IWSG – FAVORITE GENRE

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh

What do you love about the genre you write in most often?

I write what I love to read. I’ve always been interested in the motivations of others, especially when it comes to murder. And a good who-done-it is my go-to relaxation and entertainment.

I’m enjoying the ‘Alienist’ now.

My awesome co-hosts for the February 7 posting of the IWSG are Stephen Tremp, Pat Garcia, Angela Wooldridge, Victoria Marie Lees, and Madeline Mora-Summonte!

Be sure to visit the
Insecure Writer’s Support Group Website!!!

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Have you signed up for the WEP Challenge

IN TOO DEEP

Any situation with the potential for unforeseen conflict. Or it could be literal – a flood, a hurricane, a mining disaster, you name it. This one is wide open. A million possible takes.

Love. War. Anything in between. An affair sours. A hobby (hubby?) goes berserk. An addiction teeters on the edge of out-of-hand. A sports tournament goes horribly wrong.

Let your creativity soar!

Thank you for visiting!

Comments are disabled. I will be traveling this week and will not have an opportunity to respond.

Goodbye, Dear Father, Dear Stranger . . .

My father died on Friday, and I lamented his loss with questions of why. On Saturday, I moved in a haze of numbness seeking distraction from reality. On Sunday the tears seem never-ending because there are so many unanswered questions.

My father was an enigma. In anger, he sought vengeance, valued beauty and wealth, and yet seldom recognized it. He threw away those most needful of him and therefore denied himself a blessed life.

We were estranged for many years, but age and ill health erased many of the reasons, and I am thankful for the reconciliation, but now he’s gone, and I can only pray. . .

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O Lord! In this Most Great Dispensation Thou dost accept the intercession of children in behalf of their parents.  This is one of the special infinite bestowals of this Dispensation.  Therefore, O Thou kind Lord, accept the request of this Thy servant at the threshold of Thy singleness and submerge his father in the ocean of Thy grace, because this daughter hath arisen to render Thee service and is exerting effort at all times in the pathway of Thy love.  Verily, Thou art the Giver, the Forgiver and the Kind!

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

    

O my God! O Thou forgiver of sins! Bestower of gifts! Dispeller of afflictions!
Verily, I beseech Thee to forgive the sins of such as have abandoned the physical garment and have ascended to the spiritual world.
     O my Lord! Purify them from trespasses, dispel their sorrows, and change their darkness into light. Cause them to enter the garden of happiness, cleanse them with the most pure water, and grant them to behold Thy splendours on the loftiest mount.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

THE  LOVE OF GOD
Bahá'í prayer booklet is published by the
Bahá'í Publishing Trust
27 Rutland Gate,
London SW7 1PD

Comments are disabled. Thank you for the kind words, thoughts, and prayers.

EXCITING NEWS, DOUBLE!

PRE-ORDER NOW!

Amazon

B&N

Goodreads

Review Copies Are Now Available

Let me or L. Diane Wolfe at Dancing Lemur Press know if you're interest. We'd so appreciate it.

Here's the list of stories:

Stitch In Crime by Gwen Gardner

Until Release by Jemi Fraser

The Tide Waits by Rebecca M. Douglass

Center Lane by - Christine Clemetson

One More Minute by Mary Aalgaard

Reset by Tara Tyler

Three O’clock Execution by S.R. Betler

The Little Girl In The Bayou by J.R. Ferguson

Cypress, Like The Tree by Yolanda Renée

Gussy Saint and The Case Of The Missing Coed by C.D. Gallant-King

Heartless by C. Lee McKenzie

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Sign Up Now for the WEP!

NOT WRITING, BUT

Hey everyone, I thought I’d post a personal blog today. All about me and what I’ve been doing. Not writing, heaven forbid, writing – what is that? I know, excuses, excuses. Here's what I've been doing instead?

Preparing the data on income and expenses for tax purposes. Always a fun adventure. NOT! But a necessary evil. The good news, 2017 ended up being a positive year for sales – no red ink.

Also, I’ve been working with the authors of Tick Tock: A Stitch In Crime on a marketing plan for the May 1^st release. But you can Pre-order NOW!

Amazon.com

We've got a Facebook Page: Tick Tock Mystery - 

https://www.facebook.com/TickTockMystery/

And we have a Blog!

https://ticktockmysteries.blogspot.co.uk/

Check them out, please.

The WEP also starts the year this February, and it’s not all about Valentines and love. This prompt is called IN TOO DEEP!

How cool is that – does it pique your writing senses? I hope so. Sign-up on Thursday, February 1^st and post the week of February 18^th.

But we've also got a new guest post by the winner of the last challenge Adura Ojo - She wrote an amazing poem called The End is the Beginning: Why Cinderella Needs a new Song  

Please read her words on how a single story creates stereotypes...

And then I’ve been trying to get the Detective Quaid Series set up with the Kindle eBook feature – X-Ray.

What is X-Ray?

X-Ray automatically creates a list of characters and terms in your book, for which you can provide descriptions and expanded information. Readers can view your content while reading your Kindle eBook.

How do I add to my book?

1.      Review an item and add a description.

2.     Click the "Item reviewed" switch to add the character or term to the list of items to be published.

3.     Repeat steps 1 and 2 for as many items as you want. You do not need to add all characters and terms at once.

4.    When you are ready to make your content visible to readers, click the "Review and publish X-Ray" button. You will receive an email when your content is available to readers.

Have you added X-Ray to your books? It’s a job and a half, but I think it can add a lot to the reader's experience. What do you think?

What have you been up to? Writing, I hope!

TICK TOCK COVER REVEAL

The clock is ticking...

Can a dead child’s cross-stitch pendant find a missing nun? Is revenge possible in just 48 minutes? Can a killer be stopped before the rescuers are engulfed by a city ablaze? Who killed what the tide brought in? Can a soliloquizing gumshoe stay out of jail?

Exploring the facets of time, eleven authors delve into mysteries and crimes that linger in both dark corners and plain sight. Featuring the talents of Gwen Gardner, Rebecca M. Douglass, Tara Tyler, S. R. Betler, C.D. Gallant-King, Jemi Fraser, J. R. Ferguson, Yolanda Renée, C. Lee McKenzie, Christine Clemetson, and Mary Aalgaard.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these eleven tales will take you on a thrilling ride into jeopardy and secrecy. Trail along, find the clues, and stay out of danger. Time is wasting...

Release date - May 1, 2018

A Stitch in Crime – Gwen Gardner

Until Release  - Jemi Fraser

The Tide Waits – Rebecca M. Douglass

Center Lane - Christine Clemetson

One More Minute – Mary Aalgaard

Reset – Tara Tyler

Three O’Clock Execution - S.R. Betler

The Little Girl in the Bayou - J.R. Ferguson

Cypress, Like the Tree - Yolanda Renée

Gussy Saint and the Case of the Missing Coed - C.D. Gallant-King

Heartless – C. Lee McKenzie

Mystery & Detective/Crime/Thrillers

Print ISBN 9781939844545 eBook ISBN 9781939844552

A Musical Influence

Does music influence your writing. 

Is it the music, the words, or the atmosphere it creates?

Josh Groban's album.

Closer

was the influence for the

love story in my first novel

MURDER, MADNESS & LOVE.

Two songs:

My Confession

&

When You Say You Love Me

The two songs that influenced my writing of the first book in the Detective Quaid Series.

There were other songs, and they're all mentioned in the novel, but these were the two that were specific to Steven Quaid and Sarah Davis.

Another song that follows the characters through all the novels is

You Are My Sunshine

It's a song that Sarah sings when she's troubled, and in future novels, it's a song that foreshadows bad news when ever it's mentioned in the novel.

So do you have a favorite singer, or song that helped make your novel come together?

ISWG - 2018 & Goals

IWSG

The INSECURE WRITER’S SUPPORT GROUP founded by

Alex J. Cavanaugh!

This month’s Question is - What steps have you taken or plan to take to put a schedule in place for your writing and publishing?

My answer: I’m always working on a plan. Setting goals are and always has been an essential part of my life. The first thing I did this New Year’s Day was to write out a definite set of goals and a plan to achieve them.

Now it’s time to get to work!

&

Now that the news has been shared

I can shout it to the world!

My story

Cypress, Like the Tree

Placed in the IWSG Anthology!

I am THRILLED!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WRITERS WHO PLACED!

Such an exciting way to start the New Year!

Don’t forget the awesome co-hosts Tyrean Martinson, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Megan Morgan, Jennifer Lane, and Rachna Chhabria! Be sure to visit and comment.

This year was a wild one, but in the end, several goals were achieved. A book was published, and we are now living on the coast with a lovely view of the ocean. A dream come true. The journey here was a bit crazy, but not all paths run straight. Still, we are blessed!

          While I was absent most of the time from blogging and social media, I did manage a few posts, and I did my best to keep up with friends. I know I’ve missed some critical changes in many lives, but I hope to catch up and will try my best to be more active this year.

          I feel that it’s important to acknowledge several of the folks that never lost faith in me this last year. Most significant is Denise Covey, my partner in crime at the WEP. I may be speaking out of turn, but the relationship that we’ve developed over the years proved invaluable this year with all the emergencies, travel plans & moves, and all the chaos that filled 2017.

          Thank you, my friend! I love you dearly!

And I value the creativity and artistic input of Nilanjana Bose and Olga Godim. We are now an unbeatable team! Thank you, Denise, Nila, and Olga! I am so proud to be part of such a unique writing team!

To that end, I’m happy to announce that the

The Winners of the WEP December Challenge –

 The End is the Beginning were announced today!

Please stop by and congratulate the winners!

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          I also need to thank Susan Swiderski, Michael Di Gesu, Chrys Fey. Without them, The Snowman would not have been released in 2017. But more important than just support for the writing these amazing individuals were there when the personal got to be too much! Thank you!

          Thank you all for always being there when I needed input, editing, and hand holding!

           A special Thank You for all those who've read and commented on my blog posts. Your support has inspired my faith and keeps me striving for the possible!

May the New Year help you reach the goals you've set!

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

&

HAPPY READING & WRITING

IN

2018