IWSG: Family Traditions and Stories

Whether or not March came in like a lion or a lamb in your area, it brought in another Insecure Writer's Support Group post. You can learn more about the IWSG on their website, Facebook, or Twitter account.

This month's hosts are Jacqui Murray, Lisa Buie-Collard, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and Shannon Lawrence.

Our question this month is Other than the obvious holiday traditions, have you ever included any personal or family traditions/customs in your stories? 

One of my short stories, "Bugged Out at the Museum," was inspired by our annual tradition of attending Member's Night at the Field Museum. Members are allowed to go behind the scenes to see how exhibits are set up and how research is conducted. One of the biggest attractions of the night is the "Insect Petting Zoo," where members can hold hissing cockroaches and other creatures. I drew on this to write "Bugged Out at the Museum." It was originally published in a bugs-theme issue of Indie Writers Monthly and republished last in my fantasy short story collection Ordinary Wonders.

 
Do you write about your family's customs or traditions in your stories? Feel free to share your answers in the comments.

Writing Plans for 2015

With the new year only a few days away, I thought this was a good time to discuss my current and future writing projects for 2015.

I'm currently working on a Catalyst Chronicles story about Julia Kee, a minor character from Twinned Universes. This won't be a full-length novel; I expect it to be a novelette (7,500-17,500 words) or possibly a short novella (shorter than Lyon's Legacy). It's been a bit difficult completing this story, partly because I've had to do some research into Julia's culture (she's half Navajo), and partly because the story took some detours during drafting. Hopefully I can finish it and move on to the next main story in the Catalyst Chronicles: Catalyst in the Crucible. I have a partial draft of it, but I need to do more worldbuilding for certain sections.

I have formatted Scattered Seasons, Book Two of the Season Avatars series. After I review it, it'll be time to contact the beta readers and my cover artist. I plan to publish it by spring so it's available in time for WisCon. However, I need to finish outlining/prewriting activities for the next book, Chaos Season, so I can start drafting it. While I'd love to have it available by the end of the year, it depends on how my other writing projects go.

If time permits, I want to bundle my fantasy short stories into a collection so they're available in paper format. This collection would include "Letters to Psyche," "Silver Rain," "The Book of Beasts," some short stories that appeared in various issues of Indie Writers Monthly, a set of four short stories about the Season Avatars in Scattered Seasons, and a couple of unfinished short stories I have to finish.

With all of this, as well as my day job and my son, I expect to be busy next year. How about you? Do you have any projects, writing or otherwise, for 2015?

Indie Writers Monthly--Issue of Horror

The weather around here may be more like Indian summer instead of fall, but it's not too soon to start thinking about Halloween--and horror. Indie Writers Monthly's latest issue is therefore devoted to horror. Briane Pagel offers advice on how to write horror, and several authors, including me, wrote flash fiction horror stories specifically for this issue. I also wrote an article about the different levels of editing that authors need to be able to do. As a bonus, this is a double issue, packaged with the April 2014 issue that's no longer available. If you were "foolish" (sorry, that was the theme of the April issue) enough to miss it before, you can get it here. Best of all, if the issue isn't free yet, it will soon be. (And if it's not, it's only $0.99). Check it out at this link.

ETA: It is currently free and should be free for the next five days (until next Monday).

More Details About the IWM Flash Fiction Contest

Here's the official announcement for the flash fiction contest I mentioned last week. I will be awarding a copy of either Twinned Universes or Seasons' Beginnings (winner's choice) to my favorite story.

Hey, writers! Want to challenge yourself and win a free book? Indie Writers Monthly is holding a flash fiction contest!

We're going to put out a special issue of horror stories and horror writing just in time for Halloween, and we need YOU to help us, because we do not have enough horror stories to fill out a whole special issue.

So we want your 200-word-or-less horror stories submitted to us by September 30, 2014.  You can submit them via attachment or in the body of the email to litaplaceforstories[at]gmail.com.  Any subject, so long as it's scary -- try to avoid excessive gore or sex, if you can.

The top five stories will each get a free ebook from one of the Indie Writer Monthly authors!  That's a $3.99 value, which is like... how much is that per word?  Where is my calculator?  Somebody get Stephen Hawking on the phone!

Indie Writers Monthly Flash Fiction Challenge

October will arrive before we know it, and with it, the next issue of Indie Writers Monthly. The theme will be horror, and we are thinking of running a flash fiction challenge. Unfortunately, the important details, such as maximum word length and deadline, haven't been decided yet. I'm mentioning it now to let you start thinking about the story. I'll post an update as soon as I have one. The prize will be one (or more; again, this hasn't been determined) of our stories.

Speaking of stories, today's the last day to get Twinned Universes for $0.99. Don't miss the opportunity! You can get it here.

Indie Writers Monthly--Double and Negative

The latest issue of Indie Writers Monthly is out; you can download it at the link. It's currently $0.99 and will be free from 9/4 to 9/8. You can also get the May issue for free during this time.

The first part of the September issue is brand new material. The focus is on negatives. Here you'll learn how to deal with negative reviews, what best-selling books got panned by the critics, a new way to look at failure, and more. There's also an interview with one of the authors featured in our time travel anthology.

The second half of the issue may look familiar, as it's our very first issue. It's no longer available on its own, but you can still get it here. If you didn't read the March issue, I'm the featured author and have an excerpt from Twinned Universes. There's also the first part of Briane Pagel's series on how to write a story, book reviews, an essay I wrote on luck vs. perseverance, and more.

Don't forget we are open to submissions by other authors. We're not a paying zine yet, but if you're interested in the glory and exposure (or just exposure and a free ad for one of your works), please e-mail our editor, Briane Pagel. His e-mail address is litaplaceforstoriesATgmailDOTcom.

Enjoy the issue!

August Issue of Indie Writers Monthly Is Out!

It's a little late, but we finally have the August issue of Indie Writers Monthly available. This issue includes an interview and time travel story from Jeff Hargett, blog and book reviews from me, a book review from PT, title advice from Briane, and editing advice from Andrew. Best of all, it's free today through the 17th.

If you missed any of the previous issues of Indie Writers Monthly, you can also pick them up for free, at least for now. Here are the direct links to the March, April, May, and June issues. I don't have the direct link for the July issue, but it should be free from now through the 16th.

Although the First Annual IWM INDIE-Pendence Day Anthology isn't free (unless you're part of Kindle Unlimited), it's still a good value at $3.99 for fourteen stories about time travel. Check it out here.

Permafree Lyon's Legacy, Seasons' Beginning Update, and IWM

There will be a Blog Ring of Power post on Wednesday (the day was shifted to fit with a blog tour), but I have several pieces of exciting news in the meantime.

First, I've decided to make Lyon's Legacy permafree as an experiment. You can currently get it free on Amazon, Smashwords,  or Kobo. (Barnes and Noble is pending.) So far, about 900 copies have been downloaded on Amazon, and all I personally did was mention it in a few places on Facebook and Goodreads. The book peaked at #2 on the 100 Free Time Travel best seller list and below 500 for overall free books
on Amazon before downloads slowed down yesterday. I'm still waiting to see if this new-found visibility will translate into sales of other books, though I don't expect all readers to continue with the Catalyst Chronicles series.

Second, I've started working with a cover artist for Seasons' Beginning  and have sent it out to several beta readers. I've also added it to Goodreads; you can find it here. It will be available in both eBook and print, but I'm considering putting it in Select first for 90 days before making the eBook available everywhere. It should be interesting to see how Kindle Unlimited works, but I don't want it to be permanently exclusive to Amazon either. If you read on a non-Kindle platform, please let me know if this would affect you.

Finally, if you're not reading the Indie Writers Monthly blog, you're missing some good content. Briane is wondering if talking turtles are speculative fiction, Andrew is exploring the blueprint of modern fantasy, and I'm discussing how to break grammar rules in fiction for effect. Pat Dilloway also announced a special omnibus edition of his work. Stop on by and see what's new this week!

Digitial Book Day and Website Update

To celebrate Digital Book Day, I'm giving Lyon's Legacy away on Smashwords. Just click here and use code SW100 at checkout. Don't forget to check out all the other free eBooks listed here. There are over 400 books listed, so you should be able to find something you like.

Speaking of free, I've created free PDF samplers for Lyon's Legacy and Twinned Universes. You can find them both on my website. I've also added more information about Seasons' Beginnings and Indie Writers Monthly there as well. 

Speaking of Indie Writers Monthly, our first annual anthology should be available by now. Additional information will be posted as soon as I have it, so stay tuned!

July Issue of Indie Writers Monthly Is Out!

It's a Midsummer Issue of Indie Writers Monthly! Here are just a few of this month's features:

• A new article in the "Lies Writers Tell Other Writers" series by Andrew Leon
• Briane Pagel discusses and illustrates how to pick the right point of view for your story
• An article by me explaining how to prepare an audiobook through ACX
• A short story by me in which the Fab Four find themselves in A Midsummer Night's Dream

 And much more! Plus, find out how you can become our next featured author!

Download the issue here for only $0.99.

The Indie Writers Monthly Blog Tour

If you missed the previous stops on the Indie Writers Monthly Blog Tour, you can find them here:

Part 1 appeared on Sizzling Hot YA Books, and told how reading IWM will teach you how to time travel.

Part 2 appeared on lit, a place for stories, and told how reading IWM will give you super powers.

Part 3 appeared on Laws Of Gravity, and showed how IWM brings your childhood friends to life.

Have a good weekend, everyone, and see you Monday!

Indie Writers Monthly--New Issue and Blog Tour

The Blog Ring of Power will resume next week, so today I have some time to tell you what's going on with Indie Writers Monthly. And do we have a lot going on in the next couple of months.

First, the June issue of Indie Writers Monthly (theme: June Bugs!) is out and should be free now through Friday. You can download it here. My contributions include a short story written especially for this issue and a review of Lindsay Buroker's blog. There are also two other short stories by Andrew and Briane, an article about bugs in science fiction by Pall Dilloway, and two articles on writing. Go check it out!

Speaking of our monthly issue, there's still time to submit a story to our annual special issue, which has a time travel theme. Up for grabs are two Amazon gift cards to the authors of the best stories, as picked by the writers of Indie Writers Monthly. For more details, click here.

Finally, Briane is conducting a blog tour on behalf of Indie Writers Monthly in June (although it actually started on Friday). He will be visiting a new blog every Friday. I don't have the links for the upcoming sites, but you can find Friday's guest post here. I'll add more information about the blog tour as it becomes available.

Submission Call--First Annual Indie-pendence Day Anthology

This is a repost from Indie Writers Monthly.

Announcing the first ever 

COMING ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, it's the first-ever anthology of stories by indie writers to bear the INDIE WRITERS MONTHLY stamp of approval*, and we want YOU to be a part of it.

The anthology is going to be a collection of stories about Time Travel, and here is HOW YOU CAN GET IN ON THIS:

A. Have a story about time travel, or write one.

2.  Submit that story to us, by June 15, 2014.  (send submissions to litaplaceforstories[at]gmail.com** and label them "IWM TIME TRAVEL ANNUAL" or something like that.)

THIS IS IMPORTANT: paste the story directly into the of the email.  

I'M NOT OPENING ATTACHMENTS.  

III. Make sure you have the rights to the stories and it'd be nice if it hadn't been published somewhere else.  

Word limits? Who do you think you're talking to, here? Because there'll only be a few weeks to read them, shoot for somewhere between 1 and 1,000 words, but if you go longer, by all means, go longer.

Still reading?  Good.  Here is WHY you want to get in on this!

8(a)2.: The stories we like the best will get put into the anthology and you'll be a published writer! 

and

C: There are prizes! Specifically, the story picked as best by the IWM gang will win a $15 Amazon Gift Card and the Runner Up will get a $10 Amazon Gift Card. 

So there you have it!  I look forward to getting those stories.

PSST? Want to read some of my own time-travel stories? Check out 

"the natural order of things is largely determined by what direction we are headed and how fast," or 

HEADLINE: “Time Travel Is Only Possible In One Direction, Scientists Say.” Subhead: “Balderdash,” Tim says.

And here's a link to five 250-word time travel stories (and an essay on another one) 

May Issue of Indie Writers Monthly Free 5/8--5/13

The May issue of Indie Writers Monthly is out! This month's theme is flowers, so the issue includes a new short story written by me just for this issue. (Set in the Season Avatars universe, the story features Jenna, a Summer Avatar who serves the God of Summer and has plant magic.) Also included is an interview with Pat Dilloway, tips on how to get more ideas, sites that will pay you for writing, and more. The issue is scheduled to be free from May 8th to May 13, so please go here to order it.

Update: Sorry, it's not free yet, but I will post when it does go free. If you can't wait, the issue is only $0.99 normal price.

April Issue of Indie Writers Monthly--Free 4/2--4/6

Our April Fool's issue of Indie Writers Monthly is now free for five days. In this issue, you can find an interview and short story by Rusty Carl, book reviews and marketing advice from me, and several other interesting features. You can download it here.

We are currently planning the May issue and are interested in accepting articles and ads from other writers. Please let me know if you're like to know more. Thanks!

Free Issue of Indie Writers Monthly Now Available!

Click here to get it on Amazon today!

Happy March to everyone! I'm blogging on the weekend to announce that the first issue of Indie Writers Monthly is out! This issue has a luck theme. It includes an interview with me, one of my blog posts from Scene 13, and an excerpt from Twinned Universes. In addition, you can also find essays on writing and marketing, book reviews, and a short story. It's currently free, but I think the price will go up to $0.99 after March 5th. Get it today, and look for our weather-themed issue next month!

Leah Frederick -- Audiobooks and Giveaway! (Plus Star Wars Post)

Do you like audiobooks? Do you like Amazon gift cards? If you said yes to both, then you'll want to enter a contest being run by Leah Frederick, the narrator of the Lyon's Legacy audiobook. There are three easy steps to entering this contest:

1. Download one of Leah's audiobooks through Audible.com. You can find a list of her books here. (If you already have the eBook of Lyon's Legacy, you can get the audiobook through Amazon at a steep discount. However, I'm not sure if you can still leave a review on Audible.com if you buy the audio version on Amazon.)

2. Post your review of the audiobook on Audible.com anytime between now and March 15th.

3. Send Leah a link to your review either through her website or through Facebook.

The winner will be drawn on March 16. Each review counts as one entry, so you can review all of Leah's books for more entries.


Please help Leah out, and good luck to all!

P.S. I have a post up at Indie Writers Monthly about the next Star Wars movie. Don't forget to check it out.

Shrimp and a Grandmother's Tale: Group Blog Posts

I'm going to keep this post short and sweet, since I have two group blog posts up today. Over on Scene 13, I discuss what's new in my life. Over on one of the things that is new with me (Indie Writers Monthly), I talk about why I self-publish. Go read both posts!

The Indie Life: Indie Resolutions and Indie Writers Monthly

Welcome to the first Indie Life edition of 2014! Even if you've already given up on your diet, here are two resolutions you might want to make this year:

1. Don't worry about what people in the traditional publishing industry have to say about bookstores, self-publishing, or reading. A lot of the things they're talking about have minimal impact on us. We're not dependent on brick and mortar stores (though I still appreciate them), and how can anyone track what's going on in publishing if you're just looking at IBSNs? For a good analysis of the industry, read The Passive Voice--and don't forget the comments!

2. Put developing craft ahead of promotion. Yes, discounting and running ads do increase sales--in fact, it seems like most of my sales are in conjunction with ads--but in the long run, the best promotion is writing another book. Tell stories people want to read, something that will engage them. The type of story that engages someone will vary from reader to reader, but when someone really gets your work, they'll promote you to other readers.

I'm pleased to announce this month that several other indie SF/fantasy writers and I have started our own group to support each other. We're Indie Writers Monthly, and come check out our blog! We're also on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Are you part of an indie writers group? If so, what are the best and worst things about it? What resolutions do you have for your indie life this year?