Bleeding Ink's Anniversary of Existence + First Spam Comment!

Greetings, my friends,


Last November through December was a very busy time, so much so I nearly forgot December marked this blog's birthday (only remembered it while in a conversation with another blogger, R.M. Archer, who has released a short story collection you should go check out), and I was unable to post anything special.

But here we are, a year and almost three months old. And have we grown much? No, not really. And that is most likely thanks to a very inactive year, at my own fault.
But Bleeding Ink is still here, and I'm still here, and posts are still here.
So I count the past year as a win.

Have I gathered other bloggers to help celebrate? No.

Have I prepared a funny story to share? No.

Have I prepared any kind of creative content in honor of it? No, I have not.


So let the day go on, and if you can find a spare moment, think of this humble page and use it to remember and appreciate all the writers and authors who started small, and all the writers authors who are, now, still small.
One day, they will blossom and finally be recognized as the literary artists that they are.


Now you may be wondering about the second part of the title, "First Spam Comment".
That's right, I've finally hit that milestone. And a strange, yet joyous milestone that is. I have finally reached the ears of random companies and bots.
Surely, I'm only one step away from being noticed by some wealthy, kind-hearted publisher in search of hidden talent, which I totally have.

What was the comment, you may be asking?
Don't go searching for it, you won't find it. Because I deleted it. Because it was spam.

But this was the comment:

What it says, in case you can't read it: "What a lovely and interesting blog. I have read many blogs on the internet but I like your post the most. Thank you for sharing it to our readers", and then there is a list of links, all having to do with Vietnam.

Well, Viet Nguyen, from the bottom of my heart let me say thank you for your kind words. I am honored that, out of the millions and millions of blogs that you've read, I have the humble honor to have written your most liked post.

I also apologize that I didn't respond to your comment in the comment section, that I did not click any of your links, and that I deleted it, but it is spam after all.



So there you have it, a missed blog anniversary and a first spam comment that happened two months ago.
I give you such quality content, don't I?


 Have any thoughts, spam comments, critiques, ideas, or questions, please feel free to reply below (however if you make a spam comment, expect it to be deleted).


  Wishing you well,


                         ~ Edna Pellen  (author of Bleeding Ink for one uneventful year)

R.M. Archer's Blog Tour! Story Review ~ Escape Room

Greeting once again, dear readers!


Happy first day of February! To start off the month, I give you...

 My Escape Room story review!

Let the strenuous act of restraining myself from spoiling the story commence.


I loved this story, much like I said in my *Silence story review*, this has a very quick fish hook beginning. In the graphic above you see the beginning paragraphs of Escape Room, which give just the briefest of looks into the story.
That first paragraph drops you in the story, the second causes curiosity, and the third (which is not in the graphic) keeps you there.

And then it just keeps going, and going, and going, and then- what's this?? It's... it's over??? Already???

I would greatly appreciate a sequel, if you can't tell.


Here's a brief run down...

The Characters:

They are smart. They are really smart. They get stuff done, and move quickly. Which, though it may be a common trait for short stories in general, is so refreshing in comparison to stories where characters mosey along and bicker and add to their pile of problems.
These characters have their priorities straight.
And, each one has something unique to them, that sets them apart, which isn't something I'd usually expect from a short story, but really added to this one.

The Plot:

If you can't tell, it's about a boy trapped in a room that he has to escape.

But wait- there's more! Which I won't tell you because I don't want to spoil it!

So, you best just go read it for yourself (it's worth it, and I mean come on, it'll take you maybe a half hour to read, or a hour at most if you're a very slow reader).


Do I like it more then Silence? That is a tough question.
There were several elements in Silence that I simply adored, and because I know pre-orders aren't arriving yet, I know you haven't read it yet, and I know I still can't spoil it.
So I can't tell you about all of those elements.
But I'll brush over it.

Silence had very powerful moments in it. It was a roller coaster of doubts and excitement.
Escape Room didn't have those same powerful moments, but it did have more character interaction and was faster paced.
So, I like them both for very different reasons.


To quote myself in my previous review, the door of potential is wide open with this story and I would love to see it continue on.
Go buy the collection, read Silence and Escape Room (and the others, of course), then come back and tell me what you thought about them, and if you have a favorite out of the collection (also, tell R.M. Archer on her blog!).


Maybe, on the anniversary of the release of this story collection, I'll come back and give a completely spoil-filled review, that way I can explain more and show specifically what I did and didn't like.
But I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.

Find "Escape Room", "Carnival of Hearts", "Silence", and "Caithan" here: **Link**

Follow the blog tour here: **Link**

To learn more about her and her stories, as well as get wonderful writing advice, find and follow Ms. Archer herself here: **Link**



So, now that that's all done, I can disappear again, this time for a complete decade!
I'll try to post more here and there then I have of late. I've fallen into a creative rut, and am still limited in my posting abilities.
I also need to figure out what's up with the email notifications, as the words are too lightly colored to be seen.
Lots of construction and confusion.

Until we meet again, 

                           
                                               ~ Edna