#IWSG for October 2017 - Show Us Your Writer Insecurity!

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: Olga Godim, Chemist Ken, Jennifer Hawes, and Tamara Narayan!

Show us your writer insecurity!

 Are you proud to be an insecure writer?

Then show us!

Post a photo of yourself (or your alter ego) with any of the IWSG swag or with the IWSG logo. Then leave a comment that day at either the IWSG website’s post or the IWSG Facebook post directing us to your photo. (All blog, Facebook, Goodreads, and newsletter members welcome, but photo must be posted on a blog or Facebook to qualify.) There are awesome prizes involved! Check out the IWSG site for a complete list.

Here's this insecure writer!

Like any good insecure writer, I'm trying to hide behind my cat. Just a few seconds before the picture was taken, he was playing happily with the IWSG keychain. There he just looks annoyed.

This month's optional question: Have you ever slipped any of your personal information into your characters, either by accident or on purpose?

Yes, especially into my geeky characters. I take bits from my past and slip them in now and again too. It does help to write what you know, after all. Adding in the real bits with the stuff we make up creates better characters.


We're also celebrating the release of the newest IWSG free anthology: Writing For Profit!

From writing to publishing to marketing, the Insecure Writer's Support Group members provide tips on making money as a writer. This guide represents the spirit of the IWSG - to encourage and support writers everywhere! It is our hope that this book will benefit you as a writer, no matter where you are in the journey.

Get your free copy here: Amazon * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords




Don’t forget the deadline for the annual IWSG Anthology Contest is November 1st. This year's genre is mystery with the theme of "Tick Tock."

We're always excited to celebrate good news with our IWSG members. Email me at christinerains [dot] writer @ gmail [dot] com with your news, and I'll include in the next newsletter.

Tsunami Crimes Blog Tour and Giveaway

Christine’s Question for Chrys: What was the most challenging part of writing Tsunami Crimes?

You expect me to say the tsunami, right? In which case, you’d be…wrong. If your second guess is what happens to Beth after she’s taken prisoner by criminals, you’d be…wrong again.

The tsunami came so easily to me. I actually skipped Beth and Donovan’s honeymoon and touristy scenes to dive right into the tsunami. I don’t know if it was easy because of all the research I did, my excitement, the nightmares I’ve had of tsunamis, or my fear of drowning, but every part of it came to me without any effort. Even the chapters after the tsunami were a snap for me to write.

I used a lot of my own fears and experiences throughout Tsunami Crimes. I depict my near-drowning incident when a wave stretched clear over my head and crashed me into large rocks. I held onto those rocks for dear life as the water tried to suck me back. If I hadn’t, it would’ve taken me. That very moment is in

Tsunami Crimes. Even hallucinations I’ve experienced, and memories from when I had spine surgery at fifteen, made it into this book.

Now you’re probably asking, So? What was the most challenging part?

Do you recall how I said I skipped Beth and Donovan’s honeymoon and touristy scenes? Yup. Those were the most difficult parts for me to write because I had to go back, after reaching THE END, to fill in those chapters. I skipped them to get to the excitement, and then I had trouble getting in the mood for them after writing all of that excitement. But I did it, and I actually enjoy those scenes now. My characters deserve the happiness they experience in those moments. It was the least I could do…before unleashing Mother Nature on them. Again.

BLURB:

Beth and Donovan have come a long way from Hurricane Sabrina and the San Francisco earthquake. Now they are approaching their wedding day and anxiously waiting to promise each other a lifetime of love. The journey down the aisle isn’t smooth, though, as they receive threats from the followers of the notorious criminal, Jackson Storm. They think they’ll be safe in Hawaii, but distance can’t stop these killers. Not even a tsunami can.

This monstrous wave is the most devastating disaster Beth has ever faced. It leaves her beaten, frightened. Is she a widow on her honeymoon? As she struggles to hold herself together and find Donovan, she’s kidnapped by Jackson's men.

Fearing her dead, Donovan searches the rubble and shelters with no luck. The thought of her being swept out to sea is almost too much for him to bear, but the reality is much worse. She’s being used as bait to get him to fall into a deadly trap.

If they live through this disaster, they may never be the same again.

On SALE for $2.99!

BUY LINKS:

Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

NOOK / KOBO / The Wild Rose Press

P.S. Hurricane Crimes and Seismic Crimes are on sale for 99 Cents!

BIO:

Chrys Fey is the author of the Disaster Crimes Series. She is a blogger, reader, auntie, vegetarian, and cat Lover. Get Lightning Crimes (Disaster Crimes 2.5) for FREE!

FIND CHRYS:

Facebook / Twitter / Blog / Website / Amazon / Goodreads

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RPGs & Writing - Imagination and Friends

I'm kicking off a series of posts about how playing role-playing games (RPGs) has affected my writing. This topic not only excited me, but other authors I know. I'm eager to have some of my writer friends share their experiences through guest posts too.

I've always loved writing stories. It can be a lonely venture, though. I used to play imagination games with my friends where we'd play out stories. Back then, I had never heard of RPGs. I didn't play my first Dungeons & Dragons game until I was in university. But I was already addicted to something else before then.

I loved playing PBeM RPGs. What are those, you ask? Play by email (or play-by-post) RPGs are games groups of people as their characters interact together in a predefined environment. Many groups have rules about not only the parameters of the world but also the conduct of the players and subject matter allowed.

I played in all sorts of groups. Most of them in Yahoo Groups. Fantasy, science-fiction, dystopian, and tons of Harry Potter groups. Yes, I do love playing in that world!

 

What I liked most about these RPGs was that I didn't know what the other players would come up with next. I loved the twists and turns, the weird surprises, and the amazing stories we created together. Since I'm a pantser, I reveled in it.

With all these different types of worlds, I was able to experiment with different writing styles and various characters. I discovered that I loved to write about relationships - be it romantic, friends, enemies, etc. It was the characters who attracted me and drove me to become the character focused writer I am today. (One of the most character driven groups I had been in was a dystopian called Descent Into Sin. Deep, dark stuff.)

While these RPGs helped to mold me into the writer I am today, there was something else I loved about them: the friends I made. These friends encouraged me to write more of my own original work and gave me the strength to submit it to various venues. I had my first short story published because of their support. And even to this day, over fifteen years after I started in my first PBeM group, I'm still in contact with some of these amazing people. Not all of them write or play anymore, but they have never ceased to be fantastic cheerleaders and super friends.

Have you ever play in a PBeM RPG? A tabletop RPG like Dungeons & Dragons? What were your experiences like?

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I would like to extend an invitation to any writers who have played RPGs. I'd love for you to guest post on my blog about your experiences. If you're interested, please leave your email in the comments below, or email me at christinerains.writer@gmail.com.

Come visit me at one of my oldest net friend's blogs!

Happy Saturday!

I know it's rare you see me on the weekend, but I had to let you know I visited one of my oldest net friends, and she interviewed me. Come meet the talented Renee Cheung as we talk about revisions and characters.

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Two days until the release of Silent Whispers (Totem #2)!

Wicked Wednesday - snapping the best picture

This past weekend, my family and I tried to get a decent portrait. So many pictures. So much chaos.

No one can ever smile at the same time. And if they do, the smiles are creepy or weird. Someone inevitably blinks when the camera clicks. Another person is looking away. Someone's fussing with their hair. Stand still. Put your hands down. Then the frustration sets in. Grumpy faces and sneers. Finally, exhaustion.

This is how I feel when it comes to writing. (Because everything I do, I compare to writing!) Your characters are not going to cooperate. One of them is doing what he's supposed to be doing but then another is off screwing things up. Two people are growling at each other when they're supposed to be a couple. It's especially difficult when you have a big cast of characters. How do you get them to do what they're supposed to do?

Take multiple pictures.

Yup. That's the one and only trick. Keep rewriting until it's right.

Eventually everyone will be looking at the camera, standing still, and smiling nicely. Okay, someone might be fidgeting and there might be an odd twinkle in another person's eye, but the tiny quirks are okay. Keep those. That's what makes it unique.

Nope:

Almost.

Wait. We regressed and lost two smiles.

Yes?

Final Day of the Of Blood and Sorrow Character Meet & Greet

The final day of the Of Blood and Sorrow Character Meet & Greet.

Thanks so much to my fantastic hosts and to you, my awesome readers. I hope you've enjoyed meeting the cast of the novel, and I really hope you're intrigued enough to pick up the book.

Today you'll meet Aleo and Bolona Putzkammer, the heads of the Putzkammer clan.

Head on over to T.F. Walsh's site to find out more about them.

Buy the book here:

Amazon * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords

Meet the little brother in the Character Meet & Greet

We met the older Putzkammer brothers on Wednesday and today we meet the youngest.

Connor is the heart of the family and Erin's best friend.

Click on over to Heather Holden's blog to learn more.

My final geeky giveaway is still going on until the end of the month. Enter to win some awesome games: Story Cubes and Star Wars Galactic Dice Game. Plus, every winner will receive a unique Christine Rains die.

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Of Blood and Sorrow Character Tour

Sometimes it can be annoying to have an overprotective big brother.

How about two of them?

Come meet the eldest Putzkammer brothers, Cort and Paul.

M Pepper Langlinais is hosting these two handsome gentlemen.

Get your copy of Of Blood and Sorrow:

Amazon * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords

Meet the gorgeous vampire

I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt

So sexy it hurts.

You know, I just realized I have a tendency to feature my heroes shirtless.

With that, let me introduce Nicolas Reese.

When you first meet him in the novel, he's not wearing a shirt.

Or pants.

Pop on over to Clare Dugmore's blog to learn more about him!

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#SpecFicChat

Build a Better Hero
What are your ideas for upgrading the hero / heroine for the new millennia?
When: Friday, March 20th, Noon EDT
Where: Twitter - Type in #SpecFicChat to join in the conversation
Hosted by: @Unrealms and @mpax1

Of Blood and Sorrow and One Good Catch are here!

A fledgling vampire wakes in a funeral home run by demons.

My first urban fantasy novel, Of Blood and Sorrow is here!

Buy the book here:

Amazon * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords

To celebrate its release, I'm going to introduce you to the awesome cast of characters this month.

The first stop in the Of Blood and Sorrow Character Meet & Greet is at Tara Tyler's.

We'll be starting with my favorite character.

I'm also excited to be featured on Across the Board today.

Check it out!

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I also wanted to give a huge congratulations and shout-out to my release day buddy, Heather M. Gardner!

Her awesome book, One Good Catch is here today. I can't wait to get my hands on it!

Buy it here:
Amazon * B&N * Kobo * All Romance Ebooks

Add OGC to your TBR list on Goodreads HERE! 

One Good Catch

A Maguire's Corner novel

Ignoring a recent trauma that is affecting her everyday life, ER Doctor Kate Maguire engages in some high risk activities, but putting herself in these dangerous situations isn’t enough to feed her edginess. She needs something more. When her brother’s high school best friend comes back to town, it’s her chance for a ‘no strings attached’ fling with the man who still headlines in all her best dreams.

Rhys MacGrath’s days of one-night-stands are long over. The pro-football player might be side-lined at rehab for a shoulder injury, but that doesn’t mean he can’t admire and desire the all-grown-up, so-damn-hot, version of the tomboy he once knew. His sudden interest in Kate might be aggravating his best friend, who doesn’t approve, but it’s her indifference that’s driving Rhys crazy.

Everything heats up when Kate’s nosy nature sets her in the line of fire of an arsonist forcing them to deal with more than just the sparks igniting between them.

About the author: Heather M. Gardner's love of books began on the hand-woven rugs of her small town library where her mother worked. There she had a never-ending supply of stories to read at her fingertips. As a teen, her favorite genres to curl up with were romance and mysteries. When she started to create her own stories, they were the perfect fit.

Heather resides in New York with her best friend who is also her husband, plus her talented and handsome son. She is currently owned by four stray cats. Heather's a full-time mom, works part-time from home, a chocolate enthusiast, coffee junkie, cat addict, book hoarder and fluent in sarcasm.

Blog: The Waiting is the Hardest Part

Twitter: @hmgardner

Goodreads: HMGardner 

Facebook: HeatherWritesRomance 
 

Excerpt:
Kate crossed her arms. “I’m not complicated.”

“Oh yes, you are. Incredibly complicated. And off limits.”

“Look, it was just a kiss. If you can’t handle a little first base, it’s your problem, not mine.”

Rhys stopped in front of her, shaking his head. “What?”

“I’m not some kid anymore, Rhys. I can kiss whomever I want. And I do. If you want to continue living by my brother’s rules, then I suggest you head back to the bar.”

“I guess I have more respect for Steve than to try and feel up his sister after being back in town for less than a day.”

“That’s fine. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“Fine. I’ll sleep just fine.”

“Then, goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” he said.

Rhys reached for her, his fingers tangling in her hair. He pulled her in to kiss her again. Kate enjoyed this kiss even more than the first one. It was full of his exasperation, plus his inevitable surrender, making it incredibly hot. Her victory was intoxicating.

Guest post on Perspective by Josh Hoyt and Happy Canada Day

Think of your favorite character, the one that changed your life and made you look at people and the world differently. What did the author do in order to bring that character to life?

Buy it now on Amazon

Some of you may remember Josh Hoyt and his amazing blog about using psychology to create characters. He went on an extended blogging break, but he came back with his book! Congratulations to Josh. Today he's talking about perspective and how that affects your characters. Thank you, Josh. Take it away!

PERSPECTIVE

By Josh Hoyt

Recently I had a discussion with my wife about support and how we both have a different perspective of how support looks. The support I'm talking about is how we help each other accomplish our goals. Her perspective of the perfect support is a more hands off approach while I enjoy a more hands on and direct approach. When we give support to each othe,r we do give that support in the way that we perceive to be the best way and as a result we really don't give the best support to the other person that we could give. In fact, when we feel that we are giving a lot of support often, the other one doesn't feel very supported at all. She feels like I'm pushy and expecting perfection, while I feel like she doesn't care when she supports me. This of course leads to confusion, and uhm, let's call it a discussion. :) After 13 years of marriage, you would think that we would understand each other perfectly, but alas we are still trying to learn each others perspective.

Perspective is the way we see things because of the experiences that we have had and the personality that we are born with, and because we all have had different experiences and we all have unique personalities, we each have a different perspective. As a result of this uniqueness, we have difficulty, at times, understanding those around us and regrettably this can lead to fights and even wars.

When we think about perspective, we also need to understand the different filters that we have in place as we receive input from the out-side world. When a person makes a decision on how to act they will take what they perceive from the out-side world and mix it up with what they have inside of them (feelings, thoughts, and past experiences). After they have mixed all this stuff up they make a decision on how to act. These “inside” things are the filters they have in place to deal with the world around them and affect how they perceive the world around them. For example if a person has an ex-wife who cheated on them they will be more suspicious of their new wife when that wife comes home later than expected or if a child is used to being hit when they make a mistake when they are moved out of that situation they will still flinch at an adult who raises their hand unexpectedly even if the adult had no intention of hitting the child.

Now back to the story of my wife and me. After discussing and learning about each others perspective on support, we are now able to support each other in the way that each other needs to be supported. More importantly, we can now understand each other a little bit more and this helps us grow closer and makes our relationship that much stronger. As we learn more and more about each others perspective, we grow closer together and are more invested in each other. Our willingness to support and understand each other increases and we want to learn more about each other. This can also be applied to the husband and wife and the child and adult mentioned above. As the two sides of the situations learn to understand each others perspectives, they will learn to be more sensitive to each other. The wife will call when she knows she is going to be late and the adult will be more sensitive to their hand gestures around the child.

When we create our characters, we need to understand their experiences, feelings, and thoughts so that when they receive input from the out-side world they respond appropriately to that information and according to their own personal perspective of “life, the universe, and everything.” In addition to our characters responding appropriately and according to their perspective, we will help our readers understand our character's perspective through the responses those characters make. This in turn helps our readers connect more intimately with our characters and want to learn more about our characters (which will increase book sells!!! :)

SO in truth to truly understand another's perspective, we must first walk in their shoes. 

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HAPPY CANADA DAY TO ALL MY CANADIAN FRIENDS AND FAMILY!

 

Friday Five for May 24, 2013

1. The blog tour for THE ORACLE & THE VAMPIRE went wonderfully. Thank you again to all my fine hosts and readers. One more book left in the 13th Floor series. I can't believe I'm almost at the end! I've really loved writing this series. Such fun stories. (Sales tidbit for you: THE ALPHA is still selling more than any of the other books, even the new one. So far, the "werewolf" tag trumps the "vampire" one.)

2. The protagonist in THE GHOST isn't speaking clearly yet. I know where the story is going to go, but I'm pulled between having Chiharo's personality the same as when she died or having some wisdom from all the years she's spent as a ghost. I've been calling her the Wooden Girl. Since she still feels stiff to me. Her love interest has a powerful personality already. He wants to curse a lot too.

3. Yesterday was my son's last day of preschool. We're now officially on summer break. Yikes! I know he'll miss school, but I think I'll miss it even more. I keep telling myself the summer will go fast, and then he'll be going three mornings a week starting mid-August. An extra morning for me to write! Yay! Yet I have to survive the summer break first.

4. Thank you so much to all the teachers out there. You have such a big influence on our lives and our children's lives. Teachers are so under-appreciated. An especially big thank you to my son's teacher. She made his first year of school the best!

5. The long weekend is coming up here in the US. Yay! We have absolutely nothing planned at all. I'm really, really looking for to it. Have a fabulous weekend, folks!