IWSG: June 2026 Version

 Welcome to the first Wednesday blogging group, IWSG. Thank you to our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and all the IWSG admins. Find the list of participating blogs here and prepare to share all your insecurities and advice with the rest of us.

First apologies for missing last month. I was buried under Pennwriters Conference Work. On the good side, we had an amazing, wonderful conference with nearly 200 in attendance. Our Keynote speakers inspired and dazzled and at the same time were so approachable and generous with their time. Chuck Wendig is as entertaining in person as he is on his blog, Terrible Minds. Visit it if you have a chance. He has some strong opinions on AI. If you love horror and thrillers, you will really enjoy his book. Maria V. Snyder, one of Pennwriters own, has had a long career in both traditional and more recently, self-publishing. I have many of her fantasy novels on my shelves. Pennwriters' president, Dan Arndt, gifted me and my friend and coordinator partner, Leslie Tobin Smeltz, with the gift of handmade wizards. We were very grateful.

This month's optional question: Do most of your story ideas come from one place (the news, dreams, etc.) or do they hit from all over the place?

I've never had a story idea from a dream. I can't even tell you where they come from. I only know that I have more ideas than I have time to write. I wish I could write faster but I'll keep plodding along.

I am submitting my most recent novel to a publisher I pitched to at the conference. Here's hoping. I'm busy on book #2 of that series.

I found Greenland 2 disappointing. I didn't see the Mandolorian and Grogu in the theater, but I plan to see it sometime. I have some series recommendations from my children, but I haven't gotten into any of them. I did hear Enola Holmes 3 is coming July 1st. The creator of the series, Nancy Springer, is a long-time Pennwriter and I consider her a friend.

In the meantime, I caught up on my crocheting and am back to a walking/jogging routine. The finally warmer weather inspires me. I have a new jigsaw puzzle spread out on my puzzle table. Life is good.

Where do your story ideas come from? What projects are keeping you busy?

IWSG: April 2026

 

April, so soon. If only it felt like Spring outside. Welcome to the monthly, IWSG blog hop, meeting on the first Wednesday of each month. Thanks to our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and the other IWSG admins. Find the entire list of participants here. Please share all your current insecurities and your encouragements.

Speaking of encouragements, it means a lot when I read all the encouraging comments each month. Thank you to all of you who take the time to be so generous.

This month's optional question was about playlists meant to inspire our writing. I don't really do that. Music actually distracts me when I'm writing which is odd because I can have Netflix playing in the background and usually do without even noticing it. I have playlists for walking and that works for me. I listen to the music and don't even notice I've climbed that big hill.

As most of you know, I've been buried in work for the Pennwriters Annual Conference. By next month at this time, I'll have all the preliminary work done and be really relieved by that. And I have to use my jigsaw puzzle table to put together all the materials for it and that's just a hardship. I need my jigsaws.

I was part of a book fest this past weekend and didn't sell many books but it was fun spending time with other writers. I'm a huge introvert, so I had to take a nap when I got home. After the conference, I need days' worth of naps to re-energize.

I'm keeping this short as I have lots of work to do. Too much for someone my age. Keep writing. Keep warm and keep reading.

Do you use a playlist or do you like quiet when you write? What kind of music energizes you?

IWSG: March 2026

 

It's the first Wednesday in March and time for IWSG monthly blog hop. Thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh and all the iwsg admins for keeping this amazing group going for years and years. If you want to learn and share with a lot of amazing writers, find them all on this list.

Apologies for missing last month's hop. I'm not sure where my head was at the time. Really busy with the planning of the 2026 Pennwriters' conference but I still shouldn't have missed IWSG.

I'm going to skip the optional book launch question, but I'm going to take notes on all the other answers. It's been a while since I had a book launch but I'm hoping that changes in the next 12 months or so.

"There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream." Author Unknown

Besides being busy working on the conference, I've still working on the second draft of my most recent WIP. I worked through a scene that was challenging me but need to do more work on it. Almost there because I hope to pitch it to an agent and an editor at the aforementioned conference.

I've been reading so many disturbing articles about AI and writing. I'm afraid of where this will go? But I'm going to keep on writing anyway.

"Life is like riding a bycycle - in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving." Alber Einstein

In wonderful news, I found out that one of my five sons and my daughter are meeting on Facetime once a week to write together for an hour. My daughter has been writing for a long time but my son has just started. They're both so talented, I'm super excited.

And today, as you read this, our neck of the woods is supposed to finally get a break to this endless winter. After sleet and freezing rain yesterday, the temperature is supposed to climb to the fifties. Finally!

Except for all the not walking outside, all my other fun things are going great, crocheting, jigsaw puzzling, and writing, of course. I haven't made much of a dent over the winter in my TBR pile, actually added to it. But I've read so many great books.

So, what book launch advice are you giving? Are you worried about AI putting writers out of business? Is writing a family thing with you?

IWSG: January 2026

Welcome to the first IWSG blog hop post of 2026. I can't believe it's a new year already. Thank you to our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and all the other admins of this amazing group. Please visit some other blogs participating today at this list.

And this month's optional question:

Is there anything in your writing plans for 2026 that you are going to do that you couldn't get done in 2025?

Yes, I'm going to concentrate on my writing. I've been busy for the past two years planning the yearly conference for Pennwriters. I love doing it, but it takes away from my own writing time and drains my socia battery. All the social interaction required exhausts me. That includes participating in events to promote my own books.  I hope I have the energy to do more events if I'm not so heavily involved in planning that one big one.

In the meantime, I'm working on the second draft of my WIP and hoping to pitch it to one of the agents at that annual conference.

I'm looking forward to the 3rd season of The Night Agent. I didn't love the 2nd season but am holding out hope. The ending of Stranger Things was okay and left me satisfied. I haven't started the next season of The Witcher. It's probably good for me that I haven't been watching much media lately.

I have starting the new year by getting back into my walking routine that had faltered a little during November and December. So far, so good with between 3 to 5 miles per day. Anything to keep the body moving and fight off old age for as long as I can.

I received some wonderful jigsaw puzzles for Christmas. Really challenging and enjoyable. Between walking, puzzling, writing, crocheting, conference work, and getting my granddaughter to the bus, my retirement days are pretty full. Retirement is the best job ever and I hope you all get there soon.

The holidays were wonderful because we had the entire family here for Christmas Eve this year. Usually, we miss one or two. It was so much fun and actually relaxing. Hope yours was the same.

What are you hoping to spend more time on this year? Did you meet goals you set for 2025? Were the holidays had a success for you? 

IWSG: December 2025

 It really can't be the last post of 2025. Where did the year go? But it is the first Wednesday of the last month of the year and that means IWSG montly blog hop. As usual, thank you to Alex J. Cavanaugh and all the IWSG admins for all they do which is a lot. Please visit as many blogs as you can on this list.

This month's optional question:

As a writer, what was one of the coolest/best gifts you ever received?

I'm so fortunate. I've received so many great gifts over the years. The gift I needed most was a new laptop and there has been a few of those over the years. Coolest gift and most unexpected may have been the Ipad 13 one of my sons gave me last year for my birthday. And my children have given me so many great journals over the years, I don't know if I'll ever use them all. President Dan Arndt of Pennwriters gifted me a cool piece of art in thanks for doing so much work for the group and that livens up my writing space. Pennwriters also gifted me with a plague and a Meritorious Service Award a few years ago.  But the very best/coolest gift of all is the support my husband, children, and friends have given me over the years as I stagger along this writing journey.

Love the giver more than the gift. Brigham Young

I hope you have some great things planned for the upcoming holiday season. We have our usual family Christmas gathering on the 24th. I'm so grateful that all six of our children and our two grandchildren will be in attendance this year. It's my favorite day of the year. I wish I could gift all of you with the same joy and peace we'll share that day. If you are traveling, I pray for your safety.

"At Christmas, all roads lead home." Marjorie Holmes

In the meantime, I hope you're making plans for 2026. I'll share mine with you next month.

What terrific gifts have you received relating to your writing life? Are you traveling for the holidays? Are you making plans for 2026?

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. 

IWSG: November 2025

Welcome to the November version of IWSG. Thank you to our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh and all the admins of IWSG. Please join the others on this list as we share all our current insecurities.  

Optional question:

When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like? Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?

Well, I expected success because I was naive and thought if I just worked hard enough I could conquer this career because that was how I'd pretty much gone thought life and career before. Wow, did I have a lot to learn and I'm still learning it. My success in on the low end of moderate, but I'm still working at it. 

One of the most rewarding part of writing for me is the need to keep learning though it is really difficult to keep up. And to add to the interesting part, there's always a new threat. I've been in the busiess long enough to remember the fears that e-books were going to close libraries. Then the big publishers and many of their authors spread the fear that small presses would ruin books and lower their quality. Than self-publishing would be the end of books.

Some threats have been constant, like book pirates. And now we have the AI threat, the first one I'm actually concerned about.

One thing I didn't expect in my writing career was how heavily I would get involved in a writing group. Pennwriters is amazing and running conferences for them is very fulfilling. But by next year at this time, I hope to have extricated myself from most of my responsibilities there and concentrate on my own writing. 

My husband and I are enjoying The Last Frontier on AppleTV and Slow Horses was its usual fun ride as the band of misfit spies saved the day again. Haven't started the new season of The Witcher yet. Still mourning the exit of Henry Cavill.

I'm finally going to get real glasses today instead of just the readers I use now. I've noticed road signs aren't readable as early as they used to be. I guess I should be glad to have gone over 60 years without needing them before now.

Fnished my 5,000 piece puzzle. It was pretty challenging because so much of it was similar colors. I have a 6,000 piece puzzle awaiting but I'm waiting until after Christmas to start. It takes up too much space and I need the room for family staying for the holidays. I did read a study that said jigsaw puzzles are major stress busters. I concur.

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and have many reasons to give thanks. Save travels if you're going elsewhere.

How has your writing journey progressed? Disappointing, amazing, or inbetween? Are you traveling for the holidays.

IWSG: October 2025

 Fall is flying by and it's time again for IWSG first Wednesday blog hop. Our usual thank you to all the IWSG admins, our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and all the wonderful bloggers who participate. Find the list of participants here. Please share all your writing woes and victories with us.

This month's optional question:

What is the most favorite thing you have written, published or not? And why?

Easy question. Whatever novel I'm working on is my favorite and it always has been. I usually turn an idea over in my minds for months before I start a new novel or a new series. Once I start, the ideas expand and take unplanned twists and turns and keep me excited and the story flowing. I love working on a new series.

"I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else." Winston Churchill

This Saturday, I'll be at the Hershey Public Library as one of many authors participating in the Chocolate Town Book Fest. I can't wait. I'm sharing a table with a friend and many other writers I know are also participating. This is one step in my goal to attend more in-person book events where I can sell my books. I have three scheduled for 2026 so far. Wish you all could be there.

I haven't been spending any time watching movies or any TV. I don't think I'm missing much. My husband and I did spend some enjoyable hours watching The Last Ship, an older TNT show that is now on HBO. It was very tense and enjoyable. Later this month, the 3rd season of Dark Winds will be on Netflix. I hope it's as good as the first two seasons.

I know I'm an oldster now, and I think I have a pretty good idea of what that means. But the thing I didn't anticipate was that so many of my long-time friends as well as family would start facing so many health issues. It drags me down sometimes as I realize I'm going to lose them. I've already lost a few. Hug everyone you love while you can.

"Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance." Eckhart Tolle

Do you have a favorite writing creation? Do attend book fests or participate in them? Anything about getting older that have surprised you?