It's the 1st Wednesday. Happy Insecure Writers Support Group Day. IWSG is the brainchild 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: Nancy Gideon, Tamara Narayan, Liesbet @ Roaming About, Michelle Wallace, and Feather Stone!
Before I get to my own good news, IWSG had some, too. Be sure to check out the new anthology Hero Lost: Mysteries of Death and Life.
Congratulations to the authors: Jen Chandler, L. Nahay, Renee Cheung, Roland Yeomans, Elizabeth Seckman, Olga Godim, Yvonne Ventresca, Ellen Jacobson, Sean McLachlan, Erika Beebe, Tyrean Martinson, and Sarah Foster.
My Good News
Last month, I announced I'd finished my work-in-progress. My news this month is that my novel has been published. The Case of the Meddling Mama took so long, in comparison to how I usually write. It was a source of frustration, mainly because I couldn't understand why I dogged around on it. Once I buckled down (so to speak) and pushed myself, I finished it and got it off to my wonderful free-lance editor. She found little that needed changing. Whew! Quite a few typos and some grammar stuff. I love that kind of editing. How many of you remember the ad that stated "We serve no wine before its time." (I might not have gotten that correct, but I'm guessing you might know it.) Perhaps, this was the right time for that story.
In other news, we are home from Arizona. Again. Loved being able to celebrate our granddaughter's 2nd birthday. Her parents are bringing her up right. They read to her at night. And during the day. In fact, whenever she'll sit still. Needless to say, her grandmother read to her often, too.
The optional question this month: What is the weirdest/coolest thing you ever had to research for your story?
That is a great question. For The Case of the Meddling Mama I researched drugs, both legal (prescription) drugs and the illegal ones. One of the characters (a teen) was convinced his buddy was using drugs. I needed to know what kinds of drugs high school kids would take and the dangers they faced. Without being preachy (I hope), I let my readers know some of the ways kids get drugs. Working in a serious topic when my mysteries are light and humorous was a challenge. I hope I did justice to it.
I learned quite a bit about drugs, but what really freaked me out were the pop-up messages. Most had advice about conquering drug addiction and where help was available. Was Big Brother watching me?
Blurb
Go on an adventure with PI Alex O'Hara as she solves another
case. Nick's mother has moved in with Alex, putting a crimp in Nick and Alex's
romance. What's a girl to do? At least her new case is an easy one.
Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Kobo
~ Barnes
& Noble ~ iTunes
~ Smashwords
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.
