Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Gratitude and Intention #IWSG

 

Happy New Year!!! 

2023 is here and I have a great feeling that this year is going to be a good one! And what a great way to start it by having another post of the 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!--from IWSG website

Find us on Twitter at @TheIWSG #IWSG


January 4 question - Do you have a word of the year? Is there one word that sums up what you need to work on or change in the coming year? For instance, in 2021 my word of the year was Finish. I was determined to finished my first draft by the end of the year. In 2022, my word of the year is Ease. I want to get my process, systems, finances, and routines where life flows with ease and less chaos. What is yourword for 2023? Why? 

I have two words for this year: Gratitude and Intention.

It's easy to be bogged down by stress, worry and negativity but when I take the time to actively think of what I'm grateful for each day everything else seems to be less important. So this year I really want to start each day by focusing on what I'm grateful for.

One of the many things I'm grateful for is the IWSG, all of you who participate in this amazing community of writers, and of course Alex J. Cavanaugh who began the whole thing. I joined when it began maybe ten years ago (not sure the date it started). I took some years off but when I was ready to come back the IWSG welcomed me as if I had ever left and was even stronger! Thank you!

Intention

How many times have I caught myself scrolling through some type of social media app or even just getting lost in news articles that are for the most part meaningless? I'm really good at simply letting time slip through my fingers with not much to show for it. Not that I need to be accomplishing something every second but I want to spend the precious little time I have in this year of 2023 with intention. I want to decide how I spend my moments and not let them mindlessly pass without notice. To be present and to be grateful for each moment.


Do you have a word for this year? What are you excited about for 2023?


In other news, I woke up on January 1st to see that my e-book had made it to the #1 Best Seller list in its category on Amazon! What a wonderful surprise and a great way to start 2023 with a bang!




I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and have a very Happy 2023!!


Love,

Kathy :)


 



Thursday, December 8, 2022

IWSG and New Projects

 


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!--from IWSG website

Find us on Twitter at @TheIWSG #IWSG

This month's cohosts are: 

Joylene Nowell Butler, Chemist Ken, Natalie Aguirre, Nancy Gideon, and Cathrina Constantine!

The question of the month is: It's holiday time! Are the holidays a time to catch up or fall behind on writer goals?

Well since I'm even posting this a day late, you can probably surmise that my holiday time is usually when I fall most behind in writing goals! But I've learned to tell myself that it's okay. As long as I have writing goals and I continue to work on them even haphazardly then I'm doing fine.

Last month I mentioned that I'm working on revising a novel, which I am still doing but I've added another project to my  goals list. 

I've decided to write a cookbook. My kids are about to all be out on their own. One is getting married next year and the others will probably be soon to follow. I'm actually writing the cookbook as a way to teach them how to make their favorite homemade recipes and if other people can learn and enjoy it that's even better! 

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!!

With love, 

Kathy
 

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

November IWSG and NaNoWriMo

 


It's the first Wednesday in November so it's time for another IWSG 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!


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!--from IWSG website

Find us on Twitter at @TheIWSG #IWSG


The optional question of the month is: November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not?

I did participate several years ago in NaNoWriMo. The daily word count target motivated me to make sure that I sat down and wrote a little bit every day and usually I ended up writing more than the goal! But by the time it got to be the week before Thanksgiving and I was about to have sixteen people at my house I began to panic about the clutter covering my counters and the fact that I hadn't figured out what I would be serving besides turkey and mashed potatoes. For a couple days I dove into cleaning and meal planning and cooking anything I could in advance. I would have to write just before bed. Unfortunately, by that time I was too tired and fell asleep after typing only a few hundred words. 

When relatives started showing up on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I decided to stop trying. Not because I had given up but because I wanted to enjoy everyone's company and not feel guilty for either not writing or for running off to a quiet corner to get a few words in. 

Even though I didn't officially complete NaNo, I still felt it was a success and a great experience! I had spent several days in a row getting into the habit of writing and I had a great start to a novel! All in all I would recommend trying it if you've never done it before.

This year, I'm going about it a little bit differently. I'm still having a bunch of people over for Thanksgiving but I already have a completed novel that I need to edit. I've decided I will try to edit 3,300 words per day and maybe do a few more at the beginning of the month.

Good luck to all of you who participate this year!
And have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! 

Kathy 

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Horror Isn't For Me! September IWSG!


It is already September and I have no idea where this summer has gone! Between working, summer traveling, and our youngest graduating from high school this summer has been one of our craziest and I've really missed writing and blogging. But there's no better way to get back in the swing of things than with an IWSG 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!


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!--from IWSG website

Find us on Twitter at @TheIWSG #IWSG



The optional question for this month is:  

What genre would be the worst for you to tackle and why?

I'm willing to try most genres but for me, horror would be the worst genre for me to write. I have never been interested in watching or reading anything in that genre. I think my kids watched all of The Shining before I did. Even after finally watching it, I didn't enjoy it, and then those two little girls from the bloody elevator kept haunting me in my dreams.

Every time I have given in to my husband and kids who seemingly love to spend their nights watching a character be possessed or go coo-coo and grab the nearest weapon to torture everyone around them, I wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat dreaming that I'm running for my life.

So I've decided that paranormal, psychological, and chainsaw massacre horror stories simply aren't my thing and my family can watch them without me. 

If I tried to write one, it would be really lame. Maybe I could write a spoof of a horror movie and make everyone laugh instead of scream.

What would be your worst genre?

Hope you've all had a wonderful summer!

Love, 

Kathy :)

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

June's #IWSG Curiosity Gets Me to the End

 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!--from IWSG website

Find us on Twitter at @TheIWSG #IWSG


The awesome co-hosts for this month are:

This month's optional question is: When the going gets tough writing the story, how do you keep yourself writing to the end? If have not started the writing yet, why do you think that is and what do you think could help you find your groove and start?

Curiosity is what keeps me writing to the end. I usually only have a basic idea of where the story will go when I begin. It is fascinating how characters take on a life of their own seemingly independent of me. My brain has birthed them from somewhere but then like real children, they sometimes make choices that I never would have expected. I want to see where their journey takes them. 

For my non-fiction book, One Year on Broadway, I persevered because I believed the world needed more stories of love and forgiveness, of coming together to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.


Can't wait to read what your strategies are to get through to the end! 
I hope you all have a wonderful June!!


Love,

Kathy 

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

CassaDark Release! Interview with Alex Cavanaugh and IWSG!

CassaDark

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

His world is unraveling…

Bassan’s father is stepping down from command. His best friend almost dies when Bassan freezes. Now, he’s being sent across the galaxy to speak at an important conference. Despite saving the eleven races years ago, he’s paralyzed by fear and doubt. Could things get any worse?

Once there, new acquaintance Zendar convinces Bassan to visit his planet for a humanitarian mission. Bassan’s special connection to ancient technology is the key to saving Zendar’s people. One problem though—it’s a prisoner planet.

On Ugar, he discovers things aren’t so straightforward. As each secret reveals itself, the situation grows more desperate. If he can’t find the right answers, he might die along with Zendar’s people. Can Bassan summon the courage to be a hero again?

Trade paperback, 226 pages, Dancing Lemur Press, LLC
Science fiction - Adventure (FIC028010) / Space Opera (FIC028030) / Space Exploration (FIC028130)
Print ISBN 9781939844842 $16.95 / eBook ISBN 9781939844859 $4.99

Links:
iTunes – 
https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id1574189874
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0982FL3SH
Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940164947033
Kobo – https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9781939844859 
Scribed – 
https://www.scribd.com/search?query=9781939844859&language=0 
Goodreads - 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58461762-cassadark 


Interview with Alex Cavanaugh!

Kathy: Hi Alex! Great to have you here!

Alex: Thanks for having me!

K: I've known you "virtually" for a long time and it was a thrill and a joy to read your latest adventure in the Cassa world! I'd love to hear more about what went into this newest journey through space. So let's just get started:

K: In your Cassa series most of the books follow Byron, what made you choose to tell Bassan's story this time?

 

A: By the time I got to CassaStorm, Byron was now in his early sixties. (Cassans live to be 120, so he wasn’t quite as old as it sounds.) But since I kept jumping ahead twenty years in between books, I knew the next jump would place Byron too old for action and adventure. (Like having Harrison Ford do Indiana Jones right now!) An idea for an adventure for Bassan (Byron’s son) hit me and I decided that was the next logical step in the stories—move on to the next generation. I only jumped ahead fifteen years for this one, though…

 

K: I agree! I'm all for staying active late in life, but I don't really want to see an 80 year old Harrison Ford in an action movie! 😬😳 How much growth can an 80 year old experience throughout a story arc any way? The growth and progression of Bassan's character and how he learns to trust himself as well as those around him was one of the things I loved most about this book. Can you talk about how you crafted Bassan into a well-rounded character?

 

A: Sheer luck? Just kidding! Bassan was a bit shy as a child and always following his older friend’s lead, and I figured that carried over into adulthood. Add the fact that he feels his greatest achievement was saving the races when he was ten and it’s now fifteen years later. He’s aware that’s mostly what he’s known for. He doesn’t like change, but he wants his life to mean more. It fed into his insecurity. Dump on the concerns of choosing a life mate, of disappointing people, and fear of new things, and I think I gave him a lot of qualities many people deal with in real life.

 

K: Yes, you did! And I think there are so many people who have early success in something whether it's school, sports, or music and then all of a sudden as they age, they struggle with the fact that maybe they have already had their moment of greatness and wonder where to turn. I'm so glad Bassan learned to trust in the fact that his greatness was his courage to do the right thing and risk his own life to help others.

 

K: Let's talk a little bit about world building--the Cassa world is huge!! What is your process to keep all the details straight?

And how do you go about coming up with new species for your worlds? My favorite in this one was the xert!

 

A: I wish I could tell you I keep everything organized on a spreadsheet or something, but I really don’t. I do have the basics for each race and the planets encountered in the series written down, although when writing this, I had to refer to CassaStorm, the previous book, more than once. I guess I have lived with this world so long, it’s ingrained in me.

Glad you liked the xert! He was a last minute addition. I tend to focus so much on people that I forget critters. But on a planet with few people, those critters would be all over the place.

 

K: About how long does it take you to write a new book?

 

A: Depends on the book. This one took almost two years, because I’d taken a long, long break and was quite rusty once I began writing again. The first one was about a year. The next three took around two to four months, so that’s probably closer to my average. 

 

K: Two to four months on average! That's awesome! I hope some day I can write that proficiently. What is coming next in the CassaWorld? Or are you planning something totally different?

 

A: I have no idea. I may have thrown everything at Byron’s family that I can. As for my standalone, outside of death, I can’t think of anything else to throw at that main character. Might have to come up with something new.

 

K: I can't wait to see what you conjure up! Which sci-fi books or movies have had the biggest influence on your writing?

 

A: I read a lot of Arthur C. Clarke, Alan Dean Foster, Robert L Heinlein, and Terry Brooks when I was younger. More recently, Timothy Zahn’s Star Wars books have been a big influence. (The man knows how to keep things brief and moving!) As for movies, of course Battlestar Galactica and Star Wars influenced me when I was younger, and the slew of new science fiction movies keep the ideas flowing.

 

K: Those are the giants of sci-fi!

As the Ninja captain of IWSG, I know you're super busy! Do you do speaking engagements, book fairs, or writers conferences? What do you feel has been the best way to get your book in front of readers?

 

A: I’m not much for in-person events. Most of what I’ve done in the past has been through my connections online and blogging. Times have changed, so we’ll see how well that does for this book. Thankfully my publisher does a lot of marketing and comic con appearances to make up for what I lack.

 

K: Is there anything else you would like to share? 

 

A: Buy the book!

Just kidding.

CassaDark may be the fourth in a series, but it can be read alone, especially as it follows a different character than the other three. 

 

Thanks for letting me ramble, Kathy!


K: You're welcome! And yes, everyone go out and buy the book! It's a great read!

And here's a cool graphic of all of Alex's books, go read them all! 😀





Alex J. Cavanaugh works in web design and graphics, and he plays guitar in a Christian band. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is known as Ninja Captain Alex and he’s the founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. 
http://alexjcavanaugh.com  

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

https://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh

 




When I first started blogging over 12 years ago, Alex was there to be a voice of encouragement and support. He brought so many of us together, sponsoring fun contests, bloghops and finally creating the Insecure Writer's Support Group, now a site recognized as one of the top Writer's sites by Writer's Digest. Without Alex, I most likely would have quit blogging a very long time ago. Thanks Alex for creating this wonderful writing family!!!



And now for April's IWSG 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!


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!--from IWSG website

Find us on Twitter at @TheIWSG #IWSG



Question of the Month: Have any of your books been made into audio books? If so, what is the main challenge in producing an audiobook? 

I haven't made my book into an audio book yet, though I am thinking about doing that eventually. So I welcome any suggestions or ideas on this topic.


My insecurity for this month is that I have a few library/bookstore talks coming up this spring and I'm a little nervous about them. I actually don't mind public speaking too much but in the past I have always spoken about my other career: the sport of figure skating. I've spent over thirty years teaching beginner to advanced skaters so I'm super comfortable speaking about it.  Talking about my memoir, One Year on Broadway seems like a much more daunting task.


Are you excited to read CassaDark? What are your tips on audiobook creation or speaking events?

Have a lovely April! We're finally seeing a little bit of sun here in Ohio!


Love, 

Kathy :)

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

#IWSG Post

 

Okay I don't know how March snuck up on me so quickly! February seemed to move like a snail and all of a sudden it's March 2nd and it's the first Wednesday of March which means it's time for another Insecure Writer's Support Group post! The IWSG was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh as a place where we can share our fears and successes with a supportive environment. The IWSG is a wonderful community to meet other authors, hear their struggles, give and receive encouragement and friendship and it has been named one of Writer's Digest top 101 sites for writers!!

Come join us! 

Thank you to this month's co-hosts:  Janet Alcorn, Pat Garcia,Natalie Aguirre, and Shannon Lawrence! Please go visit them!

The optional question for March is: Have you ever been conflicted about writing a story or adding a scene to a story? How did you decide to write it or not?

Yes, I have. When writing my nonfiction/memoir book One Year on Broadway which just released last August, I was conflicted about writing the chapter detailing my parents' anger and refusal to allow me to date my husband because he was half Japanese. There were some pretty horrible things said to both of us. One night in particular they threatened my husband with harm if he ever saw me again.
Of course my husband and I have been married now for over 27 years. My parents apologized before our wedding and deeply regretted their actions. They have been wonderful to us ever since. 

Writing the first draft, I put everything in, all those pent up feelings that I thought I had let go a long time ago came out in a very vivid, emotional scene. But I knew that I couldn't publish that. Those shouted words that had been burned into my brain that night so long ago, now written on a page would have hurt my parents as much as they did us when they were first said. That was never my intention for writing our story. Their words spoken in fear and anger did not define who they really were.
I wanted our story to be more about the forgiveness and the capacity to love deeply even when hurt by someone. 
So I rewrote the pivotal scene to be more like a series of sharp photographic flashbacks instead of full narrative. This way, I could get the point across of what occurred and still protect my aging parents. They had only been trying to protect me.
Sadly, my father passed only a few months before it was published, but my mom read it and I'm happy to report that she loved it so much that she has recommended it to all her friends and our relatives!



Also don't forget to stop by April 6th for my interview with Alex J Cavanaugh about his upcoming release CassaDark!!!



Hurry and pre-order your copy to today and make sure to add to your Goodreads To Read shelf!!
Here are all the links!

iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id1574189874
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0982FL3SH
Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940164947033
Kobo – https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9781939844859 
Scribed – 
https://www.scribd.com/search?query=9781939844859&language=0 


Hope you all have a wonderful March!!
Love,

Kathy