Insecure Writer's Support Group: Blogging Buddies

 

Welcome to another month with the Insecure Writer's Support Group, where we share our writing struggles and triumphs. Learn more about the IWSG on their website, Facebook page, and Twitter feed.

Our "hosts with the posts" this month are Louise-Fundy Blue, Jennifer Lane, Mary Aalgaard, Patsy Collins, and Nancy Gideon.

Our question this month relates to blogging: Blogging is often more than just sharing stories. It's often the start of special friendships and relationships. Have you made any friends through the blogosphere?

I started blogging to stay in touch with my college friends, but it's helped me make more friends. I've been fortunate to be part of at least three blogging groups besides the IWSG. They include a "blog chain" of writers who would take turns discussing a subject and link to other bloggers in the chain; a "blog ring of power" (BRoP) that interviewed writers (with each blogger posting a different part of the interview); and a group of independent writers who put out a magazine on Amazon called Indie Writers Monthly. I don't think I've met any of these bloggers in person, but I still connect with some of them through Facebook. (Ironically, I just realized I haven't checked any of their blogs in ages, but I spend much less time blogging than I used to myself.) I might also attend a virtual birthday party for one of my blogging buddies from the Blog Ring of Power this week. The Atlantic posted an article this week about the importance of casual friends in our lives. Hopefully we will remember that long after the pandemic is over. (And yes, I should make more of an effort to visit other IWSG members' blogs, but between being all day in the office at work and spending time playing board games with my husband in the evenings, I tend not to have a lot of free time on Wednesday. I should still make it a goal to read more blogs, though.)

How much do you interact with other bloggers? Are you friends with any of them? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

 

SF Women A-Z: Fantastic Fs: Fendley and Freisner

I first encountered T.W. Fendley through the Blog Ring of Power, where we would cooperate with other SF/F fantasy authors to post multi-part author interviews on our blogs. She's also a member of Broad Universe. Her novel Zero Time combines the Mayan civilization with aliens and time travel in an incredible mix. Her latest release, The Labyrinth of Time, is a YA time travel book. Learn more about her on her website and on Amazon.

Ester Friesner meets the criteria for the letter "F" both with her last name and her style (funny). I know her best from her Chicks in Chainmail anthology series, which has been out for over a decade and is still running. As I researched her, I learned she's currently writing about historical princesses. You can learn more about Friesner from her Wikipedia and Amazon pages.

If you know of any other SF/Fantasy authors who fit into this category, please share them in the comments.

SF Women A-Z: Excellent Es: Elgin, Elrod, Emshwiller, and Eskridge

We lost one of our great authors in January with the passing of Suzette Haden Elgin. I was privileged enough to meet her at WisCon in 2001, as you can see by the autograph. She was a Guest of Honor at WisCon in 1982 and 1986, long before I started attending. In addition to writing feminist science fiction, Elgin was also a poet, linguist, and non-fiction writer. I'm surprised Native Tongue didn't earn any major awards; is it too late to give Elgin a posthumous Tiptree? Learn more about her on Wikipedia, and buy her books here from Amazon.

P.N. Elrod was a favorite read of mine for a long time. I enjoyed her Vampire Files series set in 1920s Chicago, but I lost track of the series somewhere along the way. It looks as if she's become an anthology editor and a hybrid author to boot. Find her at her website, Wikipedia, and Amazon.

Another former WisCon Guest of Honor making this list is Carol Emshwiller. I have two of her works (The Mount isn't pictured), but unfortunately no autograph. She is an excellent short story writer. You can learn more about her on her website, Wikipedia, or Amazon.

 I know of Kelley Eskridge through her novel Solitaire, about a woman who endures a virtual solitary confinement. Eskridge is married to another SF woman author, Nicola Griffith, who will also be featured as part of this blogging challenge. Learn more about Eskridge via her website, Wikipedia, and Amazon.

Honorable Mentions: Phyllis Eisenstein and Anna Erishkigal, who was featured on the Blog Ring of Power.
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Would you add any other authors to this list? Please post them in the comments.

Blog Ring of Power--Rebecca P. McCray

Believe it or not, we have another Blog Ring of Power interview. I'm hosting the final part (Words of Wisdom); please see Teresa's and Emily's blogs for the other sections.

Tell us about your route to success – how/when did you decide to self-publish? Did you query an agent first? How did you handle the editing, proofreading, cover design, etc.

I decided to self-publish without querying an agent for a variety of reasons. However, I wanted to create a well-crafted, well-presented novel. So, I hired two editors: one more developmental (focusing on structure, point of view) and one that focused on word usage, flow, proofreading, etc. I also had several strong beta readers focusing on consistency and overall grammar. The cover I discussed above, but needless to say that I hired support there, as well.

What are the most important elements of good writing?

There are the obvious points like good grammar and word usage as these can derail a reader’s experience. The less obvious, but equally important, elements are structure, timing, character development, etc. But in the end, I think what’s most important is that the characters have to be “real.” Readers need to be able to connect with the characters and experience the story through them.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

I’ve been an avid reader for a long time. But, I’ve found reading other Indie authors books and providing them with informal feedback has been really helpful for my writing. It’s encouraged me to think differently when I read and is making me a stronger writer.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Thank you for your interest in my story. Please feel free to connect with me through various social media channels. I’m interested in hearing your thoughts about the story, which characters you love or hate and why — oddly, I’ve yet to find anyone who favors one of my favorite characters. As well, if you’re an artist and happen to draw any of characters, I’d love to see it.

What are your current / future project(s)?

As noted above, I’m currently working on book two, The List. Depending on how things progress with the series, I may also write earlier stories about the various species and what drove them from their planets.


Rebecca P. McCray's debut novel, The Journey of the Marked, tells the beginning of the epic Miyran Heir story. Currently, she resides in the western US, but has lived in various locations across the US and UK. Her interest in cultural anthropology contributed to the myriad of species and backgrounds incorporated into her new world.


Blog: http://www.rebeccamccray.com/blog/
Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/MiyranHeir
Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7363251.Rebecca_P_McCray
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/rebpai
Amazon Author Page: http://www


On a distant planet, Eros thrives in the Human settlement he calls home. Raised to follow his grandfather’s noble footsteps, he studies the details of each species that co-exists here.

But when his sixteenth birthday arrives and he’s called to fight, his life changes forever. Forced to abandon his home and relentlessly pursued by savage hunters, he joins forces with others, including a scrappy, street fighter named Kenrya, who loathes the planet’s self-appointed rulers.

As Eros faces perils that test his training and push the limits of his resolve, he and Kenrya must put aside their differences and learn to work together to survive. Discover this epic, dystopian adventure where an individual’s unique abilities can change the course of the future.

Buy/Book Links:

Amazon
BarnesandNoble 



.amazon.com/Rebecca-P.-McCray/e/B00FYH227I/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Blog Ring of Power--R.M. Alexander

This is likely to be the final post in the Blog Ring of Power. It has become difficult for all of us to recruit enough interviewees to maintain a regular schedule. I have enjoyed working with Terri, Emily, Dean, Vicki, and T.W. for the past few years and plan to keep promoting other authors on my own.--Sandra

Today on the Blog Ring of Power, R.M Alexander will share her words of wisdom with us. Please visit T.W.'s and Emily's blog for the other parts of the interview.

1. Tell us about your route to success –did you use an agent? How did you land your agent and/or publisher?

I actually did try the traditional route of shopping agents with Veil of Secrecy. They were wise enough to turn me down. Since then, I've self-published three books, including Veil. But not until I had an editor and beta reader review my work and help make it better.

2.  Is there anything you would have done differently during the querying and publishing process?

I wish I wouldn't have rushed into it like I initially did. I did some revising, but I didn't have an editor. And I was too sensitive outside constructive criticism. Those things might have changed my path. Or not. Either way, I know better now.

3.  Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Thank you. Thank you for giving my books a chance, and for supporting me during my journey. "Thank you" doesn't begin to portray my gratefulness for you.

4.   What are your current / future project(s)?

I'm working on the last two books of the Shadows Trilogy - Dark Crossings and Revelations. I also have a clean romance series that I'm working on.  I'm hoping they are all completed this spring.

RM Alexander is an author of Sweet / Clean Romances that are sometimes contemporary, sometimes paranormal or suspense, but are always ruled by the heart of true romance. 

With characters who look for love in wrong places and are victims of the worse kind of betrayals while fighting for what they want and believe in, RM's novels promise a good read with unexpected twists and turns.

When she's not writing, RM is spending time with her husband and two small children in Michigan. She loves to travel, especially to Walt Disney World, and can often be found on Twitter or Facebook chatting with other authors and fans.

 Author Links:

Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter
Amazon
Pinterest
Website

Rachel Brackett arrives in Sullivan, Montana with simple goals: relocate, settle an estate, and manage her own antique store. Her parents and friends back home called it running away. That’s just fine with her. 

Rachel’s curiosity leads her into the forest, and she finds creatures who know more about her ominous heritage than she does. The creatures only exist in nightmares – grotesque mutants and shapeshifters. They seek vengeance for hideous crimes in genetic engineering, and Rachel is the prime target for retribution. While Rachel searches for the truth behind the family she never knew, a bounty hunter stalks her every move. Only Leonardo, a figure shrouded in the shadows, offers protection. A were lion with the perfect blend of human and feline features. Terrifying. Impossible. Alluring. 

When Rachel’s home is ripped apart and a friend attacked, it’s clear there is no safe haven. She is no longer running from her past, but trying to survive to make it to her future.

Available on Amazon.

Blog Ring of Power: Camille Faye

I'm glad we're able to bring you a Blog Ring of Power interview this week, even if it's on Wednesday instead of Monday. The timing is actually perfect, as our guest author, Camille Faye, is holding a Facebook party tonight. Here's the official announcement:

Voodoo Butterfly Book Party--November 19 from 6-9 PM (CST)

Voodoo Butterfly is officially available on Amazon, so let's P-A-R-T-Y! Wear PJs if you want, because you can enjoy the fun from the comfort of your own home. At the party, we will have "door prizes", a live online psychic reading, and a Q&A so that you can ask any burning questions about Camille Faye's writing or her paranormal novel, Voodoo Butterfly. Join the party by clicking on this link and hit the JOIN button. Invite your friends for a magically fun time. See you on the Facebook event page at 6 PM.Here's that link again: https://www.facebook.com/events/1479342722348711/

Camille is sharing her creative process with me; please check out T.W. Fendley's blog for more information about Camille and her writing life. Emily has information about Camille's current work and her words of wisdom.

Where do you get your story ideas?

Funny enough, Sophie's story came to me in a dream when I was actually visiting New Orleans with my family. I dreamt of this woman who had the power to change evil people good. The next flash of my dream showed Saint Louis Cathedral in New Orleans absolutely covered in monarch butterflies. I tried to fall back asleep, but couldn't, so I wrote the dream in my journal. One year later I decided to write a novel about that character and since voodoo is such a big part of the New Orleans culture, I decided to have her unexpectedly inherit a voodoo shop down there. The catch? She knows nothing about voodoo or her secret power when the book starts.

How do you deal with writer’s block?

I actually don't get writer's block. [Insert crickets chirping]. Since I'm always taking notes and only have limited writing time daily, I always know what I'm going to write about. Right now, I have two folders full of notes containing my plans for book 2 in the Voodoo Butterfly series.

Are you a “plotter” or a “pantser” (do you plan/outline the story ahead of time or write “by the seat of your pants”)?

For Voodoo Butterfly, I was a pantser. A scene would flash in my mind, I'd jot it down, and then deal with it during my writing time. When I had enough of these bits and pieces, I worked them into a loose outline. With the second book in the series, I decided to try an outline, but I give myself flexibility to move things around.

Do you use critique partners or beta readers? Why or why not?

Both. A few beta readers provided feedback for the first version of Voodoo Butterfly. I did have several agents and NYC editors request a partial or full manuscript, but it just wasn't getting picked up. Then I was asked to join The Lit Ladies critique group. They provided feedback and I worked through the manuscript for about three years (in the midst of moving twice, having a surgery, having a baby, etc.). After I went through all of their suggestions, I submitted to some writing contests. In October 2013 I finaled in the NW Houston RWA's Lone Star Contest. One of the judges was the owner of Soul Mate Publishing, who offered me a contract. So that's how I landed a publisher.

How much time do you spend on research? What type of research do you do?

"Research" for my books is extremely fun. I utilize some of my own experiences (from growing up in a haunted house and visiting haunted locations), but I've also made a trip down to New Orleans in the name of "research." On that trip, I was pregnant so I couldn't get into too much trouble. (Ha!) But I did get to go on a cemetery walking tour through Saint Louis Cemetery Number One and I also stayed at Oak Alley Plantation (which was made famous by the movie Interview with a Vampire).

Is there anything you find particularly challenging to write?

Writing is soooo hard for me, but the challenge is a part of why I love it.

Camille Faye lives in Missouri, loves on her family, and writes during the baby’s naptime. She grew up in a haunted house, which sparked her fascination with the paranormal. The Northwest Houston RWA named her novel, Voodoo Butterfly, a 2013 Lone Star Contest finalist. Read an excerpt at www.camillefaye.com.

Author Contact Information
Website: www.camillefaye.com
Blog: www.thelitladies.com
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/camillefaye
Twitter: @CamilleFaye

When twenty-five-year old Sophie Nouveau inherits her grandmother's voodoo shop she knows nothing about voodoo. Or her family's history of Mind Changers, who have the power to change evil people good. To complicate matters, someone doesn't want Sophie in New Orleans and sends a series of death threats to scare her away from her new enchanted life.

Tipped off by her grandmother's ghost, Sophie realizes her mind-changing spell's been missing one magic ingredient: true love. If Sophie cannot experience transformative love, she cannot make her spell work, and she will be powerless to fight back when confronted by the one who wants her dead.

D. Buy/Book Links:
Amazon: Voodoo Butterfly by: Camille Faye

Is your book in print, ebook or both?
Ebook for now, but will be released in print in early 2015.

Guest Post: Where Fact Meets Fantasy: Lunar Eclipses & Double Blue Moons

Last week, BRoP member T.W. Fendley was our interviewee as she celebrated the release of her newest work, The Labyrinth of Time. Today she returns to share some of her research with us.

Worldbuilding is one of the fun parts of writing science fiction and fantasy, but it doesn’t let you off the hook if you get “real-world” facts wrong. That’s why I put a disclaimer in my young adult contemporary fantasy, THE LABYRINTH OF TIME, regarding the timing of a total lunar eclipse that’s crucial to the plot. 

According to Javier Cabrera Darquea’s interpretation of Ica’seleven thousand engraved stones, a comet return involving our early alien visitors will occur during a total lunar eclipse--when the moon is completely in the Earth’s shadow. Sadly, I failed to find a “real-world” match for that particular combination of celestial events to use in my story.

Instead, I decided to use another rare astronomical marker—a double blue moon. Despite the fickle definition for blue moons, I liked the imagery of the double blue moon,particularly when I
learned about the 2018 total lunar eclipse. Although I didn’t find records of a long-period comet due within the January to March timeframe for the double blue moon, I imagined one similar to Comet Siding Spring. Just discovered in January 2013, the comet made its once-in-a-million-years pass by Mars on Oct. 20, 2014.

For several decades, a blue moon has been defined as the second full moon in a single calendar month.  A double blue moon--when two blue moons occur with a year--occurs about four times in a century. The last was in 1999, and the next double blue moon will be in 2018 (Jan. 31 and March 31). 

Realistically, a “blue moon” wouldn’t mean quite the same thing to ancient people as it does to us. Even our own definition changed due to a mistake in a 1946 Sky and Telescope magazine article. Previously, the Farmers’ Almanac referred to a blue moon as the third full moon in a season that has four. Over the next two decades, about fifteen blue moons will occur, with an almost equal number of both types occurring.

Admittedly, I blurred the facts in my fiction—the 2018 total lunar eclipse will only be partially visible from Peru and will occur during the first blue moon of the pair--Jan. 31, not March 31. The next total lunar eclipse that’s visible from Ica won’t be until Jan. 21, 2019—in a year with no blue moon (by the current definition). Besides, that was too long for Jade and Felix to wait for the comet’s arrival and the return of the First Men!

 
T.W. Fendley is an award-winning author of historical fantasy and science fiction for adults and young adults. She began writing fiction full-time in 2007 after working twenty-five years in journalism and corporate communications. In October 2011, L&L Dreamspell LLC published her debut historical fantasy novel for adults, Zero Time. Her young adult contemporary fantasy novel, The Labyrinth of Time, will be released in November 2014. Her short stories are available on Kindle and Audible.

Teresa fell in love with ancient American cultures while researching story ideas at the 1997 Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop. Since then, she’s trekked to archeological sites in the Yucatan, Peru and American Southwest. She serves on the board of the St. Louis Writers Guild, and belongs to the Missouri Writers' Guild, Broad Universe, and Historical Novel Society. She also practices remote viewing with the Applied Precognition Project and studies shamanism. Teresa currently lives near St. Louis with her artist husband and his pet fish. 

 You can find her online at: 

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Smashwords

Can Jade restore the Firestone’s powers before the First Men return to judge humanity? 

Spending spring break in Peru with her grandmother isn’t sixteen-year-old Jade’s idea of fun. She’d much rather be with her friends at Lake of the Ozarks. Then she meets Felix, a museum director’s son. Jade discovers only she and Felix can telepathically access messages left on engraved stones in the age of dinosaurs.

Following the ancient stones’ guidance, they enter the Labyrinth of Time and–with a shapeshifting dog’s help–seek a red crystal called the Firestone. But time is running out before the First Men return on the night of the second blue moon.