#IWSG for December 2016

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: Jennifer Hawes, Jen Chandler, Nick Wilford, Juneta Key, JH Moncrieff, Diane Burton, and MJ Fifield!

The December IWSG question: In terms of your writing career, where do you see yourself five years from now, and what’s your plan to get there?

I already write full-time, even though there never seems like enough time to do everything! I'd love to see myself making at least a regular paycheck equal to my husband's. I'm not aiming to be a millionaire, but to double our household income would be awesome.

I'm working hard on putting more books out there and learning about marketing. I'm doing good with the first one, but not so great with the second. My fear is that I will never be able to figure out how to properly market my books, and that luck will never be on my side when it comes to sales.

Has this fear stopped me? Nope. I'll keep on pushing forward and trying new things.

Wicked Wednesday - dream inspiration

(My author picture processed through the Google Deep Dream Generator.)

A lot of my inspiration for stories comes from dreams. And I don't mean the Google Deep Dream Generator there. Though, I hear a lot of people saying those pictures are causing nightmares. I just think it's fascinating.

I'm a vivid dreamer. I dream in full color and I know I'm dreaming. I can change my actions and wake up if I want. Yet I usually go with the flow and see what happens.

Lately I've been having more disturbing dreams than usual. Ones where I'm finding myself in dire circumstances and faced with immense decisions. Most of the time, these are supernatural situations.

 

My life has had big changes lately. My son started kindergarten and I'm getting a chance at being a full time writer. It's a lot of pressure. And it seems my subconscious agrees by giving me all these intense dreams.

Of course, as an author, my first thought is: how do I use this in my writing? Dreams help us see things differently. The everyday world can become mundane, but things become more wonderful, silly, and/or frightening in dreams. They can change our perspective and that might be just what your muse needs if stuck on a story or in need of an idea for a new one.

I don't keep a dream journal. I remember my dreams most of the time, but it's a good idea to scribble down even a few things you recall from your dreams as prompts or ideas for later.

Do you find inspiration in your dreams?

Friday Five for February 28th, 2014

1. I did a happy dance on Wednesday after I unchained myself from my desk. I finished the 3rd draft of my superhero WIP. Woo-hoo! I sent it off to my CPs and betas. Then I celebrated with peanut butter cookies. On Monday, I will start revising WIP #1 again. I'm right on track with my writing goals so far this year.

2. It's been a tiring week. I've been babysitting every day. It only reminds me I no longer have the energy of my youth. I just wish the youths understood that!

3. My husband was sick on the weekend, and with stuffed up nose, he snores more than usual. So I spent two nights on the couch. I love my couch. It's amazingly comfy, but it always gives me weird dreams. One dream had 5 good versions of myself fighting 5 bad versions. Not clones. (I don't have access to Alex's cloning machine!) It was more like a spirit battle. It was unsettling. Thankfully when I'm sleeping in the bed, I only fight monsters and not myself, er, my selves.

4. I've been reading a lot lately, and I realized I have a favorite bookmark. Until recently, I didn't care what I marked my pages with. A lot of the time it was just a strip of paper ripped from a recycled scrap. Now I have to have a certain one. Do you have a favorite bookmark?

5. I got some BIG news this week: the 4th book in the 13th Floor series, THE HARBINGER, has been nominated for a BigAl's Books & Pals Readers' Choice Award in the category of Fantasy. I'm honored and excited. Voting starts on March 2nd and runs through to the 12th. Please consider voting for my book. I'll share my cookies with you!

IWSG for November 2013, Interview, & Realms Faire reminder

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.

Take a nap.

That's right. Get comfy, curl up under your favorite blanket, and snore.

Sleeping will help your insecurities. It will chase away your blues, increase your mind power, and boost your metabolism. We function better on all levels when we have enough sleep.

Plus, dreams are terrific inspiration for stories. That's where most of my story ideas originate.

Researchers at Harvard University have found that sleep does increase your creativity. (Make sure to use this article as proof when your family wonders why you need to snooze more often.)

As writers, sometimes we get up extra early in the mornings or stay up late to find the time to write. While that gives us our quiet time, it takes away from our sleep time. Lack of sleep will eventually catch up to you, and the price will be steep.

So take a nap.

You'll be less stressed, have more energy, and find your muse equally refreshed.

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Join me at the the awesome TB Markinson's today for a great interview. We talk about the 13th Floor series, self-publishing, and what book do I wish I had written.

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 Don't forget the Realms Faire is next week!

9 events with 9 chances to win prizes every day.

Plus Untethered Realms is giving away a Kindle!

HUZZAH!

A to Z Challenge 2013 - D is for Dreams

This year I'm posting snippets from a story for the Challenge.

You can enjoy them on their own, but if you'd like to read the entire tale, please start with A.

D IS FOR DREAMS

Ask her if there's anything new happening in her life. Something has to be going on that's frightening her. Fenn said.

Danielle ignored her guide. “Yeah, no problem. A mummy this time. Really retro. You getting into ancient Egyptian history or watching old movies?”

“No.” Libby shook her head and picked at her nails.

“Maybe you saw a cartoon about it?”

“No.” The girl gnawed on her lower lip.

“It was pretty scary, though, wasn't it? Just so you know, there was no zombie underneath the bandages.” Danielle nodded putting on her best I-know-these-things expression.

Back to the zombie thing. Fenn groaned.

“Really?” Libby glanced at Danielle again. “It was scary. My dad was having some really bad dreams too.”

“Your dad? I bet that was just as scary.” Danielle leaned forward with her elbows on her knees.

“Yeah,” Libby replied.

“Did he tell you what he was dreaming about?”

“No. He just says work stuff. He gets them sometimes. He calls them bundles of stress trying to unwind at night.” Libby shrugged again.

Friday Five for January 4th, 2013

1. It's been an unhealthy start to the new year in my house. Everyone is coughing and grumpy. Our holiday stay-cation wasn't much fun with the sickness.

2. Yet the new year started off really well with Fearless popping back up into Amazon's top 100 for fantasy paranormal. I've also won two books and a crochet bag in giveaways.

3. My son woke up this morning and immediately started talking about a big black cat in the kitchen climbing the walls. He was excited about how big this cat was. When I asked what the cat was doing, he said it was looking for food. "Really big food." This made me happy, because it's the first time the boy has told me about a dream and we both know it was a dream.

4. I'm slowly catching up on everything. If I buckle down, I can get back on schedule. I panicked a little lot with how much time I've lost to being sick, but it's not something I could predict or control. It's better for me to rest and take it easy. I can work when I'm feeling fine. That's difficult for me to do. I push myself a lot.

5. Only nine more days until the release of 1302 - The Alpha, the second book in the 13th Floor series. I have a great tour lined up. Hope to see you there. Have a great weekend!

Friday Five for June 15th

1. I had a dream the other night that I had a beard. Not a long one, but short and neatly trimmed. It was a brighter red than my hair. Everyone really loved the beard. I was also very feminine in the dream. I was model thin and wearing a red sundress. That bit takes away from the beard being the masculine part of myself interpretation, unless the masculine side of me is more feminine than I usually am. And that wouldn't be a stretch!

2. I have my writer's group meeting tomorrow. I always get nervous about it even though I've been with them for nearly a year now. They've taught me so much about critiquing. So I can suffer with being anxious because I'm better in the end for being a part of this group.

3. My sci-fi flash piece, "Red" was accepted by Pill Hill Press yesterday evening. It will be in their collection entitled DAILY FLASH 2013: 365 DAYS OF FLASH FICTION. Hmm, my dream about a red beard and a red sundress. Coincidence?

4. I haven't written anything new this week other than blog posts. Not through lack of inspiration, but lack of time. Perhaps I should cut back to only three a week (and any special news ones!) until I have more time when the school year starts.

5. Father's Day is this Sunday. I had my son make my husband a card, but my husband hasn't made up his mind what he wants to do yet. Are you doing anything special on Sunday?

I am Neo

I've always been able to remember my dreams. And, oh, what dreams I have! Lots of monsters, haunted houses, flying, and walking out of the house without pants. My dreams inspire me to write a lot of stories.

I've a lot of control over my dreams too. I know I'm dreaming, and if I'm unhappy with the way a dream is going, I can change it or wake up. I am Neo of the dream world.

I had a fun one the other night. I woke up at six to pee, and knowing that I only had another hour or so of sleep ahead of me, I went back to bed. In the dream, I had to save a mermaid girl from two evil brothers. (They were like the evil versions of the Kratts Brothers.) The mermaid was the key to ridding the world of pollution and saving life on the planet itself. I got held up in a house with friends. We were surrounded by the Brothers' goons. I knew I only had a few more minutes of sleep ahead of me. I needed the action to go quicker. I walked outside and giant mutant dogs lunged at me. I held up a hand and said, "Sit." They sat. The goons aimed guns at me. I said, "No bullets." The guns were all empty. I ran down the road. I had to get to the beach, but it was across town. Nope, not acceptable. I created a road right there that lead to the beach. There was a huge line of people waiting to get in through the military checkpoint-like entrance. I jumped up to the top of a cliff and ran off, flying out over the water. The Atlantic Ocean. How was I going to find the mermaid? Well, I sent the Pez Army to track the Brothers. It was easy to spot the Pez Army since it was so large. Yes, I said Pez Army. Those little sugar candies are powerful as they are yummy. I flew out and was about to rescue the mermaid when my alarm went off. Maybe the brothers planned that too. Hmm.

Today is the last day to enter the David Salnave holiday book giveaway! Give yourself the warm Christmas fuzzies with For Kids From One to Ninety Two.