IWSG: Inspiration and Freedom

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IWSG: a place where writers and friends share woes or hugs.

Welcome to mine!

 Thank you, IWSG co-hosts for the July 5: PJ Colando, Kim Lajevardi, Gwen Gardner, Pat Garcia, and Natalie Aguirre!

Here is July's optional question - 99% of my story ideas come from dreams. Where do yours predominantly come from?

JoshuaWoroniecki@Pixabay.com

My daughter shares the same avenue for her story-writing as the author of this month's question. As for me, all my stories are borne from inspiration imagined by scenarios from snippets of movie scenes, someone giving a talk, a person's appearance, an emotion that creeps up on me, an old building--anything... Sometimes my brain will compile an entire scene or image, and I build the story around that.

On another note, July is Independence month! Celebration for independence comes to us in many ways. Life has taken a crazy but good turn for me, and I find myself with a new set of wings that are taking me higher than before.

Andrew@Pexels.com

Sometimes we recognize what holds us back, and it takes special power to cut that part out despite the painful process.

I've noticed a trend in my writing: everyone therein fights for freedom in one way or another, it's fascinating.

One story that stands out is Awaken: A Love Story, where Daemos is thrown into the thick of ugly and finds N'reena recognizes it for what it is. Running away together isn't easy, but there's no turning back...

Please celebrate with us how freedom must be won against the dark secrets that rule their society!

What about you? How does your inspiration visit you? Do you have the original ideas that sparked a best-seller? In what ways are you celebrating Independence Day if at all?

What Would Replace Writing if it Ever Could?

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IWSG: a place where writers and friends share woes or hugs.

Welcome to mine!

Thank you, cohosts Patrcia Josephine, Diedre Knight, Olga Godim, J. Lenni Dorner, and Cathrina Constantine!

June's question - If you ever did stop writing, what would you replace it with?

Well, I have to admit that I have stopped writing, and in the middle of a story, too! It had an outline and everything and I'm a pantser. *sigh*

I'll tell you what I've replaced it with, and it's self-care. There's no creative outlet right now, but I've been filling my life with meaningful relationships and strengthening the ones I already have. It's quite the remarkable journey.

I know that when I'm ready to pick back up on my writing, there'll be no stopping, because I already  know what it takes to get a book off the ground.

What about you? Has writing ever evaded you to the point that you lost interest? What replaced it? If no, what do you think would?

Please enjoy my latest book's aesthetic book trailers!

IWSG: Author Envy

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IWSG: a place where writers and friends share woes or hugs.

Welcome to mine!

March question - Have you ever read a line in novel or a clever plot twist that caused you to have author envy?

Thank you, March co-hosts Diedre Knight, Tonya Drecker, Bish Denham, Olga Godim, and JQ Rose!

by Pexels@Pixabay.com

We, authors, are a different creature altogether whenever reading a book. Rarely do we separate our minds as writers while we read--we silently take notes on character exposition, plot structure, word play, word repetition, grammar usage, misspelled words, formatting choice, etc. We silently study with a critical eye the font used inside the book, along with the manipulated  photos that create the cover...

On some occasion, when a line jumps out or a plot twist catches us (as stated in this month's question), we admire--possibly lament!--how the writer crafts such cleverness. This happens as the muse whispers the inspired words or events that whip the stories about to create a cohesive reading experience.

All this is done on a subconscious level, whether fully aware or not--at least that's how I approach books.

Much of the time, whenever I read a genre I admire (Regency Romance), I envy the writer on the authority they have on the subject! But I know that it comes with research, study, and experience--something I've done but for the Renaissance Era.

by Jon Tyson@Unsplash.com

To outright answer this month's question, I don't remember feeling envious but awe as I stumble across inspiring lines. Clever plot twists catch my breath, but I don't typically become envious.

Some exciting news! Awaken: A Love Story on kindlevella, published its very last episode Sunday the 26th! Now to wait 30 days before I can publish it as a paperback...

How about you? Do you have author envy whenever you encounter a clever plot twist or a certain line?

IWSG: Book Covers as an Indie and Traditional Author

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IWSG: a place where writers and friends share woes or hugs.

February Question - If you are an Indie author, do you make your own covers or purchase them? If you publish trad, how much input do you have about what goes on your cover?


The February co-hosts are Jacqui Murray, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, and Gwen Gardner! Thank you!

As an indie author, I've enjoyed creating my own book covers. It's not a simple process! There's searching for the right image with the right background along with fitting characters. Sometimes I cut and paste them and make them fit! But before I pick anything out, I weigh out in my mind what would make the best window to my book. Would it be the climax? The theme? Just the character?

Then there's the font! Font has personality and quietly reveals the feel of the story. Along with font, the title. Does the title portray your story accurately? Will you have a subtitle or a tagline? What sort of font will you choose for the author name? Will your name be on the same line or will you stack it?

Everything must harmonize! A lot of the times indie authors try not to cover the image, framing it with their name and title so that there's a lot of space in between. To me, that screams indie author! I say, don't be afraid to have font smack, dab in the middle. Do compare your cover to the genre you're writing in. How does the font compare? The images? What about the colors?

As for the traditional side of things, I've not really had a say in it if the publisher is on the bigger side. There are times where I've been impressed and other times where I wish I could hide under a rock! So, it depends on the publisher whether or not you get to share input or not.

As an illustrator for a publisher I'd worked for, I collaborated with the authors to create their cover and ran it by the publisher for approval. It wasn't always easy, because some of the authors couldn't make up their minds sometimes.

For those who've published either way, what experience do you have that you'd like to share?

IWSG: Can you Guess My 2023 One Word?

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IWSG: a place where writers and friends share woes or hugs.

Welcome to mine!

Thank you, co-hosts Jemima Pett, Debs Carey, Kim Lajevardi, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and T. Powell Coltrin!

I find January's question rather fascinating: Do you have a word of the year? Is there one word that sums up what you need to work on or change in the coming year? For instance, in 2021 my word of the year was Finish. I was determined to finished my first draft by the end of the year. In 2022, my word of the year is Ease. I want to get my process, systems, finances, and routines where life flows with ease and less chaos. What is your word for 2023? Why? 

I will sum up my single word with a smatter of *images that tell a story and it's your job to guess what the end product is. Ready? Go!

tookapic@pixabay

AdinaVoicu@Pixabay

Skitterphoto@Pixabay

PublicDomainPictures@Pixabay

0fjd125gk87@Pixabay

nui nui@unsplash

Žygimantas Dukauskasunsplash

Juan Pablo Serreno Arenas @Pexels

artbykleiton@pixabay

lechenie-narkomanii@Pixabay

mohamed_hassan@Pixabay

Avi Waxman@Pixabay

Kevin Fitzgerald@Unsplash

Denner Trindad@Pexels

Tim Mossholder@Unsplash

Have you guessed what word my journey is leading up to? What is your word for 2023? 

HaPpY nEw YeAr!

Here's a hint of my journey's reason:

I always gave

You always took,

Now stop!

I'm choking

In the sea of stormy hands about me.

Help me breathe again

With your reassuring faces.

My ship is going fast

From your hateful, doubtful worry.

I belong to me!

Give me room to stretch my feelings.

Let me learn.

Let me fall...

Let me fall!

Let me meet this new self I heard about.

"Hi, me. You're not at all

What they said you would be." 

~Karla Davis, Tyler, Texas

*please forgive the uneven formatting of the above photos! They refused to listen to me no matter how many times I tried to put them in place! Thank you for understanding!

IWSG: Holiday Writing?

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IWSG: a place where writers and friends share woes or hugs.

Welcome to mine!

Thank you, Joylene Nowell Butler, Chemist Ken, Natalie Aguirre, Nancy Gideon, and Cathrina Constantine, for co-hosting December 7th's IWSG!

This month's question is: Are the holidays a time to catch up or fall behind on writer goals?

Well, I'd say typically it's a time for family and writing, though a great love of mine, takes a step back for a time! We are in a race of one and there's no wrong or right answer to whether writing during the holidays is a thing. If you're inspired to write a cozy Christmas tale or just to beat that end-of-the-year goal to say neener neener, do what's write for you!

Have you signed up for my newsletter? It's rather painless--I won't inundate your e-box with junk but with occasional thoughtful reflections and newsworthy announcements. For now, writing has decided to take a ride on the sidelines until my game picks up. Will you please join me?

Just in time for the HoLiDaYs!

Christmas in New York for Cora is all about performing in The Nutcracker, but misfortune takes her back to Texas where she runs into an old flame in cowboy boots and a Stetson hat. Could he be the miracle that puts the pieces of her shattered life together?

A warming tale where love heals even the toughest of hearts!

Available on Amazon or FREE with my NEWSLETTER signup!

Oh, and one more for the road! I'm releasing 3 episodes every Sunday for Awaken: A Love Story! The first 3 episodes will always be free. I plan to publish the entire story as a book sometime after the last episode releases on February 26th, 2023! Buahahaha!


Merry Christmas, everyone!

IWSG: My Thoughts on Characters

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IWSG: a place where writers and friends share woes or hugs.

Welcome to mine!

Thanks for co-hosting the October 5 posting, Tonja Drecker, Victoria Marie Lees, Mary Aalgaard, and Sandra Cox!


The question of the month is - What do you consider the best characteristics of your favorite genre?

Hansuen_Fabregas@Pixabay

I understand that the question is about genre but I'll fly with the word "character": I like a strong female lead with real weaknesses that she overcomes to become a better, stronger person. She isn't afraid to love...if she is afraid to love, she learns to let go and realizes that it takes the right person to heal her heart. Now that is strength.

N'reena is such a character. She's independent, brave, inquisitive, and inventive. Daemos is her love interest. He's unlike anything she's ever seen--he manages to escape the Nursery where all sorts of horrible experiments happen. She's not the kind of person who will destroy something because it's different, but she will protect it and keep it alive at the cost of her own.

Book Announcements:

Awaken: A Love story was crowned earlier this week. It's like spotting a falling star--quick!--before it goes away! A crowned book over at KindleVella means that it has been "thumbs-up" and "favorited", which increases reader visibility.

Here is the snapshot I captured so I have proof of its existence:

I'm thinking that, if you're a regular ole person like me, spotting the crown isn't a common occurrence. I was lucky to see it because it was gone when I refreshed the page! Amazon Kindle Vella is not for the faint of heart, that's for sure!

Something about Vella, if you're interested, is that you write the story and upload it--one episode at a time. Each episode is anywhere from 500 words to 6,000 words, and you are only allowed to have 5,000 free words floating around on the internet whether it's for marketing or at a place like Wattpad.

I'm planning on touching a genre that I'd never dreamed I'd write about. Ever. It's a horror romance, inspired by Stephen King's Room 1408: An author decides to stay the night at a haunted hotel for inspiration when he runs into a woman who's also just as daring. Together, they fight off the evil spirits who were murdered in life by a serial killer who hasn't been caught. The author strikes a bargain to be set free if he brings the killer to them--but he must be found first, but will the ghosts honor his request?

darksouls1@pixabay

With too many completed books and with so little time to get to them all while I'm balancing life with current projects, I need some help to get my sitting books out there. So, I've also decided to find a literary agent--after 10 years! This is a scary exciting adventure. Wish me luck!

What projects do you have going? How do you balance multiple projects with life? Do you have an agent? What do you think of horror romance?

#IWSG: Writers, Unite!

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IWSG: a place where writers and friends share woes or hugs.

Welcome to mine!

September's question of the monty - What genre would be the worst one for you to tackle and why?

A shout out to the wonderful cohosts for the month: Kim Lajevardi, Cathrina Constantine, Natalie Aguirre, Olga Godim, Michelle Wallace, and Louise - Fundy Blue!

I will address how writers need writers instead of answering the prompt. First, writing is a lonely place to be with our scribbling, imagining, and creating. Social interactions might become awkward to some of us as we prefer to scuttle back into our caves where our keyboard is safely tucked away.

photo by me--parts cannibalized from pixabay images. Muahaha!

But sometimes we feel brave enough to stir from our holes for a breath of fresh air or some warm sunshine and, yes, we meet other writers. We need others who share the same interests, who understand how it feels to have voices take over our thoughts, the voices that jump to life and seize the reins of a scene, and even the voices that refuse to be silenced when it's supposed to be The End.

photo by MysticArtDesign@pixabay

Who else can we turn to but those who experience such things?

I come from a place where writers are busting at the seams; where they can be found under books and hiding in the mortar of the libraries as well as at book stores (who knew, right?).

Well, moving to where I'm at, it was a shock to see what an antithesis it has been. There are no writers anywhere. Impossible! Where did they all go?

photo by Luismi Sánchez@unsplash

Inspired and feeling brave--finally!--after years of hiding under a rock, I found the courage to start a writing group. It isn't just any group, but an Insecure Writers Support In-Person Writing Group!

the coolest flyer you'll ever see

I started out with one the second week, then another, and another, and another--the first one as loyal as ever to the cause of writing. The numbers have stabilized to seven, but it is a good number. Everyone is at a different stage of writing but we all love it and take it very seriously.

photo by Donald Giannatti@unsplash

I like to follow the Knights of the Round Table concept where we follow a schedule but, since we are all adults, we are free to touch on what we need to do the most. It's not stiff and formal but relaxed and comfortable. I hope I'm doing okay with it because I'm insecure. Perfect, right? Haha!

I'm also reaching out to writers on other platforms to share their love for writing here on my website. We will do spotlights, interviews, guest posts--whatever feeds the muse.

I started my career this way, reaching out to others and lifting them high because everyone deserves the chance to shine. We are all in this together and books are like delicious bonbons--it's our responsibility to keep the readers well-stocked with our beloved craft. Right?

photo by GDJ@pixabay

Can you name a time when someone reached out to you and lifted you upon their shoulders for a better view (literally or figuratively)? How do you feel about connecting with other writers? Would you be interested in participating in a spotlight, an interview, or possibly as a guest?

IWSG: Write for Me or Write for Thee?

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Co-hosts for August are Tara Tyler, Lisa Buie Collard, Loni Townsend, and Lee Lowery!

Aaaand here is the question of the month:

August 3 question - When you set out to write a story, do you try to be more original or do you try to give readers what they want?

thommass68@pixabay

I knew the answer right away when I read that question--which usually doesn't happen to me. Ha! Honestly, I write to appease the demons inside me. The story is waiting to burst through this thin veil of bubble skin and it flows like a movie on a cinematic screen.

Sometimes I have to set it aside on the backburner like I did with Awaken but that came in an instant gush ten years later.

It is a cathartic experience to live through our characters, to puzzle through the challenges that unfold before them, to fight the foe and vanquish evil. Sometimes we mourn with losses and death but in the end, we come out the victor as the writer, the gods and goddesses of the worlds we create. The reader will sense our passion and rise with our truth!

I went crazy with a few book photos below and thought to share them. They are so fantastical, I couldn't resist!

thommass68@pixabay

mysticartdesign@pixabay

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                           0fjd125gk87@pixabay

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How is it like for you? Do you write for the love of writing or do you do it to please the masses?