s my one year anniversary. I have some fun things planned for a few of my sites, so be sure to stop by and say hello because I have some things to give away. (I’ll have more details – and links to the different contests – on Monday the fifth.) I have some stationary to give away, an awesome book, and even some chocolate…

As you might be able to tell, I’m definitely keen on spreading the love –especially if I’m in a good mood, so if there is anything that you think would be a good prize to give away, please let me know. If it’s affordable and not an amazon.com gift certificate (I really don’t like amazon right now), then I will definitely consider it.

Just keep in mind that I’m not at all made of money (I wish) and I have to ship things all the way from Australia.

In other news, Our Story is still going. Every Monday I have been posting responses to the Our Story Meme (along with links to the responder’s site(s)), and I have been enjoying the answers a lot so far. Remember, if you haven’t answered the meme questions yet, feel free to send the answers to sylvr451@tpg.com.au (If you aren’t married, just skip the ‘who proposed’ question.)

If you want to send an actual story (how we met, the wedding day, etc), then feel free to send that to the same address.

I’m very excited about next Monday and I hope you enjoy the contests I’ll have going.

Hello everyone!

If I am correct, today is the 23rd and I promised to announce something today…

Last week I invited you all to take part in a contest as a show of my appreciation to the people who stop by and read my site (and also my appreciation for my friends). I offered the prize of a print from my friend Jenera’s photography site – Jenera Healy photography.

Well, with the help of my husband picking the winner at random, I am happy to announce that…

Beth of Astrology Explored has won!

The lovely Beth will receive the print of her choice from Jenera’s collection (which I highly recommend you check out) in 11X14 size (or smaller) with her choice of lustre, gloss, or matte.

Thank you to everyone who entered!

Again, I would just like to say how much I appreciate everyone who comes by and especially people who take the time to comment. I love writing – it’s my passion – and to earn anything, even just a little bit, from writing is an amazingly wonderful thing to me.

However, as much as I love writing, this work is made so much better by knowing people read what I’m writing and feel enough from that to actually take the time to comment.

Thank you all very much. Hopefully I can provide more contests in the future because I love giving stuff away!

In the mean time, if you’re looking for other contests, stop by Bloggy Giveaways!

There are also a few contests in this post on Fiction Scribe. Enjoy!

Interested in reviewing books on your blog? Would you like to interview authors?

We are seeking qualified bloggers who would like to become tour hosts for our clients. If you are a blogger who would be interested in either interviewing our authors, letting them guest post on your blog or would be willing to review their book and posting their review on your blog (or any other type of promotion) on a certain day that both you and we set up together, we would be interested in talking to you.

We are only looking for blogs who receive substantial traffic and are updated frequently.

All our tour hosts receive a link on our sponsors’ page (if you prefer hosting your banner, that’s fine, too), links on our in house blogs, and will receive copies of books where applicable for their time and effort in hosting our authors. You will also receive substantial traffic on your blog while the author is touring as we highly publicize each and every one of our tour stops.

We also spotlight our tour hosts at random in our monthly newsletter. All tour host spotlights will include blog information and an interview with the blog host as part of their feature in the newsletter. More added exposure! And…not only that…we will include your link on this page so that others can see what an outstanding blog you have.

If you are interested, you can visit Virtual Book Tours for Authors, look in the right hand sidebar for the list of authors touring, and let us know which author you would prefer to host.

Once you have decided which author you would like to host, copy and paste the below information into an email and send it to us at thewriterslife(at)yahoo.com. Please put “I Want to Be a Tour Host” in the subject line of your email.

Hi everyone!

Today is Reader Appreciation Day, started by the OTHER mother, and I would like to appreciate you and an online friend of mine all at the same time.

Nice, huh?

Of course, you want to know what you are going to win, right?

You have a chance to win two prizes with this, so I’ll go by each prize.

First Prize:

You can win your choice of one photo from Jenera Healy Photography in 11X14 size (or smaller) with your choice of lustre, gloss, or matte.

Jenera has some truly lovely photos on her site, and I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I do.

What You Have to Do:

This involves two steps. First, leave a comment on this post. Say hello, tell me why you would like to win, tell me which photos you like the most…anything as long as it’s a valid comment.

Then what you need to do is go over to this post on Jenera’s blog. Same goes for her - as long as it’s a valid comment. Remember to tell her that JM from Long Relationships sent you over!

Once you’re on her page and have left a comment, it’s easy to get a chance at the…

Second Prize:

You can win either a mouse pad or a coffee mug with their choice of one of Jenera’s photos.

What You Have to Do:

All you have to do is sign Mr. Linky at the top of her page on her blog.

The contest will run from today - April 16th - until April 22nd. I will announce the winner on April 23rd.

Be sure to leave me a comment with a valid email address so I can talk to you about what you would like. You have until Saturday the 26th to respond to my email. If you don’t, I will draw another winner.

Good luck, and thank you to all my readers!

*You must be in Canada or the US to enter. Sorry, but shipping from the site will only go to those locations.*

Interested in reviewing books on your blog? Would you like to interview authors?

We are seeking qualified bloggers who would like to become tour hosts for our clients. If you are a blogger who would be interested in either interviewing our authors, letting them guest post on your blog or would be willing to review their book and posting their review on your blog (or any other type of promotion) on a certain day that both you and we set up together, we would be interested in talking to you.

We are only looking for blogs who receive substantial traffic and are updated frequently.

All our tour hosts receive a link on our sponsors’ page (if you prefer hosting your banner, that’s fine, too), links on our in house blogs, and will receive copies of books where applicable for their time and effort in hosting our authors. You will also receive substantial traffic on your blog while the author is touring as we highly publicize each and every one of our tour stops.

We also spotlight our tour hosts at random in our monthly newsletter. All tour host spotlights will include blog information and an interview with the blog host as part of their feature in the newsletter. More added exposure! And…not only that…we will include your link on this page so that others can see what an outstanding blog you have.

If you are interested, you can visit Virtual Book Tours for Authors, look in the right hand sidebar for the list of authors touring, and let us know which author you would prefer to host.

Once you have decided which author you would like to host, copy and paste the below information into an email and send it to us at thewriterslife(at)yahoo.com. Please put “I Want to Be a Tour Host” in the subject line of your email.

Interested in reviewing books on your blog? Would you like to interview authors?

We are seeking qualified bloggers who would like to become tour hosts for our clients. If you are a blogger who would be interested in either interviewing our authors, letting them guest post on your blog or would be willing to review their book and posting their review on your blog (or any other type of promotion) on a certain day that both you and we set up together, we would be interested in talking to you.

We are only looking for blogs who receive substantial traffic and are updated frequently.

All our tour hosts receive a link on our sponsors’ page (if you prefer hosting your banner, that’s fine, too), links on our in house blogs, and will receive copies of books where applicable for their time and effort in hosting our authors. You will also receive substantial traffic on your blog while the author is touring as we highly publicize each and every one of our tour stops.

We also spotlight our tour hosts at random in our monthly newsletter. All tour host spotlights will include blog information and an interview with the blog host as part of their feature in the newsletter. More added exposure! And…not only that…we will include your link on this page so that others can see what an outstanding blog you have.

If you are interested, you can visit Virtual Book Tours for Authors, look in the right hand sidebar for the list of authors touring, and let us know which author you would prefer to host.

Once you have decided which author you would like to host, copy and paste the below information into an email and send it to us at thewriterslife(at)yahoo.com. Please put “I Want to Be a Tour Host” in the subject line of your email.