What to bring to the Blogger’s Bash via Hugh at Hugh’s Views and News. Main thing not to forget are your travel tickets, you, your camera, and whatever you do don’t forget to bring treats for Hugh and plentiful hugs!!
Tag: Bloggers Bash
Annual Bloggers Bash Awards – My Take -And If You’re Brave Enough…Some Singing At The End!!!
A bit of a sing song Bloggy style for the forthcoming Blogger’s Bash from our very own Ritu at But I Smile Anyway. We’re all getting very EXCITED!!!!! Can’t wait for Saturday. But, I’ve warned her that if I sing at the Blogger’s Bash I might just clear the room FAST, my singing voice ain’t too good! Unless you’re all tone deaf and it’ll be ok….. So to preserve your ears I’ll whisper or hum along to the tune, unless I get tipsy and there’s no knowing what I might do… Excellent lyrics my dear.. xx
The #BloggersBash Agenda and Who’s Who
The Bloggerbash Agenda and Whos Who, and who’s going!! How exciting, can’t wait, sounds like a fair amount of bloggers are gathering for this event… !!
VOTE NOW! Annual Bloggers Bash Awards NOW OPEN
Vote now!!!! The Blogger’s Bash Annual Awards are now open, get your thinking caps on…
This is it. The waiting is finally over.
The Bloggers Bash Awards are now open for voting.
We had a HUGE number of nominations, over 350, so thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate.
Voting Closes June 9th at 12pm. The winners will be announced on June 11th at the Bash. If you can’t make it then a winners post will go live at 5:15pm on June 11th.
Choose carefully, you can only vote ONCE per category. There are 10 awards, (so it’s a long post) make sure you vote in them all.
Good luck to all the nominees.
Disclaimer: The committee has done their best to coordinate the nominations and to ensure, where possible, we gave nominees a choice of which category they wanted to be in. Due to time constraints and limited resources this may not have always been possible.
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The Best Dressed Bash 2016 #bloggersbash2016
You have until the 11th of May to order your Blogger’s Bash T Shirts. Just ordered mine…. in a small, hope I don’t eat too much cake in the meantime or I might just need a medium…. Check out this post via Geoff to find out more.
Nominations for Bloggers Bash Awards Are Now OPEN!
We are finally on the count down to the bash, peeps. I am so excited I really ought to be wearing a sports bra what with all the bouncing up and down. So far we have announced the totally-off-the-c…
#WeekendCoffeeShare: My Two Year Anniversary

If I were having coffee I’d say I’ve put on a little weight around the middle so perhaps I’d better stick to a Skinny Witchy latte! What about you? What are you having today? …. Are you going to have a full fat Cappucino? You wicked tease!!!
It’s been a bit of an uneventful week – just been working, editing, blogging, cleaning, washing……. so I thought I’d share some news with you….
Guess what happened this week… I missed my own 2 year Blog Anniversary. What? Yes, I did, somehow I misplaced it. So today I’m picking this piece of news up and saying that Kyrosmagica turned two this April!!!!
Drum roll….
This calls for a double shot of coffee and some chocolates I reckon! Don’t you agree? Oh dear, bang goes my diet!
So I thought I’d share with you some of my stats….
Followers, 831. This in itself is amazing. Thank you so much for following, and engaging with me on my little piece of blog land. You lovely peeps.
Views, 23,220. What this means I have no idea… I think you’ve been looking at my blog, peering at it curiously!
Comments, 4010. Yes, lots of these and I love comments! So keep them coming… You chatterboxes.. 🙂
Posts, 610. Wow! Have I really written that many? Boy, that’s a lot.
Visitors: 8613. That’s astonishing. I feel quite faint.
Best views Ever: 31st October, 2015 – 177 views. That’s the one, the stat that amuses me! My most popular post at the time was a Halloween poem! Wonder of wonders. Moreover my eldest daughter was inspired by this poem My Halloween Poem to write a story..
Now, I’m not intending to bore you with this bunch of stats, honest… I’m no statistician. The reason that I’m mentioning it is I’m amused. Amused? Yes….. my best views ever occurred at Halloween!!! Yeah, I think that proves that Kyrosmagica is truly a bit of a white witch. I cast a spell on you! Even my daughter….
I’m so proud! I couldn’t be more happier. What more could Kyrosmagica ask for? What a trophy!
Ha ha!!!!
Right, enough Witchy nonsense. Now that I’ve fallen off my witch’s broom and landed on my posterior, what’s my 2 year news?
- I’ve been editing furiously and now my manuscript is a staggering 84,344 words.
- After much deliberation I’ve chosen a title for my book – The Curse of Time.
- I’m currently considering some ideas for a book cover.
- I’ve written something in the region of 80+ Book reviews!!
- I’ve developed an interest in Photography.
- I love writing haiku, and dabble in a bit of short story writing too!
- I’ve started writing book reviews for self-published authors…
My highlights:
- I’m a Bloggers Basher! I went to last years event and will be attending this years event in London too! If you’re interested to find out more, here’s the link to Sacha’s blog to find out more: Annual Bloggers Bash
- I had the opportunity to steward at this year’s Literary Festival. I wrote about this wonderful experience in last week’s coffee share in case you missed it. Here’s the link: Cambridge Literary Festival
As you can see this blog really has made me grow as a person! No wonder I’m putting on weight! I’m so glad I began my blogging journey. I’ve made so many supportive and lovely blogging friends.
On my to do List:
- Public speaking. This has been on my to do list for a long time…. I hope to bite the bullet on this at some time, but in truth this frightens the bazookas out of me. Being a bit of an introvert, (with extrovert tendencies,) can be a bit of a set back sometimes.
- Publishing my novel. Of course this has been on My To Do List for a very long time, but I’m in good company. I take heart from the fact that a lot of writers take a long time to publish their books. I just hope 2016 is my year…
- Writing a post about My Daughter’s Prom. I will be doing a Fashion Feature about this in July. Can’t wait!
- Skydiving, White Water Rafting, Bungee Jumping, Paragliding, all lies, all lies…
- Overhaul of my witch’s broom. This one’s true. I have a lot of plans for my broom. It needs a new and improved spec to take me to many more wonderful blogging destinations in the years to come!
- Jobs. Ouch, nasty word! Yeah I’ve been dabbling in various occupations other than writing to make a few crusts as you’ve probably noticed. At Christmas time I worked in John Lewis as a temp, and now I’m working in my local primary school. I’m toying with the idea of doing some therapy work too – I’m a qualified Reflexologist/Aromatherapist too! So intending to practise this summer….. It’s been a while since I practised properly so may need to update my skills… do a refresher course. We’ll see… Decisions, Decisions. Terrible dilemma for a procrastinator.
So a lot of juggling going on…. thank goodness I’m a white witch or I’d never manage to cope with it all!
Hope you enjoyed my Weekend Coffee share post.
Do pop over to Diana’s blog – Part Time Monster to link up: Weekend Coffee Share
Bye for now, see you soon.

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx
Bloggers Bash 2016: Behind the Scenes Part 1
Sometimes it is good to reblog especially if you get a chance to go behind the scenes of a Bloggers Bash. Follow the antics of Ali, Geoff, Sacha and Hugh, otherwise known in Geoff’s words as the gang of Four – Ali ‘bog diver’ Isaac, Hugh ‘The Welsh’ Roberts, The Geoffle and their Supreme Commander de Blog, Sacha ‘Eyebrows’ Black, at the dastardly bash. You won’t regret it…..
Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge Week 10 Faces
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When I saw Hugh’s Photo Challenge this week I knew that I had to join in the fun.
I had just the photo in mind, and here he is, Mr Frowning Tree.
Isn’t he extraordinary?
I photographed him some time ago when I was working as a Christmas temp at John Lewis. I was on my way to work one morning, and there he was greeting me with that wretched face. I had to stop and photograph him, I couldn’t walk pass without doing so. I have to admit that on that particular morning I just wasn’t in the mood for work. He knew it. I knew it. I just wanted to spend time blogging or writing!! Anyway, I saw his sad face and his monumental frown had me in stitches. He knew what I was thinking: There is nothing as fulfilling as spending time being creative. So that sad tree kind of frowned in sympathy, cheeky so and so….
Today, I was with my daughter in Ely. We were prom dress shopping. We went to a charming shop called Something Special and we found just the right one. The amazing thing was it wasn’t one she had picked. I spotted it! C’est Moi, the Fashionista! It had no price tag on. Eek, but she tried it on anyway, and I prayed it wouldn’t be too expensive. It fitted her like a glove. This in itself was a big bonus as she is so petite that finding a dress is no easy feat. This is the moment when she transformed from a very pretty sixteen year old into classy, and beautiful. The dress is simple, elegant, with just the right amount of detail for her to look like a total knock out.
She just loved it. Of course this midnight blue gown was way over my intended budget. I tried to make her see sense but as we left the shop, she kind of worked her magic on me. Of course she convinced me!! We only walked a few yards down the road, and then we were heading our way back to the shop much to the shop assistant’s amusement and the rest is history. Anyway, that sad tree has a lot to answer for, he’s probably chuckling now, cracking his bark, with splinters of spontaneous laughter. My poor wee bank account…..
So how did my daughter manage to work her magic on me?
Easy.
We mothers just can’t resist their daughters when they look so beautiful. But, as an insurance policy she promised to get A’s and B’s in her GCSE’s and to help with the price tag…. Clever lass. So I can’t complain. Perhaps this will spur her on to do extraordinary things….
This is when my day out with my daughter turned into an extraordinary day.
We had such a lovely day in Ely, it was such fun. The sun shone. We walked down to the waterfront and took loads of photographs. This is a common interest as we are both photography mad. I banished the thought of my money blues by suggesting that we visit a free event at the Babylon Gallery. Yes free, can you imagine? The Gallery is right on the waterfront. There is a very interesting exhibition at the moment called Time and Time Again, by Helena g Anderson from 20-31 January. Today is the last day, so hurry if you want to go see it. It totally took my mind off the state of my bank balance. In fact it was such a wonderful idea to go, as my daughter is doing GCSE Textiles and is a keen photographer and this exhibition really inspired her. The main theme of the exhibition is “an opportunity to look at the changing nature of time on the human condition, where one sees the body deteriorate but the soul remain omnipresent. Women and girls were photographed in 10-year increments, ranging from 0 to 100 years old.”
Startlingly we recognised one of the photographed faces, a friend of my daughters. Isn’t that quite amazing? It can only happen in Ely you know, you must visit!
More about Babylon Gallery here: http://www.babylonarts.org.uk/gallery/view,time-and-time-again-helena-g-anderson-2031-january_1906.htm
My photos of Ely will shortly be on my Instagram account so if you’d like to see them please follow the link: https://www.instagram.com/kyrosmagica/
I just love Ely. It is a must see place to visit, with its beautiful cathedral, lovely places to eat, riverside restaurants, and independent bookshops. Moreover, I just love spending time with my daughters, even when they cost me a fortune. I even found a dress for the Bloggers Bash too. It was in the same shop, fortunately the price wasn’t in the same frowning price tag league!!! But it was really pretty. So two dresses bought in one day, ouch…. what a day!!
Yes, I’m intending on going to the Bash again this year. I went last year and it was such fun. A day not to miss….
More about the Bloggers Bash this year via Sacha Black’s blog. The date is 11th of June, so do put it in your calendar. By all accounts it sounds like it’s going to be an awesome event. I just can’t wait.
http://sachablack.co.uk/2015/10/01/the-bash-is-back-the-second-annual-bloggersbash-2016/
And my account of last year’s event:
https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com/2015/08/02/the-bloggers-bash-oh-what-a-day/
Want to meet the organisers and attendees from last year? :

Here’s the link to Hugh’s blog if you’d like to join in his photography challenge:
http://hughsviewsandnews.com/2016/01/26/hughs-weekly-photo-challenge-week-10-faces/
Here’s Hugh’s advice on what to do if you want to join in:
This week take a photo of an object that looks like it has a face. Rather than taking photos of the faces of people or animals try and capture an object that looks like it has a face.
Want to join the fun? Here’s what you need to do.
1. Take a photo of an object that looks like it has a face.
2. Create a new post on your blog entitled “Hugh’s Photo Challenge: Week 10 – Faces.”
3. Add the photo(s) you have taken to the post and tell us a little about what you are showing.
4. Create a pingback to this post or leave a link to your post in the comments section below so that other participants can view your post.
Bye for now,

Marje @ Kyrosmagica XX
Happy Halloween!!!!!!
Happy Halloween!!!
To celebrate I’d thought I’d share with you some of the challenges and my favourite blogging activities I have done this October highlighting my Halloween Themed posts in case you’ve missed them:
So let’s start off with some photography challenges. I’ve recently joined Instagram https://instagram.com/kyrosmagica/ as has my friend and fellow blogger Hugh over at Hugh’s Views and News.
Hugh wanted to see what lurks in the shadows: http://hughsviewsandnews.com/2015/10/24/hughs-photo-challenge-week-3-what-lurks-in-the-shadows/
Here’s my contribution for Hugh’s What Lurks in The Shadow’s Photo Challenge:
I also had a go at Ed Mooney’s Capturing History Spooktacular Challenge: https://edmooneyphoto.wordpress.com/2015/10/01/spooktacular-2015/
Shadows even managed to sneak there way into my submission for Julia’s Camera Lucinda Photography Challenge, I kind of stretched my interpretation of the challenge, it was meant to be metal and rust so I cheated a bit! The guitar strings were a bit old and rusty! The shadows weren’t too spooky but I wanted to include this in this post to do a shout out for Julia’s challenge. It’s fun to join in.
Here’s the link to Julia’s challenge: https://myredpage.wordpress.com/2015/10/16/camera-lucida-metal/
https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/25/camera-lucida-metal/
Some writing contests, and challenges captured my interest:
The 5th Annual Halloweensie Writing Contest, this one sounded cute so how could I say no? I found it on Susannahill’s blog: http://susannahill.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/the-5th-annual-halloweensie-writing.html
Here’s my entry: https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/27/the-5th-annual-halloweensie-writing-contest-aahhhrrrooooooooo/
The 79 Word Story challenge from Chris at The Story Reading Ape:
http://thestoryreadingapeblog.com/2015/10/18/more-new-79-words-story-challenge-entrants/
I went for a jog and wrote about a Halloween brooch. My mind works in mysterious ways! https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/12/79-words-story-the-halloween-brooch/
Rachael Ritchey’s Blog Battle Writing Challenge, a weekly fun place to hang out and do blog battle : http://rachaelritchey.com/blogbattle/
Here’s a couple of my Blog Battle stories:
A paranormal lakeside story about a hidden scar: https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/13/blogbattle-the-scar/
A paranormal/fantasy story inspired by the blood moon: https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/09/29/blog-battle-blood-moon-a-rip-of-a-ride/
I love to join in Ronovan Writes Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge:
https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/category/haiku-prompt-challenge/
The prompt words that Ron came up with in that particular week were Tide and Flesh and they just seemed to fit the bill so well!
I’ve been taking part in the #redeyereadalong of horror YA books by Stripes publishing. This wonderful event has been run by two book bloggers, Chelle at Tales of Yesterday Blog and Heather at Heather reviews:
http://talesofyesterday.co.uk/2015/09/tales-post-red-eye-read-along-october-2015/ https://heatherreviews.wordpress.com/2015/10/27/redeyereadalong-qa-with-tom-becker/
Here are my #redeyereadalong posts:
https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/09/30/read-eye-readalong-frozen-charlotte/
Do check out Colleen’s wonderful blog, Silver Threading, and her open invitation to join writer’s Quote Wednesday: http://silverthreading.com/2015/10/28/writers-quote-wednesday-a-silver-quote-2/
For Colleen’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday I had a go at some Halloween Quotations: https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/07/writers-quote-wednesday-halloween/
My Halloween stuff and Autumn nonsense post, amongst other things celebrated some of the wonderful blogs who enjoy Halloween:
https://atomic-temporary-67364188.wpcomstaging.com/2015/10/04/halloween-stuff-and-autumn-nonsense/
Also I just finished reading Caroline Peckham’s Creeping Shadow, a pre-release ARC and have just done a quick review on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1417107616
Phew!! I have been busy. Don’t expect me to keep this up, or I may just turn into a shadow of my former self!
Oh and with all this blogging I had my best day for likes on October 27th, thank you all so much for liking and commenting on my posts. :))))
Newsflash: I’m having a well earned blogging break soon in early November, probably starting in the first week, and extending for all of November to do some much neglected writing, and I will be making some decisions about the publication of my manuscript Krystallos. More about that to come….
So bye for now.
I hope you have a very happy fun filled Halloween!
From your magical good witch Marje @ Kyrosmagica !! xx


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