#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.

IWSG for February 2015

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.

It's a double IWSG day for me! I'm here today giving you some encouragement, and I'm also at the lovely Shah Wharton's blog for my Geeky Dice & Debauchery tour sharing some geeky writer problems.

Starting a new story, releasing your book to the world, speaking about your writing in front of an audience. With all these things and all the steps in between, we experience fear. But if we push through that fear, we can do great things.

You can do it.

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.

A to Z Challenge 2013 - C is for Chill - and IWSG for April 2013

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

You can enjoy them on their own or get the full tale by starting with A.

 C IS FOR CHILL

“Thanks for the lesson, Professor.” Danielle lifted her right arm and gave the charm bracelet on her wrist a little shake. The single charm – a pewter Scotty dog from the board game Monopoly – jiggled, and she grinned. “In case you've forgotten, I know all that.”

Stop that. You should feel lucky I don't have a stomach to empty on you. Fenn huffed. I think you need to talk with Libby again. Find out what's going on. This is too much like what happened last year with the massive increase in monsters.

“I'll have Libby come to my office tomorrow.” Danielle sat on the window sill and swung her legs out. It was only April, but the chill was absent from the night air. Yet she shivered before easing outside, and then sliding shut the window and screen.

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.

 

Inspirational quotes are always welcome. Here are a few that have struck me recently.

 

“Imagination grows by exercise, and contrary to common belief, is more powerful in the mature than in the young." - W. Somerset Maugham

 

"All writers are crazy. So never mind what the editors and your family and your critique group tells you. Submit your manuscripts and keep submitting until you get an offer. Then you can be crazy, with a paycheck." - MaryJanice Davidson

 

"Believe in yourself and in your own voice, because there will be times in this business when you will be the only one who does. Take heart from the knowledge that an author with a strong voice will often have trouble at the start of his or her career because strong, distinctive voices sometimes make editors nervous. But in the end, only the strong survive." - Jayne Ann Krentz

A to Z Challenge 2013 - B is for Books

I'm posting snippets from a story for this year's challenge.

You can enjoy them on their own, or you can read the complete abbreviated tale starting with A.

  B IS FOR BOOKS

Danielle bent to retrieve some books she'd knocked off the desk during the fight. “No, Libby ran into her father's room.” She paused after setting the books on the desktop and smiled. “That's another longing I'd love to explore too. That man is smoking hot.”

Really, Danielle. You need to keep your mind on the job. Fenn's words were clipped by his Nordic accent. You do realize this is the third time we've killed a monster in Libby's room. It's highly unusual.

“I know.” Danielle's lips thinned. She picked up a stuffed monkey and set it gently on the bed. “She's having a rough time of it. Her mom died a few years ago, and there's only her and her dad. He's a good guy, a really good guy, but he has to work. She's lonely and scared. I'm surprised we don't see more kids with multiple monsters.”

That's because when the monster is slain, the edge of fear that created it is gone. They're past it and they move on. Fenn lectured. It doesn't mean the fear is gone, but the power in it is. Children grow up and their fears no longer have the magic to create monsters.

One More Day Until FEARLESS

Tomorrow is the big day!

I'm so excited!

Today I'm making two stops on my FEARLESS tour.

Please stop by both blogs and say hello!

 

Shelley Sly is interviewing me over at Stories in the Ordinary.

We'll talk about self-publishing and a few other fun things.

I'm also over at Cherie Reich's blog

with a guest post about how to

write fear in a believable way. It's tricky!