#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

mysticartdesign@pixabay

mysticartdesign@pixabay

                           0fjd125gk87@pixabay

mysticartdesign@pixabay

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

IWSG: My Writerly Cave

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

Welcome to mine!

Welcome to my March's IWSG post. I apologize for posting this so late. I've spent the past several weeks in my writing cave preparing an upcoming book for publication. Finally! I spend so much time writing and writing by the seat of my pants that when I look back at the mountain of edits, I realize I'm falling behind.

I've rewritten Darkspell. It feels cringeworthy at best. I also plan to update my website's tabs to include upcoming books as teasers. So much to do!

One of the methods I've recently incorporated into my arsenal of editing is the Reader tool on MicrosoftWord. I've been listening to my computer read back every paragraph. I'm doing my best to rewrite the words so that it reads smoothly--I must be at my best for listening to cadence anomalies.

I'm in the process of trimming down overused words according to an editor's worksheet list--some of the things she has in there are crazy. For example, "in", "to", and "not". I was relieved that the words "and" and "the" weren't included. I'm breaking out into a sweat as it is with everything else!

I'm just about done and will send my current story to my beta readers!

I'm aiming to release it on Independence Day as a way to honor freedom and free will, which is the premise of my story. It is a SciFi Romance Here is the blurb:

Balance. Peace. Order.

Everything N'reena has lived for shatters the moment an accident nearly takes her life. If it weren't for Daemos, she wouldn't have ever tasted a kiss, felt a touch, or experienced love—

She especially wouldn't have unveiled what lurked right in front of her home these many centuries…

I'm done illustrating the book cover. My muse directed me to use the anime this time, an interesting turn to be sure. Would you like a sneak peek? Here it is:

I plan to include a glossary at the back of the book and a few bonuses, though I'm not exactly sure what!

What is your process for finding overused words? Do you have pet words? What do sort of bonuses do you look forward to when you read a book?

IWSG: Marketing

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

Welcome to mine!

As published authors living in 2020, much has changed since 2011. Back in the day when my first book, Darkspell, released, we did shoutouts and book launches on Facebook, Twitter, held blog tours, bloggers reviewed like crazy but now ... things aren't the same anymore!

Photo by Renate Vanaga @ Usplash

I'd taken a step back from publicity into my writerly cave for the past eight years and kept writing and writing and have since published a few more books. I've seen major changes from the way I used to market my book to now. They have drastically changed.

photo by geralt @ Pixabay

Whether we are self- or traditionally published, no one will love our books as much as their creators, and we are still urged to market them even when done the traditional route.

Bearing this in mind, what strategies work or have worked for you? Where are your goto platforms? How do you keep the marketing alive for a book that released four months or later?

IWSG: Book Life after Life?

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

Welcome to mine!

Photo by Quinten de Graaf on Unsplash.com

So, your rights revert back to you and you want to breathe new life into the old book. Maybe a new cover and a rewrite since you published it some odd years ago and it has a cringy feel.

How do you go about doing this without losing all the many existing reviews?

I know some update the book and save it as a minor change so as to keep the same ISBN and reviews. Others republish altogether but lose the preexisting reviews.

Photo by Suzanne D. Williams @ Unsplash.com

Yes, I have a book I published a while back and I'm not happy with the cover any longer. I've rewritten the book, too. Made it tighter. Cleaner. Improved characterization. I've yet to format it. I'm still mulling over the new cover.

Have you encountered this dilemma? Is it best to put out a second edition with a different ISBN? Any thoughts? Suggestions? Help!

#IWSG: An Author's Strategy

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

Welcome to mine!

*Once upon a time, my son came home filled with enthusiasm. A local author presented at his school. My son purchased and read the book within days. About a week later, he received an email from the author requesting reviews for the book.

I found the email strange in that the author had asked to please post the review only if the reader had enjoyed it. The author proceeded to ask the reader to *not* post a review if it wasn't liked but to respond to the email with why the book wasn't liked.

I pretended to be my son (knowing better since I'm a published author, I felt this was shifty) and asked the author that if I didn't like this book, why can't I write the review about it?

The author responded, saying that positive reviews are appreciated and help the book grow, but it's for the author to hear directly from his readers of how and why the book wasn't liked.

There is a level of trust this author had established of a personal kind at a school, having met and interacted with his readers who are impressionable young people willing to acquiesce--who wouldn't want to please a cool author whom you've met at your own school, right?

Scratching my head, thinking this as a brilliant ploy to keep ratings up, I wonder just how ethical it is to ask readers directly not to post negative reviews (all in the name of ratings. <--readers don't realize this, especially middle school kids).

I'm confused to decide whether it's honorable or deceptive on any level, because it would be nice to cash in on this as well if it's not devious in any way.

What are your thoughts on said author's strategies?



Guess WhAt?

My book baby just released! It's available for .99 cents over on Amazon.

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?

Merry Christmas!

*I ask that you forgive me for posting this late--I had written this over a month ago and forgot to schedule it! Eeek!

Spotlight: Daughter of Winter by Amber Argyle

Daughter of Winter Daughter of Winter will be released April 21st. Here's the new synopsis: Bargains. Only the truly desperate make them. Only the truly desperate need them. And always, the desperate pay. The silence and never-ending dark of winter are all Elice has ever known, for she is the daughter of the Winter Queen. Isolated in a northern queendom with only the seals for company, she dreams of color and music and life. So when a whaling ship crashes just offshore, she doesn't hesitate to rescue the lone survivor, Adar, who quickly becomes her friend. She must keep him hidden from her mother at all costs, for if the Winter Queen discovers him trespassing, she'll kill him. But when her mother reveals just how dark her soul has become, Elice realizes she is as much a prisoner as Adar. To ever know true freedom—ever to become the woman she was meant to be—she must flee with him. But in their flight, she begins to see hints of something more nefarious. The darkness that has taken hold of her mother is spreading, staining the world with its influence. Unbeknownst to Elice, a bargain was made long ago. A bargain she was born to fulfill. To celebrate the upcoming release, the first book in the series, Of Ice and Snow, is free for a limited time. In exchange, for your free copy share this post on facebook and/or tweet this tweet and/or pin this pin. An author's success depends upon word of mouth, so sharing my freebie will draw attention to the series. Also, feel free to copy and paste any information in this blog into your own to help spread the word. Thank you in advance!

#IWSG My Breaking Point

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What do you do when the Book Distributor tells you you're book is NOT marketable?

Yep, that was me 3 years ago. I was thrilled when Darkspell released back in 2011. It is a YA Paranormal Romance and here is the blurb:

Winter Sky believes she is everything ordinary . . . until she is kissed by Alex Stormhold.
As seer of Stormhold Coven, Alex is sworn to be Winter’s protector against the darkness that hunts her. Violently thrust into a magickal realm she always thought impossible, she stumbles upon a disturbing secret of her own.

It had been doing very well! I broke well over even with the books I had ordered for signings and so forth, but I thought how much better it would be if I ran it over to the local distributor and get him to distribute my books throughout the state? Yes, I came from a very small publisher and I was left to my own devices as any indie author is.

So I dropped my book off and when I returned a few weeks later, he told me that my book was NOT marketable. What? Oh, I held myself up by a sheer will of power and smiled and nodded as he spoke while trembling and screaming and crying inside.

He told me the market is saturated with fantasy and I need to get realistic fiction out and to change Darkspell's cover.

Dread clutched me and I thought, "write realistic fiction?" I'm a fantasy writer! I write about elves, witches, vampires, magic and dwarves and talking falcons and Greek gods! How in the world will I ever come up with something that has nothing to do with any of these things?

Needless to say, I lost my writerly soul for a loooong time. I cried and cried, wondering how I would do what he said and how in the world my book wouldn't be marketable.

After about a week of mulling over my options (though it took years to put myself back together)--and since writing is my first love, I'd never give up. I had seriously questioned if I should even keep up with my writing career because of the devastation, but after taking it to the Lord and being told to keep on going, I tried my hand in realistic fiction

Guess what? I am quite surprised that I have the ability to write outside of fantasy!

I've written 3 realistic fiction books and have been inspired to write even more--though I have written several  fantasy as well. It was one of the harshest ways to change, I am grateful to him because if he hadn't had broken me down, I would not have written the great books I have now.

Have you had any broken moments that changed your direction?

If You Found a Diamond as BIG as Your 2 Hands ...

In the dark of the night, a mysterious light streaks across the black sky and hits the ground with a glowing impact. A lone peasant and his dog investigate and are stunned to see a gift from Heaven. Because of this object’s very nature, this man delivers it in good faith to the Abbey where the monks are restless and poor from lack of donations. This is when the abbot is inspired to use the celestial rock’s beauty to gain control, but soon, it spins out of control and turns into something ugly.

As I read Mirror of the Soul, I easily became lost in the pages as the many characters endure faith-testing trials. Some fail miserably, some hang by the proverbial thread while for others, it’s not a question of if neither when.

My favorite part is each time Morgan mentions the trio of best friends who are bored teenagers as they roam the village, getting into things they shouldn’t. Unbeknownst to them, they accidentally unravel the deep secret of the abbey.

J. Lloyd Morgan is one of my favorite authors! He has the knack, the ability to get into the hearts and minds of the characters and breathes into them as they jump to life on the pages right before my eyes. He never fails to weave a complicated line of excitement with intrigue and romance along with injustice and justice locking head-to-head as he does in The Mirror of the Soul. I love the way his mind works.

NOTE: The author provided a free copy of this book which has had no sway in my review.

#IWSG Are you Afraid?

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Welcome back, my favorite IWSG palz! I am a bit nervous about posting anything about this because I'm not sure if it's in bad taste, but here it goes...

Once upon a time, before Darkspell released and while I was still working on it, I was suddenly hit with a severe case of writers block. So I decided to focus on others and reached out and started helping more than usual during my downtime. I reviewed, beta read, alpha read, critiqued, blogged, guest posted, helped spotlight others, etc. Finally, after a few months, my Muse awoke from his hibernation and I finally finished off my book. Yay!

I then submitted my book and my publisher advised me to find myself some endorsers. So I backtracked and asked those whom I helped and many of them were willing! There was one author in particular who felt it necessary to lecture me. He said that I don't just ask people to endorse my book, but there needs to be a history between us of helping out. I thought, "That's what I'd been doing these past few months, was helping out others like crazy." Needless to say, he made me feel bad.

I noticed over the years people are hesitant at endorsing books (I understand you need to feel comfortable endorsing any book and that's something any author should allow), and since there is never a workshop at Writers Conferences on how to gain an endorser, I am somewhat at a loss on how to actually obtain them.

update:
Author Deirdra Eden feels the same. She says "IT is SOOOO hard to get endorsements. Authors for the most part are really hard on each other and act like they are competition. The thing is, books are a consumable. Think about that. I talked to a kid who read my book in half a day and I was like ...'Okay it took me 16 years to write.' If authors got this, they would rally around each other as allies and not enemies. I sent out like 100 requests to authors and only 5 came back and said yes and some wanted strings attached. pathetic. 

So I decided I was going to get moms and dads and kids and teachers to endorse my book. I found those endorsements to be WAY more powerful than endorsements from famous authors."

What is your process in requesting endorsements? Are you afraid to endorse another author? Do you feel threatened?

An Author's Failure ... or is it?

I wish I had excellent words of wisdom oozing from my brain to share with you regarding my writing journey. Though my love is found in writing fiction, I often feel inadequate when it comes to my experiences with my career though I have experienced quite a bit!

I started out with a small publisher who simply extended her service under CreateSpace, though she is an excellent cover artist and formatter. I crashed and burned when I tried to get my books to book stores and though CreatSpace's distributors could get your books directly into brick and mortar stores, I learned the hard way that my books were NOT set up that way.

I had to bring my own box in and sell it differently than other authors at book signings. I have been taken advantage by these stores (not all, most have integrity). What's sad, is that this is a race of one as an author.

I understand that we are networked and support one another, but realistically, we are so busy surviving life with a regular job that writing is a side thing though it does NOT feel that way. How can we make more time for flailing writers who need our expertise? Oh, yes, there are many writers out there who are willing to mentor and share secrets, but those are very rare to find!

Needless to say, I lost all confidence in my career when my old publisher decided to restructure her company and everyone became Indie: we would utilize one another's expertise and help get our individual books published that way.

Though Darkspell was my first published, it was not my first written. I have been writing for over twenty years and decided to push that one the hardest. I became lost and eventually orphaned from my publisher, but I kept writing and writing.

Though I have stumbled much thereafter, I have not given up on my love of writing and have come across second chances that feel like a slow take-off, but I have been led where I am at for a divine purpose that only the future will tell.

As Emily Mah had mentioned, Cinderella stories are far and few and success is dependent upon the view of the beholder. For some, success is simply getting that book published. After all, that is a significant goal accomplished!


What valuable lessons have you learned as a writer?  (Every step is important, even if you're not published!)

Writing Life after Babykins

I love baby toes!

Roughly nine months ago, I decided to take a break from writing. My little one was born recently. Cute and healthy! My writing projects have taken a backseat for a bit, it has been difficult setting time aside for them.

I did manage to update my website with a handful of books coming soon! I created the covers for them (below). Can you see my daughter and her friend in Hidden? It was fun taking it! As for RockStar and Eros, those took me about 3 house a piece. Kursed was also accepted by PDMI Publishing--the cover which I created a few weeks ago took me over 12 hours as I had documented it for prosperity's sake! I will reveal that soon!

PDMI has also hired me as their in-house illustrator! Yay! So excited. Also wondering how I'll manage to keep up with a new baby ...

My current project is to finish my YA inspirational, Baby's Breath (I plan to use my baby and teengirl as covermodels!)--about a young girl who finds herself  unexpectedly pregnant. She hides her growing belly and becomes terrified as desperation blinds her. My love for babies has spurred me to write this and it is my intention for my royalties to assist Project Cuddle in their goal for rescuing unwanted babies. I'm really excited about this and hope to find time to write this in between baby and hyper kids at home before the upcoming school year arrives!

What are your projects? I'd love to hear how you accommodate your love of writing!

Perceptive Readers

This post is based off of last week's thoughts, but on the other side of the pages. Have you ever, as a reader, stopped, put your book down, and think, "This sounds like something that actually happened to the author." Or, "There's no way the author could have known that unless s/he experienced that" because you went through it first hand and felt the familiar emotion play out within you?

As a reader, a lot of the times, things jump out at me. For example, Cindy Hogan's Watched. A young girl witnesses a murder through an unusual way in a bathroom stall. As soon as I reached that part, a thought hit me, and I had the feeling the author experienced that same unusual way the heroine in the bathroom had (I am not referring to murder, either!). Because the author and I are friends, I was free to ask if this was the case. She confirmed.

I've had several incidences where, as I read books, a hard realization occurred: "This must have happened to the author in real life." And it turns out that it had happened in real life to the authors; some of the instances have made me sad, knowing this good friend endured such tragedy.

There are undeniable philosophical truths that many writers use in their works and it may strike the reader in the heart. Some dark truths can be woven into books that the writer would never dare discuss with anyone, but it is there in the book.

As a writer, for example, the theme in my novel, Rock Star, is similar to my own life. I have endured many tragedies, indulged in my emotions during my low points--even sabotaged good things that came into my life because I felt I didn't deserve them, yet, I have felt the goodness of it that helped change my life around. I am not quite sure what truths readers may pick up and think, "Aha! It seems the author may have experienced this exact thing." (Though I've never once been a famous rock star in my life!) I do wonder what truths my readers pick up on as they read my work?

Have you ever had that feeling, as a reader, that you knew the writer experienced the exact same thing you had just read?

Teen Author Boot Camp

As I sat upfront with the row of authors while Brandon Mull, our keynote speaker talked, I couldn't help but feel such pride that my eyes filled with tears. These kids have heart, soul and spirit to attend a writers conference, especially TABC! I have to admit it was one of the funnest conferences I've ever attended.

I really love teens, they are filled with such energy, hope and excitement. What fun it was to stand before the many young and enthusiastic writers and teach them my secrets on writing!

I am honored that TABC had thought of me to teach one of their classes. How much I've grown from the privilege to share and bare my soul! The line for the book signing at the end was joyfully brimming as I signed the kids' cool T-shirts, notebooks, papers, and books they've purchased.

Hey, guys, I LoVe you all!


A funny video that was aired while we waited for the announcing of the first chapter contest winners. I love, love, love this video, btw... ENJOY!

Strong or Weak?

I got this image off of Facebook.

There are contrasting heroines listed below.

Media has a powerful impact on humankind.

What kind of hero/ine are your books?

Are You a Prolific Reader?

Have you ever heard of a makeup artist who doesn't wear makeup? Or a chef who doesn't cook at home? What about a writer who never reads?


I have to admit that I'm way out of the loop of the hottest reads out there. As a writer, I'm bustling about editing, writing, critiquing, endorsing, illustrating, blogging, networking, marketing, setting up appointments--not counting real life motherhood and outside activities--and reading.


What, reading?


I read. A LOT! I read self-help books and many authorly friend books for book reviews. I read my own books--ahem, does that count?


I have friends who are in the same situation as I am: they are avid readers of the books they review. Does that make me like the fashion model who slums it while she's off duty?




How do you manage to keep up with the greatest and latest of books and write and edit and critique and endorse and blog and...and...?

Servers and Writers are Related.

source

We went to the Olive Garden on our date night. It was very pleasant. Our server made sure our drinks were filled, our empty plates removed, and our food just right. So, is there a relation between servers and writers?

Yes, yes, yes!

How, you ask?

What if the waiter forgot to fill your drink? Or your food was cold? What about forgetting the cutlery for your juicy steak?

We don't notice the server if everything goes smooth. But oh, boy, we notice alright when she messes up, don't we?

Well, that's how it's like for writers. The reader won't notice the writer as s/he reads our work, but if we don't polish them books, our authorness screams in their faces and reminds them that they are reading a book.



How do you feel when you stumble across author intrusion?

Loving You

Friday, the 5th, I posted this comment and question on my Facebook wall:

"This thought popped into my head as I laboriously worked on my WiP today: Don't base
your self-worth upon others' opinions of your book. I hope I won't do that. Do you do that?"

I had many responses and all of them proved very interesting:

Gaye Sharpe I don't. My writing is a flow yielding many streams, but I am a being, living, residing within the world. Whatever our words reveal, they do not show all of who we are. :)

C Michelle Jefferies While I don't base my self worth on how others view my work it is cool to find someone who LOVES what you wrote. Definately stokes my ego.

Bethany Wiggins I have learned not to, but it is a hard thing to do!

Jenn Adams Wilks Yes, I do that. No, I shouldn't. Thanks for the timely reminder! :D

Elana Johnson Yes. It's hard not to. A lesson I'm sure I'll have to learn sooner or later. Le sigh.

Marsha Ward There's always the initial twinge at a bad review or disparaging remark, but you do get over it and realize you are not your book.

Bryan Coltrane That is the reason I never let anyone see my writing. I have tons of stuff, that I care not to know others opinions of.

Marsha carried a very encouraging dialogue with Bryan after his reply.

I know I tend to let others' thoughts affect the way I feel when they read my stuff. I've seen authors feeling low after one bad review. And how we feel after several rejections. It's tough to keep a positive outlook because no one likes the feeling of rejection.

Writers are a tough lot. We have to be. Remember always, that what you have is special and we must try not to let others' views bring us down.

A saying my dad always used:

"You can please some of the people some of the time, but can't please all of the people all of the time."

I'd love to know your thoughts on this. Do you let the others' view of your books affect you?

Holy Cow!

Have you ever found a movie out there that feels so close to any of the books you've written and didn't even know it?

I've known some friends that don't like to hear when a movie follows a similar storyline as their book. I guess I can understand because that would make it 'unoriginal'.

My hubby just bought a movie the other day and I was blown away by it. It reminded me of a book I've written. I can easily imagine my book as a movie now and think, "If they can turn that into a movie, would they mine?"

It's been a while since I've read that story, I really look forward to editing it.


Has that happened to you? How does it make you feel?