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!

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?

IWSG & Emotional Sparks

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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July 5 question - 99% of my story ideas come from dreams. Where do yours predominantly come from?

Yikes! If I wrote from my dreams, I'd be writing horror or psychological thrillers and I'd probably never sleep again! #wimp

I don't really know...

My head is always popping with ideas, one of the advantages of having a bouncy brain. I think most of my story ideas start with an emotion. Usually, it's an emotion from the crisis scene (betrayal, fear, despair, panic...) although sometimes it's the opening scene where everything changes for the character.

The emotion comes attached to a character and then I know WHY they're feeling that emotion. Then I suddenly have backstory attached to the character.

My subconscious does a whole lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to story ideas - especially when the new character has been a secondary character in one or more stories.

For Built Of Second Chances (which just released last week!), the spark of the story was the feeling of total panic when a person who's been in witness protection for years meets up with someone who can put her at risk. But that person is someone she's always loved.

That was followed immediately by the emotion of the man who meets up with the woman he thought was dead. His emotion spark was betrayal and anger...with a bit of reluctant love tossed in.

My current WIP started with the emotion of a person grieving the death of her father and the terror of realizing his killer is after her too.

Those emotional sparks give me backstories to think about for a while and then my characters are ready to meet each other and I get to find out how they figure it all out.

How about you? Do your story ideas start with emotions, characters, settings, or plots? or something else? If you're a reader, what do you think was the spark for the author of the last great book you read?

Built Of Strength

Built Of Strength is out today!!!

This is the 2nd book in the Small Town Heroes series. The books are standalones, but there are a few spoilers in this book if you haven't read Built Of Secrets yet.

I love this setting -  an old fishing lodge and sawmill surrounding Midnight Lake in the middle of Vermont. The nearby town of Phail (there's a story behind the ridiculous name!) is fun and like Bloo Moose, they don't take themselves too seriously. What they do take seriously is helping each other out, especially when times are tough.

Aisling and Graham are the stars of Built Of Strength. They're good people who've been through some tough times. They're both consumed by their work and don't believe they have the time - or the heart - for love. They're in for a few surprises!

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When life was tearing them down, they shared a scorching—and anonymous—one-night stand. 

Five years later, they come face to blushing face at Midnight Lake. Aisling has committed to renovating the old lodge for her friend. Graham is part-owner of a security business operating out of the same property. And they both want to claim the shop space. Let the awkwardness commence. But the mutual attraction? Still scorching hot. 

When Aisling is attacked, Graham realizes he wants more than one night. Now, he has to make sure she not only survives, but that she feels the same.

Grab your copy today!

IWSG & Nightmares & Built Of Strength

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! 

September 7 question - What genre would be the worst one for you to tackle and why?

Horror would be the worst for me.

I had debilitating nightmares as a child. Bad enough that they would scare my mother when I told her about them. I still remember quite a few of them (some recurred a lot) and they're still terrifying. My folks were worried enough to take me to doctors who all declared I simply had a vivid imagination.

Very helpful.

It took me years of practice to learn to "push away" the nightmares so that I could step out of those worlds and into the real one. It's a push with my brain to the left and it works. No idea why.

Fictional worlds have always been real to me (even though I know they're fictional...). Whatever horrific thing that happens to the MC in movies, TV, & books feels as if it's happening to me. And happens again and again in my dreams.

Writing horror would mean living in that world for the time I needed to write the book. Nope. Nope, nope, nope.

So, no horror for me, thanks!!

How about you? Any genres off-limits for you and your brain?

PS: Built of Secrets releases next week!

When life was tearing them down, they shared a scorching—and anonymous—one-night stand.

Five years later, they come face to blushing face at Midnight Lake. Aisling has committed to renovating the old lodge for her friend. Graham is part-owner of a security business operating out of the same property. And they both want to claim the shop space. Let the awkwardness commence. 

But the mutual attraction? Still scorching hot. 

When Aisling is attacked, Graham realizes he wants more than one night. Now, he has to make sure she not only survives, but that she feels the same.

Preorder now!

IWSG & Audience Awareness

 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!

August 3 question - When you set out to write a story, do you try to be more original or do you try to give readers what they want?

I consider myself a baby author - I'm working on my 2nd series and I'm trying to incorporate more "audience awareness" into my planning.

I've read Zoe York's Romance Your Brand and loved it. In it, she talks about "planning" your series in advance to appeal to readers. This is (for me anyway) a broad strokes plan. I think of the setting, the MCs, and the tropes I want to include. Maybe a tagline or mini-blurb.

I'm NOT a plotter/outliner, but I do like thinking about several linked books at once. This is a great strategy for me because it just gives my bouncy brain more of a focus.

I did think of a lot of the series at once with Bloo Moose but I was very sketchy on details like tropes and how to connect each book/MC as I went along. My bouncy brain still makes tweaks/changes but the overall plan for Small Town Heroes is more focused - I hope!

I'd suggest Zoe's book to anyone who likes to write series in genre fiction (not just romance).

How about you? Are you including more or less audience awareness as you're progressing in your writing career/development? If you're a reader, do you prefer series or stand-alones? I love sinking into a series myself!

In order to try to fix the commenting issue, I've changed the comment style to pop up. It looks a mess with comments out of order, but I'm hoping it helps!

Built Of Secrets

Release Day!

Built Of Secrets is the first book in my new Small Town Heroes series. I'm so excited about this series.

She’s got a secret… 

Okay, she’s got several… 

But only one could get her killed. 

Humiliated after being duped by her ex, Tansy chooses flight over fight. An inherited fishing lodge she can pull off the grid while working on her tech is the perfect hideout. Burned-out FBI agent, Sam is worried about his best friend’s little sister. After a devastating case, he heads to Vermont to check on her. And if he happens to get her to fall in love with him? Even better. When the ex refuses to stay in the past, Sam knows he’ll do anything to keep her safe. Will it be enough?

Early readers are enjoying the book - I hope you will too!

Loved it. It was great from start to finish. I highly recommend this book and I can't wait for the next one!!!! ~ gcgirl7

This is the first book in this series, and I cannot wait to read more from it and this author. ~ Niki T

The author has given us a heart pounding story that pulls us into the lives of Tansy and Sam and does not let go. ~ CJ

I loved them as a couple and was so happy that they found each other. I also enjoyed the strong family and friendship bonds and it was a delight meeting this tight knit group ~ Floral J

Build of Secrets is the first book in a new series, and was a fast moving romantic suspense. I could not put it down, Jemi Fraser can suck you in with her writing. ~ JOLeary

Grab your copy today!

IWSG & Romantic Suspense & Time Machines

 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!   

March 2 question - Have you ever been conflicted about writing a story or adding a scene to a story? How did you decide to write it or not?

If you follow me on Twitter, you've probably heard me say I have a bouncy brain. I tend to have far too many ideas going on at once.

For instance, I'm currently planning (as much as my non-plotting brain can plan) and writing a new six-book Small Town Heroes series. I've got one written, the second mostly written, the third started, and the other three sets of characters walking around in my head.

I need to know my characters before I write their stories. While they wander my brain, they're telling me their backstories and I'm finding out where the conflicts are. Of course, there are also some secondary characters who want to bump up to main characters vying for my attention as well.

I also have several folks from Bloo Moose walking around in my brain telling me who they need to meet and demanding their turn in the spotlight.

Then I have an outline (in my head) for my third series and the 6 (potentially 7) sets of characters who will be its focus.

Now, to answer the question 😊

I have a really great idea for a speculative fiction series. It would be a long multi-generational series about the future of humanity with lots of cool SF elements.

Here's my conflict.

When am I supposed to fit this in? Would I need a pen name for the new series (SF) as it doesn't follow my current brand (romantic suspense)? Where in the world would I find time to work on building up another pen name???? So far, no answers, just lots of ideas.

Anyone working on a time machine that will give me more hours in the day just for writing?

How about you? Do you have characters knocking impatiently on your skull too? Anyone else with a bouncy brain?

Winners for the #WEP challenge All You Need is Love are being announced today! Check out the winners and the other stories HERE! There are so many talented writers in this challenge!