Harpy New Year and Best Witches!

Welcome 2021!

And thanks for stopping by the Insecure Writers Support Group

I'm usually pretty optimistic as each new year begins... but we all know how last year tore us up, so this year I'm CAUTIOUSLY optimistic. I'm always hopeful things will get better, and I'm up for the challenges. Though I'm not one to cower from change, I don't enjoy it, especially so much at once. In 2020, my writing waned, but I can't complain--I've been doing pretty well dealing with the rest of life.

As we start a fresh new year, I hope you are healthy, happy, and hopeful!

Besides re-publishing most of my books in 2020, I was determined to publish something new... and I did it, barely. (My post title goes with my latest Un-Princess novella.)

Introducing...

GERTRUDE, the nerdy princess

Un-Princess Novella #4

by Tara Tyler

High school can be tough for teenagers, but it’s nothing compared to Princess School. Especially for an awkward, overweight, nerdy princess who likes to read.

Princess Gertrude wants to be a great Queen someday, so she endures the daily torments of the frilly princesses. Until they go too far. With her emotions and clothes in tatters, she runs away into the haunted dark forest—not that she believes in such things. But what she finds there will teach her more about courage and leadership than that ridiculous Princess School ever could.

paperback on Lulu $4.99

Would love to send you a FREE copy for a review

(pdf or signed paper--let me know!)

After discovering some new "improvements" at Amazon, I have to do some fancy dancing to get the e-book done, as if the normal hoops and hurdles of self-publishing weren't exasperating enough. Plus all the joys of adding it to Goodreads--another fun-filled, hair-pulling-out experience. It's a good thing I love to write--I'm used to overcoming obstacles, and I can apply it to my characters!

GOALS

This year, I'm not going to be specific on goals, considering last year's list was a waste of time! I just have a bunch of hopes: 

• I hope to finish CONDUCTION Pop Travel #4. I'm half-way through the first draft and decided one of the events needs a major rewrite--I was taking the easy way, and easy = boring, so...
• I really hope to get out and do some live book events this year
• I hope to find time to read more and write more

The end. Keeping it simple. I'll post updates here, which helps remind me to keep at it!

How did you do for writing in 2020?

Have you made any goals or have hopes for this year?

Getting it done in

#WritersLife can be Lonely

Many writers and artists are introverts. It can be a lonely occupation. We sit alone with our thoughts, expressing them through written words and images. It takes a lot of courage for creatives to put their work out into the public for scrutiny and judgment.

But we must! We need to share our hard work - everyone needs validation and approval, despite some negative feedback which should help us improve and grow stronger, right?

Starting slowly, we send our precious works out into the world. First, we recruit betas and critique partners who are the best encouragers, giving insightful, constructive advice. When we feel confident (haha) to move on, we can hire an editor, or polish it as shiny as possible, and try querying, continuing to improve with each rejection--which will be many!

Once you are published, (and you will be published, but only if you keep at it!) that's when the really hard work starts. Marketing.

As a teacher, I consider myself more outgoing since I get up in front of very critical audiences on a daily basis! I'm not afraid to go to events and put myself out there. But as a writer, I'm a one woman show. I have to set my own writing goals and deadlines. I have to look for the events and try new things and leave my comfort zone. I have to make a commitment to myself to keep writing and figure out ways to market my books without annoying all my friends!

It can be very difficult to keep going with so many negatives to overcome. And it's all on us. The negatives are a direct reflection on our work, so it's hard not to take it personally or let it get us down!

And that's why I'm so thankful (again!) for the writing community. We all know how it is. I can't say enough how much I appreciate my awesome writer friends. They understand and won't let me give up!

If you'd like to join our weekly twitter chat where we discuss writerly things and life in general, we'd love to have you. Don't forget the hashtag!

Now this...
I had another great week during the TAKING BACK BEAST WORLD campaign! ONWARD is out there, and apparently it will make you cry. I don't like to cry at movies, especially animated features.

But like I said, it was a fantastic week! I had so many visitors at C. Lee McKenzie's & Alex Cavanaugh's blogs, I'm still getting around to visiting back! So here's a big

This week, I'll be talking about School Presentations at Sherry Ellis's place. She's also a great example of excellent MG writing and putting herself out there. Hope you can stop by!

Are you an introvert? Do you go to writerly events?

What advice do you have to encourage writers to get out there?

Happy Daylight Savings!

#Organization - without the STRESS!

I did it! CRADLE ROCK is now available! Again!

CRADLE ROCK
Beast World, Book Two

In a world ruled by peaceful beasts, Gabe the goblin and a small group of friends travels to bleak Sector Three where Ona, his ogress girlfriend has gone missing on her expedition to find evidence of humans. 

Danger? Wild animals? Poisonous mist? Bring it on. Nothing will stop him from saving his girl. Not even humans - there's no such thing!

Amazon -- Goodreads

The Taking Back Beast World campaign, phase 2 is chugging along. Today, I'm visiting Patricia Josephine with a post about THE BEASTS! Which one are you? Stop by if you have time!

This campaign has not only inspired me to get my Beast World series re-published, but I'm also anxious to work on the next one! There's so much to do! I need update all the links, re-configure the ebooks, and more, so much more... But I've got things under control. And when I don't, I deal with it as I can.

So I thought I'd give you a glimpse into my process of

ORGANIZATION!

If your life is organized, you can find things when you need them because they are where they're supposed to be. You know when your bills are due, and you know how much money you have to pay them. Your meals are planned out for the week and shopping is done in advance so you'll have the right ingredients. The house is clean and neat. And mornings are less chaotic because you have everything laid out ahead of time ready to go.

Unfortunately, this is a fantasy. Life is messy! As I work my way through re-publishing and my campaign, I have a huge list of things I want to get done. And the rest of my life doesn't slow down to make it easier.

Organization does help, though. If you want to get organized, I suggest you do these things first!

• Prioritize - Usually more than one area of your life needs organization. Since you can't wave a magic wand to have it all done at once, you need to choose the most important thing and start there (like money and bills, the main area of the house, or your phone apps) Once you're in a comfortable place/routine for that item, you can move on to the next.
• Purge - This is a key to reducing stress. Get rid of things you don't need! If you haven't used it in 2 years? (you choose the time) donate it or throw it away. The less stuff you have, the less stuff you have to find room for!
• Plan - ask yourself what you want. Organization is a broad term. Do you want: Less clutter? Easier access to things? To make time for things you want to do? Once you know what you want, you need to choose when to do your organizing, and it will take less time to get it done.
• Please? - Organization is great, but if everyone else in your house doesn't help, the mess and chaos quickly return. Tell everyone what you're doing and what they need to do. And you'll have to keep reminding them (train them!) until everyone is working together automatically.
• Patience - Wrenches happen. Life changes. Unexpected surprises turn up all the time. No matter how much you organize and try to plan ahead, expect something to throw your schedule out of whack once in a while. You can go back to or adjust your organization once you deal with extenuating circumstances beyond your control. It'll all work out!

So do what you can to get organized. But don't stress over it! As Mr. Skeemander says, "Worrying means you suffer twice"


via GIPHY

Happy Presidents Day!

Have a terrific week!

Tara Tyler Talks about #StarWars (spoilers!)

Happy New Year - bla bla bla

But seriously IWSG-ers, I hope you have a great 2020. If things are going badly, I hope you find a way to turn them around. If things are going well, keep up the good work!

January is a time of reflection. I want to raise the level of my blog from a once-a-month series of IWSG entries to more frequent and more substantial posts. I want to be more engaging!

And so, I give you my first post for 2020--

Let's go to the Movies??

Consider STAR WARS. (NOTE - Spoiler Alert! Plenty of annoying spoilers ahead)

There's nothing like the opening burst...

There's also nothing like the original trilogy. Sure, special effects are better now, CGI is amazing, and meeting new characters is always fun. BUT, just like the last season of Game of Thrones was rushed and lacking, this latest Star Wars trilogy was full of spontaneous, easily foiled threats and not much substance or explanation. I'm sorry to say, True Star Wars fans have been let down.

The Rise of Skywalker was a great action-adventure sci-fi movie, no doubt. My hub even liked it, and he's not a big SW fan. But my closet-nerd son and I felt a disturbance in the Force. So many story lines were severely under-developed and conveniently explained away with a glib comment for us all to accept. It was full of miraculous, impossible saves; instant armies, easy escapes, and predictable rebellious behavior... I felt like I was watching a teenager's spoof seeing what he could get away with--wouldn't it be cool if this happened!

Most egregious irritations:

• Poor Fin - so much potential wasted--they made this guy do nothing but annoy everyone, "Rey!" 
• And the Planet-Destroying Cannons upgrade on a surprise fleet of Star Destroyers--where did they come from? Santa? But the placement of the cannons gave me a chuckle. It was like they all got a kick in the crotch... that magically destroys the whole ship **eye roll**

There was No build up. No anticipation. No time to wonder what might happen, we know what's going to happen. As a writer, you know what I'm talking about.

I had more complaints, but I won't torture you further. And there were some good moments.

• I really liked the new female characters, but there wasn't enough time to expand on them. I would've been happier if they'd split it into two films just to give us some backstory and character development.
• Palpatine was a great twist. But what were all those zombie fans??
• Funny thing, I liked Kylo Ren's character arc (Frankly, I would've chosen him over Rey as a true Skywalker.
• It's just a good thing Chewy didn't die! (Told you there'd be spoilers!)

One saving grace for Star Wars fans: The Mandalorian is fantastic! It has everything the new movies don't, plus awesome LOL scenes and Baby Yoda!


Movies in general lately are lacking in quality and depth. Sequels, Spinoffs, and Remakes are the currency of the day. Over the holidays, I also saw JUMANJI 2 which was pretty terrific, better than expected, but still a sequel, with a teaser of another is in the works. And here are the previews we saw:

>>Scooby Doo origins              >>Mulan live-action              >> Dr. Dolittle upgrade

>> Black Widow spinoff              >>"new and improved" Ghostbusters sequel

Absolutely nothing original.
Money is the biggest motivator which is understandable since it is a business. But the industry isn't taking chances on anything new...

So I call on YOU, fellow writers!
Keep writing. Keep improving. And try a Screenplay! Submit to contests. Put your awesome works out there for these sheltered producers living in their Hollywood Bubble. They need us! (I just submitted JOLISSA to an animated screenplay contest!)

Okay, I think I've talked enough.

Oh, yeah. One last thing -- I'm putting together a team!

Disney/Pixar's Onward is coming out soon (you may remember me mentioning how they "stole" my Beast World concept) So I'm starting Phase 2 of my Taking Back Beast World campaign. I re-published BROKEN BRANCH FALLS!! And CRADLE ROCK is soon to follow.

If you're up for helping me promote the ORIGINAL Fantasy Creatures in High School, here's the new FORM
Thanks for your support!

And don't forget to join us for the #WedWrant Twitter chat tonight at 7:30 PM EST - be sure to use the hashtag!

Blessings a-plenty in 20-20!

Oh, #Pumpkins !

Yay, it's Fall! Love Fall. Love Pumpkins.
Need to stop cursing. So replacing curse words with pumpkins... Try it. It's pumpkin nuts!! (hahaha)

Oh yes. It's also OCTOBER! Hopefully we'll have more cool days than hot days this month. And as we begin October, welcome to IWSG day.

I actually have a goal for this month, with a deadline of 10/20: I must get Pop Travel re-published!! I have 2 events in November and I'm almost out of books! So my post is about...

How to tackle a big project within a deadline

1. Know your time constraints. I only have the weekends to work on my writing stuff these days. And I have lots of other responsibilities then too, so I have to manage my time wisely.
2. Make smaller, reasonable goals. Right now, I'm 1/3 done with my edits. Here's my breakdown for what's left to do:
• 10/5 & 6 - have 2/3 or more edits done, work on cover tweaks
• 10/12 & 13 - finish edits, start formatting, finish cover
• 10/19 & 20 - finish formatting, PUBLISH!
3. Limit distractions. Ooo, I like the prompt for that contest! No! Bad kitty! Must focus on the GOAL.
4. Keep the GOAL in mind. I try to work on it whenever possible during the week, if I can.
5. Celebrate when you reach it! Not only is it a giant relief when you reach your goal and worth celebrating, but it encourages others that they can reach their goals too! Like Heather Gardner just re-released her two awesome romance thrillers--all by herself. ALREADY HOME and ONE GOOD CATCH. Way to go girl!

In other good news... I had a terrific signing at my local bookstore a couple weeks ago. Much better than expected. I also picked up this adorable ipad cozy...

AND I got a fantabulous review for the entire Beast World Series. Check it out here at Pen and Paper. Reviews are priceless!

Hope you enjoy the pumpkin out of October!

How to Self-Publish the RIGHT way!

The traditional route to getting your book published is painstaking, time-consuming, and full of rejection. The only difference between that and self-publishing is the rejection.

While I go through the process of self-publishing Windy Hollow, I'm taking you along for the ride! (ps - Here's a form if you're interested in helping me with my Campaign or Windy Hollow's release)

Steps to Self-publishing:

1. Write a phenomenal book - I have lots of posts on that...
2. Edit - Hire a professional - the more eyes & critiques, the better, plus a technical/grammatical final look.
3. the Cover - I've already given my two cents on covers, here. A definite must to get professional help, especially if you want/need artwork.

And today, I'm talking in general about Formatting.

Once you have polished the contents of your book, you have to go back through and delete stray formatting extras, like extra tabs or spaces. All paragraphs should be uniformly formatted with automatic indentations and spacing. You will have to forget about "Select All" if you need to make changes to margins, line spacing, paragraphs, etc. once you start getting it ready for publication.

There is so much involved in Formatting for publication! Just look at the first 4-5 pages of any book. Title page, copyright/publisher page, dedication page, and the dreaded Table of Contents... which I guess could be optional, but is preferred for some genres like fantasy and sci-fi and middle grade. These pages conform to no formatting used in the rest of the book and are usually not numbered.

You also have to consider that the top of each page alternates between the title of the book and the author's name. Even/Odd page headers are easy enough to deal with, but when you throw in each new chapter page, it throws everything off! New chapter pages do NOT have a header. It's best to start chapters as a new "section" which can be designated with "different first page header" and conveniently linked back to the Table of Contents. I haven't tried linking to the TOC yet, I didn't have the patience, so I did it manually.

If you have any cool/fancy images for new chapters and/or breaks within the chapter or illustrations, those also need special attention. Each one should be checked and re-checked to make sure they all look the same.

At the end of your book are the Acknowledgments and Author Page, plus any other info you want to include. As with the first few pages, these pages each get their own format, usually without a header.

Not too bad, right? Ha! I almost went cross-eyed checking all the formatting. Little things kept popping up and I'd have to re-check the whole thing again to see if the flaws were anywhere else in the book. And there's a whole other set of rules for print pub vs e-pub!

I like to write this stuff down for myself as it's usually a long while between publications and I tend to forget what-all is involved. Hope it helps!

I also want to make a special announcement! My wonderful and brilliant romance writer friend, Elizabeth Seckman recently published her latest novel! Perfect for Father's Day!

HOOSIER DAD

by Elizabeth Seckman

Sarah Andrews can hold her own in a courtroom, but when it comes to love, she’s 0-3 and Rich Cooper was her biggest loss to date. 

Now available!

 Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords / kobo.com

Elizabeth is a mom, a wife, and the caretaker of far too many pets, all of whom her children swore they'd take care of. But they went off to college leaving fur babies in their place. She is a multi-published author of women's fiction and romance. 

Blog / Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Why Writers are Important!!

First, a great big shout out for the latest IWSG Anthology:

Masquerade: Oddly Suited -- NOW AVAILABLE!

Young Adult Fiction: Romance - General/Paranormal/Contemporary
Print ISBN 9781939844644  $14.95
EBook ISBN 9781939844651  $4.99

Find love at the ball…

Can a fake dating game show lead to love? Will a missing key free a clock-bound prince? Can a softball pitcher and a baseball catcher work together? Is there a vampire living in Paradise, Newfoundland? What’s more important—a virtual companion or a date to the ball?

Ten authors explore young love in all its facets, from heartbreak to budding passion. Featuring the talents of L.G. Keltner, Jennifer Lane, C.D. Gallant-King, Elizabeth Mueller, Angela Brown, Myles Christensen, Deborah Solice, Carrie-Anne Brownian, Anstice Brown, and Chelsea Marie Ballard.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these ten tales will mystify and surprise even as they touch your heart. Don your mask and join the party…

Links:
Barnes & Noble - Amazon - iTunes - Kobo - Goodreads

Check it out!!

And now for my IWSG post -

WARNING: BEING A WRITER IS TREACHEROUS!

If you want to be a writer, prepare yourself for disappointment, heartache, and rejection. You must have thick skin to take the criticism and low ratings of others. It requires steadfastness and perseverance. You must accept working long hours for no pay. Frustration is also a big part of writing.

And in this day and age, CHANGE is the only CONSTANT.

If you still want to be a writer, if your heart and passion won't be swayed, the public thanks you. Writers provide everyone with an escape from everyday lives. Writing is the basis of knowledge: from the foundations of history to the promises of the future in our world and beyond. There would be no movies, television shows, or books without writers. Writers inspire, educate, and encourage the rest of the world to do great things and be greater people.

Thank you for being a writer. When life gets you down, keep writing. Despite all the negatives, it truly is worth it!


I'm trying to look at the bright side and figure out how to move on now that my publisher is officially closed. I can't order any of my books and no one is responding, not even our distributor. It's been a very tough several months. Luckily I have the cover and the formatted copies, so I am going through with self-publishing WINDY HOLLOW, but it won't be until this summer... I still have to make some tweaks and time is not on my side.

Thanks for your support you guys! Hope things are well with you!

True Apocalypse

When I started this post, I intended to write about how to create a better apocalypse story. With all the tragedies in the world lately--uncontrollable fires, devastating earthquakes and tsunamis, and so many other world tragedies--I was going to relate the true apocalypse of losing everything and starting over in real life to sci-fi world destruction apocalyptic writing. I feel terrible for all those whose lives have been turned upside-down, with surviving as their first priority.

I had lots more to say, but now I have some depressing news myself... not apocalyptic, but still sad.

via GIPHY

Lately, I've mentioned here and in my newsletter that my publisher Curiosity Quills has been going through a rough patch. It feels like the entire industry is at an all-time low. People just don't seem to read like they used to with all the other forms of high-speed, attention-grabbing, immediate-response entertainment at their fingertips. Anyway, CQ isn't going under or folding just yet, but they are definitely reorganizing, leaning toward primarily e-book publishing. And many of its authors are taking their rights and running. Funny thing, Susan Gourley/Kelley recently posted about both these turmoils--lack of readers and failing publishers!

With the release of Windy Hollow so close, I'm trying to stick it out, but it has been put on hold temporarily. It's just about ready, but there are a few items that need to be resolved. I have informed my faithful friends and Street Team helping me with my release blog tour. And as soon as I have any news, I will be blasting it. Hopefully it will be very soon!


I still want to give a shout out--this week it's to my fellow CQ commiserate...

Rena Rocford!

Rena Rocford is what happens when a Mad Scientist writes books, has a kid, and herds cats with helicopters--results may vary. She writes Science Fiction and Fantasy for all ages.

Her first book Acne, Asthma, and Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon is available now from all major book retailers with sequels and more books on the burner.

I love Rena's sense of humor and writing style--her stories are awesome! We've been writing and bloggy buds for quite a while. I feel partially responsible for her joining CQ by talking it up, and it was great for a time... You can read about the twists in her publishing adventure on her blog.

I'll keep pressing onward.

Thanks for your support!

Try Something New - #Writers do more than write

I write adventure stories. I like action, suspense, and surprises. I encourage people to go out and do, to make life an adventure!

I also say: "the way to get noticed is to put yourself out there," which I know most of us hate doing.

So here's my advice, Take Baby Steps.
Trying new things might seem intimidating. So dip your toes in and test the water to see if you like it. Then, gradually go deeper... Or dive right in and make a splash. It's up to you!

Here's a list of things I encourage writers to try with small starts:

• Make a Video - Don't worry. You don't have to be a star or an actress.
• Starting Small - a slide show is easy to convert to a video. Experiment with easy, free movie making apps with captions and transitions, free/royalty free images and music. Before you know it, you have a book trailer! You might enjoy it and move on to bigger things...
• Film yourself reading an excerpt (TIP: be aware of your background!)
• Do a book review for a friend
• Make a scripted advice video
• More things to try: a Podcast or Vlog
• Self Publishing - This takes a lot of work and money, but if done right can be very profitable.
• Starting Small - there are many free publishing venues to try. Short stories and novellas are a great place to start with trying out the process. Two things you should splurge on: Cover and Editing (unless you are friends with an editor and you can trade services) Once you've experimented with a small publication, you can...
• Try a novel!
• Collaborate on an Anthology
• Compile some short stories
• Book Events - I always encourage authors to get out and represent your books.
• Starting Small - First, attend an event as a reader and see what it's all about, get ideas, meet authors, and get advice--build up confidence. Then try local libraries, bookstores, and free book fairs. Work your way up to...
• Bigger Book Festivals
• Book Conferences
• Vendor Events
• Conventions
• You'll be talking on an author panel before you know it!

So get out there and try stuff! Been there, done that? Share some of your advice!

And here's one of my adventurous friends for my Shout Out of the Week!

Patricia Lynne/Patricia Josephine

Patricia is a Michigander and transplant Yooper––that means she can hold her hands up and point to where she lives in the upper peninsula of Michigan. She's always been creative--starting with wanting to be a dancer, then an artist, and also a musician, in band all through school.

While at Grand Valley State College, she found out being an Art major wasn't for her, but she did learn a ton in her classes and met her hubby in an anime chat room, DragonBall Z. PS, she's a big anime geek.

She loves to cook, makes jewelry and knits--she even sold her wares at local craft shows. And add decorating to her list of talents. But once she tried writing a story she'd been daydreaming about, she never looked back. She even ventured into self-publishing. This woman isn't afraid to try new things!

You can find links to Patricia's books here.

And connect with her...

AND HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!