The #IWSGPit Twitter Pitch is On!

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Twitter Pitch Party!

#IWSGPit

8:00 am to 8:00 pm Eastern Time

All writers and authors are invited to participate in our very first Twitter Pitch.

Create a Twitter-length pitch for your completed and polished manuscript and leave room for genre, age, and the hashtag. On July 27, Tweet your pitch. If your pitch receives a favorite/heart from a publisher/agent check their submission guidelines and send your requested query. Sample Tweet from #PitMad:

Many writers have seen their books published from a Twitter pitch - it’s a quick and easy way to put your manuscript in front of publishers and agents.

Rules: 

Writers may send out 1 Twitter pitch every 1 hour per manuscript.

Publishers/Agents will favorite/heart pitches they are interested in. Publishers can either Tweet basic submission guidelines or direct writers to their submission guidelines. (Writers and readers, please do not favorite/heart pitches.)

Please do not include images with the pitches.

Pitches must include GENRE/AGE and the hashtag #IWSGPit.

Ages:
#C - children’s
#MG - middle grade
#YA - young adult
#NA - new adult
#A - adult
Genres:
#AD - adventure
#CF - Christian fiction
#CO - contemporary
#F - fantasy
#H - horror
#HI - historical
#LF - literary fiction
#MCT - mystery/crime/thriller
#ME - memoir
#NF - non-fiction
#PB - picture book
#PN - paranormal
#R - romance
#SF - sci-fi
#WF - women's fiction

Participating Publishers and Agents:

Acorn Publishing

Bond Literary Agency

Tiny Fox Press

Dancing Lemur Press

Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC

Entangled Publishing

Curiosity Quills Press

Rainbow Nerds Literary

Blaze Publishing

Inklings Literary Agency LLC

Owl City Press

Donald Maass Literary Agency

Carina Press

Anaiah Press

Speilburg Agency

Blue Ridge Literary Agency, LLC

Emerald City Literary Agency

Red Fox Literary

Fraser Bub Literary

Golden Wheat Literary

AB Literary Agency

Holloway Literary Agency

Dingbat Publishing

Aevitas Creative Management

The Knight Agency

Prospect Agency

Keen Editorial and Literary Services

The Friedrich Agency
Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary Management
Writers House LLC
The Seymour Agency

Shadows Fall (Totem #7) released to the world!

Sometimes it isn't what lurks in the shadows we must fear, but the shadows themselves.

Ametta Dorn is hosting her first family Thanksgiving feast. Everything must be flawless from the appetizers to the desserts. But the totem quest weighs heavily on her and her family. If she can’t even fold a perfect crane napkin, then how can she help her family find the next token?

That totem is closer than any of them realize. The Shadowmen have opened a door to their world, and they’ve targeted Ametta as the weak link in her family. She will show everyone she's just as capable as they are. Except her daring might be the very thing that loses not only the raven totem but also her life.

Buy the book!

Add it to read on Goodreads!

All the Totem books are free to read on Kindle Unlimited!

Totem tidbit: The raven totem was a tricky one for me. And tricky it should be! I wasn't quite sure how I wanted it to work into the plot. In Inuit lore, there is no concept of good or evil. So in working with the totems, I had to make them remain true to their natures and yet steer my plot in the direction I needed it to go in.

* * * * *

Don't forget the huge Christmas in July sale & giveaway at Fantasy Book Giveaways! My paranormal romance series, The 13th Floor Complete Collection is on sale for only 99 cents. Plus you can enter to win over 20 amazing ebooks!

Christmas in July Sale & Giveaway

Make your summer magical

with books!

There's nothing like sitting in the shade with a good book. Fantasy Book Giveaways is hosting a big romance sale and giveaway. All books are 99 cents or free. It's Christmas in July!

As if that isn't awesome on its own, you can enter for a chance to win a prize pack of over twenty fabulous books! Just click on the image above.

For the next week, you can get my paranormal romance book, The 13th Floor Complete Collection for only 99 cents. (That's 80% off!) The first novella in the series, The Marquis, is always free. And once you're hooked, you can get the entire series in one ebook.

Buy the book: Amazon *B&N * Kobo * Smashwords

Fill your ereader like you're stuffing a stocking!

#IWSG Guide To Writing For Profit Still Open For Submissions

The IWSG Guide to Writing for Profit 

 

This will be a non-fiction book like our Guide to Publishing and Beyond. 

 

What to write: Share experiences about making a profit as an author, what it takes to become a successful writer, the many skills a writer needs to learn other than writing, share the experience going from hobby writer to published author (without making it a self-promotion piece), the fallacies behind writing for profit, the little known facts learned along the way, what you wished you knew when you first started writing, or marketing tips based on experience of what has worked and what hasn't.

If you gave any questions, email us at admin AT insecurewriterssupportgroup.com 

 

Word limit: 500-1000 words.

 

Submission eligibility: All members of the IWSG Blog Hop, IWSG Facebook group and/or members of our IWSG Goodreads Book Club. It's free to join any of these groups and a great benefit to be a part of these communities.

Deadline: July 31, 2017

Send your piece to admin AT insecurewriterssupportgroup.com as an attached Word document and note which IWSG group you belong to. Please include your name, a one line bio, and one website link.

***The BEST 100 articles will be included in the book!***

 

And don't forget the Twitter Pitch Party on July 27th!

Click on the image below for more info.

 

Word Witch Wednesday - endings

Finding a book with a fantastic ending is difficult. Most of the time, I know what to expect. The hero will triumph, hope and light will pull them through, and romance will deliver a happily ever after/happy for now. Hopefully it ties up all loose ends and circles around to link with the beginning. Knowing how stories will end doesn't stop me from reading them, but I do get frustrated when I come across horribly done endings and love it when I discover a marvelous ending.

No writer is flawless. Even some of my idols like Stephen King have books with endings I dislike. I won't name any off as not to give spoilers, but even certain classics have bad endings.

Endings are difficult. I know many writers that spend a lot of time on beginnings, and those are important too. Yet so many just give the expected ending without any twist or flair. I try to add in exciting twists, and there have been a few times I've created such a great villain, I don't see how the heroes can defeat her. Then it's back to rewrites.

I recently finished the final book in my Totem series. I worried a lot because, as a pantser, I had no idea how it would happen. When I finally wrote it, I sat back in my chair and stared at the screen in awe. Yes, this is one of those amazing endings. Circular, emotional, thrilling, and elegant. (I might be a bit biased. We'll see what my readers think once it's released.)

Stories and characters stay with me. Few endings have ever wowed me. One that stands out in my head is the spectacular climax of the fantasy series, The Troy Game by Sara Douglass. It came together in such a tension-filled, complex, and beautiful way.

What are your favorite endings from books? What are some of your most frustrating ones?

Shadows Fall (Totem #7) and Descending Moon (Totem #8) coming soon!

The end of the series is near! I'm so excited the complete Totem series will soon be available.

Sometimes it isn't what lurks in the shadows we must fear, but the shadows themselves.
 
Ametta Dorn is hosting her first family Thanksgiving feast. Everything must be flawless from the appetizers to the desserts. But the totem quest weighs heavily on her and her family. If she can’t even fold a perfect crane napkin, then how can she help her family find the next token?

That totem is closer than any of them realize. The Shadowmen have opened a door to their world, and they’ve targeted Ametta as the weak link in her family. She will show everyone she's just as capable as they are. Except her daring might be the very thing that loses not only the raven totem but also her life.

Release date: July 25th, 2017

Pre-order here!

Add it to read on Goodreads here.

 

Some say the moon is for lovers, but wise folks know to fear it.

Kinley Dorn must be strong for her family in these dark times. Sometimes she feels she's all that's holding them together. But when the frightening Moon Man attacks and bestows a burdensome gift upon her, Kinley might have to do more than simply help her family. She will have to battle a god but which one? If it's the sly man hunting her in the astral plane Kinley might not make it out alive.

Release date: August 8th, 2017

The final book has been written, and I'm eagerly waiting to hear back from my CPs about it. I have a tentative release date for it, but I'm not going to set anything for certain until I have it done exactly as I want it. I'm aiming for the end of August, though!

#IWSG for July 2017

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

This month's awesome co-hosts are: Tamara Narayan, Pat Hatt, Patricia Lynne, Juneta Key, and Doreen McGettigan!

The July IWSG Question: What is one valuable lesson you've learned since you started writing?

I've always been writing. So I can't say there's a starting point for that. Yet I haven't always been seeking publication. That I seriously started pursuing over ten years ago.

The most valuable lesson I've learned is to not be afraid to ask for help. I had been determined it was a journey which I would do everything alone. I was stubborn about it. I thought I was doing all the right research, but it wasn't enough. How lost I would have been without all the amazing people I met along the way.

I was stubborn, hesitant, and shy. What if people thought I was an idiot? What if no one offers to help? What if people do offer to help?

Learning that it was okay to ask for help was a big hurdle for me to overcome. And now I wonder why I held back!

I have awesome critique partners and beta readers, a tough and wise local critique group, a terrific promo group that shares info and support, a wonderful blogging community, and the fabulous members of the IWSG. All these people help me so much. I would not have made it this far without them.