IWSG, Romance, and Hope

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!  

October's Question: What do you consider the best characteristics of your favorite genre?

My favourite genre for both writing and reading is romance, specifically romantic suspense on the lighter side of the genre.

I love this genre because it's all about hope.

• Hope that you can become a better person
• Hope that you can find someone to spend your life with
• Hope that you can solve the problem
• Hope that you can make the world a better place
• Hope that good will always win
• Hope that hard work pays off
• Hope that love makes everything better
• Hope that happy endings can be real

Of course, Hope isn't specific to romance.

I also read a lot of Mystery, Fantasy, & SciFi where Hope is often a major theme - at least in the books I love!

How about you? Do you like books that have Hope as a central theme? What's the central theme of the genre you like best?

IWSG & The Best of Times

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!    

May 4 question - It's the best of times; it's the worst of times. What are your writer highs (the good times)? And what are your writer lows (the crappy times)?

So many good times!!

• drafting - love the first draft!
• "planning" out a new series and getting to create a whole new world
• getting to know characters and their stories
• connecting the new books to older characters and stories
• writing those scenes that make me smile all the way through
• epilogues - where there's no stress and all the warm fuzzies I want
• 5 star reviews 😊
• happy repeat readers & reviewers
• emails from readers who love the books

And a few bad times to keep it real

• writing those crisis scenes - it sometimes takes me days to work up to it. I don't like when things are scary and stressful for my characters
• feeling like I should be doing more in the marketing department (to be clear, this is likely never going to happen)
• um...I think that's it???

Overall, the scale tips hard toward the good side. Otherwise, I would be doing something else!

I love writing and creating. I love interacting with other writers. I love learning more about the craft. I even enjoy most of the business side of things (I do love my spreadsheets and learning new things!). I think my bouncy brain is an asset for this indie author business.

How about you? What do you love about writing?

May the Fourth be with you today and always!

Speaking of the best of times...

The release day for Built Of Secrets is sneaking up. May 16th!

This is the 1st book in a new series - Small Town Heroes. The books are small-town romantic suspense with all the feels!

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?

Preorder your copy today!

Wishes

 I'm not sure I'm even used to saying 2021, but here we are in December and looking forward to 2022 in another blink of the eye.

Here's to a year filled with peace and love and joy.

Here's to a year where no one is hungry or alone or afraid.

Here's to a year where we show our best selves.

Here's to a year where we find the best in others.

Here's to a year where everyone believes in science, equality, and respect.

Here's to a year where the world becomes a better, safer place for all.

Wishing you and yours all the very best for the Christmas/holiday season and all things wonderful for 2022!!

Have yourself a Merry MooseMas!

For 2019

We face 2019

with heavy hearts

from a devastating loss 

of a loved one

in the final days of 2018

a year that took

3 from our little family

a year full of

sadness and horrors

in the wide world

beyond our little corner

but a year

also full of

love

hope

family

success

joy

happiness

and those small

moments that make

life

so very worthwhile

Let 2019

be filled with those

magical

moments of good

moments of quiet joy

and silly fun

Let 2019 be the year

you find wonders

and simple pleasures

and possibilities

For that's where you make

magic

We Do The Drills

We do the drills
to keep kids safe
in case the unthinkable
happens

We do the drills
to give them
a tiny sense
of control

We do the drills
to combat
the helplessness

We do the drills
in hopes
the drills will save them

We do the drills
knowing they're
never going to save us all

We do the drills


***

On a lighter note, I'd love it if you popped on over to C. Lee McKenzie's blog where I'm a featured author today introducing my story Until Release that will be published in the upcoming anthology Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime!

Don't Listen

Don't listen with your ears
     for your ears
          will only hear the words

Don't listen with your ears
     those words
          could be filled with lies

     with hurt
          with anger
               with pain

Don't listen with your ears
     those words alone
          cannot convey the truth

Listen with your heart

Listen to the heartache
     the regrets
          the hopes

Listen to the cries
     for help
          and understanding

Listen to the scared
     the lonely
          and the lost

Don't listen with your ears
They'll only tell you words

I Wish You

For 2018, I wish you...

Less hurry

More slow

Less take

More give

Less worry

More peace

Less rush

More time

Less hurt

More heart

Less struggle
More success

Less sad

More joy

Less lonely

More love

Sending hugs and hopes to all of my friends in the bloggyverse. 

May 2018 be kind to you and yours.

Hold On, Reach Out

Hold on

     to the good

     with the strong

Reach out

     with both hands

     filled with love

Hold on

     to the true

     to hope

Reach out

     to the needy

     to the battered

Hold on

     with everything you have

     with everyone you love

Reach out

     with everything you can

     with all that you are

Hold on

     to love

Reach out

     to love

Hold on

Reach out

Hold on

I Wish You Love

It's Valentine's Week!

Okay, that's totally not a thing, but it should be!

While Valentine's Day is certainly about Romantic Love (sending all my love to my hubby!!), it's also about Love in general.

Love is an essential part of life. Without it, life would be dull, sad, and lonely. 

The world is often scary and overwhelming so it's good to remember we're often surrounded by all kinds of love.

So, my wish for you all is...

I hope you feel love

for your family

your friends

your job

yourself

I hope you find joy

In giving & receiving

I hope the little things

Make up the best part of your days

I hope you feel loved

I hope you are romanced

I hope you do some romancing of your own!

I hope love fills you up 

I hope it gives you strength and joy

I hope love surrounds you

And allows you to grow & risk

I wish you love

Enjoy the week!

Humanity Should

Humanity should = Compassion

Humanity should = Love

Humanity should = Support

Humanity should = Respect

Humanity should = Freedom

Humanity should = Hope

In the midst of yet more sadness and heartbreak in the world,
it's important to look for and celebrate the moments of kindness and hope.

Every classroom in our school boasts a Positive Space poster. We believe in the message.

We have a bathroom for anyone who isn't comfortable using the group bathrooms.

We have books throughout the school representing all kinds of people in all kinds of situations. We read them together. We discuss how we can make the lives of others better.

Posters quoting powerful messages from Maya Angelou, Albert Einstein, MLK Jr., Gandhi, and so many more decorate our classrooms and hallways and spark questions and discussions.

Young voices question the hate they hear about in the news.

Young hearts are devastated to hear how humans sometimes treat each other.

Young people build connections and relationships and friendships with other young people who look/think/act/believe/love/feel/suffer/celebrate/wonder differently.

It's not everything.

But, it's a start.