IWSG: My Favorite Work

I hope everyone had a good September! My husband and I were able to take a week-long vacation in Boston. We enjoyed the perfect weather and saw a lot of interesting places and things. It's hard to believe how quickly a month seems to pass when you're busy.

Anyway, it's time for another Insecure Writer's Support Group post. Learn more about the IWSG on their website and Facebook.

Our hosts this month are Beth Camp, Crystal Collier, and Catherina Constantine. 

Our question this month is a difficult one: What is the most favorite thing you have written, published or not? Why?

 It's very difficult to pick a favorite story. I was very pleased with how I developed themes and symbols in Lyon's Legacy and Twinned Universes. I'm very fond of my four Season Avatars, but how could I choose a single book from my five-book series? So I'm going to choose something completely different, a story called The War of the Hs, which I've published on Archive of Their Own. This is a Good Omens fanfic I wrote about a quest Crowley (demon) and Aziraphale (angel) must complete to free Crowley from Hell. I particularly like some of the original characters I created for this story, plus this is one of those stories where I just had fun with it and threw in all sorts of crazy but fun bits. For example, here's a bit about angels trying to figure out silly string:

A nearby angel who’s been studying his can removes the green cap and presses something on the top. With a hiss of air, something snakelike shoots out. All the other angels scream and dodge. A couple of them bump into Michael and send them into the path of the material. Green matter clumps onto their chest and arms. Some of it even gets into their hair. Michael tries to miracle it out, but nothing happens. The material is so soft it spreads as Michael tries to brush it away.

 What's your favorite story? Feel free to tell me about it in the contents. 

IWSG: Favorite Character Hangout

Welcome to the April 2025 post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. You can learn more about them on their website or Facebook page.

 

Our hosts this month are Jennifer Lane, L. Diane Wolfe, Jenni Enzor, and Natalie Aguirre. 

 

We have an interesting question for us this month: What fantasy character would you like to fight, go on a quest with, or share a glass of beer/wine with?

 

My favorite characters don't exist in isolation, so I'm going to name groups of characters. To go with a more well-known pair of characters, I'd choose to have tea with Crowley and Aziraphale from Good Omens. It would be fascinating to see their perspective on human history and hopefully learn about forgotten people and events. I'm not interested in fighting anyone, but I'd love to join my quartet of Season Avatars as they deal with Chaos Season (a magical weather storm that mixes up the seasons), or better yet, go with them as they attempt to end Chaos Season permanently in

Summon the Seasons. What better way to get to know your character better than to experience their story with them?

 

Which fantasy character would you like to hang out with? Feel free to share in the comments (or let me know if you blogged about them).

 

 

 

 

IWSG: Story Cliffhangers

I can't believe I almost forgot to post today! I meant to write this earlier this week, but I was busy with holiday prep. (I do have my laptop back, BTW.) Anyway, welcome to the last post for The Insecure Writer's Support Group for 2024. Learn more about them on their website or Facebook page. 

Our hosts this month are Ronel,  Deniz, Pat Garcia, Olga Godim, and Cathrina Constantine!

Here's our question for the month: Do you write cliffhangers at the end of your stories? Are they a turn-off to you as a writer and/or a reader?

Cliffhangers are great for chapter endings, but not story endings. It's perfectly reasonable for a reader to expect the story questions to be answered by the end of the story. The possible exception might be for a series. The overall story line won't be complete until the final book. That said, each tale in a series has to stand on its own. In my Season Avatars series, each book is told through a different point of view. Although the Avatars experienced a dramatic reversal of fortune in the penultimate book, Fifth Season, Ysabel finished her part of the story before handing it over to Kay in Summon the Seasons.

How do you feel about cliffhangers? Feel free to share in the comments.