IWSG 12 Year Celebration!

 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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September Question: The IWSG celebrates 12 years today! When did you discover the IWSG, how do you connect, and how has it helped you?

Happy Anniversary IWSG!!!

12 years - almost a teenager!

I remember when IWSG first started. I didn't join right away because life was overwhelming at that point. I also didn't feel like a "real" author yet and Imposter Syndrome was all-consuming. I still deal with Imposter Syndrome daily, but I manage to shove it to the side and get words written and published anyway.

For years, I read and responded to tons of IWSG blog posts, but I didn't post my first post until July 2016. That seems like such a long time ago now!

I wrote my first short story in response to the IWSG Anthology prompt of a ticking clock. I'd never written a short story before but an idea I loved popped into my head and it was selected for the anthology.

Having Until Release accepted and published was the boost I needed to start finding my way through Imposter Syndrome. If that hadn't happened, I'm not sure I would have ever had the confidence to publish.

Now, here we are in 2023 and I've published a nonfiction book on Dementia, 10 Bloo Moose Romances, 4 Small Town Heroes Romances (#5 Built Of Illusions releases on Sept 19!!) and I'm halfway through drafting the stories for my next series.

I'm so grateful to Alex for creating the IWSG and to the many (MANY!) friends I've discovered through the blogs. Not only is Alex a terrific author, he's a genuinely kind and generous human being!

So Happy Bloggiversary to Alex and the IWSG! Thanks for everything you do!!

How about you? Has the IWSG given you a much needed boost?

The IWSG & Covers

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!  

February 1 question - If you are an Indie author, do you make your own covers or purchase them? If you publish trad, how much input do you have about what goes on your cover?

I made the cover for Dancing With Dementia. I loved the experience of learning how to use photoshop and create layers and elements. I enjoyed finding just the right image and choosing fonts and colours.

What I didn't enjoy? The time commitment! And while the result is fine and portrays what I want it to portray, I'm sure the cover will get an update at some point.

I have a talented family member who is terrific with graphics. She enjoys studying fonts and putting the images together. She loves the challenge of branding the series and keeping the look of each series separate. I LOVE the results of her work and I was more than happy to turn over the job of designing covers to her.

What about you? Any talented family members helping you out in your business? Anyone great with graphics and fonts and the rest?

Sleep well, Lizzie

My first published book was Dancing With Dementia: Recognizing and Coping with the Early Stages of Dementia.

The star of the book is Lizzie. I used an alternate name for Mom to protect her privacy but the stories in the book are all real.

Lizzie was a firecracker - from her early days growing up in Scotland throughout WWII to her time in a local nursing home where she was often the highlight of the day for many people.

Dementia is a cruel and nasty disease. The last few weeks have been difficult for Lizzie as she mostly lost contact with the world around her. She was put into palliative care and fell into a peaceful sleep. She passed away Monday morning without experiencing any pain.

Lizzie was known for her sense of humour, her adventurous spirit, her oh-so-colourful language, and her big heart. We will miss her sass, her spunk, and her stories.

Sleep well, Lizzie. Sleep well.

#IWSG and Audiobooks

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!   

April 6 question - Have any of your books been made into audiobooks? If so, what is the main challenge in producing an audiobook?

I haven't taken the dive into audiobooks yet.

It's cost-prohibitive - or at least it was when I first checked into it a few years back. One piece of advice I received at the time was that it was only smart to do an audiobook if your profits from one month for that title (only the one book) would easily pay for the narrator, which at the time was between $2k and $5k. Um...no.

As a teacher, I've been reading aloud for decades and have pretty good skills in that area...but...I'm certainly not a professional, nor do I have a sound booth or good place for a "studio".

I may try it for Dancing With Dementia at some point but I'm not as sure about the romance. Maybe. It's a whole new skill and at least two new technologies to learn (microphone, program, sound editing...). Even though the idea of learning new skills and tech appeals to me, I'm not sure I have the time for that.

How about you? Are you an audiobook reader? (I'm not because of the bouncy brain and that might be part of my reticence as well.) Have you enjoyed the audiobook process if you're a writer?

IWSG & Risk Taking

 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!  

April 7 question - Are you a risk-taker when writing? Do you try something radically different in style/POV/etc. or add controversial topics to your work?

Short Answer: Nope!

Slightly Longer Answer:

My memoir, Dancing With Dementia, is a bit of a mixed genre. Most of the book is written in short snippets about our experiences with dementia. These sections are organized by themes. They read as short stories (although they are 100% factual). The back of the book includes lists relevant to families experiencing the early stages of dementia (early warning signs, communication tips, self-care tips etc.). While this isn't exactly controversial, it does combine a couple of styles/genres in one book.

My Bloo Moose romances follow the most important romance rule - there is always a happy ending! My characters don't always follow stereotypical gender role jobs. I blend a lot more humour into my romantic suspense than is typical. But, no, nothing too controversial.

That pretty much matches my personality.

How about you? Anyone going boldly where no one has gone before? Anyone bending gender stereotypes? Anyone writing in second person? Anyone thrive on controversy?

IWSG & Saving Civilization

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!  

The awesome co-hosts for the November 4 posting of the IWSG are Jemi Fraser, Kim Lajevardi, L.G Keltner, Tyrean Martinson, and Rachna Chhabria! 

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Before we get to today's question, I want to give a shout out to our own Elle Cardy/Lynda Young. Her latest book, Well of Ash is SO GOOD!!! The world-building blows my mind and the characters are amazing! Be sure to check it out!

No one knows who built the Great Wells across the world or why. To linger near makes the skin crawl and the mind drift in nightmares. Yet this one calls to Ash in whispers that pull her closer. Soon she’s caught in a mystery that can kill. She must find the answers before she loses her sanity and her life.

If you like dragons, magic, and a fierce heroine with a wounded heart, then you’ll love Well of Ash, a YA Fantasy novella by Elle Cardy. Available now as an ebook and paperback on Amazon. OR, for a limited time, pick up a free copy when you join Elle’s VIP newsletter club.

November 4 question - Albert Camus once said, “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” Flannery O’Conner said, “I write to discover what I know.” Authors across time and distance have had many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write?

Well, I'm not sure Bloo Moose is going to save civilization, but I love the quote!

I've always been a reader and I've "told" stories in my head since I was very small. I was too shy/awkward to share and didn't actually write any of them down until well after my own kids were born.

Once I wrote my first story (a really angsty Star Trek TNG story with all kinds of equality themes going on) I realized that creating the stories was fun. And (strangely) going through the story to make it better was fun too. Learning the craft proved to be fun as well.

I wrote my first short story because the prompt intrigued me. This became my first published story (Until Release in the Tick Tock IWSG anthology) and it gave me the confidence to get my work out there.

Dancing With Dementia was written because dementia had crashed into my family and writing about it helped me process it all in the hopes of helping others.

My Bloo Moose series is contemporary romantic suspense. Reaching For Christmas releases on Tuesday and it will be book 5, I'm working on book 7 for NaNo. I write in this genre because it's all about overcoming obstacles within ourselves and teaming up to take on another obstacle. And Hope. My books are always about Hope. 

So, I guess my rather convoluted answer is that I write because it's fun, it helps me process life and it gives me hope for the future.

How about you? Anyone else start off with Fan Fiction? Anyone write to help process their lives or to bring hope into your own? Or are you out to save civilization? We need that!

I'm also visiting with the amazing Denise Covey today talking about rapid release. Hope to see you there!

IWSG & Working Writers

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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October 7 question - When you think of the term working writer, what does that look like to you? What do you think it is supposed to look like? Do you see yourself as a working writer or aspiring or hobbyist, and if latter two, what does that look like?

For me, a working writer is one who has moved past the hobby stage. I think a working writer is actively planning to publish or has already published a book and has plans to write multiple books to publish.

I spent the better part of a decade learning the craft, finding my voice, deciding on the age group and genre I wanted to write, and dodging life's curveballs. During that time I didn't consider myself a working writer.

Once I published Dancing With Dementia in March, I felt like a writer but not a working writer.

Now that the Bloo Moose series is on the loose and growing I definitely would consider myself a working writer. I plan on growing the series and have plans for at least 2 more series I'd love to write within the romance/romantic suspense world. I also have some SF I'd like to try but I think I'll stay on-brand for the foreseeable future.

How about you? Is your definition similar to mine? Are you a working writer? Do you have plans that are bigger than your time to achieve them? Anyone else write in series?

PS: Reaching For Balance (Bloo Moose #4) releases on Tuesday, October 13. It is currently available for preorder for $0.99. It will pop up to regular price of $3.99 after release, so pick up your copy now!

PPS: If you want to try the series out, Reaching For Normal (Bloo Moose #1) is FREE at all retailers!

PPPS: Reaching For Christmas (Bloo Moose #5) releases on Tuesday, November 10. It is currently available for preorder for $0.99. Its price will pop up to $3.99 after release as well.

Thank You!

I can't even begin to tell you how my heart has grown over the last week.

I am surrounded by awesome and that includes every single person reading this. So many kind and generous people shared the news of my release in the last week. So many people commented on blog posts and shared stories that touched my heart ... even as my heart shattered for them as well.

Dementia is a nasty disease.
It's difficult to write about.
It's difficult to discuss.
We don't want reminders.
We don't want to talk about it.
Mostly, we just want it to go away.

But this online writing/reading community amazes me with its generosity and kindness.

I am so incredibly awed to share this little orange flag over at Amazon from Saturday morning

#1 New Release!!!

Further down the page from the same time

Holy Cow!!!
(Yes, I know it's a small category and I know the numbers will drop! 😄)

I'm overwhelmed and so grateful to everyone who has helped me spread the word about this book!

Mason Canyon organized an incredible blog tour and helped me send my little book out into the world with a bang. Thanks to these great people for hosting Dancing With Dementia:

Denise, Elizabeth, Yolanda Renee, Cathrine, Joylene, Marcy, Tara, Alex, Diane, Diane again, Lu Ann, Deniz, Shannon, Lisa, Mason, Sue, Pat, Juneta, Ellen and Romance Reader

Thanks to all of my great Twitter friends and FB buddies who have liked, shared, and RTed my posts and celebrated right alongside me. Thank you as well to the people who have taken the time to leave reviews. Love you all!

I hope this book will help people who are dancing the early steps with this disease. I hope sharing the story of our journey will make the journeys of others easier.

Most of all, I hope the researchers continue to do their thing and that the need for a book like this in the future will be absolutely nil. Nothing would make me happier than to have a cure or prevention for dementia.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Sending hugs and good karma out into the universe for each and every one of you!!! 💗💗💗

Amazon.com           Amazon.ca.          Apple Books.           Barnes & Noble          Kobo.      

Goodreads               BookBub. 

Dancing With Dementia - Day 5 Tour Stops

(It's a terrible time for a book release, but with dates for set up so far in advance, there's nothing to be done but keep moving forward. I hope everyone is staying safe and staying home as much as possible. Sending good and healing vibes to everyone!!)

The lovely Mason Canyon has organized a tour for Dancing With Dementia throughout the week. I hope you'll visit a stop or two this week and point anyone who this book might help in the right direction.

Today's stops are:

Friday, April 3: 
Pat Garcia Book Reviews – Review
Writer’s Gambit – Top Ten List
Ellen Jacobson Author – Top Ten List & Review


You can find Dancing With Dementia here

Amazon.com           Amazon.ca.         Apple Books.         Kobo           Barnes & Noble

BookBub.
Add it to your Goodreads shelf here!

If you know anyone who is interested, I have another blog to discuss more things dementia related and YouTube Channel devoted to Quick Tips based on ideas in the book

It's been an amazing week!
Thank you, thank you, thank you to EVERYONE who has helped get the word about the book out to the world! You have shown (once again) that the online writing community is the best!

Dancing With Dementia - Day 4 Tour Stops

(It's a terrible time for a book release, but with dates for set up so far in advance, there's nothing to be done but keep moving forward. I hope everyone is staying safe and staying home as much as possible. Sending good and healing vibes to everyone!!)

The lovely Mason Canyon has organized a tour for Dancing With Dementia throughout the week. I hope you'll visit a stop or two this week and point anyone who this book might help in the right direction.

Today's stops are:

Thursday, April 2: 
Sue @ Elephant's Child - Review
Lisa Haselton’s Reviews & Interviews – Q&A
Thoughts in Progress – Review

You can find Dancing With Dementia here

Amazon.com           Amazon.ca.         Apple Books.         Kobo           Barnes & Noble        BookBub

Add it to your Goodreads shelf here!

If you know anyone who is interested, I have another blog to discuss more things dementia related and YouTube Channel devoted to Quick Tips based on ideas in the book

Thanks again to all of the amazing people who have helped out!!

Dancing With Dementia - Day 3 Tour Stops & IWSG

The lovely Mason Canyon has organized a tour for Dancing With Dementia throughout the week. I hope you'll visit a stop or two this week and point anyone who this book might help in the right direction.

Today's stops are:

Wednesday, April 1: 
Alex J. Cavanaugh – Guest Post
Spunk on A Stick – Feature
Circle of Friends – Feature
Rockin’ Book Reviews – Feature & Top Ten List
The Girdle of Melian – Guest Post
The Warrior Muse – Top Ten List


You can find Dancing With Dementia here

Amazon.com           Amazon.ca.         Apple Books.         Kobo           Barnes & Noble.         BookBub. 

Add it to your Goodreads shelf here!

If you know anyone who is interested, I have another blog to discuss more things dementia related and YouTube Channel devoted to Quick Tips based on ideas in the book

Thanks again to all of the amazing people who have helped out!!

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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!

April 1 question - The IWSG’s focus is on our writers. Each month, from all over the globe, we are a united group sharing our insecurities, our troubles, and our pain. So, in this time when our world is in crisis with the covid-19 pandemic, our optional question this month is: how are things in your world?

It's a weird time in the world and I hope all of our IWSG members are well.

We're doing well here in Northern Ontario. We've all been self-isolating since early March, only running out for essentials. It's busier in our house as we're on childcare duty for the family members working from home. We're having lots of fun and the snow is melting!!

It's a terrible time for a book release, but with dates for preorders set up well in advance, there's nothing else to be done but do it.

Sending good vibes out into our IWSG network and hoping everyone stays safe!