#IWSG for May 2019

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: Lee Lowery, Juneta Key, Yvonne Ventresca, and T. Powell Coltrin!

This month's optional question: What was an early experience where you learned language had power?

This is a big question. I had to think a while about it. I know I talked very young, but I was never a talkative kid (nor adult!). I also still have stories I wrote when I was five years old. I cannot ever remember not being in love with reading. It was my escape, my joy, my inspiration.

While I can't think of a particular time when I was that young, later on in my childhood, I started writing short stories about The Kingham Kids. (It was the group of children I grew up with in my neighborhood. We lived on Kingham Road!) I'd draw the title pages and write silly adventures that always ended in a terribly cheesy joke. The other kids would always gather around me, eyes wide and eager, and listened to the stories. They loved them. Later in life as adults, a few of them told me that those stories were one of the bright moments in their hard childhoods, and with the aid of my imagination, I helped them escape cruel realities for a little while. I knew they loved the stories, but I had never known just how much they meant to them.

The power of stories never ceases to astound me.

This month's insecurities: I'm doing a lot of things... just not writing. It's driving me bonkers that a story hasn't snatched me away and driven to write. So much is going on away from the computer, and then when I get online, all I seem to do is try to catch up on things.

I think I need to clear my metaphorical desk and sweep away everything so it's only the word processor's blank screen and I. I'm going to take a blogging break for the summer (end of May through August) and ease back from social media. I won't completely disappear, but I want all the stuff that seems to pile up on me out of the way. I'm a writer, and my number one responsibility is to write.

There will still be a few promos and guests are most welcome here. I'm always happy to help out other writers.

What do you do when the words aren't coming?

#IWSG for November 2018

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:  Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Ann V. Friend, JQ Rose, and Elizabeth Seckman!

Optional question for November: How has your creativity in life evolved since you began writing?

I've always been creating stories, so there isn't a time in my life when I began writing. Yet my creativity has changed over the years, both with writing and the rest of my life. Doubt and fear held me back a lot in my younger days. I had a thin skin and didn't take constructive criticism very well. I hid away my creativeness like a dragon with its treasure.

Now I'm grateful for helpful criticism and I'm able to brush off the harsh reviews and comments about my work more easily. It motivates me rather than holds me back. It stretches into all aspects of my life to how I decorate my home to how I dress and the games I play.

As I mentioned last month, it's a good thing to be constantly evolving. I would worry if a person didn't change over the years. Being stagnant isn't desirable.

P.S. My mom is visiting this week and we're doing our early Christmas shopping. I'll get back to everyone next week!

#IWSG for October 2018

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: Dolorah @ Book Lover,Christopher D. Votey, Tanya Miranda, and Chemist Ken!

This month's optional question: How do major life events affect your writing? Has writing ever helped you through something?

Writing has helped me through everything! I've been creating stories since I was a small child, and I honestly believe it is the one thing that has given me hope, strength, and kept me sane. They say writing is better than therapy, and I couldn't agree more.

Major life events do affect my writing, and I'm certain every writer out there will be saying the same thing. Leaving home, university, deaths, marriage, sickness, and having a child. It's interesting to look at my stories through the years, and I've kept them all. Each event has changed not only me but the way I write too. And I think it a wonderful thing. If an author didn't change over the years, I would worry something was wrong. They aren't learning and growing. They've become stagnant.

Insecurities: I'm still dealing with getting into a proper routine to be not only physically better but happy with what I'm doing and not grudgingly trying to stay healthy. It's difficult because it takes me away from the computer. I still feel guilty for not being around online as often, but slowly, things are sliding into place.

* * * * *

Look what's out now!

Enter our mysterious realms where the stories are as varied and rich as the types of soil on this and other planets. Enchanted forests are knotted with roots and vines. Dreaded paths take us through strange, unexplored places.

Investigate new worlds and houses frequented by ghosts. Come across witches and wizards and an assassin tasked to kill Death.

Meet hot robots, hungry winds, and the goddess of chaos. Explore alien lands, purgatorial realms, and a shocking place where people bury the living with their dead.

Encounter paranormal detectives, imprisoned dragons, dark demons, cursed jewels, and handsome prophets. Search shifting worlds trapped in mirrors and a disturbing future where a president aims to rid the world of Otherkind.

Experience a haunted journey on a riverboat, water sprites borne of pennies, preternatural creatures, ancient serpents, and the Lady of the Lake who lurks in dark waters.

From USA Today bestselling and popular science fiction and fantasy authors comes Elements of Untethered Realms , a supernatural compilation of the anthologies Twisted Earths , Mayhem in the Air , Ghosts of Fire , and Spirits in the Water . These forty thrilling tales feature authors Angela Brown, Jeff Chapman, Cathrina Constantine, Julie Flanders, River Fairchild, Gwen Gardner, Misha/M. Gerrick, Meradeth Houston, Graeme Ing, Simon Kewin, M. Pax, Christine Rains, Cherie Reich, and Catherine Stine.

Buy it here:
Amazon * B&N * Kobo * Google Play * iTunes

Add it to read on Goodreads.

#IWSG for September 2018

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: Toi Thomas, T. Powell Coltrin, M.J. Fifield, and Tara Tyler!

This month's optional question: What publishing path are you considering/did you take, and why?

Years ago, I submitted to agents and publishers. That was the way to do it. But after two bad experiences with publishers, I gathered my nerve and decided to self-publish. Best decision ever. I love the control I have over my own career and the fact it's flexible. With health issues and stuff popping up, the only person I have to answer to is myself. Sometimes I'm okay with not making a deadline, and sometimes it's frustrating. I'm learning to be a kinder boss. Sure I have to do all my own marketing which stresses me out, but I still get the choice of what I want to do and when.

My insecurities: I need a new body. It's been a rough year health-wise, and it has immensely affected my writing and how much I can do at the computer. I feel guilty for being so far behind and not keeping up with all of you. I realize I must make a much better effort to take care of this old body. No more sitting in this chair for long periods of time. I need to move more and eat wiser. I have to do more than just waggle my finger at myself.

As a writer, how do you keep healthy? Any advice?

#IWSG for June 2018

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: Beverly Stowe McClure, Tyrean Martinson, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor!

This month's optional question: What's harder for you to come up with: book titles or character names?

Book titles. By far! I love coming up with character names. I have lists and lists of names. Book titles are incredibly difficult for me. I usually ask my writer friends for title suggestions. I try to keep my titles simple, but even then, I'm banging my head on the desk to find something that encompasses the story.

This month's insecurities: Time. I'm so behind on everything. This is not unusual for me. I know in the summer, I have precious few hours on the computer to work. Family comes first. I try to make to-do lists to reasonably fit that. But I'm looking at my June list and shaking my head. There's so much I want to do. I should be easier on myself. I tell myself to not worry. But my creative juices want to propel me forward at a speed that is hard for me handle. Then I berate myself for not getting enough done. I'm kinder to myself than I once was, but I'm still my own worst boss.

What are your insecurities this month?

#IWSG for May 2018

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: E.M.A. Timar, J. Q. Rose, C.Lee McKenzie, and Raimey Gallant!

This month's optional question: It's spring! Does this season inspire you to write more than others, or not?

None of the seasons inspire me more than the others, but I've noticed many of my stories take place in the fall. I do try to push forward fast in the spring, because it isn't long until the summer. I get very little done in the summer, because my son is off school.

My insecurities this month: I've fallen behind where I want to be. Last month was busy with family visiting and birthdays. I had also been sick. Oh the new things you learn when you're ill so you can use that later to torment your characters! Did you know that salivary glands can get infected, swell to the size of baseballs, and they can get stones like kidneys? Thankfully I didn't get stones, but boy, could you imagine passing that? Yikes!

#IWSG for April 2018

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, Renee Scattergood, and Tamara Narayan!

April's optional IWSG question: When your writing life is a bit cloudy or filled with rain, what do you do to dig down and keep on writing?

Years ago, I would have given up when things were bad. Yet I always came back to writing. I couldn't help it. I'm a writer through and through. These days, I'm more easily motivated. I read a good book, watch a great show, take a walk, try something new, or talk with supportive writer friends. I will keep on writing even if no one ever reads what I write because I love it. I'll keep writing until the day when I can plug my mind into a computer and just download my stories that way. Though, I'm not certain I'd really want that sort of implant. But that's a question for another day!

This month's insecurities: Time is being pinched. So much to do away from the computer, and I have two big projects I want to work on. I'm trying to multitask these two manuscripts, but one is dominating the other. I let it have its way because I know I must take advantage of the flow when it's strong. Yet I feel guilty about letting the other sit. Both will get done, but not as soon as I'd hoped. And it's driving me batty.

IWSG news: Unfortunately I had to step away from being part of the IWSG admin team. It was a difficult choice, and I agonized over it. I love what the IWSG offers the writing community. It's such an incredible group. And the admins, holy crow! They are hardworking, organized, and awesome. I learned a lot from being part of the team.

Please welcome Shannon Lawrence as the new IWSG team member. She'll be taking over the newsletter. Be sure to send her all your news to celebrate with the group. Good luck and have fun, Shannon!

#IWSG for February 2018

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: Stephen Tremp, Pat Garcia,Angela Wooldridge, Victoria Marie Lees, and Madeline Mora-Summonte!

This month's optional IWSG question: What do you love about the genre you write in most often?

I write urban fantasy most often. I love the myths and magic, and then placing those in our modern day world. Finding out how supernatural beings fit in our society, how they work, the secrets, the adventures. Our seemingly cold technological world doesn't need to be without magic.

My insecurities this month: I'm writing the final book of my trilogy. Right now, I'm in love with the second book. It's as fantastic as the first. But this third one, I don't know. Will it be as good as the first two? Will it be a spectacular ending to the trilogy? Or will it flop?

I'm trying not to think about those things as I'm writing, but those doubts creep up on me. It's not an unusual thing. I always wonder if the book I'm writing will be better than the last. It should be if I'm learning and growing as a writer. But what if it isn't? What if it all sucks?

IWSG newsletter news: Have you subscribed to the IWSG newsletter yet? We have helpful articles and links, and a featured industry guest each month. For February, we have Lisa Cron (author of Wired for Story and Story Genius). I'm so excited!

If you're an IWSG member and you have some news you'd like to share with the group, drop me an email at christinerains.writer@gmail.com and I'll put it in the newsletter.

#IWSG for August 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: Dolarah @ Book Lover, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Yvonne Ventresca, LG Keltner, and me!

Before we get to this month's question and my insecurities, let me tell you about this super fun event!

Show Us Your Writer Insecurity! 

Are you proud to be an insecure writer?

Then show us! 

On Wednesday, October 4 (IWSG Day), 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.)

The IWSG site admins will visit each one and pick the top three. Why? Because there are cool prizes involved:

Third place – EBook of A Change of Mind and Other Stories by Nick Wilford, eBook of The Remnant by William Michael Davidson, eBook of Cling to God by Lynda R. Young, eBook of Already Home by Heather M. Gardner, and eBook of Dragon of the Stars by Alex. J. Cavanaugh.

Second place – The entire eBook collection of the Totem series by Christine Rains, eBook of Princess of Las Pulgas by C. Lee McKenzie, audio book of CassaSeries by Alex J. Cavanaugh, eBook of Black and White by Nick Wilford, and your choice eBook from J.L. Campbell.

Grand prize winner - IWSG website interview, IWSG newsletter spotlight, IWSG pinned tweet for one week, C. Lee McKenzie's Featured Follower for the month, the IWSG Goodreads book club eBook for October/November, a short chapter critique, and a pair of IWSG erasers. 

We have some great IWSG swag – pens, mugs, magnets, erasers, etc. Proceeds go to fund the upkeep of the IWSG site. 

You have two months to prepare – show us your best insecurity!

This month's IWSG question: What are your pet peeves when reading/writing/editing? 

I have a lot when reading. Bad grammar, huge plot holes, poor characterization, sloppy formatting, etc. Being a writer has made it more difficult to get past these things, but I do save myself time by putting down books I don't enjoy and moving on to something else.

When I'm writing, it's usually things in the environment that annoy me. Noise, people interrupting, cat interrupting, and if it's too hot.

My insecurities this month: I'm a new admin for the IWSG. I'm so excited about it. I've been a part of the group for a while. I've received such great advice, encouragement, and support, I'm happy to give back to the community. But, of course, I worry if I'll be good enough and be able to keep up with my responsibilities. What if I mess something up? I don't want to disappoint anyone. The admin team is incredibly organized, smart, and creative. I hope my contribution will continue to make the IWSG such an awesome group.

You all can help me with the newsletter. You can do this by sending me your news. I want to hear about new releases, events, and exciting news. Please send an email with "IWSG - news submission" in the subject line to christinerains (dot) writer @ gmail (dot) com. Thank you!

One more awesome announcement I want to share with you about the newsletter: On August 24th at 2:00 pm EST, Chrys Fey will be participating in a LIVE YouTube interview with Evan Carmichael, an entrepreneur who she'll be interviewing about his book Your One Word and getting some great advice for IWSG members. You'll be able to watch the interview live HERE. You can set a reminder if you click on the link, or you can watch it later. The video will be uploaded in the August 30th IWSG newsletter issue.

#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.

#IWSG for April 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: Chris @ Madness of a Modern Writer, Madeline Mora-Summonte, Fundy Blue, and Chrys Fey!

The IWSG question of the month: Have you taken advantage of the annual A to Z Challenge in terms of marketing, networking, publicity for your book? What were the results?

I haven't, but I should. The A to Z Challenge is spectacular. It's a challenge to yourself as a blogger, great for meeting new friends and getting to know old ones better, and it's tons of fun.

April is a super busy month for me with my husband's and son's birthdays and family visiting for a week. So I have declined to participate the last few years.

I've done the challenge as part of a group and on my own. Being part of a group really helps when you're limited for time. Plus, it's so much fun seeing what other members come up for the theme you've chosen.

The first year I participated in the challenge, I wrote a little story called "Fearless." It was so popular, I self-published it. It's still available for free and has had over 100,000 downloads over the past four and a half years. Readers pick up this freebie and then they buy my other books. It has drawn so many readers to me.

The A to Z Challenge and "Fearless" helped start me on the road to being an indie author.

Good luck to everyone participating in the challenge this year!

#IWSG for February 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: Misha Gericke, LK Hill, Juneta Key, Christy, and Joylene Butler!

The IWSG question for this month: How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?

I confess that sometimes my inner editor will interfere in my reading pleasure. Even if the story is entertaining, a badly written book will infuriate my inner editor. Whether it be technical issues or plot holes or bad characterization, I can't help the frustration.

If those issues are really bad, I will put down the book and not finish it. Five years ago, I would never do such a thing, but my reading time is as valuable as my writing time. I cannot afford to waste my time on a horrible book.

My insecurity this month: Feeling overwhelmed. I know if I just take it one step at a time, I'll be fine. But with the new year, I stepped back and looked at everything I have to do. Then I added more stuff on top of it. What was I thinking? I'm already behind on everything.

Wait, you say. You're a writer. You can make your own schedule.

Yes, I can. But I'm my own worst boss. I demand a lot from myself, and I do like the challenge. Yet at times like these, I can get overwhelmed, and I flail about and eat too many cookies.

How's the year going so far for you?

#IWSG for January 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: Eva @ Lillicasplace, Crystal Collier, Sheena-kay Graham, Chemist Ken, LG Keltner, and Heather Gardner!

This month's IWSG question: What writing rule do you wish you’d never heard?

The one rule I hear a lot, and I don't know if some people would even consider it a rule, is that you must plot out a story before writing it.

I'm a pantser. I've tried plotting, and my stories have deviated from the very general plans I'd laid out every time. I'd like to believe my muse has good instincts, and so I fly by the seat of my pants, loving every second of it.

From some of those that believe plotting is a must, they also add: an author cannot write quality books if they aren't plotted.

This I wish I have never heard. This is where my doubts creep in. Is the reason I'm not successful because I'm not a plotter? Do I lack a vital skill that might make me a great writer? It gnaws away at me, but try as I might to change from pantsing to plotting, I can't do it. My stories flow the way they want to flow, and that is at once both scary and joyful.

Happy New Year to you all! 

#IWSG for November 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: Joylene Nowell Butler, Jen Chandler, Mary Aalgaard, Lisa Buie Collard, Tamara Narayan, Tyrean Martinson, and me!

The IWSG question for November: What is your favorite aspect of being a writer?

There's so much I love about being a writer. The two biggest things are: telling stories and being immersed in those worlds. I'm always making things into stories whether I'm playing a card game or cleaning the bathroom. Oh the creatures that have crawled out from my drains in my mind!

I honestly cannot imagine not making up stories. It's something that comes naturally and helps me cope with the mundane and the rough times in life. I might have went crazy long ago if I couldn't escape into my head.

This month's insecurity: Marketing is tough. I've been trying some new things recently with the release of my Totem series, but they haven't made big changes in my pitifully low sales. So this leads me to believe that perhaps it isn't that I'm not promoting it right, maybe it's because my books suck. Part of me realizes this isn't true, but what if it is? Those naughty what-ifs, gnawing at you from the inside out.

How do you vanquish the dreaded what-ifs?

#IWSG for September 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.

The awesome co-hosts for this month are: C. Lee McKenzie, Rachel Pattison, Elizabeth Seckman, Stephanie Faris, Lori L MacLaughlin, and Elsie Amata!

This month's IWSG question: How do you find the time to write in your busy day?

I'm very lucky. When my husband and I decided to have a child, we agreed one of us should stay home with him. Childcare is expensive, after all, and my husband was making enough to support us. Now that our son is in school, we can still pay our bills with me at home.

During the school year, I have the weekdays to write. I love it. It makes for a very happy mama. I treat it like a full-time job. Some days, I feel there aren't enough hours to get all my work done, but I am my own worst boss!

In the summer and on breaks, I don't get much time to write. On good nights, we can get our son in bed at a decent hour, and there's nothing on television to distract me. Then I write or promote a little more. I don't like staying on the computer late. I've been very good at settling into bed at a reasonable hour and getting a proper sleep. I read a little before going to sleep too. A good sleep also makes for a productive next day.

One of my ongoing insecurities is time. While it might seem like I have tons of time to write and promote, sometimes it doesn't feel that way. Real life cuts in. Like a virus sticking around for over a month. (And it gave me pink eye so I can't stare at the screen for very long!) I don't know if I'll ever feel like there's enough time to do what I want, and that's something I'll hopefully learn to accept and not be so harsh on myself about.

Is time a concern of yours too? 

#IWSG for May 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.

A big thank you to the awesome co-hosts for this month's IWSG: Stephen Tremp, Fundy Blue, Viola Fury, MJ Fifield, Loni Townsend, Bish Denham, Susan Gourley, and Stephanie Faris.

What are my insecurities this month? All of them!

Lack of time, marketing, dying confidence, frustration, and a zillion other things. The life of a writer is not an easy one. I know this. Next week, I might be standing there with the light shining off my steel will and flexing my creative muscles as I shout, "I will prevail!" 

But not today. This week, I want to bang my head on the desk and wonder why I keep pushing forward for little to no gain.

What keeps you motivated when you're having a bad week?

#IWSG for February 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.

The awesome co-hosts for this month are Allison Gammons, Tamara Narayan, Eva E. Solar, Rachel Pattison, and Ann V. Friend! Thank you!

This month I'm feeling insecure about marketing. Yes, I feel like that most of the time, but it's a painful pinch this month.

There are the usual questions: am I doing enough? Is what I'm doing beneficial? What works and what doesn't and how do I tell? Why can't every writer be granted a free marketer by a genie?

I'm at the point where I don't know if anything works. I sigh and hang my head, muttering "what's the point?" How well our books do seem to fall into the hands of the Fates. It's all about luck.

Okay. So maybe I don't fully believe that. Hard work and perseverance will get you there. But you have to find out what works for you. That's no easy thing. Where's that genie with all the answers?

I'm doing a short tour right now for my Paramours series, but I'm searching for ways to promote beyond the usual routes. Any advice and suggestions are greatly welcomed.

#IWSG for January 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.

Make sure to check out the IWSG site to find out who the winners of the anthology contest are. I'm so excited to find out who they are!

The awesome co-hosts for this month are: L.G. Keltner, Denise Covey, Sheri Larsen, J.Q. Rose, Chemist Ken, and Michelle Wallace!

As the new year looms before me, I see so many possibilities and just as many potholes. Never mind the ones I can't see. I'm taking on the biggest project I've ever conceived and I want to do even more.

More? I must be bonkers. Yet if I set up a schedule, I can do it. Maybe. I don't know!

I'm trying to reason with the voice that nags me to do more and the other voice which exclaims I'm crazy to try any of it. Finding the middle ground is difficult. All these years I've been writing, I still haven't managed to find that balance.

But it doesn't stop me from trying. I will never give up. This is too important to me.

Into 2016 we go! Here's to all of us finding balance, peace, and success. And even if we don't achieve those this year, here's to perseverance. 

#IWSG for December 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.

The awesome co-hosts for this month are Sandra Hoover, Mark Koopmans, Doreen McGettigan, Megan Morgan, and Melodie Campbell!

Thank you to everyone who responded last month to my post. I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels like I need to write more faster and write more on top of that.

And while I sometimes do hear that nagging voice, I've had a good year. One novel and six novellas published. Plus a handful of short stories! Darn good year.

I want to hear all your happy stories. Please share something good that has happened to you this year in the comments.

Here's to a magnificent 2016 for all of us!

#IWSG for October 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.

The awesome co-hosts for this month will be TB Markinson, Tamara Narayan, Shannon Lawrence, Stephanie Faris, and Eva E. Solar!

It's that month of things that make us squirm, give us chills, and frighten us to death. For writers, that's every month when it comes to our insecurities.

 

Just remember...

You are not alone. Don't pull a horror movie faux pas and go off by yourself. We can survive if we stick together.