Welcome to Blog Treasures, my weekly roundup of the best of the blogsphere from the past week.
Featured
This weeks winner of “best of the week” (best of the year so far, in my opinion) comes from Kristen Lamb: 3 Steps to Freedom – Grab Hold of Your Brilliant Future. Read it. Live it. Love it.
On Publishing
An Indie Authors Predictions for 2012 by Bob Mayer posting on the Writer’s Guide to E-Publishing site.
What Makes Ideas Unique? from DIYMFA. Note that this is part of series exploring copyright and legal issues important to writers.
When Do You Need to Secure Permissions? from Jane Friedman.
25 Things Writers Should Know About Agents from the brilliant Chuck Wendig.
Kristen Lamb asks and answers a hotly debated question of the publishing world with What’s the Problem with FREE?
On Social Media
For WordPress users: Read all your favorite blogs in one place by Erica Johnson (found through the fantastic Marcia A. Richards). This method compiles all the blogs you follow, including non-WP ones into a single location for ease of access.
From Elizabeth S. Craig: Finding Writers Online. Lots of great connection ideas in this post.
Triberr Part 3: Graduate to the Big People Pool by Jenny Hansen.
On Writing Craft
5 Tips for Writing an Effective Plot Twist by David Lazar writing for Write It Sideways.
From Janice Hardy: Discovering the Front Story of your Non-Point-of-View Characters. Also from Janice this week: Breaking the Writing Rules & Do Your Scenes Have What They Need?
From David Gaughran: Self-Editing Part 1 (by Editor Karin Cox) & Self-Editing Part 2.
How Professionals Generate Story Ideas from James Killick.
On the Writers Life
Larry Brooks points us to the “long game” of writing with We Read (Insert Name Here) Because…
Competitions & Writing Opportunities from Donna Newton. Also, Donna is up for an award through Online Colleges. Be sure to drop her a vote or ten.
August McLaughlin continues her fantastic series “Lifesaving Resolutions” with #8, Active Gratitude. And #4: Trusting Your Instincts.
Do You Call Yourself a Writer or an Author? from Jami Gold. Interesting conversation following this post.
Fun Posts
The ever-brilliant Holmes takes a look at this weeks daring rescue of two hostages in Rescue Mission and Upping the Stakes in Somalia.
Weird Al’s parody of Lady Gaga, good fun from Lyn Kelley.
Shea MacLeod takes a dip into myth and history with The Flood, wrath of a god or alien saviors?
Take a look on some of the more famous Celebrity Ghosts with Catie Rhodes.
Chinese New Year, The Symbolism & Mythology by Writers in the Storm with special assistance from Andy Chang, a Chinese culture instructor.
Reviews & Recipes
Two movie reviews from Gloria Oliver: Underworld Awakening & Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
Amanda Rudd gives a great over view of her Top 10 Authors I wish would write another book. Amanda also reviews Angela Kulig’s Skeleton Lake #1.
Shea MacLeod reviews her favorite series in Forever’s Not Enough.
Jess Witkins reviews Moloka’i by Alan Brennert. Jess also reviews the movie, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close this week.
Tiffany A. White looks at the New Year of Dramas: Smash, Missing & Awake. Also, be sure to check out Tiffany’s reviews of some of the New & Returning Comedies this season.
Gene Lempp ~ Writer 
I see posts I adored, too, and a bunch I’ve yet to check out. Thanks so much for the fab resources and for including my links! A touched and happy way to start a Saturday. 🙂
Thank you for including me, Gene! It’s always a pleasure to be counted among such great bloggers. I always love Jess’s and Tiffany’s reviews. Also, I hadn’t seen that post about the new WP blog management page, which looks extremely useful. So thanks for sharing that!
Great mashup, Gene. I’m so behind in blogging and have missed all these great posts. Thanks so much for including my link. I’m supposed to be packing & moving another load, but I just can’t budge. Am plum worn out. I need a nice relaxing afternoon catching up on great blog posts, so the moving is going to have to wait! Have a wonderful weekend.
Thanks for listing us under your Fun Posts this week, Gene. We do think Chinese New Year is lots of fun. You have some really good tips this week.
-Fae Rowen
I’ll add many of these to the long list of what I missed this week, Thanks, Gene
Thanks for the mention. WP blog reader is an awesome time-saver!
Gene,
Thanks a lot, dude…I just opened 8 posts thanks to your incredible mash-up ability!!! Thanks for including me…now I’m off to go read. 🙂
Ok, you just changed my plans for tomorrow. I was going to get some writing done…and I still am…but I want to read a ton of these too! I’m looking forward to diving into some of those writing ones and checking out the WP post for keeping all your fave blogs in one place. I love that. One of my biggest issues is that I have bloggers I like on blogspot or other sites, and I just don’t get to them nearly as often because my WP reader is always full. I think this will help!
And thanks for including my reviews! 😀
More awesome links. Your mashups are always a treasure trove, Gene!
What a list, Gene! Wow. How do you have time to find so many wonderful links? Thanks again for the link love. You are the best!
Belated thanks for the link, Gene!