IWSG and the Funny Bunny

Hello, friends, and Happy New Year! Today is the January meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group. The group was founded by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. To view list members and this month's co-hosts, or to sign up and join the group, visit the IWSG page here.

I'm starting off this year by looking backwards several decades to the first story I ever wrote. My mom came upon the story a while ago while going through some boxes at her house, and it came as a surprise to me because I have no memory of writing it. The story is called Funny Bunny and I not only wrote it, but also did my own illustrations.

I created this masterpiece when I was eight years old and gave it to my mom as a present. No doubt she was thrilled ha. 😉😀

One thing that stands out to me when I look at this is that apparently even as a child I had a taste for the macabre. Funny Bunny goes out looking for lettuce for dinner and finds a fox who he tells about his search. The fox says he is also looking for dinner and poor Funny Bunny becomes that dinner. The twist makes me laugh and also makes me wonder about my childhood mind.

But the main thing I think of when I see this story is that I know for sure that the eight year old version of me who created it had no worries about not being able to write or not being creative. I just did it because I wanted to create a story. Somewhere in the succeeding decades my brain started telling me I couldn't write, wasn't creative, wasn't this, couldn't do that.

I'm grateful to have overcome some of those doubts and fears in the past decade, but like many of us I still struggle with insecurities and the dreaded imposter syndrome. So in this new year and new decade I'm resolving to get back to the (slightly twisted) little kid who had an idea for a story, wrote it down, and had fun doing it. I'm excited about several writing projects and ideas right now and plan to enjoy the simple process of creating.

I wish you all a very Happy New Year and here's to lots of writing and creating in the days and years to come.

IWSG and Saying Goodbye to 2019

Hello, friends! Today is the December meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group. The group was founded by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. To view list members and this month's co-hosts, or to sign up and join the group, visit the IWSG page here.

I haven't done much writing this year but I'm slowly getting back into the groove again and plan to make 2020 a much more productive one for me. I'm working on a story as well as thinking about some new ideas, while trying to focus on the simple enjoyment of writing. I expect to have some good publishing news to share soon and I am also kicking around some ideas to try to be more engaged with the writing and reading world in the year to come.

I really couldn't think of much to write about this month so I will make this short and simply say I continue to be so grateful for all of the amazing people I have met through this blog. I hope everyone has a great December, and I wish you a wonderful holiday season.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year!

IWSG & Writing for the Fun of It

Hello, friends! Today is the October meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group. The group was founded by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. To view list members and this month's co-hosts, or to sign up and join the group, visit the IWSG page here.

Now that we are in the last quarter of the year I can officially say that 2019 has been the least productive year I've had since I started on this blogging and writing journey nine years ago. Some of that has been due to circumstances out of my control but, if I'm being honest with myself, most is due to my own lethargy and the apathy I've felt towards writing for far too long now.

Somehow over the past few years I've become so obsessed with needing to publish something new that I've managed to take all the joy and fun out of writing. Any time I'd start writing something I'd immediately start thinking that I'd never be able to get it published or find an agent or publish it myself. As a result I have more scattered notes and half-finished chapters and pages with no more than two sentences than I can count. And as a result writing has become something that feels more like a chore than something I love to do.

So for the rest of 2019 the only goal I am setting for myself is to figure out how to enjoy writing again. This all started because I loved playing with words and characters and bringing the stories that had always danced around my head to the page. I want to find that joy and fun again, even if it means the only person who sees what I write is me.

This quote by Margaret Atwood is my motto for the rest of this year.

Before I wrap this up I also wanted to give a quick shout-out to my long-time blogger buddy Deanie Humphrys-Dunne. Deanie has an adorable new children's book out called A Tractor Named Wilbur and I had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy. The book is wonderful and if you have any little ones in your life I'm sure they would love it.

How cute is Wilbur? For all the info on the book, visit Deanie's site here.

I hope this new month finds you all well and I wish everyone a very happy October!

IWSG & The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith

Hello, friends! Today is the September meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group. The group was founded by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. To view list members and this month's co-hosts, or to sign up and join the group, visit the IWSG page here.

Back in July I returned to the IWSG and planned to spend the rest of the summer actively writing and blogging. But instead some unexpected health issues popped up and totally derailed my plans. Fortunately I'm doing much better now and am starting a new plan to be active and productive for the rest of the year. Fingers crossed!

Each month the IWSG administrators suggest a question to answer in our post for the month. This month's question is:

If you could pick one place in the world to write your next story, where would it be and why? 

This was a fun question to think about! 

I'm totally enchanted by Scandinavia even though I have never been there. I love the scenery, the winter landscapes, and the remoteness of some of the areas. I have always found winter to be a muse for my imagination and writing. 

Recently I learned about the Lofoten Islands in northern Norway and I would love to go there and settle into a house by the sea for my own private writing retreat. 

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If I ever do make it there I'm hoping I can see the Northern Lights. 

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So that's my writing retreat daydream. I'm looking forward to reading where all of you would love to go. 

Before I wrap this up I want to give a shout-out to my friend Luanne G. Smith and her fantastic book The Vine Witch. Luanne was one of the first friends I made here in the blogging world, back when she was running her Bards and Prophets blog, and I'm so happy to see her finding such success with her books now. 

I received an ARC of The Vine Witch and I can't recommend it enough. If you love witches, wine, France, or just a well-written story full of intrigue and great characters, this is a book for you. The book is one of Amazon's first reads this month so if you are a Prime member you won't go wrong picking The Vine Witch as one of your choices. 

Congratulations to Luanne! 

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And Happy September, all! This is the start of my favorite time of the year and I am looking forward to the months ahead. 

IWSG & Returning To Blogging

Hello, friends! After taking a few months off I am excited to be jumping back into the blogging pool. I hope this new month finds you all well and that you are all happily engaged in lots of writing or blogging projects. I'm happy to say that I'm writing fairly regularly again after nearly a year of doing a whole lot of nothing so I hope that will continue.

Today is the day for the July meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group. The group was founded by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. To view list members and this month's co-hosts, visit the IWSG page here.

Each month the IWSG administrators suggest a question to answer in our post for the month. This month's question is:

What personal traits have you written into your character(s)?

This one is an easy one for me to answer! Like me, my protagonists all either have pets or love animals. Danny, the protagonist in my Polar books, has a dog named Sox. Several of the characters in The Ghosts of Aquinnah love animals. And I am currently working on two WIPs and in both stories the protagonists have cats. 

I didn't actually do this intentionally when I started writing but it just came naturally. I couldn't help but insert my favorite guys into my stories in various ways!

My dog Clancy

My cat Nate

The only rule I have about animals in my books is that none of them get harmed or killed. I know this is a bit twisted since people get murdered in all of my stories but I can't help it. I am one of those people who will watch violent movies or shows with little to no emotion, then sob like a baby if an animal ends up dead.

I am looking forward to reading everyone's posts and with luck making a few new friends as I hop around as well. It's great to be back in the blogosphere.

To my American friends, Happy 4th of July!

December IWSG: My Writing Space

Hello, friends! Today is the day for the December meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group. The group was founded by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. To view list members and this month's co-hosts, visit the IWSG page here.

This month's IWSG question is:

                 What are five objects we'd find in your writing space?

I am cheating a little here because I don't really have five objects in my space, unless you count things like lamps. My writing space is my living room couch and the only writing-related object I have there is my laptop, when I'm writing on it. 

Even though it's a bit boring, I love my writing space because I share it with these two handsome guys. 

If you've followed this blog for any length of time you probably already know my dog Clancy and my cat Nate. These two are both eleven years old and they have been along for the ride on every step of my writing journey since they came to live with me. 

One is the boss:

The other is the annoyed colleague who really just wants to sleep:

The Ohio State throw that Clancy is trying to use as his pillow there is a third constant in my space. 

So that's my writing space - my couch, my laptop, my throw, and my two furbabies. So I guess I do have five things to list, even though Clancy and Nate aren't things. Like I said, I'm cheating a little. 

I hope to spend a good part of December on my couch writing and I'm counting on boss Nate to get after me if I start slacking off. I didn't finish NaNo, or even come close, but I did make progress on my story so I'm hoping to continue with that this month and finish off the year on a productive front. 

I am looking forward to catching up with everyone after taking last month off. Happy December! 

November IWSG: Third Time's the Charm?

Hello, all! Today is the day for the monthly meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group. The group was founded by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. To view list members and this month's co-hosts, visit the IWSG page here.

I'm actually going to sit this month out because I decided at the last minute to sign up for NaNoWriMo and I'm busy working on that. I thought I would try one more time to finish a draft of my Window Box in Paris story. I tried last November during NaNo and ended up with about 500 words written, then I tried again during CampNaNo in the spring and ended up with even less. 

But I was in the mood to write again so I thought I would give it another go. With luck, the third time really will be the charm. 

I hope you all have a wonderful month ahead. And to those in the US like me I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving. 

See you in December1 😊

October IWSG & Trying New Things

Hello and Happy October! It's officially my favorite time of the year as I love the period from October through December. So many things to love! Cool temperatures, sweater weather, football, holidays - I could go on and on.

Today is the day for the monthly meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group. The group was founded by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. To view list members and this month's co-hosts, visit the IWSG page here.

I'm trying something new with my writing this month and I'm definitely insecure about it, but I also feel like it's the best move for me to make right now.

I've always been a "pantser" when writing and have only made the most basic of outlines. This has worked for me in the past and I loved writing this way. But it's not working now as I'm continuing to struggle with getting my Paris story together. I've been playing with this story for more than two years now and have made so little progress I decided something has to give. This story has significantly more characters and time periods than I have ever attempted to write before and it's become a jumbled mess in my head.

My friend Madeline at The Shellshank Redemption recommended the book Story Genius to me several months ago and I kept meaning to give it a try but never did. I was intimidated by the idea and kept thinking my tried and true "pants" method would eventually kick in and work. Then when I was once again feeling frustrated with my writing I saw another author recommending this same book on Twitter. It seemed like the universe was trying to tell me something!

So I got the book and am now committed to giving it a try, even though I am still intimidated by the idea of totally changing my writing process.

Have you ever changed your writing method to suit a new project? Are there any craft books you recommend?

Happy October, all!

IWSG & the American Writers Museum

Hello, friends! Today is the August meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group. The group was founded by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. To view list members and this month's co-hosts, visit the IWSG page here.

I am feeling a little insecure today as I didn't get any of the writing done that I wanted to in July, but I still had a good month and took a fun little road trip to Chicago, so I'm going to focus on that instead. I went to Chicago to see Hamilton, which was fantastic, but I ended up also visiting the American Writers Museum, which was amazing!

I'd never heard of this museum but my niece discovered it and we decided to head there since it was only a few blocks from our hotel. The museum only occupies one floor of a large building, but we spent several hours there and I feel like I could easily have spent much more time exploring the compelling and inspiring interactive exhibits.

Here are a few highlights of my visit. 

The Children's Lit Gallery was adorable, with large banners depicting famous works, including one of my childhood favorites Goodnight Moon.

"Goodnight comb and goodnight brush" ❤❤

The best was a mural depicting a tree full of squirrels all reading books, including a squirrel pondering over Gertrude Stein. So cute!

The center of the museum included a timeline of key events in American history and famous writers of the time.

And the ceiling was filled with books!

My favorite exhibit was the Word Waterfall, which initially looks like walls of unconnected words, but then lights up various segments to reveal famous quotations that reflect the American experience.

Images created by the lights, such as the Statue of Liberty in the above case, along with sounds such as ocean waves and birdsong, combine with the words to create a truly inspiring and mesmerizing display.

If you're ever in the Chicago area, I can't recommend this museum enough. There is something for every writer and reader to enjoy and I'd return in a heartbeat if I lived closer.

I hope all is well with everyone and I wish you all a Happy August!

IWSG & A Completed Manuscript

Hello and Happy July! Hard to believe we are now officially halfway through 2018, isn't it? Today is a rare Tuesday meeting day for The Insecure Writer's Support Group. The group was founded by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. To view list members and this month's co-hosts, visit the IWSG page here.

My insecurities have taken a backseat lately as I had a productive June and managed to actually finish my editing of A Killing in Kennecott! I set a goal to finish by the end of the month and to my amazement I not only met the goal but submitted the manuscript a few days early. I am so excited to have the story in the hands of the publisher now!

The long-abandoned Kennecott post office, which plays a key role in my story

I'm super attached to this story now after more than three years of working on it, so normally I'd be totally insecure about the publisher and everyone else hating it even though I love it. But for now I'm managing to keep those voices at bay by working on my Paris story. So far, so good!

I'm feeling good and optimistic and I'm hoping to keep riding these feelings through the second half of the year. My goal now is to have a first draft of the Paris story done by then so I hope I can share good news again when we get to December.

For now I hope this new month finds you all well. Happy 4th of July to my American friends!

IWSG: A Killing in Kennecott & Some Very Messy Medieval Magic

Hello, friends! Today is the June meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group. The group was founded by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. To view list members and this month's co-hosts, visit the IWSG page here.

I'm feeling great today as it's the first time in a long time I've actually been excited about writing and blogging. I can't even count how many times in the past few years I've been close to throwing in the towel on both. I'm so glad I didn't!

Last month I didn't even post because I was so annoyed that I got nowhere on my A Window Box in Paris story during my April CampNaNo attempt. But then I decided to go back to my Alaska story and to my astonishment I actually finished it.

I'm so thrilled to be able to share that after three years and countless changes, so many that the story now bears almost no resemblance to the one I started with, A Killing in Kennecott, the third book in my Polar Night series, is done! I've had my trusted readers read it and they've given me great feedback, so all I need to do is go through one final round of revisions and edits. I'm so excited!

I've already talked to my publisher about the story and they are interested in it, so I can't wait to have it polished and ready to submit. It feels so good to be excited about writing again.

Now I'm feeling inspired to return to my Paris story yet again and I feel like I can finally make progress on that as well. Fingers crossed! 

I also want to help spread the word about the new book from C. Lee McKenzie, Some Very Messy Medieval Magic. The book was released last month by Dancing Lemur Press and is another great book from Lee! Everyone who knows Lee knows she is one of the nicest bloggers around so I'm happy to have the opportunity to share her latest. Congratulations, C. Lee!

SOME VERY MESSY MEDIEVAL MAGIC

By C. Lee McKenzie

Pete’s stuck in medieval England!

Pete and his friend Weasel thought they’d closed the Time Lock. But a young page from medieval times, Peter of Bramwell, goes missing. His absence during a critical moment will forever alter history unless he’s found.

There’s only one solution - fledgling wizard Pete must take the page’s place. Accompanied by Weasel and Fanon, Pete’s alligator familiar, they travel to 1173 England.

But what if the page remains lost - will Pete know what to do when the critical moment arrives? Toss in a grumpy Fanon, the duke’s curious niece, a talking horse, and the Circle of Stones and Pete realizes he’s in over his young wizard head yet again...

Release date – May 15, 2018
Juvenile Fiction - Fantasy & Magic/Boys & Men
$13.95 Print ISBN 9781939844460
$3.99 EBook ISBN 9781939844477

C. Lee McKenzie has a background in Linguistics and Inter-Cultural Communication, but these days her greatest passion is writing for young readers. When she’s not writing she’s hiking or traveling or practicing yoga or asking a lot questions about things she still doesn’t understand. http://cleemckenziebooks.com

Links:
Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/some-very-messy-medieval-magic-c-lee-mckenzie/1127622061?ean=2940154648575
Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/some-very-messy-medieval-magic
iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/some-very-messy-medieval-magic/id1324257652?mt=11
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Some-Very-Messy-Medieval-Magic/dp/1939844460/
Kindle - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079V72G8R
Foyles - http://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/childrens/some-very-messy-medieval-magic,c-lee-mckenzie-9781939844460
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37537343-some-very-messy-medieval-magic

IWSG: Camping & the Tick Tock Anthology

Hello and Happy April! Today is the April meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group. The group was founded by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. To view list members and this month's co-hosts, visit the IWSG page here.

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

This seems to describe my writing life for more than a year now, and anything I've done to "dig down" hasn't made much of a difference up to this point. So this month I'm trying something different and going camping, thanks to the encouragement of my friend Madeline of the Shellshank Redemption. 

I've never tried Camp NaNoWriMo before, mostly because the past few times I've tried NaNo itself it's left me even less motivated than I was at the start, but after hearing about the relaxed retreat-like atmosphere of Camp I decided to give it a try. I set the modest goal of simply finishing the first draft of the Paris story I've been struggling with for almost two years. I'm hoping to get comfy in my writing tent and emerge at the end of the month with a draft, no matter how messy it may be. 

I'm also excited to help spread the word about the latest IWSG anthology, Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime. Gwen Gardner is here with some tips for solving mysteries. Welcome, Gwen!

Thanks for hosting the Tick Tock mystery writers, Julie!

I hope you have some mystery lovers here today, because this year’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group anthology, Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime, is all about mystery, crime and thrillers.

I’m a complete mystery fanatic in all its forms—except psychological. I lean toward the lighthearted, cozy side. And I am an excellent armchair detective, if I do say so myself. It helps when you read, write and watch mysteries!

How do you solve a mystery?

If you have a literary amateur sleuth or armchair detective in your life, here are some handy tips to keep in mind:

1. If someone is looking way too innocent, don’t count them out! Just because Aunt Agatha seems frail doesn’t mean she’s a sweet little old lady. Trust me, Aggie’s been around the block a few dozen times and probably has moves you know nothing about. Even Julia Child was a spy during World War II! Spies come in many shapes and sizes. Aunt Aggie might still have a decent karate chop in those gnarled, arthritic hands. I watched a scene just like this on Midsomer Murders once, so it must be true.

2. Never take an alibi at face value. It doesn’t matter if the Queen of England says she was on the royal throne at the time. If nobody saw her (close up, because it could have been a body double), then her alibi is no good. I love her dearly, but you know she was a mechanic during WWII, right? All I’m saying is that the woman knows how to wield a spanner!

3. If you’re sleuthing it’s because you’re connected to the victim in some way, however tenuous. So if you find the murder weapon, for the love of god, please don’t touch it! Because once you touch it, your fingerprints are all over the murder weapon. And boom! Now you’re a suspect. And now you really have to dig yourself out of a hole. I tell my sleuths this all the time, but do they listen? No. They do not.

If you enjoyed these tips, you’ll enjoy the anthology even more! There are lots of stories to choose from in nearly any mystery/crime/thriller sub-genre. It’s on pre-sale now at all major venues and will be released on May 1st by Dancing Lemur Press.

IWSG & Embracing My Turtle Side

Hello and Happy March, all! I sat out the February IWSG because I was finally making some progress on my writing and wanted to devote my time and energy to that, but unfortunately that sense of progress didn't even last through the whole month. Instead, I was hitting my head against more walls and once again wondering if I would ever finish another story.

When I wrote my first books everything seemed to come together so quickly that I was sure it would always be that way. That fit my personality, as patience has never been my strong suit. I tend to do everything quickly, so writing at a snail's pace has been frustrating to say the least.

Then I remembered that there is another thing I love doing that I don't do quickly. I started running last year for the first time in my life and was amazed how well I took to it and how it became something I looked forward to doing. Now I'm working on training again and hope to be able to run a 10k race by the end of the year.

Even though I love it, I don't have any delusions that I am a fast runner. I'm very comfortable as a turtle, and I know I'm not going to be the hare. I'm slow and that's totally okay with me. I'm not in competition with anyone but myself. It dawned on me that I should try looking at writing the same way.

There's no reason I have to try to finish a story quickly. I am not on any deadline and I don't have a contract I am obligated to fulfill. I can be a turtle writer just like I'm a turtle runner. I know some writers write several books a year and maybe I was trying to compete with that on some level, but I now realize that, just like with running, I'm not actually competing with anyone but myself when I write. I just want to enjoy what I'm doing and improve my skills.

So this is my new motto for both running and writing. I'm going to remember it next time I get frustrated and feel like hitting my head against those walls again.

Any other turtles out there? Either writers or runners?

This is my post for the March meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group. The group was founded by our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. To view list members and this month's co-hosts, visit the IWSG page here.