It's the 1st Wednesday of 2018. Happy First Insecure Writers Support Group Day of the year. 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. And thanks to this month's awesome hosts: Tyrean Martinson, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Megan Morgan, Jennifer Lane, and Rachna Chhabria!
January is named after the Roman god Janus. Note that he has two faces, one for looking back and one to look forward. Isn't that what we do at this time of year? We look back at what we've accomplished and look forward to what we want to do this year.
In 2017, I wrote two novels and two short stories. The novels were published, one in April (The Case of the Meddling Mama) and the other in early December (Romance Rekindled). One short story became my entry into The Rose of Prose Holiday Collection. The other is a free gift for subscribers to my newsletter. Considering I had houseguests (Son & his family) for two months, I'm proud of what I accomplished.
So what about 2018? My plan is to finish a romantic suspense (needs 20k words) and write two more novels (together 150k). That is such a daunting goal. Then I broke it down to the number of words I needed to write per day. Thanks to my handy-dandy calculator, 170k words divided by 360 days (I figured I'd need a few days off) means I need to write 475 words per day. Now that doesn't sound daunting at all. Yesterday, I wrote 779 words. I'm ahead of my goal already. (I didn't write on Jan. 1; one of my free days.)
This month's optional question: What steps have you taken or plan to take to put a schedule in place for your writing and publishing?
I just told you part of my plan, writing at least 475 words/day. That is as far as I've gotten in my plan. I need to set up the months I want to have each story completed so I can line up my editor and cover designer. I also need to get Romance Rekindled into print, something left over from last year.
How about you? Have you set forth your plan for 2018?
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.
And now the 2nd part of today's post. Chrys Fey is one of our members and I'm happy to participate in her Flaming Crimes Blogfest.
Prompt: What is something ridiculous you would save if there was a
fire?
Chrys said what I write about shouldn't be something that everyone would save--family photos, passport and other documents, etc. It should be something that means something to me but that others would think ridiculous. I've had over a month to think about this. Did I? Nope. As I look around my living room/dining room/kitchen, I see my nutcracker collection on top of bookcases, the china cabinet, curio cabinet, and the kitchen cabinets. With over a hundred, I have a lot to choose from. My eyes keep going to the ugliest nutcracker I've ever gotten. My decision is made.
So why would I take that? Every year, Hubs works hard to find an unusual nutcracker, one I don't have in a thirty-plus year collection. Last year, he found the wolf. (I think it's a wolf.) I would take that one because it represents not just my collection, but it represents all Hubs' efforts to find that different nutcracker each year.
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Series: Disaster Crimes #4
Page Count: 304
Digital Price: 4.99
Print Price: 16.99
Rating: Spicy (PG13)
BUY LINKS:
BLURB: Beth and Donovan are now
happily married, and what Beth wants more than anything is a baby. Her dream of
starting a family is put on hold as fires burn dangerously close and Donovan
becomes a victim of sabotage.
Donovan escapes what could've been a deadly wreck. Their past
enemies have been eliminated, so who is cutting brake lines and leaving bloody
messages? He vows to find out, for the sake of the woman he loves and the life
they're trying to build.
Amidst a criminal mind game, a fire ignites next to their home.
They battle the flames and fight to keep their house safe from the blaze
pressing in on all sides, but neither of them expects to confront a psychotic
adversary in the middle of the inferno.
Their lives may just go up in flames…
About the Author: Chrys Fey is the
author of the Disaster Crimes Series,
a unique concept blending romance, crimes, and disasters. She’s partnered with
the Insecure Writer’s Support Group and runs their Goodreads book club. She’s
also an editor for Dancing Lemur Press.
Author Links:
Diane's note: I've read all of Chrys' Disaster Crimes books. They are riveting. Beth and Donovan have survived so many disasters. Each time, I'm on the edge of my seat hoping they'll make it. I can't wait to read this one.
Here's a list of others who are participating in Chrys Fey's Flaming Crimes Blogfest:
