IWSG APRIL 2017 A Writer’s Life For Me @@ Whose the April Fool?
IWSG APRIL 2017
#IWSG Twitter Hashtag
IWSG APRIL 2017
Insecure Writer’s Support Group
FOUNDED BY
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh
Join the community here.
Your co-host this month are:
Chris @ Madness of a Modern Writer
IWSG APRIL 5TH QUESTION: Have you taken advantage of the annual A to Z Challenge in terms of marketing, networking, publicity for your book? What were the results?
I have never done the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, but I would like to—Maybe next year.
What is Blogging A to Z? For anyone who may not know.
It’s April Camp NaNoWriMo this month too.
I’m doing Camp April NaNoWriMo. Writing shorts and flash fiction. I am writing 52 flash fiction and/or short for 2017. I am hoping to catch up and get ahead this Camp April. 
Fear — Angst This month:
That I’m lost in limbo and all the efforts I have made these first few months were like a dog chasing his tail going nowhere. My planning and time management are not working out as imagined, but I guess at least there is effort put in. “Man plans and God laughs (or) Man purposes and God disposes.” A Yiddish proverb.
Where do all the Spotlight Authors come from, I wonder?
Well Jack, those are the blokes who docked in Writer’s Gambit Spotlight in the month of March. It’s the last wave of the month as the tide rolls out. Do you think anyone will roll in with high tide in April?
Don’t know matey, but I slipped a copy of the guidelines just in case. You should offer them rum and song.
April IWSG Author Spotlight is on 5+ Author’s this month starting with our very own…
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh
AUTHOR BIO:
Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design, graphics, and technical editing. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. He’s the author of Amazon Best-Sellers CassaStar, CassaFire, CassaStorm, and Dragon of the Stars. The author lives in the Carolinas with his wife.
Cassa Series Prequel: CASSADAWN is Free. And A Few Word’s from Alex
Megan Morgan: A Writer’s Journey ~ Author of Siren Song & Kentucky Haints Series
Megan Morgan
AUTHOR BIO
Megan Morgan is an award-winning urban fantasy and paranormal romance author from Cleveland, Ohio. Bartender by day and purveyor of things that go bump in the night, she’s trying to turn writing into her day job so she can be on the other side of the bar for a change. Hailing from the often-wintry shores of Lake Erie, she lives with an attention-seeking cat and her adult son, both of which shed too much.
He Gave Me Barn Cats by Maria Santomasso-Hyde
Maria Santomasso-Hyde
AUTHOR BIO:
Formerly a newspaper reporter, Maria Santomasso-Hyde now owns Alta Vista Fine Art Gallery.She lives in Valle Crucis, North Carolina, with her husband, Lee, and The Queen of the Universe (Roma, their Black Cat) … and other Black Cats who decide to move in.
Creating Stories by Award-Winning Author Hank Quense
Hank Quense
AUTHOR BIO:
Hank Quense writes humorous and satiric sci-fi and fantasy stories. He also writes and lectures about fiction writing and self-publishing. He has published 19 books and 50 short stories along with dozens of articles. He often lectures on fiction writing and publishing and has a series of guides covering the basics on each subject. He is currently working on a third Moxie novel that
takes place in the Camelot era.
He and his wife, Pat, usually vacation in another galaxy or parallel universe. They also time travel occasionally when Hank is searching for new story ideas.
STILL ME… AFTER ALL THESE YEARS: 24 AUTHORS REFLECT ON AGING
Poignant…Humorous…Brutally Honest!
A collection of personal reflections guaranteed to keep you inspired and entertained on that journey we all travel together: The Journey of Aging
With a blend of grace, dignity, warmth and humor, women and men from 60 to 90 and from all walks of life candidly share the blessings and pitfalls of aging – from keeping dreams alive and keeping sex lives active to dealing with retirement, loss of independence and a growing sense of mortality.
A BOOK ABOUT LIVING EVERY MOMENT OF LIFE!
Click Above Link to view all 24 Author Bio’s.
Founded 2015 by students of “How To Think Sideways: Career Survival School for Writer’s,” created by writer and teacher Holly Lisle.
RULES & GUIDELINES HERE
NEXT HOP is on Wednesday APRIL 26, 2017
Links Due April 20th, 2017
Sync Time Link is Set-Match Your Time Zone-Don’t forget to schedule.
I’m your host this month. Basics are the same. General Speculative Fiction. Questions? Or to touch base, you can. EMAIL ME HERE
April Storytime Blog Hop
April 26th, 2017
21
Days to go!
Start Writing Now! Don’t be shy. Come play with us. We need stories. LINKS DUE APRIL 20TH
Remember! You can always pre-schedule your link and send it to me since it won’t post until the time you scheduled. That means you can write and edit right up until midnight on the 26th and no one but you will see it until then.
COUNTDOWN COUNTER ON SIDEBAR WILL AUTO UPDATE.
Love the mugs!!!
I did the A to Z challenge once . . . and while I loved it, I remember spending the whole month of April on my laptop doing the rounds. Maybe at some point when life isn’t has hectic, and the kids are a bit older I’ll do it again. I met lots of amazing and talented people through it.
And hey, good luck with Camp April NaNoWriMo!!! How exciting! 😀
Fabulous mugs Juneta, I look forward to reading your Camp Nanowrimo stories.
Family #Lexicon of Leaving
Those are some great mugs 🙂 I understand the planning and time management angst; it seems like any time I think my schedule is looking good, something else will suddenly pop up and take over my time.
Wow, there’s a lot in this post. Good stuff. There’s so much going on with A-Z, NaNoWriMo, and a bunch of other stuff. Thanks for sharing all this.
I participated a few times in the A-Z Challenge. It can be fun, and I enjoyed meeting new people, but it’s exhausting too. My time management skills have become a joke the past couple months. I’m so far behind where I’d hoped to be. Progress is progress, though. Good luck with Camp NaNo!
What a power packed post. I could comment on everything, but I especially congratulate you on the Camp–52 shorts?Heck that’s like 13 years worth of Storytime Blog… Oh my…where to begin. I guess it’s like eating an elephant–take one bite at a time. Best wishes for success!!
JQ Rose
I think you’d enjoy the A to Z Challenge. It’s best if you do some planning and scheduling ahead of time. I wasn’t prepared this year, so I’ have a whole year to prepare for A to Z Challenge 2018!
I LOVE the coffee cup sayings; of course, my cup would contain tea instead of coffee. Bravo to you, Juneta, for doing Camp NaNoWriMo. I haven’t done the A to Z either. Time. This writing gig is all about time. I’ve signed up for your e-mail list. All the best to you.
Excellent authors this month. A to Z is fun, but it can consume all of your writing time if you let it.
E is for Experiment: Turning the USS Eldridge Invisible
You are a busy bee! The A-Z is fun, but requires a lot of precious time, that could be turned into writing a few chapters for a book. 🙂 I’d like to join again, but when less projects are on the list (does that ever happen?). Maybe next year? I am “slowly” starting to realize that writing a book is a “slow” process. Rarely ever do I feel like I am getting somewhere, even when I succeed in writing a first draft chapter a week (which rarely happens). Yes, I am in it for the long run – a new experience. Flash fiction might be more satisfying and productive. Happy writing!
Whoa! So much to do! You’re a champion in my book!
I joined the Camp NaNo this year too. I’m not doing very well. My insecurities are kicking me down. I won’t give up, but I wondering if I’ll win. Maybe it doesn’t mater….:-)
Anna from elements of emaginette
Good luck with Camp!
Keep on putting the work in. You’ll get there. Lots of great spotlights! Good luck with Camp NaNo this month. You can do it!!!
I am thinking about doing NaNo in 2018, once I am writing full time. Right now, I am trying to keep my peace by enjoying what writing I can do without putting unrealistic expectations on it. Thanks for a great post highlighting some great writers!
effort is effort – don’t beat yourself up =) i should talk, wishing i could get more writing and other stuff done! this is the first year i’m not doing a to z, curious to see how the new format works out.
keep at it!
Tara Tyler Talks
Wow, so many fabulous spotlights! Congrats to all the authors.
And yes, making the effort, even if you think you aren’t making any progress, is worth a lot!
One year, I want to to Camp NaNo and NaNo.
The first coffee cup about caffeine made me chuckle.
I haven’t tried the A to Z challenge yet either. I want to, but I’m not sure what to do it on. I’m sure it will come to me eventually.
I haven’t tried Camp NaNo! nor A-Z challenge. Over the last year my time and energy has been invested in my husband’s in his recovery. As a result, I’ve been forced to write quickly. It’s been interesting to notice my words are coming more quickly with more interesting results. I think that is one of the goals of these events. BTW, my husband is making good progress!
So glad to hear you husband is doing good. That is always a worry. Congrats on the progress with your words too. I need to write faster. I enjoy NaNo. I do Camp April and July and then the official November Nano. It can be lots of fun and I don’t let the word count worry me. I have not made the 50,000 mark yet in 30 days but I’ll keep plugging.
I wish I was doing Camp NaNo.
Thank you for featuring two of DLP’s authors.
Your Welcome. Thank you for stopping by. I enjoy NaNo Camp.
52 flash fiction stories? I’d wimp out after maybe two. Speed writing is not my forte. But I wish you luck on your goal.
Flash fiction which is only 500 words. 52 weeks in a year ,so only have to do 500 words a week and that is rough draft not edited ready to publish kind of thing so not so hard or taxing if I just do it each week. Thank you.
I’m sitting here smiling. I have almost all of the books you’re promoting in this post. I never paid any attention to your to the Story Time Blog Hop but I love flash fiction. Maybe, I’ll participate next time.
Wishing you all the best.
Pat
We’d love for you to join us. We always need people to play with us. There is still time to get a short done and join. Would love to have you. I think most everyone is IWSG author or connected to one that is listed too, but not 100 % sure.
Good luck with Camp NaNo! I did A-Z for several years and loved it but I don’t think I’ll be doing it again. I will always recommend it though, I met so many great blogger buddies that way.
I’m sorry you are feeling in limbo, unfortunately that proverb rings true for me as well. I hope you will have a successful April!
Thank you. I’ll need it. Things are not flowing like I’d like.
I like the mug.
Thanks again for highlighting me! The rest of the authors are all excellent choices.
No Challenge this year and I have to admit, I’m enjoying it.
I was thrilled to have you. Thank you.
Fabulous post, Juneta. I’m not a NaNo or even a A-Zer. Never wanted to be. Guess I can live with that. I believe in staying away from too much work. LOL. Okay, that’s not true, but life is short.
Thank you. I enjoy NaNo and it gets me writing even when I don’t win.
I’m so not a NaNo-er, but I applaud those who are. Here’s to a fabulous, productive and successful April!
I enjoy NaNo hanging with some writer friends will all the same mindset for the month of April. Thank you, you too.
I have never done Camp NaNo. I look forward to reading your thoughts on it.
I enjoy Camp Nano because I share a cabin with other Holly Lisle students and we have a good time. It gets me writing even when I don’t win, but normally I win the camps. It is the official one in November that I have yet to win. Thank you.
Good luck with Camp NaNo! I’ve done it a couple of times in the past, and I’m considering it for July.
Thank you. You go. I’ll probably do July too.
I love your flash goal. I wrote a couple of flash pieces last year, and they were so much fun. I haven’t done anything with them, but I think I’ll revisit them at some point. Woohoo – another camper! Are you in a cabin? I’m not really sure if I’m doing the cabin thing correctly. I seem to be one of the only ones checking in daily. I love the people who are talking, offering encouragement, but I’m not sure why the non-participants asked to be sorted into a cabin if they didn’t really want to participate in one. Okay, I’m just complaining now. I’ll stop. Anyway, happy Camp NaNoWriMo, and I hope the words flow freely for you.
Yeah I had cabins like that in past, but now I always do a cabin with my fellow Holly Lisle students or Lake Writers and either one of them, we always have a blast. Sometimes there is less talking if the month gets really busy outside of writing, but we always chat a little and keep each other up on how we are doing. Hope yours start talking to you. Same to you Happy Camp NaNoWriMo and free flowing words.
I did the A to Z Challenge last year, Juneta. It was fun, but a lot of work! LOL. You can browse my reflection post here: https://iloveromanceblog.wordpress.com/2016/05/02/a-to-z-reflections/
Cool, thanks for sharing.
My pleasure!