IWSG: June 2023

 

Welcome to the Insecure Writer's Support Group. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. We are rockin' the neurotic writing world.

The awesome co-hosts for the June 7 posting of the IWSG are Patrcia Josephine, Diedre Knight, Olga Godim, J. Lenni Dorner, and Cathrina Constantine!

Optional question: If you ever did stop writing, what would you replace it with?

That is a thought-provoking question. If I answer it, will I be admitting that I would quit writing? Since I haven't written anything this past month, does that mean I've stopped? I like to think I haven't given up. That I will continue writing.

I hope you all have a good month, one that is filled with ideas and inspiration. 

Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today. 

IWSG: Inspiration

Welcome to the Insecure Writer's Support Group. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. We are rockin' the neurotic writing world.

The awesome co-hosts for the May 3 posting of the IWSG are Joylene Nowell Butler, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Meka James, Victoria Marie Lees, and M Louise Barbour!

In the May newsletter, it says I’m one of the cohosts. I had to beg off. My computer—you know the I had to buy in January—is in for repair (bad network card) so I’m using hunt and peck on my iPad. Slow. Slow. Slow. I have been having the worst time with electronics.

When you are working on a story, what inspires you?

Sometimes it’s music, especially without lyrics. Music can put me in the mood. Books and movies in my genre help. I’m looking forward to reading what helps others. 

Hopefully I’ll get my computer back soon so I can visit you all  

Hope you have a great writing month.

Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today. 

IWSG: April 2023

Welcome to the Insecure Writer's Support Group. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. We are rockin' the neurotic writing world.

The awesome co-hosts for the April 5 posting of the IWSG are Jemima Pett, Nancy Gideon, and Natalie Aguirre!

A thank you to whoever came up with an optional question each month. That really helps when I have difficulty thinking about what I should write. 

April 5 question - Do you remember writing your first book? What were your thoughts about a career path on writing? Where are you now and how is it working out for you? If you're at the start of the journey, what are your goals?

I sure do remember, even though it was almost 30 years ago. Holy cow! I didn't realize it was that long ago. 

My thoughts as I wrote my first story was that I was going to treat this (writing) as a business. When I "went to work" (had a definite writing time), my writing increased. I even took a class for starting a small business. That's when I learned I should have a separate checking account and credit card, both dedicated for my business, keeping them separate from the family finances. I also learned about making long-term goals for the business. Although I learned about getting a tax ID for the business and how to report sales tax, I figured my books would be in bookstores, and they could take care of that. A few years ago, when I started selling my books at craft and vendor shows, I figured I'd better get that tax ID and report the sales tax I collected. 

After that class, I got my new checking account and credit card. I tried making long-term goals but never kept it up. I learned about writing query letters (thanks to Writer's Market) and a list of publishers and agents. Mind you, this was all before the internet really got big. Everything I learned then was from paper books, the library, and wonderful fellow writers who shared info. How much easier it is today with Google and the many online writers groups.

That first story had several rejections, some even with "send something else." I entered the first 3 chapters in contests. Boy, did I ever get some interesting comments from the judges. Learned a lot from that. Those early stories were practice and will never see the light of day again. 😀

Eventually, I sold my first book to a niche publisher. Since then, I've published fourteen more (one to another small publisher, the rest self-published). Even though I'm not making a lot of money, I'd say my plans have worked out.

Hope you have a great writing month.

Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.

#WeWriWa - The Case of the Wedding Wrecker: Enough Pity Partying

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release. I'm sharing snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. Last time, Alex finally gets home from the jail when her friends descend on her. After holding it all in for hours, she falls apart.

Snippet: 

My two besties sat on either side of me and rubbed my bare shoulders.

“Hey, it’s going to work out,” Ellie said.

“There, there now,” Dottie crooned like I was one of her kids with a scraped knee. No hugs or kisses were going to make me feel better. Though she tried.

“I miss my mom.” I sobbed my heart out. Mom should have been here. She should’ve been the one to twitch my veil, hug me, and commiserate over that stupid deputy interrupting the wedding. Instead, cancer stole her from me.

And a little more:  

“I know, I know,” Dottie crooned again.

Ellie ran to the bathroom and got a wet washcloth. She handed it to me to wipe my tears. I gasped at the cold.

“Enough pity partying.” That was Ellen. Straight to the point. “What did Chief Hoesen say?”

While I appreciated their help, I couldn’t bear any more questions.

“Please don’t ask. I don’t know what happened. I do know Nick is innocent.”

“Of course, he’s innocent,” Dottie proclaimed. “Anyone who thinks different is a moron. Like Deputy Dawg. That man is several bricks shy of a load.”

“He’s more like a brick,” Ellen concurred. “How dare he march into church and arrest Nick?”

 

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. Stay safe and healthy and have a great week.

#WeWriWa - The Case of the Wedding Wrecker: Unwanted Company

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release. I'm sharing snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. Last time, Alex and family (hers and Nick's) left the police station. Each to their own home.

Snippet: 

Pop punched in the code to unlock the back door to the office then ushered me through. I’d closed the agency for the wedding . . . and for the following week. Now, I wished I hadn’t. I needed work. First, I needed to get out of the dress. Spanx held everything in, but now it had to come off.

A rapid pounding on the door behind us stopped us both. Pop and I looked at each other. He checked the peephole then let in my two best friends and their husbands, their arms loaded with packages. 

I so did not want company.

And a little more:  

After hugs and questions—which I didn’t/couldn’t answer—we all trooped upstairs to my apartment.

“We gathered the leftovers from the reception.” Practical Dottie explained the packages. “We figured you all hadn’t eaten since breakfast. I called Tony and Maria. They’ll be over shortly.”

More company. Great. Just great.

Leaving the men to deal with the packages, Dottie and Ellen followed me into my bedroom. Ellie turned me around. I expected more questions. Instead, she said, “Let’s get you out of your gown.”

Between her and Dottie, I was soon free of the beautiful, white tulle and crepe. And the Spanx. Now, I could breathe again.

“I can’t bear to look at that dress.” Ignoring Ellie’s cringe, since the dress came from her store, I said, “I don’t want to ever see it again.”

Without a word, she hung the gown on the back of my closet door. Out of sight, out of mind. My perfect day had been shot to shit. Sorry, Mom, I mentally apologized for cussing. Mom would be so ashamed of me.

That’s when I lost it. I sank down on my bed and burst into tears.

 

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. Stay safe and healthy and have a great week.

#WeWriWa ~ #WeWriWa - The Case of the Wedding Wrecker: Time of Death

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release. Thank you all for your comments on last week's post. Your encouragement really helps.

I'm sharing snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. When we last left Alex at the jail, Nick said he can't tell her where he was between one and three the morning before.

Time to leave the jail scene. After everyone has been interviewed by the police, they meet up outside.

Snippet:

In the parking lot, Maria, Pop, and Tony stood clustered around Maria’s car, parked two spaces over from the limo. Since we weren’t allowed to talk about the interviews before, I asked what the chief had asked them.

“He seemed very interested in where Nick was between midnight and three,” Tony said.

“If only that boy had listened to me. He should’ve stayed put, in our house.” Maria wrung her hands. “I told him it was bad luck to see you.”

From the glare she shot me, she blamed me for her horny son. Great.

And now a little bit more:

“We heard him go to bed at twelve-thirty,” Tony said. “We realized he was gone when we got up at seven. I didn’t hear a thing in between.”

“You wouldn’t hear a truck smashing into the house,” Maria said. “You and your snoring.”

“I do not snore.”

Maria shot him the look. Having been the recipient of that look, I sympathized with Tony. “I heard Nick leave at one,” she said.

“It doesn’t take two hours to get from your house to Alex's apartment,” Tony said. He still hadn't forgiven Maria for buying a home in Michigan since they had a perfectly good condo in Arizona. Ack. They could work that out.

I needed to concentrate on Nick. I turned to his lawyer, Hans Bogardus, as he helped his dad into their car on the other side of Maria’s. “Why did Dan ask us so many questions about the time we saw Nick?”

Hans straightened. “Because the medical examiner put the time of death between one and two in the morning.”

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. Stay safe and healthy and have a great week.

IWSG: Author Envy

Welcome to the Insecure Writer's Support Group. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. We are rockin' the neurotic writing world!

The awesome co-hosts for the March 1 posting of the IWSG are Diedre Knight, Tonya Drecker, Bish Denham, Olga Godim, and JQ Rose!

Am I the only one who thinks 2023 is flying? February didn't start out well, not with a dead computer and the prospect of buying a new one. My wonderful tech guy neighbor was able to retrieve my files that weren't backed up to the cloud, including a whole bunch of family pictures. The transition to the new computer has not been easy. Same company, but they put some of the keys in different places. What the heck was that for??? Anyway, I don't have an excuse for not writing much this month, although I have read a lot. Refilling the well. I hope March will be better.

One thing I did in February was awesome. My former RWA chapter disaffiliated from RWA and started up a new writers' group. I'm so glad. I had to quit the chapter last February when my RWA dues were due. How I missed our monthly meetings--the programs but especially the members. Fortunately, our group offers virtual meetings along with in-person ones. We cover most of Michigan, except the Detroit area, and distances to meetings can be great. I attended (virtually) our first meeting. Yay! Great to see so many familiar faces. Groups that support writers are so essential, well, to my sanity at least. That's why the Insecure Writers Support Group is wonderful. Thanks, Alex and all who work hard behind the scenes to keep this group going.

Now, on to the optional question.

March 1 question - Have you ever read a line in novel or a clever plot twist that caused you to have author envy?

I sure have. I'm always amazed at the way some writers produce atmosphere--especially spooky, creepy, chilling. A shoutout to one of our members who does that: Nancy Gideon. The atmosphere in her books draws me in and doesn't let go until the final page. 

I love a plot twist that totally surprises me. You would think with all the mystery stories I read that I could foresee what will happen. Some authors are so good at leading the reader down the primrose path. LOL Then, wham. To borrow a line from a Bruce Willis movies: I didn't see that one coming.

Hope you all have a great writing month.

Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.