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Insecure Writer’s Support Group: Post #13

It's the first Wednesday of the month again. Time for another IWSG post.

I've been reading Stephen King's It. If there's one thing about King's writing that makes it brilliant, besides the action sequences, it's his grasp of character. After reading several of his books this year, I think I understand how he creates characters that stick with you. The question is. Can I do the same thing? I don't know if I have it in me. Nothing to do but try.

And, if you're a fantasy/scifi writer or reader, consider signing up for BookBreeze. You'll receive a weekly email with a free fantasy/scifi title along with links to other works of interest from the author. This isn't one of those pricey email blast promotions. I signed up as an author member a couple weeks ago. I can't say what the results are yet but I'm hoping to find some new readers. If you're interested in the author membership benefits, click here.

Until next month, keep writing.

Celebrate The Small Things - 19 June #CTST

It's Friday and time to Celebrate The Small Things (or big things) that happened this week.

Received a couple 5-star reviews this week. WooHoo! Reviews are always pleasant surprises, especially if they are from someone you don't know.

Still slogging away at the novel. Even with an outline, details of the plot are changing as I go, which requires keeping notes for later revisions or making changes in earlier chapters now to keep it all in sync. I'm thinking about offering my email list subscribers a chance to beta read. How early in the writing is too early to beta read? Should I wait until the first draft is completed?

Keep writing and keep hoping. What are you celebrating this week?

Want to join in the fun that is Celebrate The Small Things, sign up here. Thanks to the very talented Lexa Cain for hosting this hop.

Insecure Writer’s Support Group: Post #12

It's the first Wednesday of the month again. Time for another IWSG post.

Been working on a novel lately. It was supposed to have been a short story but I quickly realized there was way too much story to cram into a short form. I have a detailed outline, which I'm modifying and adding a few scenes as I work through it. My challenge? I can't hold the whole story in my head all at once. I could do that with shorter works. I guess that's why I didn't need much of a written outline before. With this project, I have to consult the outline frequently so I can remember to make connections with previous chapters and upcoming chapters. Has anybody else experienced this when moving from short forms to long forms?

If you're a fantasy/scifi writer or reader, consider signing up for BookBreeze. You'll receive a weekly email with a free fantasy/scifi title along with links to other works of interest from the author. This isn't one of those pricey email blast promotions. I signed up as an author member a couple weeks ago. I can't say what the results are yet but I'm hoping to find some new readers. If you're interested in the author membership benefits, click here.

Until next month, keep writing.

Cover Reveal: A Wish Made of Glass

Today is the cover reveal for Ashlee Willis’s fairy tale novella A Wish Made of Glass. Ashlee appeared on the blog in August to talk about her fantasy novel The Word Changers. You can find the interview here.

What is A Wish Made of Glass about? Here’s the blurb:

Deep in a forest glade, the fey folk dance with Isidore, a young human child. Their kinship is the very fabric of her childhood. When her mother dies and her world darkens with sorrow, Isidore finds her belief in the fey folk wavering.

The love of her new step-sister, Blessing, proves an unexpected gift in her time of need. Yet even as their friendship blooms, Isidore begins to see that Blessing is everything she herself has always wanted to be, but is not. Jealousy grips Isidore as she watches this beautiful new sister steal away all she holds dear.

Driven to desperation, Isidore turns to the fey folk once more. She has only one wish to claim from them, one chance to make things right. But she must tread carefully. For wishes, like hearts, are easily broken. And obtaining the one thing she desires could mean destroying the one thing she truly needs.

Ashlee expects A Wish Made of Glass to be available this summer.

Ashlee Willis is the author of fantasy for young adults. She lives in the heart of Missouri with her husband and young son. While most of her days are balanced between writing, reading and being a stay-at-home mom, she also finds time to enjoy forest rambles, photography, and playing the piano.

You can find out more about Ashlee at these links:

Blog: http://ashleewillisauthor.wordpress.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7849640.Ashlee_Willis
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshleeWillisAuthor
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ashlee-Willis/e/B00KC96M6K/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BookishAshlee
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/BookishAshlee/

New Release: Blood and Beauty and Other Weird Tales

Blood and Beauty and Other Weird Tales is currently available for pre-order. The release date is May 21. The six short stories collected here are on the darker side of fantasy and weirdness. If you're a fan of Edgar Allan Poe, H. P. Lovecraft, Greek mythology, or biblical-inspired fantasy, you might find something interesting here.

"Blood and Beauty" tells the tragic love story of a satyr and a dryad.

"Sutter’s Well" records the weird encounter between two boys and a Lovecraftian monster in Appalachia.

"Morphine and Chocolate" draws inspiration from the medieval poem Pearl as it follows a father's search for his missing daughter from one weird landscape to another.

"The Facts in the Case of M. Hussman" takes inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe and records the horrific consequences of artificially extending life in a steampunk world.

"Shafts to Hell" returns to the Old West and takes the reader inside the mind of an insane miner.

"Good King David" combines the tales of Hamlet and Absalom in a Biblical fantasy world.

Store Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Celebrate The Small Things - 8 May #CTST

It's Friday and time to Celebrate The Small Things (or big things) that happened this week.

On the Altar is finally out (Amazon US). My goal this year is to put out five new titles. So that's one down. I'm almost done proofing Blood and Beauty and Other Weird Tales, a collection of previously published stories that I plan to release next week. That will be two titles done. Now I have to get busy and write the other three.

For my current work in progress I'm trying a new outlining technique that I learned from Libbie Hawker's Take Off Your Pants. I think it will help me avoid getting stuck, which is what usually trips me up. So far the writing is chugging along. Haven't been blogging much lately. Sorry. I've been too busy writing.

Keep writing and keep hoping. What are you celebrating this week?

Want to join in the fun that is Celebrate The Small Things, sign up here. Thanks to the very talented Lexa Cain for hosting this hop.