Wednesday, October 7, 2020

IWSG - Changes & New Release

 Hi all, it's time for the October (holy cow...October!) Insecure Writer's Support Group!


Created by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the IWSG serves as a virtual place to give and get support for your writing insecurities.

This month's co-hosts are Jemima Pett, Beth Camp, Beverly Stowe McClure, and Gwen Gardner!

This month's optional question can be found on Alex's blog, on the IWSG page.

September has been a month of many insecurities. I took a couple hits to the ego that made me question why I put myself through all this. However, these two things wouldn't have been enough to sink me so low if I hadn't already been stressed out and depressed to begin with. I think a lot of our writing insecurities play off things happening in our non-writing lives, as well, sometimes causing them to expand out of proportion. 

Of course, without a few ego blows, how else would we stay modest and down to earth? Oh, wait, I was never going to think I was the most awesome writer in the world, so please no more slights. Thanks, world!

In other, probably related, news, I'm back in college to get my business degree! I started back last week. As it's a college that allows me to accelerate, I'm hoping to be done by summer. This also means I will likely only be blogging on IWSG days.

Given, since I started writing this I've been ruminating over the big lows I had in the last couple weeks. If I find that my meaty school schedule is making it so I can't write, I will be backing down and planning on completing it in two terms (so one year). Part of what upset me is that I got so busy with day job stuff and volunteer job stuff that I made writing my last priority. Because of that, I fell. Publishing seems like exercise: it only takes one brief slip to make you have to start over, yet it's always a struggle to try to keep up momentum. I lost a lot of momentum over the last couple years. I was thinking about where I might be with things had I not put everything else first. And it made me sink like a rock, emotionally.

Now that I've worked through these thoughts and figured out the source of the lows, I can move forward and start trying to gain that momentum again.

If you've read my book "Bruised Souls & Other Torments," would you consider putting a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads? Frankly, my book release flopped. The timing was horrible. I couldn't heavily advertise or do anything fun online to promote it, because it came out just as the pandemic took off, and I didn't foresee we'd all still be isolated this late in the game. I only have a few reviews, and because my sales on both books have fallen, partially courtesy of so many canceled events, I can no longer find my books in an Amazon search. I have to find one of the anthologies I'm in and track from there. How are we supposed to have sales if Amazon buries our books? I've seen other people post about this issue, too.

Any help on the review front would be appreciated!



I had a new release last week! And guess what? It's not horror, just dark fantasy. My story is Of Earth and Fae, and mixes together Ute and Irish lore.


 Ride through the sky with the Wild Hunt!

A fierce host rides across the winter sky at night
In wild pursuit of whoever crosses their path


Peals of thunder follow the horses as they gallop through the clouds
Fire flashing from their hooves


The baying of the hounds echoes across the sky
Their sharp teeth glinting in the light of the moon


The Huntsman blows his horn, and the Fae ride behind him
Their faces both beautiful and terrible to behold


When the nights are long and the winter winds howl, stay inside
Lest you cross the path of the Hunt...and become their prey


The Wild Hunt contains thirteen stories based on the wide and varied folklore of the Wild Hunt. In some tales, the leader of the hunt is Odin; in others it’s King Arthur, Herodias, or Herne the Hunter. Sometimes the riders are Fae; sometimes they are specters, or skeletons, or strange beasts never before seen by mortal eyes.

But no matter who the hunters are, you definitely don’t want to be the one they’re after...

Let the Wild Hunt begin!

Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/B08K8H12CQ/

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1533616185

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940162963103

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-wild-hunt-24



Time for my September submission stats:

9 submissions

4 acceptances

3 rejections

1 implied rejection (learned I wasn't in it when they announced it was for sale, which was one of the ego blows mentioned above)

3 novel queries sent out

15 stories currently on submission


What are your insecurities? Have you ever really screwed up and lost your momentum? How did you recover? Have you been submitting?


May you find your Muse.


PHOTO: Swoosh Blue MD, clker.com, OCAL




34 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Good luck with school. Good to have a plan to pull back if it overwhelms you.
I completely agree - writing is like exercising and it's difficult to fire back up again.

mshatch said...

Sorry you've been struggling :(
Hope things get better and don't forget that you need some you time.

Leigh Caron said...

Great that you're going to school. You have a lot of energy. BTW I easily found your book on Amazon. I know with my book, I couldn't find it after a month. I went into the settings and had to redo some of it. Now it's fine. I will review your book after I read it. I just ordered today. Hope you're feeling better.

Ronel Janse van Vuuren said...

The cover for "The Wild Hunt" is gorgeous!
"Have you created art today?" is a quote from one of Joanna Penn's author career books that gave me chills: we're so busy with everything else, even in our writing, that we forget to actually write.

Ronel visiting on IWSG day Revamp Your Backlist

Loni Townsend said...

Man, the stress and feeling down speaks to my soul. I feel for you. I've had ego blows too recently.

I hope schooling and studies go well for you, and I'll check out the new release! Grats on that!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Congrats on getting into college. We all go through times when we have too many responsibilities to write too much. So don't beat yourself up about it. You're in an accelerated college program, and it'll probably take a lot of your writing time. But that's okay because it's for another good goal you have.

Annalisa Crawford said...

Good luck with the business course! This is your priority for now, writing will be next, and blogging whenever you can. It's all going to be great :-)

Tyrean Martinson said...

Yes, I have definitely lost momentum. I had three really terrible years, and this one is the one in which I'm clawing my way into some kind of writing routine where I'm finishing stuff. (sorry if that came out dramatically, but there it is)
Best wishes on balancing school, the writing life, and marketing.

Liza said...

I'm impressed...well awed actually, at your school schedule. Wishing you good luck and much life balance.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

That's neat you are back in school. What do you plan to do with that degree?

Olga Godim said...

Getting your business degree is a big thing. Good luck with you schooling.

Cathrina Constantine said...

My daughter works full time, has a 2 y/o, and went back to school for her business administration degree. I understand how hard it is. I wish you much luck. And don't worry about the writing. You are a writer, and you will be writing again when the time is right.
I love the cover of your new release!

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Sadly, those insecurities never go away. Best selling authors have them, apparently. I've just submitted a ms to one of my publishers, and now I wait. My stomach is doing flip-flops every day all day long. I understand what you're going through.

Diane Burton said...

Good luck with school. I admire that you're taking that leap. Love the cover. Many of us have had bad timing with a new book. My 1st came out the week before 9/11. But we survive because that's what we do. Hang in there.

Shannon Lawrence said...

Thank you! Yes, I was all about being hardcore about it, but I'm glad I reanalyzed.

Shannon Lawrence said...

Thank you <3 I'm really trying to focus on taking care of myself, too. It's never been something I was good at, but I think it benefits my whole family if I do it.

Shannon Lawrence said...

Thank you for that information and for purchasing, Leigh! I'll go check out my settings and see what's going on.

Shannon Lawrence said...

I like that quote! I'll have to check out her books. Looking for a craft book to read once I finish Bird by Bird.

Shannon Lawrence said...

I'm sorry you're feeling the same way. I hope things improve for you soon.

Shannon Lawrence said...

Good way to put it, thanks!

Shannon Lawrence said...

Not dramatic at all. I feel this so much. I hope the clawing ends soon and you can be fully back to where it's a pleasure or at least not miserable.

Shannon Lawrence said...

Thank you!

Shannon Lawrence said...

I figure the degree will be two-fold. I've added marketing to it, so I'm hoping the business and marketing will help with my writing business and press. But I've also always been in business positions, and I could only go so high without a degree, so if I end up needing to return to work, I can hopefully find a better job with a higher salary.

Shannon Lawrence said...

Thank you!

Shannon Lawrence said...

Jamie always has great covers! Good for your daughter! Luckily, I have teens, though that tends to take a surprising amount of work, too.

Shannon Lawrence said...

Good luck with the manuscript feedback!

Shannon Lawrence said...

Oh man, I can't imagine how that first release went. It helps to hear that.

A Hundred Quills said...

Sorry about the bad timing of the book release. Maybe you can release it again sometime next year. I've seen people do that with new cover and all. It's helped. I understand the insecurities. Do they ever go? You're doing a lot. Good luck with everything.
Sonia from https://soniadogra.com

Steph W. said...

Sounds like you did accomplish a lot in September, though. I am impressed. I wish I could go back to college!

Gwen Gardner said...

Good for you for going after that degree. You're definitely going to be occupied for a while. It's a lot of work! Go you!

Andrew Leon said...

Bruised Souls has more reviews than most of my stuff!
I'll see if I can work it into my reading schedule sooner rather than later.

Rebecca M. Douglass said...

Congrats on the new release, and good luck with the degree. It sucks when the timing for a release is bad, and I hope you can find a way to change things up and re-release, or whatever it takes.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Shannon - you're a tower of perseverance ... you're always so busy. Congratulations on the new release - but perhaps more importantly good luck with the Business Degree ... we'll see you when we see you ... take care and all the very best - Hilary

Lidy said...

Good luck with school and congrats with the release! I'm sure the low blows will turn around. It's the fate us writers have to go through, low and high times, during our writing journey.