IWSG: June 2025

 

Welcome to June's IWSG blog post. Thanks to our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and the other admins of IWSG, we meet each month to share the writing wins, losses, questions, and advice with all the other writers on this list.

First apologies for missing last month's bloghop. I was very busy with the Pennwriters Conference and didn't even think of my post until a week too late. 

This month's optional question is a good one. I can wait to read the responses:

What were some books that impacted you as a child or young adult?

I was always a voracious reader, but I grew up way out in the back of beyond and I didn't have easy access to books. My little country school didn't even have a library until I was in sixth grade. My fourth grade teacher had a few shelves of paperback books we could borrow. I loved her for that.

A Wrinkle in Time was one of my first favorites and introduced me to speculative fiction. Bambi taught me that Disney really takes liberty with source material to make their movies family friendly. Where the Red Fern Grows taught me to really cry over a book. My oldest son reminded me that I traumatized him by giving him that book to read when he was in elementary school. I read every animal book I could get my hands on.

But in 9th grade, my english teacher did a unit where we had to read The Hobbit. From that moment on, reading fantasy was what I loved best. It wasn't until almost ten years later that I even considered writing a story of my own. Another ten years before I seriously considered it, and ten more before I started. Unlike a lot of writers, I had no desire to write a novel growing up.

The Pennwriters Conference was amazing. We're already well into planning next year's conference. More about that later this year. If you have a chance to attend a writer's conference, I highly recommend it. It's inspiring in a special way and there is so much to take in.

I'm working on the second draft of the first book in my next fantasy series. I finally came up with a series title and a few days into the second draft I figured out the title of the first book. The first draft is really rough so the second one is going to need a lot of work.

• "If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow." – Beyoncé

I'm enjoying Murder Bot though I wish the espisodes were longer. I binged Department Q on Netflix in one day. Enjoyable. I haven't watched the second season of The Last of Us yet, but it's on my list as is Captain America, Brave New World. I also will watch The Accountant 2 when it starts streaming.

Hope your weather has warmed up. Ours if finally doing so. Way too much rain lately. The older I get the more difficult it is to force myself to go outside when there is a chill, too much wind, or wet stuff falling.

Any good entertainment on your to-see list? Did you read any of the books I loved growing up? What was the first book to make you cry?

IWSG: February 2025

 

I've been so busy, but I didn't forget the first Wednesday IWSG. I want to start with an apology for not getting around to other blogs the last two months. I'll do better.  Thank you to IWSG founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh and all the admins of this super supportive group. There is so much information on the IWSG site, you can spend all day there when you need to procrastinate. 

I expected to be done with my first draft on my newest fantasy series, but I keep writing and not getting to 'The End.' I will keep going, but the second draft might take forever. I already of a list of things to fix, rewrite, delete, etc.

I have a book signing in about 10 days. It's at a combination greenhouse and gift shop. I've been doing this event off and on for about ten years. I sold a lot of books last year and hope to do even half as well this year. I also give out information to other writers about IWSG and Pennwriters. I have the best of both worlds, Pennwriters, an in-person writers group, and IWSG, an online community. There is so much expertise in each group, that I will never learn everything that is offered.

"Teach thy tongue to say, "I do not know," and thous shalt progress." Maimonides

I expect many of you will be enduring an ice storm tonight into tomorrow. What it means for me, besides worrying about people who have to drive to work, is that my granddaughter will have virtual school. Since her parents are both teachers and will be conducting their own Zoom classes, that means Grammy is sharing her office. I recently gifted her with her own desk and desk chair because she loves using mine so much. Hers is like mine except smaller. She loves it and it means I can get work done while staying out of sight for her virtual school day. Stay safe and warm, everyone.

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." Dolly Parton

I've been keeping up with my walking, averaging around 14K steps per day. I feel a difference in my energy the longer I keep at it. But I can't take the cold, so most of my steps are inside. I need a little warm weather to keep me motivated.

I've been watching a lot of documentaries on Amazon and Netflix lately. I can't seem to keep interest in any series or movies lately. Nothing I'm really looking forward to either.

Are you in the path of the coming ice storm and the two following behind it? Watched any good documentaries lately? How do you get your exercise when the weather is bad? What are you working on currently?

IWSG: June 2024

 

Whew, I almost put the wrong date in my post. I typed 2026 but fortunately caught it. Time is flying but not that fast. But it is time for the monthly get together of the IWSG blog hop. As usual, thanks to our founder,  Alex J. Cavanaugh and all the IWSG admins who do so much. Find the entire list of participants here.

This month's optional question:

In this constantly evolving industry, what kind of offering/service do you think the IWSG should consider offering to members?

Good question, but not sure of the answer. I've learned so much from IWSG and met so many amazing writers, many of whom feel like close friends. I've been thinking of some things being done in my other writing groups. I'm not sure if they are things that would work for IWSG. 

One is a write-in, held on Zoom at certain times where writers meet and just write together. Participants come and go as they need. Sometimes the moderator starts the write-in with a short spiel about something writing related. Sometimes the write-in starts with participants sharing what they're working on. One group does this one day a week. Another group does it every weekday.

A second thing one of my groups does is have once monthly review parties. There are different ways to organize these, but the goal is to help other writers get reviews for their books.

Last month an amazing thing happened. I was privileged to meet L. Diane Wolfe in person. She was a guest of Pennwriters in Lancaster PA where she led workshops and took pitches from hopeful writers. She is even more wonderful than I expected. What energy! Everyone loved her. She was kind, funny, knowledgeable, and just a light wherever she went.

The entire conference was great fun and very informative, but Diane was one of the biggest highlights for me.

I'm still working steadily on my newest fantasy series. I hope to have the first draft done by the end of the summer. It's a really, really rough draft.

My exercising is going well and the warm weather always motivates me. And the swimming pool is open. I've been jogging at least two days a week and walking at least three days. My jogging is soooo slow that my younger self wouldn't even have called it jogging, but it works my muscles so much better than walking.

TV and streaming is so boring for me right now. I'm rewatching Fringe for the third time because I can't find anything I want to watch.

Do you have any ideas for IWSG moving forward? Have you made some forever friends in this group? Have you had a chance to meet any of them in person?

IWSG: March 2023

 

Time once again for the monthly blog hop. Thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh and his intrepid admin team, the IWSG is rolling along helping and supporting writers at all stages of their writing careers. Find the entire list of participants in this month's blog hop here.

This month's optional question:

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

I have admired many plot twists but the most recent one that comes to mind is by Sarah J. Maas. In the cliffhanger at the end of Book #2 of her Crescent City fantasy series, she linked the series to one of her earlier series. It gave me shivers of delight and envy. Can't wait for the next book!

I'm nearly finished with edits on the fantasy series I've decided to self-publish. Waiting for my cover art for the first book. In the meantime, I'm also outlining my next three book series. Just a bare skeleton at this time, but it's getting some flesh on it. I'm pretty excited about it.

"I dwell in possibility." Emily Dickinson

I've been enjoy the new ABC show Will Trent. I read the books by Karin Slaughter. Fortunately, the show isn't as dark as the novels. I'm looking forward to the return of the Mandalorian and a second season of Shadow and Bone. I've found The Last of Us entertaining though it is rather brutal. Went to see the new Antman movie. It was okay...

I hope we see some more spring-teasing weather. I'm tired of chilly rain, clouds, and artic breezes. I know many of you live in locations with much more to complain about.

I'm also busy handling online registration for the 36th Annual Pennwriters Conference being held in Pittsburgh this year on the third weekend in May. Check it out if you're in the area. We have lots of great workshops and numerous agents and editors eager to hear your pitches. No matter how long I've been writing, I always learn useful things at the conference. Hope even one of you can join us.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." Aristotle

Have you suffered or maybe enjoyed some writerly envy? Yeah or Nay on any of the entertainment I mentioned? Are you ready for spring?

IWSG: January 2023

 

Can we believe it's 2023? Not quite but welcome to the first blog hop post for IWSG for this year. Thanks to the IWSG admins for keeping us going and to our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh, for bringing us together in the first place. Find the entire list of participants on this page.

I'm skipping this month's question and putting to page some thoughts going into a new year. As many of you know, my publisher closed their doors at the end of 2022. That's more than 20 published books that are now homeless. Enough to crush my motivation. But...

I have found some things to inspire me.

1. Seeing colleagues having new books coming out. Some are writers I've known for years and have spent time at writers conferences networking together. I love seeing them succeed and it makes me work harder.

2. Reading the various newsletters that come my way from a variety of sources. Some are writing groups like this one and some are from individual authors. I learn so much and also witness the writing successes of the other members.

3. Finding a new author, or new-to-me, that I fall in love with. There have been a few recently, but one fantasy writer I'll point out is Kel Kade. Kel's first serious was self-published and her second series was picked up by TOR.

4. Helping set up registration for the Pennwriters Conference coming to Pittsburgh, PA in May of this year. I love spending the weekend with other writers.

5. Receiving an invite from a successful local author to join her FB group. If you attended last year's Pennwriters Conference, you know Misty Simon. A gifted writer of mysteries who brings a lot of laughter and joy to those she interacts with.

Those are a few things to keep me going on this writing path with all its hills and valley. Things to remind me to work harder. What keeps you going?

"There are no traffic jams along the extra mile." Roger Staubach

"Hope is a waking dream." Aristotle

IWSG: March 2022

 

Welcome to the monthly blog hop with IWSG. This amazing group keeps going and going. Thank you to all the admins who keep it dynamic and our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh. Find the entire list of blog participants on this list.

This month's optional question that I usually answer:

Have you ever been conflicted about writing a story or adding a scene to a story? How did you decide to write it or not?

Not really. I have been surprised by another writer's take on two different stories I had written. She suggested the science I was using could be misconstrued. Well, I tried to explain science is science but she didn't really care. I didn't debate, though it reminded me that there are lots of opinions from many different people and we'll never all agree.

Onto recent entertainment. Peacemaker was profane and hilarious. No deep thinking needed. I enjoyed Reacher on Prime. Much closer to the book character than the Tom Cruise movies. 1883 on Paramount shredded my heart. I've often wondered when driving through Kansas how those people drove covered wagons over that landscape. The show didn't skip on the brutality of nature, the greed of men, and the inner strength and determination of the settlers. I highly recommend it.

My writing has been nearly zero as I help the conference coordinator for the 35th Annual Pennwriters Conference being held in Lancaster, PA from May 12-15th. There is so much behind the scenes work. I currently have 15 different sticky notes on my desk and four other lists of things to do. It will be worth it to see other writers in-person again.

I hope everyone is safe in this crazy world. I feel very lucky to have a nice home and no huge concerns about my financial situation though if gas and food prices keep going that could change. I wish magic was real and could fix the world. In my only little corner, I can only be as kind as I can and hope it spreads to a few more.

"No one is useless in the world who lightens the burden of another." Charles Dickens

Have any parts of your writing given you pause or second thoughts? Have you watched 1883? Did it break your heart, also? What is keeping you busy?

IWSG: January 2022

 

Welcome to the first IWSG blog hop of 2022. Thanks to founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and the other awesome admins of The Insecure Writer's Support Group, this monthly virtual get-together keeps going and going. Find the list of all the participants here as we share our insecurities and encourage each other.

This month's optional question:

What's the one thing about your writing career you regret the most? Were you able to overcome it?

No, I can overcome it. The thing I regret the most is that I didn't begin writing for publication sooner. I wish I could go back and change that, but...  Then again, I've always been a forward-looking person who lets the past go. Can't change it, so keep on going.

One thing I always enjoy about the end of the year and the beginning of the next is the plethora of planners and calendars to choose from. I love them all. I love setting up my new planner with all the important dates throughout the year. The biggest date I've put on there so far is the end of my term as president of Pennwriters, the statewide writers' group I've been part of for over twenty years. (May, 15th, yippee) I've served over seven years on the board and sacrificed my own writing time. It's past time for me to get back to my own writing.

Most of the writers I know are very generous when it comes to helping other writers. The admins of IWSG are perfect examples. I'm happy to have given my time to IWSG in the past as well as Pennwriters and other local groups. I will continue to volunteer but it will be a huge relief to not be one of those responsible for running the whole affair.

"If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else." Booker T. Washington

I intend to revitalize my social media efforts as I find more time for my writing career. I'll have no more excuses for not sitting my butt in the chair and writing.

For 2022, my wishes for you are good health, inspired writing, good books to read, delicious beverages, and no tax surprises. 

I also wish you well on any goals you've set, personal or professional.

I kind of enjoyed the Amazon Wheel of Time first season. As someone who has read the books, I wasn't entirely happy with the changes but I also understand why they made some of them. I am glad anytime a fantasy series manages to snag a series or movie contract. I really enjoyed the second season of the witcher. I liked everyone being on the same timeline and having only a few story arcs to follow. I really love the setup for next season. The latest Spiderman movie was great. Funny as usual but sad overall.

I also tuned into 1883, the prequel to Yellowstone on Paramount +.  As someone who grew up on westerns, it is fun to see a new one on TV. It is rather dark and grim, but I expect real life was pretty harsh and grim in 1883. The Expanse on Prime is winding down with only a few episodes left. I assume they won't cover most of the story told in the last three novels. I'm very interested in how they wrap it up.

I hope you received some gift cards for books or actual books for Christmas. I received both and I already have books picked out.

"Be happy. It is one way of being wise." Colette

What would you change looking back over your writing career? Did you get some books for Christmas? Have any plans for making 2022 great? Any good shows to recommend?

IWSG: October 2021

 

October already! Thanks to founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh, our group of insecure writers continues to meet here in the blogosphere on the first Wednesday of every month. For the entire list of IWSG participants, go to this link. And make sure to check out the IWSG blog's present and past posts for some professional advice in all aspects of this challenging career of being a writer.

This month's optional question:

In your writing, where do you draw the line, with either topics or language?

There are lines for me, some personal, and some professional. It's easier than ever to offend someone accidentally these days. The ways people can take offense are too varied and numerous to mention, but I try to stay educated on what I know and don't know. Nobody writes only what they know. How could I write from a male POV? How could I write from a futuristic space traveler's POV? I do the best I can though I know writers who have been attacked for their portrayal of a character when they 'were doing the best that they could do.'

Along more personal lines, I don't enjoy reading or watching a story with an abundance of swearing and cursing. Profanity can be realistic in many situations, but too much only distracts me from the dialogue or action. I use profanity quite sparingly. I also never write about children suffering or dying. Just can't do it. I also don't try to work current politics into my writing and hate it when writers do that. I read to escape the messy world not to be reminded of it.

I remembered as I titled this post that October is my blog birthday. I've been here on blogger since 2008. Happy birthday to Susan Says.

Busy weeks ahead for me with so many Zoom meetings, and I'm presenting a workshop at a mini-con in Erie, PA this Saturday. Not sure how many people will turn out for this in-person event, but I'm looking forward to sharing time and networking with other writers. If you live nearby, here is the link to The Writer's Road Trip along with the schedule.

Did any of you watch Le Brea? There has only been one episode of this new show, but it caught my interest. Hopefully, it will keep getting better. Network TV is still really lacking for me.

Those evil spotted-lantern flies are ruining fall here in PA. They are large, ugly bugs that stowed away in shipping containers from China. They jump on you anytime you're outside. They are extremely harmful to some trees and plants and they are really creepy when they get on you. My granddaughter loves to hunt them down. We spray them with diluted vinegar. Bug hunting is her current favorite activity.

"It is not in doing what you like, but in liking what you do that is the secret to happiness." James M. Barrie

Hope you all are staying safe and healthy.

Where do you draw the lines in reading material and in writing? Have you caught Le Brea yet? Are you in an area cursed by the spotted-lantern fly? Have you attended any in-person writing events lately?

IWSG: March 2021

Welcome to the monthly blog hop by Insecure Writer's Support Group. Thank you to our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and all the other wonderful admins who keep this group not just going but thriving and growing. Find the entire list of blog hoppers here.

This month's optional question:

Everyone has a favorite genre or genres to write. But what about your reading preferences? Do you read widely or only within the genre(s) you create stories for? What motivates your reading choice?

Well, I read everything though I write only fantasy or science fiction. I read creative nonfiction, mysteries, thrillers, historicals, horror, and most other genres too. My reading choices are motivated by recommendations from friends and family as well as from such publications like Book Page. I'm also pretty loyal to authors that I've read and enjoyed before.

On the professional front, the world is spinning faster than I can keep up. I feel like I'm going to fly off somedays and float away. Or maybe that's what I wish to do. I'm buried with work for Pennwriters, the writing organization where I'm currently serving as president. We're still putting our conference together and it's only a little more than two months away.

Fortunately or not, there's little that appeals to me on TV or any of the streaming services. I haven't had anything on my calendar to remind me of something new coming out since The Expanse. At least I'm not distracted.

My dear granddaughter is turning 4 today. It's really fun now that she's old enough to anticipate her day. We bought a cake that is totally covered in sprinkles, just the way she likes it. Wish you were here.

My own writing is simmering while I deal with Pennwriters stuff, but I have a plan or maybe 12% of a plan. Kudos if you know where that is from.

I hope I get to visit more of you today than I have the last few months. Stay safe and look for that light at the end of the Covid tunnel.

"Time is what we want most, and what we use worst." William Penn

Do you read outside the genre you write? Is time flying for you? 

IWSG: June 2020

Wow. I almost put the wrong date in the title. How can it be June already? The first Wednesday of the month means time for IWSG. Thanks to the founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh, we meet every month and share the woes and victories of being writers. Find the entire list of bloggers here on the IWSG blog.

This month's optional question: Writers have secrets! What are one or two of yours? Something readers would never know from your work?

Readers of this blog probably know plenty about me. I can't think of any real secrets I keep from my blogger friends. I'm such a regular, average person that I can't think of one secret to share. But I'm interested to read about yours.

One bit of news I would like to share. I've been elected president of Pennwriters, a state-wide writers group. I've been a member for many years and on the board for the last five. It's a lot of work and a lot of responsibility. Pennwriters has done so much for me from the time I was a total newbie to now, that I feel like it's my time to give back. If you live in Pennsylvania or any of the surrounding states, you should check out our group. We have a mini-con in Erie in the fall and a large conference coming up in May in Pittsburgh. We had to cancel this year because of the pandemic, but we're staying positive about next year. The future is completely unpredictable.

"Real life seems to have no plots." Ivy Compton-Burnett

I'm working hard on my WIP, which is the last book in my fantasy series. If you recall from earlier posts, the first book was published by a small press who closed their doors right before the second book came out. I still need a publisher or I need to decide to self-publish. I'm going to checking out L. Diane Wolfe's upcoming seminars next week. No matter which road I take, I can always learn something about promotion.

I have been suffering some eye strain between writing and working for Pennwriters. Good thing there is nothing to watch on TV. I've been skipping that screen entirely. The news is the worst of it, too.

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." Albert Einstein

I visited a bookstore yesterday for the first time in about two months. Our libraries aren't open yet. I miss the library. I haven't really missed most of the other stores that are closed, but when they open I intend to to support my local small business as best as I can. Later this week, I'm going to an independent bookstore and buy some books I don't have time to read. I know the owner and want her to stay in business. She is very welcoming to local authors and holds events all the time.

Are you keeping secrets? Has your life returned to anything like normal? What have you missed the most when everything was closed? Do you have too much screen time lately?

Getting Stuff Done

I'm excited to have finished up the final edits for my second book in my Survivors of the Apocalypse Series, Horse Tamer's Fiery Lady. This will be my 22nd published book, not counting the ones that

are no longer published because the publisher closed. I'm not sure of my release date yet, but I'm pretty pumped up about it.

If you in the mood to do something about your author newsletter, like maybe start it, one of my writers' groups, Pennwriters, is running a class that starts today about Getting Results from Your Author Newsletter by Jessie Clever. It's open to all.

It's amazing how fast this year is going. My days are so busy, but I'm getting stuff done. I'm rearranged my living room nearly every weekend as I try to 'Elliana-ize' it. My granddaughter keeps finding her way into things I don't want her in. On the flip side, I keep having to clean behind and under things I usually only move about twice per year.

I'm also falling back into the old habit of doing a lot of my writing at night like I did when I was teaching full time. It's working for me. Now that Daylight Savings Time has ended, the dark drives me to my writing office. I am dreading seeing snow outside my window. Not too soon, I hope.

"Inspiration exists, but it must find you working." Pablo Picasso

Because I had to do editing this weekend, I didn't get to see Thor, but I play to by the end of the week. Still enjoying Poldark and The Good Doctor. The Gifted is keeping me interested. I heard a rumor over the weekend that Amazon might be working on putting together a LoTR series like a TV show. I'd give it a try though I don't see how they could top the movies.

Hope you go out to vote tomorrow if you're in the USA. Not much for us to vote for here except Township Supervisors and a judge. I'm voting for the supervisor most likely to make sure the road in front of my house gets plowed sooner than twelve hours after it stops snowing. I have simple needs.

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." Albert Einstein

Do you have any clue what Albert meant by that statement? Does the long dark days of winter inspire you to write or impede you? Do you see Thor? Hear about that LoTR rumor?

IWSG: June 2016

Welcome to June's edition of the The Insecure Writer's Support Group, first Wednesday post. The wonderful supportive group shares our woes, victories and advice once a month. Started by Alex J. Cavanaugh, our stellar band of writers, listed here, help each other on our journeys to publication.

This month I want to say thank you. Thank you to all the people who volunteer and give their time to help other writers. Ten days ago, I attended the Pennwriters Conference like I do every May. I've been the secretary for Pennwriters, a state-wide writing organization, for almost two years and a member of PW for much longer than that. Until I volunteered to serve as secretary, I had no idea how much work went into making the conference, online classes, mini-conferences, newsletter and social media run smoothly. Hours and hours of work and it's all done by volunteers just to help their fellow writers.

If you've participated in the A to Z Blogging Challenge, you know it's a lot of work. For the amazing people who run it, it's many times over the amount of work for them. And it's all volunteer. Thank you to all of them.

And here we are on IWSG. As a participating member, you only have to post once per month and then have fun visiting. But behind the scenes, a lot of things go on. Facebook, the newsletter, Twitter and don't forget the two anthologies.  All volunteer work. Thank you to my fellow administrators.

This weekend will be the monthly meeting of my local romance writers group. RWA have very strict guidelines for local groups and how the officers are elected. But again, all volunteer. Once again, there is an amazing amount of work going on behind the scenes. Thank you to all those unpaid workers.

The writing community, online and in person, is very generous and supportive. I hope we all remember to pass it on. Volunteer when we can. Help someone starting out as someone at one time
helped you.

On a lighter note, from The Old Farmer's Almanac:
There are about 900,000 poppy seeds in one pound.
One should know everything that one says, but not say everything one knows. (1901)

Do you volunteer in any writing organizations? Have you thanked a volunteer lately?  Do people come to you for advice? Who do you think counted those poppy seeds?

Monthly Special

Busy as a bee doesn't quite describe it here in the northeast. After all, those buzzing wonders don't work all winter long. As I've started into the second year of my career as a full time writer, I find there is no 'normal' month of work. There's always something going on in the writing side of writing or on the business side of writing. Or the real life issues side of writing.

Blog hops are every where. I enjoy them and find myself involved in at least one but usually more every month. Next Monday is the Survive and Thrive Bloghop. And of course the first Wednesday of every month is IWSG blog.

A big special over the course of the last six weeks has been the IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond project. I'm so proud to be part of that still ongoing construction. Can't wait for December!

Besides posting on my personal blog here, I take turns posting on the IWSG blog and today I'm at the A to Z Blogging Challenge. I also belong to a lesser know blog group at The Susquehanna Writers Blog. And I'm already preparing for the A to Z Challenge for next April.

Keeping up my author page on Facebook and trying to grow that has taken some time. I've become more active on Twitter and find I'm enjoying that more. Still haven't figured out LinkedIn but I'm there. I've also been asked to take on the job of secretary for Pennwriters, a state-wide writing organization. Don't even know how much that work will be yet.

On the writing side of writing, my most recent release was at the beginning of September. My romance publisher is doing a re-release of three of my titles with new covers, one at the end of each of the next three months. Musa Publishing has taken on my Futhark Chronicles and will be releasing them during four separate months next year starting in February. Some editing to do on those. And I just signed a contract for the follow up book to First Dragon. 

On the life side of writing, I'm still stressing about my daughter studying in Morocco. My hair falls out when I stress. LOL. It's getting very thin. And I'll be helping my son move back east from Colorado next week. A long day in the airport flying out there and two long days of driving back. Still, it will be nice to have one of the chicks safely back in the nest.

This isn't a whine post though I'm having some while I write it. What I've learned in my short time of being a full time writer is that you can be as busy as you want to be. There are so many things out there to get involved in. While I worked the day job, I would never have had time to do all these things. By getting involved in them, I'm making lots of friends, learning so much about the industry and giving back a little to the people who have helped me along in my career.

Do you volunteer your time somewhere in the writing community? What part of the writing business beside the actual writing keeps you the busiest? What events are you looking forward to in the next few months?

Pennwriters Agent Panel

In my continuing effort to share some of what I heard at the annual Pennwriters Conference two weeks ago, I'm going to share some information I picked up from the agents' panel presentation. I'll link each agent to their agency or website and share what they're in search of and for some of them, their pet peeve in pitches or query letters.

Katie Shea Boutillier of the Donald Maass Literary Agency is seeking YA and women's fiction. She describes women's fiction as a book that would appeal to a book club.

Maria Lamba of the Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency would like to receive MG-YA and general fiction. She asks that authors don't label romance as women's fiction.

Bob Podrasky of the Stuart Agency like general fiction and most genre fiction. He also seeks nonfiction. He suggests you compare your books to published authors to help them categorize your book. Another way to do so is to decide what author you would ask to give a quote for your jacket cover.

Jessica Regel of Foundry Literary and Media seeks all genres of MG and YA. She's also interested in some adult fiction, especially books that straddle the line between literary and commercial works.

Bridget Smith of the Dunham Literary likes SF/F and women's literary novels. She doesn't want to see a query that calls the main character 'normal.'

Paige Wheeler of the Folia Literary Management is seeking YA, MG, women's fiction, romance and suspense. In a pitch or query, mention other clients you compare to. She emphasizes the importance of brick and mortar stores in offering discoverability. Her least favorite word to see in an author's writing is 'drug' in place of dragged.

Peter Knapp from the Park Literary Group wants to see MG/YA, thrillers and mysteries. He suggests you try for that interesting one-liner for a pitch session or a query.

Jessica Sinsheimer of the Sarah Jane Freymann Agency seeks YA and women's fiction. She hates the phrase, 'turned her world upside down.'

Roseanne Wells, also of the Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency wants SF/F, literary, mystery, and nonfiction.

Jordy Albert of The Booker Albert Literary Agency is seeing romance. She detests books that start with someone waking up.

There is a nice list of agents. As you can see, women's fiction is very popular. A number of the agents mentioned the statistic of how women are the leading book consumers.

Did you learn anything useful from the above agents? See any you would like to work with? Does it surprise you which genres they are most interested in? Do you have an agent or seek one?

Why Join?

Recently I renewed and reactivated my memberships in the two writers' groups I've belonged to nearly since the start of my writing career.

Pennwriters is a state-wide organization of writers. Poets, journalists, nonfiction and fiction writers of all genres belong to this wonderful group of supportive and knowledgeable people. They run an affordable and educational conference every year, bringing in editors, agents and successful writers to lead workshops and answer any question a writer could have. I love the way they cater to writers at every point in their careers from beginners to multi-published.

RWA is the national organization for writers of romance. Unlike some other national organizations for select genres, RWA welcomes unpublished writers as well as the published. They also support local chapters of their organization, in my neck of the woods, CPRW. My local chapter is a wonderful, friendly group that meets once a month in a local library.

Drinking my wine from a Christmas goblet

Why spend the money to join writers' groups? I've found in my first few months as a full time writer that I'm quite happy to sit in my office for hours everyday and work. Alone with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. Sure I share with other people online but I don't speak to anyone else about my writing. I need those writing groups for some personal contact with other writers. It's so refreshing to sit in a room with them, exchange ideas, ask questions, answer questions, share in successes and failure. I'm always inspired after a writer's meeting.

A large amount of networking goes on at meetings and conferences. We make plans to promote each other, do book signings together, and some writers find their critique partners there. Being a writer doesn't mean you have to lonely.

Do you belong to any writing groups? Are they worth the money to belong? What do you get out of the group?

Don't forget to visit Alex J. Cavanaugh this week to celebrate the release of CassaStorm.

Origins

I'm thrilled to be part of this one day blogfest, Origins, or 'where did it all begin.'  This brainchild of DL Hammons, asks us to describe how we started on this crazy, frustrating, wonderful journey to become a writer.  I'm sure there are some interesting stories out there.

Unlike many writers I've met over the years, I had no desire to be an author when I was younger. But I always loved to read.  I think I read every fiction book in the library at our small elementary school. Like lots of kids, I started with novels about animals. Horses (The Black Stallion), dogs (The Call of the Wild) and discovered The Lord of the Rings from Tolkien in junior high school.  It was still a few decades later when I first thought about writing a novel of my own.

At the time I started there were very few fantasy romances being published.  An occasional futuristic novel could be found but they weren't big sellers.  But it was what I enjoyed reading so I finally decided if no one was going to write them, I would do it myself.  I started out writing longhand in a notebook between taking care of four small children, teaching full time and finishing up my master's degree. I also taught aerobic classes in the evenings.  Where did all that energy go? Wish I still had it.
Eventually I convinced my husband we needed a computer and we bought an iMac. Loved that machine. But the smartest thing I did, when I had finished typing that novel into the computer was to join my local chapter of RWA.  Those wonderful people taught me so much about POV, what editiors wanted and even how to find out where to submit my novel.  It was there I also learned about Pennwriters, a state-wide group that hosts a first rate conference each May. It took many rewrites, but I eventually found a publisher for that first novel.

New Concepts Publishing, one the oldest and most successful of the small independent publishers who were at the forefront of the ebook revolution, took on The Greater Good.  I experienced the editing process and started the ongoing process of learning about promotion. Since then, they've published five more of my fantasy romances.  Even though they published The Greater Good a number of years ago, every quarter it continues to earn a good income. 

I think the origin of my writing career is rather mundane but I feel good about how far I've come.  I'm not making mega-millions or even one million, but I'm doing okay.  No one has made a movie of any of my books, but I've received some great reviews and nice letters from readers.  I feel good about my writing career though I hope to do better. If you want to know the stories behind more writers careers, visit Cruising Altitude 2.0.

Did you always want to be a writer?  Do you like knowing a little more about the authors you read or don't you read the rear flaps to learn about the writer?

Feedback

Finally.  I put aside all the duties of family and made it to a meeting of a group of local writers.  They meet the last Wednesday of every month.  A few members of the group have invited me in the past but the timing never worked out for me to make an evening meeting.  Since I dropped my membership in RWA at the end of last summer, I've missed meeting with fellow writers face to face.  Thank you to Don Helin for inviting me.

The group met at the local B&N since Borders closed. Even though it's about a 35 minute trip in heavy traffic, I felt I really needed some person to person connection.  It was great.  Twelve writers attended, a multiple of genres represented, and together discussed where to go for the next meeting.  B&N didn't really want us there taking up space in the cafe.  Scrooges.  Next month will be in a local library.

After getting the organization items out of the way, the group hunkered down to the real purpose of their meetings.  A number of the attendees had brought up to five pages of a piece of work.  They passed around hard copies for everyone.  We took a few minutes to read and mark, and then went around the circle and gave feedback.  One of the rules is for the author not to respond to what is said.  It was very friendly.  The scope of knowledge and professionalism makes me regret not getting to this group earlier.

So what kind of feedback should one give?  I think it's important to start with the positive.  Good dialogue, great characters, interesting setting or perhaps an engaging plot.  But you don't really help anyone if you're only positive. 

At least one of the things shared was not of a genre I like reading so I tried to only pay attention to the words on the page.  If I felt I couldn't relate to the characters or their behavior, I kept my mouth shut unless I could specifically say what didn't work about them.  If I thought the pacing too slow, I searched for where the writing could be tightened.  It was my first time giving feedback in such a setting.  Usually I do this sort of thing online and not in real time so I have more time to figure out the words that are constructive rather than destructive.  I did know enough to try and end with a positive observation.  Writing is tough and anyone who can stay at it deserves some pats on the back.

Fortunately, the group gathered made few grammatical or punctuation errors.  Do you ever do face to face critique sessions?  What is the most important feedback you feel you can give or receive?

Rules of Writing

I'm going to guess most writers have some brand of style book hovering around near their writing desk.  You can even find style books online.  In them and in any other number of reference sites, books and classrooms, you can learn the 'rules' for writing.

This quote was in the monthly newsletter for Pennwriters:

"There are three rules for writing the novel.  Unfortunately, no one knows what they are." - W. Somerset Maugham

The longer I'm in the business of writing the more I believe in that quote.  I'm not sure when I realized ending a sentence with a preposition isn't really a sin though lots of editors don't like it.  Let's face it though, when we speak we end sentences in prepositions all the time.  Some sentences sound better with the preposition at the end.  How many of you have had editors who insist you don't have a single of, from, or whatever before the period.

I had an editor who insisted I remove every 'being' from my manuscript even the ones like, 'human being.'  She frustrated me a little.  Another editor insisted throughout an entire 450 page book that I should refer to the horse in my book as 'he.'  She wanted the stallion to always be called 'it.'  I threw a few things when I worked with her. 

How about not starting a sentence with a conjunction?  But I do this all the time.  And so do lots of authors, many of them very successful.  Because sometimes starting with a conjunction conveys the meaning the author wants.

So what 'rules' of writing do you break on a regular basis?  Which rules don't you like to see broken? Have you ever had an editor or critique partners who insisted you break no rules?

Conference or Stay Home?

I'm debating going to two different writers' conferences in the next few months.  I have friends at both conferences and certainly the chance to meet more.  I've looked over the presentation offerings for both and found a few workshops I might attend.  I like agent and editor panels and the glimpse they give me into their personalities.  Most of them come off as witty and interesting speakers.  I could always sit in another workshop on promotion.

What really attracts me to a writing conference though are the agents and editors attending and the chance to pitch to a desired editor or an agent.  I'm debating the cost of attending, one of them I wold have to stay overnight, and whether it's worth it to pay the money for a ten minute face to face. 

I can't decide.  What do you look for in selecting a conference?  How do you way the cost/benefit ratio? How many of you found your agent or publisher at a conference?

HELLO and Good Bye

Happy New Year! Hopefully you all have some wonderful events to look forward to in 2011.  The first day of the new year brings my first highly anticipated event.  Today is the official release date for Beyond the Gate!


Ebook Cover



Book #2 in The Futhark Chronicles picks up the story only moments after the end of book #1, The Keepers of Sulbreth.  It has two terrific covers, one for the ebook and one for the print.  You can purchase the ebook here and probably other places also.  It's not up on Amazon yet and my publisher is blaming them for being behind. 

You can buy the print book here if you'd rather have that.  Being my book, I prefer to have it both ways.  LOL.



Print Cover



I have other good news I'll share later this week but I do want to take this chance to say good bye to some dear friends.  My local chapter or RWA, called Central Pennsylvania Romance Writers, are a talented, supportive and friendly bunch.   Our monthly meetings are filled with laughter and generosity as members share knowledge and support.  I've learned so much from then and am certain I would never have been published without them.  But the economy (well, two kids in college) forced me to some tough choices this past year and one of those was to end the high yearly dues I must pay the national organization, RWA, to belong to my local group.  Their rules disallow membership in a local group if one doesn't pay the hostage fee, I mean dues, to the national organization.  So I say farewell to those lovely people and wish them the best.  Perhaps I'll rejoin later but in the meantime I'll keep in touch with many of them through my blog, their blogs, facebook and a few are fellow members of Pennwriters, a statewide and much less expensive group to belong to. 

 I'm thrilled about some of the things going on over the next few weeks, most of them related to the release of Beyond the Gate.  I have a blog tour later this month, ankle surgery later this week (ouch) and another book being released later this winter.  Busy and busier and wonderful.  So hello to 2011.