IWSG: February 2024

Here we are for this month's Insecure Writers Support Group blog hop. Big thank you to the admins of IWSG and our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh. Please stop by and share your highs and lows in this crazy writing life. And stop by to visit as many of the blogs on the participant list as you can.

Before answering this month's question, if you have a minute stop by my guest post featuring L. Diane Wolfe as she talks about her favorite 'alien' themed movies and announces her newest release, In Darkness: The Alien.

Diane is so talented. She writes fiction and nonfiction, runs her own publishing company, and attends
many events and conferences. And does them all very successfully. I'm very excited to announce that L. Diane Wolfe will be a guest publisher at the 2024 Annual Pennwriters Conference being held in May in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. After being online friends for years, I'll get to meet Diane in person. You can too. Find out more about the conference here

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This month's optional question:  What turns you off when visiting an author's website/blog? Lack of information? A drone of negativity? Little mention of author's books? Constant mention of books?

I can't put my finger on any one thing. If I go to an author's website, I want to hear about their books or I've followed a link because they're sharing some writing advice. I don't even mind if their newsletter invite pops up. I don't see many author websites that turn me off so I'm interested to read the other posts on this subject.

My writing is going okay. I'm still spending time each day on getting my books back out into the world. I have more than 30 books previously published by small presses that I now have my rights back to that

I'm re-editing and publishing myself. I'm trying to do one per month and have managed that so far. My latest re-emergence novel is my first fantasy novel ever published. The Keepers of Sulbreth is the first book in The Futhark Chronicles. Books 2, 3, & 4 will be forthcoming. I admit, I like the cover I designed better than the one my previous publisher created.

I'm so eager for spring, but I know it's a long way off. In good news, I think sometime within the next week or so, TV networks are finally getting some new shows on the air. I loved Will Trent last season and I'm looking forward to season 2 of Halo. Did you watch The Brothers Sun on Netflix.  Highly recommend.

I hope you're staying warm, and if you're in California, dry and safe. Seems that some kind of dangerous weather somewhere all the time.

Do you have a favorite alien movie? Do you have pet peeves about author websites? How is your writing going?

In Darkness: The Alien, Guest Post with L. Diane Wolfe

It is my pleasure to once again have L. Diane Wolfe as my guest. She writes such interesting posts. Please welcome her and read about her newest release.

Greetings to Susan’s fans and followers!

 

Since my latest release, In Darkness: The Alien, deals with extraterrestrials, she asked me to name a top five on both sides of coin. (Friendly/evil aliens.)

 

Friendly

 

The obvious – ET. But how about:

 

The Arrival – Starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, this film revealed gentle aliens who only wanted to help man.

 

The Iron Giant – Voiced by Vin Diesel, the title creature is a gentle giant, befriending a boy who wants to protect him from the government.

 

Starman – Starring Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen, this is a very sweet movie about an alien stranded on earth who takes on the appearance of a woman’s deceased husband.

 

Cocoon – Staring Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, and Hume Cronyn, the aliens here have only returned to revive and bring back their brethren who were left behind years ago.

 

Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Starring Richard Dreyfuss, these aliens are also benign despite abductions over the years, and its special effects hold up even 46 years later.

 

Evil

 

The obvious – War of the Worlds. But how about:

 

Aliens – Starring Sigourney Weaver, the aliens on this planet only want to propagate and destroy. It’s a wild ride as the humans struggle to outwit and defeat them.

 

The Puppet Masters – Starring Donald Sutherland, these alien invaders attach to humans to control and conquer them.

 

A Quiet Place – Starring Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, the danger of predator aliens who can hear any sound is intense and scary.

 

Signs – Starring Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix, it’s one man’s fight for the survival of his family against alien invaders.

 

The Thing – Starring Kurt Russell, this intense take on the novella Who Goes There, set in the artic, gives us an alien who only wants to assimilate and conquer.

 

Those are my tops picks. What are yours?

 

 

In Darkness: The Alien
By L. Diane Wolfe

Souls shrouded in darkness…

Abducted from her research station, Liz’s life is flung into chaos. Sold into servanthood for her knowledge of planetary mining to a race called the Stren, she discovers her problems go far deeper. She is to marry her alien master, Krist, after enduring a procedure designed to eradicate her emotions.

Desperate, Liz persuades the Stren to grant her the duration of a short voyage to change his perception of emotions. But how can she convince someone lacking feelings of their value? Is there a means of accessing the emotional side of Krist before it’s too late?

Release date – February 6, 2024

From Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. www.dancinglemurpress.com
Romance-Science Fiction / Science Fiction-Alien Contact / Romance-Paranormal
eBook ISBN 9781939844972 $3.99

A professional speaker and author, L. Diane Wolfe conducts seminars, offers book formatting, and author consultation. She’s an editor at Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. and contributes to the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.
http://www.spunkonastick.net/ - Spunk On A Stick
http://www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com - Spunk On A Stick’s Tips
http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/ - Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Links:
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6QVWB2K
iTunes - https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6449979850Le
Barnes & Noble - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940166065681
Kobo - https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9781939844972
Everand - https://www.everand.com/search?query=9781939844972

Gardners - https://www.gardners.com/Search/KeywordAnonymous/eBook?Keyword=9781939844972
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/171026121-in-darkness

Do you love aliens as much as I do? Do you prefer friendly or evil aliens? Have you checked out Diane's earlier books in this series?