June IWSG: An Insecure World

2:24 PM Elizabeth Seckman 14 Comments

Insecurity. Wow. I’m feeling it this month. I think the chaos in the world makes it hard to get anything done.I spend a lot of time thinking of ways to help us heal. Not that anyone will ever ask me for my opinion, but it’s hard to see or hear about people suffering and set it out of my mind and focus on plot lines or even dishes. Work doesn’t seem to matter when the world is bleeding and burning.

But if there is a single take away from all the turmoil, it’s that we shouldn’t postpone caring until it’s a crisis. We need to listen to each other. We need to give a damn about another’s plight- even if it’s not our own. I doubt anyone will ever call us to a round table discussion to fix the ills of the world, but we can still stay focused and do whatever but we can to help. Email your congressman. Call the White House.

I called and messaged mine. I told them I am sick of the partisan fights. Get to work. Do the job you were elected to do or we'll start electing people who truly care about We the People.

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June 3 question - Writers have secrets! What are one or two of yours, something readers would never know from your work?

I honestly cannot think of any secrets. I try to live a congruent life. Or as my grandma would say- I'm not one for putting on airs. I suppose the thing that surprises people most is that I am a firm believer in Christ. Yet, I say bullsh*t to bullsh*t and write stories with broken characters who engage in premarital sex, flip off red lights, and will chug a bottle of wine without a moment's guilt.

SOO, again, if you know me in real life, you know those sorts of characters aren't lies, they're sort of how I roll. Though I did get married, so I'm good on that category, now.

The awesome co-hosts for the June 3 posting of the IWSG are Pat Garcia, J.Q. Rose, and Natalie Aguirre! Thanks guys!

Congratulations to our IWSG Members!

*If you want a shout out here and in the newsletter, email me the details at elizabethseckman(at)ymail(dot)com and put IWSG in the subject line.

Congratulations to admin and member Tyrean Martinson! Tyrean had a new book come out, as an editor and as a contributor. Walking with Jesus: Stories From One Hope Church is a faith-filled anthology featuring real people with real dilemmas. Available at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, iTunes, and Overdrive. https://tyreanswritingspot.blogspot.com/

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“She never imagined it would end this way”

Perfect Lie: A gripping new debut crime thriller with twists you won’t see coming!

Jen Garner tries her best to be ‘wife and mother of the year’. She helps organise school plays and accompanies her husband to company dinners, all with a big smile on her face.
But Jen has started to receive strange gifts in the post ... first flowers, then a sympathy card.
It could just be a joke; that’s what she tells herself. But then the final ‘gift’ arrives, and Jen has to question why somebody is so intent on shattering her life into pieces ...

https://csheldonblog.wordpress.com

@ClaireEESheldon https://www.facebook.com/clairesheldonauthor

Amazon https://amzn.to/2XdiWyM

Kobo: https://bit.ly/36T7mO0

Ibooks: https://apple.co/2TVYvpj

Google Play: https://bit.ly/3dj40WZ

Barnes Nobble: https://bit.ly/3gAeT8V

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The annual anthology contest is open!

Theme: Dark Matter

Submissions accepted: May 6 - September 2, 2020
Guidelines and rules:

Word count: 4500-6000

Genre: Science Fiction
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 awesome judges:

Dan Koboldt, author and #SFFpit founder
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, author
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, agent, The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency
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, author
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.

I on Newcombe, eidtor and publisher

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, agent, The Seymour Agency
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 Powers King, author
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 general guidelines on the types of stories they publish.

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!

14 comments:

Tonja DreckerJune 3, 2020 at 3:10 PM
Congrats to all those new releases and upcoming ones! It is hard to write, right now. I'm hoping it's the quiet before the writing storm ;)
Cathrina ConstantineJune 3, 2020 at 3:20 PM
I also am a firm believer in Christ! And I'm praying that He will calm the storm, more sooner than later...

I also know there is a devil, and that bad dude is chaos and destruction. He's having a good ole time right now...

Take Care. Stay Healthy and Safe!
Chrys FeyJune 3, 2020 at 3:27 PM
I believe you can be a believer of Christ and so all of the things.
Alex J. CavanaughJune 3, 2020 at 3:40 PM
I like what you told him! Amen. Get your act together, guys.
Just keep praying.
Natalie AguirreJune 3, 2020 at 3:41 PM
Congrats on everyone's new releases! Yes, these times are very hard to cope with. Glad you found a way to take action that feels meaningful to you.
cleemckenzieJune 3, 2020 at 5:18 PM
I like your proactive approach. Pick up the phone. Write a letter. Send an email or a text and tell your representatives what you want done.
L. Diane WolfeJune 3, 2020 at 5:29 PM
I wrote a letter to the president last month. Need to contact our governor, too.

I'm a Christian and yet there's also premarital sex in my YA/NA series. Some kept their values but not realistic to think they all do.
Pat HattJune 3, 2020 at 8:32 PM
Great way to tell them to stop their childish bs and work together like they are supposed to.

Bah, what's a little diddling out of wedlock lol
Annalisa CrawfordJune 4, 2020 at 7:02 AM
The world feels very broken at the moment, but there are so many good people who are doing their best to help. I'm trying to wrap my head around it at the moment for a blog post.

Congrats to Tyrean and Claire on their new releases.
Loni TownsendJune 4, 2020 at 3:25 PM
Your note about being a firm believer in Christ, that resonated. I used to be terrified of what people might think of me because I put deities in my books. I've finally come to accept that my writing can actually be separate from me, if that's how the story rolls.

Grats to Tyrean and Claire!
Lori L. MacLaughlinJune 6, 2020 at 1:48 PM
"Sick of the partisan fighting" is right. They need to stop thinking about what's right for their pockets and start thinking about what's right for the people - ALL of the people.

Congrats to Tyrean and Claire on their new releases!
Yolanda RenéeJune 8, 2020 at 12:50 PM
A government that worked, what a unique thought! I believe in all religions, the progressive revelation of religious truth. The time for change has arrived.
R's RueJune 22, 2020 at 9:12 PM
Thank you.
MelissaJune 24, 2020 at 11:47 AM
The sad thing is that a lot of people don't realize there are forces at work behind the scenes that are using the unrest to advance their agendas. If everyone would just take a breath and look at the people around them, neighbors and folks they know, they would see that most of us want the same things. Love, common sense and unity will fix things, not violence and hate.

Wow! Both those books look really good. Congrats to the authors.

When are they going to compile an IWSG anthology of romance, hm? ;)