IWSG: May 2020
This post is packed with good stuff.
First up, IWSG Anthologies!
We have one needing readers and one needing writers.
But before we get to those, here's a couple of things you will definitely want to check out:
How to Publish Your Book Now (Publishing 101) is now a double webinar.
Register for May 19 here: https://www.eztalks.com/r/950554940 & May 21 here: https://www.eztalks.com/r/938209289
Book
Release
Blurb:
A modern day, shape-shifting sheriff.
He’s the sheriff of a sparsely populated county in
Montana. His blood brother and childhood best friend is Chief of Police on the
Blackfoot Reservation, but they no longer speak. His deputy is a southern
transplant with the body of a high-priced call girl, a voice of honey and a mouth
of a trucker. And if that’s not enough, he’s got a secret that would stun those
that know him best. Other than that, it’s business as usual for Sheriff Mateo
Grey.
Excerpt:
A chill March wind lifted Chief Deputy Blair
Delaney’s ponytail and nipped her skin as she stepped out of the patrol car,
snapping a twig beneath a sturdy boot. With a flick of her thumbs, she turned
up her collar and burrowed deeper into her worn, brown bomber jacket.
The setting sun hovered on the horizon and
outlined a dark-barked, bare-leaved oak that arced over the porch of Sheriff
Mateo Grey’s cabin.
The temperature dropped. A wolf howled.
She spun on her heel. The large gray predator
stood at the edge of the property, watching her. As seconds ticked, he held her
gaze but came no closer. Finally, as if bored by the whole situation, he turned
his head and loped behind the cabin to disappear into the trees.
Whoosh. Blair didn’t
realize she’d been holding her breath until she expelled it. She’d seen the
wolf before. That one and an older version that melted into the forest whenever
she appeared. Apparently, they considered Mateo’s property part of their
territory. And speaking of which, where the hell was he?
She took an impatient step forward then
faltered as the hair on the back of her neck rose. The sense of a malevolent
presence increased with the disappearance of the wolf. Her hand on the pistol
at her waist, she whipped around and stared into the trees that surrounded the
house. She appreciated Mateo’s desire for privacy but did it have to be in the
middle of bum fuck nowhere?
Blair considered herself a pragmatist and
seldom gave way to flights of fancy. Still a ripple of unease stole over her
like a thick, tangible mist smothering her senses. She drew her gun, forcing
her hand not to tremble.
“Delaney.”
She whirled. The sheriff stood on the porch
shirtless and shoeless, worn jeans riding low on lean hips. Her heart gave a
hard thump and her blood pooled at her feet. Dammit to hell, why couldn’t she
work for someone who was overweight, balding and ate too many donuts? Though,
on the plus side, he did have a way of heating her up and keeping the chill at
bay.
He took one swift glance at the gun and was
off the porch and at her side in four long-legged strides. Even in the biting
wind she could feel heat pouring off him.
“Aren’t you cold?”
He ignored the question and cut to the heart
of the matter. “What’s wrong? Why is your gun drawn?”
Feeling like an idiot, she cleared her throat.
With his appearance the malevolent sensation dissipated like smoke. “I thought
someone was watching.” She holstered her gun.
He took a step past her, alert, dangerous.
Bio:
Sandra is a vegetarian, animal lover and
avid gardener. She lives with her
husband,
their dog and cats in
sunny
North Carolina.
Her
stories consist of all things western…and more. She is a category bestselling
Amazon author, Eppie finalist and Golden Ankh Award winner.
Her
twitter handle: Sandra_Cox
Review:
I've read this book and it's a good one. A fast-paced read with the brooding, handsome sheriff, Mateo, who is a rescuer of small children and stealer of hearts, Mateo. He is challenged by his deputy, a Southern transplant to the tiny Montana town. She's tough, she's sweet, and she's able to make her boss blush with her trucker mouth.
Question Time!
Sandra sent a question and we have the monthly IWSG question:
Question 1: Sandra's question:
If you were a shapeshifter and had the choice, what animal would you be? I'd be a house cat and the humans would be my staff. Would you choose a secluded or highly populated area to live in? I'd choose a quiet house with ocean views. Got a place in mind? No. Any beach house will do.
Question 2: IWSG Question: Do you have any rituals that you use when you need help getting into the ZONE? Care to share? I need my cup of tea. Hot. Three sweeteners, one dash of milk.
Now, about those insecurities...
I believe the only thing worse than having a difficult dream is having a child who dreams even bigger. My son, Boy #2, started college pre-med prepping to be a dentist. His sophomore year, he decided he wanted to be a screen writer. Well, that's hardly an easy biz to break into, especially when you don't have any connections to Hollywood.
I told him: the market is flooded and your chances are slim. Accepting that leaves you with a tough decision. Do you love it enough to do it at any level? Or is it a dream that requires winning to make it worthwhile? If so, you're in it for the wrong reasons and you'll probably have to sell your soul to give yourself 50/50 odds of ever being happy.
And you'll be soulless.
But if you truly love the intrinsic value of the work and the process of creation, then you can never go wrong pursuing \what you love as a career. Stick your foot in any door that will open and enjoy the process. The creation. Anything less will almost always lead to insecurity, frustration, and failure.
He agreed. He switched his major to economics and decided to focus on the business end of movies. He revamped his school's film club, started making short films and cartoons, and applied to work on movie sets as a production assistant. He picked up a job producing a sport's show for a radio station. He taught classes and kept on creating.
This spring he was offered spots at both UCLA and AFI in their MFA program for producers. I told him that was like writing a story that got sold in a bidding war. That's damn sweet. Enjoy the glory for a moment, then get back to work.
Until next time, IWSG, stay busy, keep producing, and love the hell out of what you do.
Thanks to our fearless leader, the ninja master, Alex Cavaugh and this month's awesome co-hosts: Feather Stone, Beverly Stowe McClure, Mary Aalgaard, Kim Lajevardi, and Chemist Ken!
Release date – May 5, 2020
Print 9781939844729 $13.95
EBook 9781939844736 $4.99
Juvenile Fiction - Historical / Action & Adventure / Fantasy & Magic
Dancing Lemur Press/Freedom Fox Press
Journey into the past…
Will the third ghost be found before fires take more lives? Can everyone be warned before Pompeii is buried again? What happens if a blizzard traps a family in East Germany? Will the Firebird help Soviet sisters outwit evil during WWII? And sneaking off to see the first aeroplane – what could go wrong?
Ten authors explore the past, sending their young protagonists on harrowing adventures. Featuring the talents of Yvonne Ventresca, Katharina Gerlach, Roland Clarke, Sherry Ellis, Rebecca M. Douglass, Bish Denham, Charles Kowalski, Louise MacBeath Barbour, Beth Anderson Schuck, and L.T. Ward.
Hand-picked by a panel of agents, authors, and editors, these ten tales will take readers on a voyage of wonder into history. Get ready for an exciting ride!
Pre-order on Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and Goodreads
Winners:
The Third Ghost – Yvonne Ventresca
Winter Days - Katharina Gerlach
Feathered Fire – Roland Clarke
The Ghosts of Pompeii – Sherry Ellis
Dare Double Dare – Louise MacBeath Barbour
The Blind Ship – Bish Denham
A World of Trouble – Rebecca M. Douglass
The Orchard - Beth Anderson Schuck
Return to Cahokia – L.T. Ward
Simon Grey and the Yamamba - Charles Kowalski
For the 2020 IWSG Anthology Contest:
Guidelines and rules:
Word count: 4500-6000
Genre: Science Fiction
Theme: Dark Matter
Submissions accepted: May 6 - September 2, 2020
Be sure to follow the submission guidelines! You can find them HERE.
How to enter: Send your polished, formatted (double-spaced, no footers or headers), previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes. Please include your full contact details, your social links, and if you are part of the Blogging, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter IWSG group.
Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges.
Our official judges:
Dan Koboldt is the author of the Gateways to Alissia trilogy (Harper Voyager), the editor of Putting the Science in Fiction (Writers Digest, 2018), and the creator of the sci-fi adventure serial The Triangle (Serial Box, 2019). As a genetics researcher, he has co-authored more than 80 publications in Nature, Science, The New England Journal of Medicine, and other scientific journals. He is represented by Paul Stevens of Donald Maass Literary Agency.
Lynda R. Young is an Aussie writing fantasy novels as Elle Cardy. Wielder’s Prize is her debut YA epic fantasy. She is also an editor, game developer, 3D artist, graphic designer, photographer, gamer and more.
Colleen Oefelein is an author of YA, picture books, and author promotion guides, a devourer of books, and the owner of the book review site North of Normal. Formerly an associate agent and PR manager with Inklings Literary Agency, Colleen has hosted numerous “Pitch Perfect” and “Rejection Correction” workshops on Facebook and at conferences nationwide, and she’s mentored several authors one-on-one through online pitch contests such as Pitch Wars.
Damien Larkin is an Irish science fiction author and co-founder of the British and Irish Writing Community. His debut novel Big Red was published by Dancing Lemur Press and went on to be longlisted for the BSFA award for Best Novel. He currently lives in Dublin, Ireland and is working on his next novel Blood Red Sand.
is the editor and publisher of AntipodeanSF, Australia's longest running online speculative fiction magazine, regularly issued since January 1998. His qualifications and employment range from horticulture through electronics into literature and communications.
Julie Gwinn most recently served as Marketing Manager for the Christian Living line at Abingdon Press and before that served as Trade Book Marketing Manager and then Fiction Publisher for the Pure Enjoyment line at B&H Publishing Group, a Division of LifeWay Christian Resources. Recently, she was awarded Editor of the Year from the American Christian Fiction Writers and won B&H’s first Christy award for Ginny Yttrup’s debut novel Words.
David's works include Woven, The Undead Road, and Full Dark: An Anthology. He currently resides in the Mountain West with his wife and 4 children.
Prizes: The winning stories will be edited and published by Dancing Lemur Press' imprint Freedom Fox Press next year in the IWSG anthology. Authors will receive royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have the honor of giving the anthology its title. Please see their website for guidelines on the type of stories they accept.
We’re excited to see the creativity and enthusiasm that’s such a part of this group put into action. So don your creative caps and start writing. And spread the word!
Congratulations to Sandra!
ReplyDeleteThat was very wise advice you gave to your son. And awesome he had two schools vying for him.
Congratulations Sandra! I'm not sure what animal I would pick. I like the beach scenery though. I think I'd either want to fly or be really really fast. Congratulations to all the authors in the anthology too! Happy IWSG Day :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats to your son! And well done to you for that realistic and amazing advice. :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Sandra. Her book sounds great. Mateo is a super name.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Sandra - love the idea of a shape shifting sheriff :) And I love your answer to the shape shifter question. A house cat is definitely the way to go. What a wonderful outcome for your son. He's going to do amazing things :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats to your son on figuring out a way to follow his dream. And Sandra's book sounds cool. I love the shape shifting element added to a mystery story.
ReplyDeleteSo much goodness in this post! Congratulations to EVERYONE!
ReplyDeleteYou encouraged your son with wisdom. Good on you, mom.
ReplyDeleteThank you for mentioning my webinar.
Congrats to Sandra - the book looks fun!
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats to your son - fantastic!!!
Congrats to Sandra!
ReplyDeleteAnd Congratulations to your son and you! Nice work!
Sounds like a read I could get lost in. Love it!
ReplyDeleteAnd your son, you must be so proud! Now all your books well be made into movies. right? LOL
Lots of great news here today--from the personal to the professional. It's so good to read about the positive side of things during this lock down time. Thanks for this today!
ReplyDeleteA gazillion thanks for helping me get the word out. You're the best. AND...I'm so excited to hear about your son. Your guys are doing so well. You've done a great job, mom:) I echo Yolanda, we'll be waiting for your books to hit the big screen.
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Sandra!
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats to you, for being an inspiring mom, and to your son! Wishing him much success with his career!
Sandra's book sounds fun, and I am delighted to read about your son's success!
ReplyDeleteWhat a refreshing collection of musing at the start of the new month. I enjoyed reading about those conversations every mother will have at some point. Not every one encourages their kids to follow their dreams though, so I'm sending hopes his future career continues to take off and thanking you for your support. Hmmn. Shape-shifting? I'm still thinking of the possibilities! Have a good month ahead.
ReplyDeleteCongrats Sandra, on both your son's success and your part in inspiriting him!
ReplyDeleteAs for Elizabeth's question, my next move is to get moving on a story for the upcoming anthology!
A cat would sure be the way. Congrats to Sandra too. Sounds like your son found his path indeed.
ReplyDeleteAwesome excerpt, Sandra! Good luck to you, and Elizabeth, how did you know my current writer state of mind? :)
ReplyDeleteyou had me at shape-shifting sheriff! Oh yes!
ReplyDeleteWhat wise advice you gave your son! Obviously, he took it and made the changes himself. Congrats to him on being offered spots at UCLA & AFI. Wow!
ReplyDeleteCongrats Sandra! Fascinating subject matter and story...All the best.
ReplyDeleteWow, Elizabeth! What great news for you son! Congrats to him and all the best!