IWSG & Blogging News

  The Insecure Writer's Support Group is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. He, his clones, minions, friends, and fellow authors make it an amazing event every month.

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!  

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April 3 question - How long have you been blogging? (Or on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram?) What do you like about it and how has it changed?

Looking at my side panel, I see I've been blogging since 2009. Wow - that's a long time.

I started blogging without a clue how to do pretty much anything involved with writing. But it's been fun and I've enjoyed it.

My favourite part of blogging is the people I've met. I've met so many amazing writers and readers. I've learned most of what I know from people I've met through blogging. The connections I've made with bloggers, writers, and readers have been incredible.

Having said that, I think it's time for me to take a step back from the blog. I'm not sure if it's a permanent step or not, but I think it might be.

Writing and publishing are time-consuming ventures and I'm stretched a little thin. Time isn't a renewable resource and at this point, I need to make some tough decisions about where to best spend that time.

While blogging has been a lot of fun, I think I can better use that time on my stories. I'll probably still pop in from time to time, but I'm not making any promises :)

Thank you to everyone who's visited, commented, helped me along the way. I hope I've done my fair share of reaching out and helping as well.

Thanks to Alex and the IWSG for this wonderful, safe place to talk and connect.

Wishing you all the very best! I'll only be an email away!

IWSG & AI

 The Insecure Writer's Support Group is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. He, his clones, minions, friends, and fellow authors make it an amazing event every month.

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!  

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Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing?

Nope.

AI is not for me.

I do this job because I love words and stories. I love playing with words and stories. I have no desire to turn any of that over to a machine - not even for blurbs.

I know a lot of people have played with AI and use it to help them with the non-creative tasks. Still, not for me.

Sadly, I think there will be plenty of scammers willing to take advantage of AI to make themselves money at the expense of humans who are trying to make a living from their creativity and art.

I prefer to do my own work.

How about you?

IWSG & Bloo Moose Nooz

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. He, his clones, minions, friends, and fellow authors make it an amazing event every month.

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!  

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February 7 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?

For me, blogs and websites are different and have different purposes.

I'm a pretty straight-forward person and like websites to be straight-forward as well. A clear menu is a must. I don't think most of us need a lot of fussy things - mostly we need: links to the series, links to the books, links to social media, and an easy way to sign up for the author's newsletter.

If it's too difficult to figure out where things are, I give up.

One of my pet peeves when visiting author blogs is the lack of the person's name near the top of the blog. I've visited far too many where the author NEVER says their name. If the Blog title doesn't have your name in it, please put your name somewhere at the top!

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Bloo Moose Nooz

I started publishing the Bloo Moose series in 2020. I've learned a lot about covers and series since then. My cover designer and I decided it was time for a bit of a refresh of the Bloo Moose covers.

We wanted to make them more visually alike so they are obviously part of a series. And we wanted the "Reaching For" to be more visible. We've added the series number on the cover as well. Some of the cover art remains the same and some are zoomed in to keep in with the balanced look for the series.

The two different covers are for Trust and Roots. At the time, we couldn't find a good pic of Jack & Trina, so we used the legs. Ryan and Emmy also get a refresh with a photo that's more in line with the series.

What do you think? I think she's done a great job and I'm thrilled with the refresh!

The No Fail Heroes series will be out soon, but after that, it will be back to Bloo Moose for some more fun!

IWSG & Built Of Steel

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. He, his clones, minions, friends, and fellow authors make it an amazing event every month.

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!  

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January 3 question: Do you follow back your readers on BookBub or do you only follow back other authors?

I generally only follow back other authors now, although that was different when I first joined up.

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If you enjoy small-town romantic suspense, Built Of Steel releases next week! (Jan 9)

When your heart is the weakest link

Amazon - Apple - Google Play - Kobo - Nook - Everywhere else!

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I hope 2024 is kind, gentle, and generous to you and yours!

May your hard work make your dreams come true!