Once again, I have the pleasure of welcoming another of my fabulous wana711 sisters, Angela Orlowski-Peart! Not only is she a paranormal and fantasy writer, I recently learned she’s also a watercolor painter! Our friendship has been nothing short of a godsend, but I’ll let her tell you all about our incredible family. 
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My Cyber Family
Angela, thank you for having me over here! I kept thinking about subjects for this guest post, and I realized that what I really wanted to write about, was something that you and I, both, have in common. I immediately thought about our WANA family, which we both are a part of. Kristen Lamb gathered us together last summer in her Blogging to Build Your Author Brand online class. Since then, the group has formed an amazing alliance, known as WANA711. We have our own Facebook page, Yahoo group, Twitter hashtag (and we let a lot of non-wana711 people interact in there – it’s all fabulous, the more the merrier!), and we also have our own Triberr tribe, thanks to Natalie Hartford, our Triberr Chief.
As you can see, our group has strong ties, and we all enjoy it immensely. But it is not about just staying in touch. It’s about helping each other, learning from each other, having each other’s back.
If you scoot over to my blog and look on the right-hand-side banner (scroll down a bit), you will see a list of blogs under a title of “Circle of Friends”. Yep, that’s our WANA711 group. I recommend visiting and following each of these blogs. You will always find a variety of subject plus some fabulous comments.
Besides our WANA711 group, we also have WANA1011 and WANA112. Kristen Lamb teaches this class every few months, and each new group has their “code”. Ours, 711, means “the class of July 2011”. WANA1011 is “the class of October 2011”, and so on. Within my group we warmly refer to each other as sistas and bros. I know, funny, but we love it. The members of other WANA groups are called simply cousins. You see? It’s one, big, loving family. Oh, and let’s not forget about the original MYWANA, which, we all belong to. Complicated? I hope not.
In the recent few weeks several of us have been hosting the other sistas, promoting each other’s books and blogs. This was actually Angela Wallace’s brilliant idea. She worked out the schedule and the details of the promotion. Thank you, Angela!
Back in February I interviewed Traci Bell, and today Traci is hosting Jennifer Tanner on her blog.
Make sure to stop by and say “hi”. Leave a comment for a chance to be entered in the drawing. By the way, if you haven’t read Angela Wallace’s interview on my blog, hop over there as soon as you are done here, and answer this question: “Would you choose immortality, being able to live your life over and over again, being whoever you wanted in the next cycle, even if it meant outliving everyone you’ve ever loved?” This way you will be eligible to win Angela’s first novel, Phoenix Feather, in a digital format.
All other interviews from our group are listed below—each of them followed by prize contest and, often, the interviewer’s guest post.
Diana Murdock and Bridgette Booth
Diana Murdock and Naomi Bulger – I HAVE to mention that I was the winner of the contest! Naomi is sending an autographed copy of her novella, Airmail, to me. Yippee!
Elena Aitken and Natalie Hartford
Angela Wallace and Tameri Etherton
Patricia Sands and Nancy Nicholson
Steena Holmes and Barbara McDowell
Virginia Ripple and Natalie Hartford
There will be more interviews and contests in the next few weeks, so be sure to visit our friends’ blogs.
During the week of March 11th:
During the week of March 18th:
So that’s our Writer’s Family. What are your professional circles that feel more like a family? Do you have a lot of cyber-friends, and if so, do you feel like they are closer to you than many of your “regular” friends?
LUV LUV LUV our little family! You guys have been such a blessing to me. An unexpected gift from heaven. I don’t know what I’d do without y’all…my sistas and bros!!! You each bring so much support, appreciation, and luv to my world that my heart is simply overflowing with gratitude and joy!
LOVE and hugs to you all!!!
Here’s to everyone finding their own cyberfamily!!!
You are the essential part of our family, Natalie – full of humor, energy, wisdom, and the best attitude ever. We all love you, girl!
Ditto, Natalie. I hope everyone can find what we have too.
I love our cyber family and can’t imagine my life without you wonderful peeps. The cruising community is kind of like our group. The difference of course is that we get to meet. Though sometime only once every couple years. But the rest of the time we connect via the internet. And, yeah, sometimes I’m closer to my cyber friends than my land based friends as we move farther apart by distance.
Isn’t it amazing, Nancy? I often say the same – sometimes my cyber friends are so much closer than my neighboring friends. Oh, the digital world is getting so small
Nancy, I feel closer to my cyber friends than I do most land-based ones in the same city! It is a wonderful community.
I love my cyber family, even though they don’t all know each other
Angela is one, and a few other WANA folks from Twitter, and then I have another group on G+, and then I have my real life Asiagoans who are amazing, talented writers as well! They don’t all know each other, but they are all my family <3
Rebecca, so good to see you here, girl. I haven’t spoken with you in ages (hangs head in shame) but I see you often on Twitter. Big hug to you!
I haven’t actually been on twitter all that much, which is probably why we haven’t spoken in a while
I mostly hang out on G+ now (or, as in the past couple weeks, get my butt kicked at work and go home to ice it and stay off the computer ;P)
*grin* I am very happy to be part of your cyber family, Becka.
Our cyber family is the best. I am so in love with all of you! Each day we get to learn a little more about each other with our blogs and tweets and I really like how supportive we are of each other. I absolutely feel if I needed a place to run and hide, all of you would open your homes and hearts to me. What I’ve learned from all of you in this short amount of time has been life-changing. I talk about my WANA sistas all the time because you ladies brighten my days so incredibly much. I feel blessed to have met all of you.
That includes you, Miss Rebecca! What is an Asiagoan?
I hope we all get to meet in person real soon!
Tameri, it feels like we are together ALL THE TIME – in our blogs, Triberr, Twitter, Yahoo loop, Facebook group. OMG, you guys are always around, just like the closest family should be. I hope we all meet in person really soon.
You said it, Tameri.
WA-NA! WA-NA! WA-NA! Ditto to the above!!! I think that Webster’s is going to have to update their dictionary to include a new definition of family:
fam·i·ly/ˈfam(ə)lē/ WANA. ‘Nuf said.
Haha, fabulous, Diana!
I agree!
Great post, Angela & Angela.
I’m surprised, but yes, our cyber friendships have come to mean as much to me as my land-based ones. It’s interesting and revealing.
You are so funny, Diana. Let me pencil it in my copy of Webster right now, haha.
I can’t wait for you to come for a visit. It’s gonna be a fuuuuuun time, sis. Huge hugs. Talk to you soon.
What an amazing idea, Angela(s)! I’m going to blog-hop a lot the next few days
And thank you for mentioning us poor guys. Sometimes we feel forgotten, but, as you reminded us, We Are Not Alone!
Fabio, the WANA family is not only for the girls. The guys are very appreciated there too!
Not alone at all, Fabio!
I participated in a Book Blog Tour class two years ago and we’re still all part of a Yahoo group. Plus my buddies from the IWSG and A to Z Challenge feel like that!
Alex, your cyber family is really awesome (I’m talking about all of us, your followers, who hang out on your blog every week)
And I think the WANA family should adopt you, my friend!
I doubt we each expected to walk away from a class or workshop with such a deep level of lasting friendships. It is awesome. Thanks for stopping by, Alex!
This was such a nice post! Awwwww….
Hi Lesann, so glad to see you at Angela’s, sista.
I love this Angela! Yes, we are a family. Although I might be considered a cousin since I was in WANA1011 and not WANA711. I just love family gatherings! It just gives me warm fuzzies to be around you all. I didn’t know that WANA711 had their own facebook page. I want to join. Can I? I promise to behave! Well, that might be boring. But can I? Pretty please? And I can’t wait for those other interviews. You guys are awesome!
Hi Karen, you are one of my most favorite cousins. And you know that, right? Hugs to you, girly girl.
We have the Facebook page but it is closed now. Sorry. But we love to see you on Twitter and each of us has our personal FB pages or author pages.
This has been so much fun!!
Thanks, Traci
Writing is a lonely pursuit. It always will be, but having you guys around makes it much more enjoyable!
I read Naomi Bulger’s Airmail and loved her quirky characters. Every time I see a pink tracksuit, I’ll think of her book.
Thanks for the shout out, Angela!
Jennifer, I remember those “lonely days”. Now, whenever I want to share something, get an opinion, help, a virtual hug, you name it, I have my WANA family.
Hey Jennifer! Like Angela P. said, it’s so nice having people to turn to for running ideas past, getting opinions, sharing successes and frustrations. We’re a family through the ups and downs.
*humming We Are Family* … Love you guys!
Woot woot, luv ya too, Patricia!!!!
I don’t know what I’d do without you two and my Wana 711 family. It’s so lovely to open up my e-mail everyday and “see” you all there in your posts, your messages on my blog and our wana 711 group and hashtag. Love you guys to pieces!
Kate, that’s exactly how I feel – everyday!
Ditto, Kate!
Oh this sounds so wonderful. It’s a WANA family affair. Love it. So glad you guys are able to be for each other what writers need: support, comedic relief during the middle of a nervous breakdown, writing advice, life thoughts.
That’s exactly how it is, Angela. But, as I said on my blog, you are my wonderful cyber cousin
Love that you’ve formed a supportive sisterhood. It’s so nice to know that we are definitely not alone!
Great interview, Angelas!
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
WANA1011
Patricia, thank you for stopping by my blog and Angela Wallace’s blog. You are the part of our WANA family too, you know
I love being part of this family.
Ali, you bet, darling!
This WANA family is awesome. There really is no other way to describe it. I feel so fortunate to be a part of something so wonderful!! Thanks all.
Elena, isn’t it amazing that our WANA family knows no borders, no time zones?
Definitely, Elena. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined our family could have come from that one workshop.
What a great family group…. going to check out some new writers:)
Thank you
So glad you stopped by!
They’re all awesome, T.F.
[...] Today’s post is a special announcement of the winner in this week’s blog tour with Angela Orlowski-Peart. If you missed my interview on her blog Monday, you can read it here. And then she guest posted over here on Wednesday about the amazing blessing of her cyber family. [...]