It's that time of month again! (Okay. I just realized how that sounded. My bad.)

It's time for the Insecure Writers Support Group monthly post.

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! This group is all about connecting!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

The awesome co-hosts for the May 4 posting of the IWSG are Kim Elliott, Melissa Maygrove,...

Happy IWSG Day!

I don't know how it can already be February, but here we are, the first Wednesday of the month. And that means time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group.

I somehow missed the last two months of IWSG. I was out of town for November, and then I don't think I even received the email for December, but whatever! I'm back at it now.

What is IWSG?

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!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

You ready?

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

The...

The first Wednesday of every month is dedicated to the Insecure Writer's Support Group. The purpose of the group is to share and encourage one another. 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. Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post (but the question is optional). These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.

The awesome co-hosts for the October 6 posting of the IWSG are Jemima Pett, J Lenni Dorner,...

I’ve been in a huge writing slump for the past year. Now that it’s fall and my daughter is back in school, I have way too much time on my hands. I decided one of the things I needed to do was engage more with the writing community. But how? Over the last few years, I’ve intentionally distanced myself from certain parts of the book world. I had to in order to stay sane. Unfortunately, I crawled so far into my introvert cave, I can no longer see the light. Now, I crave some interaction with other writers. So where to begin?

In my search for a new writing community, I stumbled across the Insecure Writer Support Group. The first Wednesday of every month is officially IWSG day. The awesome co-hosts this month are...

Back in December, I contracted a company to rebuild my website. It didn't occur to me at the time how much I'd be losing. It wasn't until it was far too late to turn back that I realized the extent of what would be erased.

12 years of blog posts gone. Also, hundreds of supportive and positive comments left by readers over the years. Glowing reviews and questions about sequels and excitement over upcoming releases, all erased in the blink of an eye. I'm pretty sure I lost all my subscribers, too. 😕

It all just feels so empty and blank now.

Last night, I started reading Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. Chapter one talks a lot about the stress cycle, and how to break it.

Today is the first day of school here in our district, and so it seemed like a good time to check in and let everybody know what's going on with me.

The answer is... not much. I have been in a major writing slump for the past year. I haven't written a damned thing since wrapping up Lost Ship of the Tucker Rebellion with Cari Z last summer. I could blame it on Covid and my disrupted routine. I could say it's because my one big emotional outlet (live sporting events) did not exist last year. I could blame the general contentiousness of the world right now, and the overall nastiness of social media. I could say it's burnout, or laziness, or general apathy. I think every one of those things has contributed to my lack of productivity. But regardless of all that, my kid is back in school as of today, which means I have way too much time on my hands. It's time for me to get serious and either start writing again, or go get a day job.

Trust me, I'd definitely rather...

Song of Oestend is now available as an audiobook! I love this series so much. It has everything I love writing: gay romance, friends to lovers, opposites attract, hot cowboys, a haunted house, and a bit of BDSM. What's not to love?

Find it here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SQDB8WH/

https://www.audible.com/pd/B08SQ2WYV1

Looking for some cozy holiday stories this December? Check out these collections, put together by RJ Scott. There’s one for ebooks and one specifically for audiobooks (although there’s obviously a bit of overlap).

Happy holidays!

My all-time favorites:

Three of these four make the list not just because the first movie is good, but because the franchise has held up over time. These are movies I own and watch regardless of whether it’s October or not.

The Crazies (2010)

This is the only one-shot film on my “favorites” list (as opposed to a series), but man, it’s good.

This “turned up to 11” twist on Outbreak stars Timothy Olyphant as a small-town sheriff, and it’s like watching Raylan Givens take on a town full of zombies. (No, they’re not technically zombies, but the overall effect is similar.) Much like Hush (which I talked about in Part 2), the thing that makes The Crazies so good is that the characters aren’t idiots. They’re smart people trying to find their way out of a truly scary situation where the government and military hold all the cards. My daughter and I just watched this movie again yesterday, and one line...