The Artist's Way Update & Patricia Josephine Lynne Book Launch

On a previous post I talked about doing The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron. I had intended to update each week, but I only updated for two weeks. Then things got busy and I didn't get posts up. So I thought I'd do a quick update on weeks three through five.

Each week has a different general goal. Week 1 was Recovering a Sense of Safety and week 2 was Recovering a Sense of Identity.

Week 3 was Recovering a Sense of Power. The chapter spoke of anger, synchronicity, shame, growth, and dealing with criticism. One of the exercises involved some free association with childhood and things I'd do if I'd "lighten up" and "if it weren't too late." Childhood was a big theme, but so were habits and people in my life. An exercise that fell flat for me was to list five people I wish I'd met. When it comes right down to it, I can name people because I get the idea of it, but I'm not sure I'd actually want to meet them. An activity that stood out was one involving looking at my habits and then having to quantify what payoff I'm getting from the bad ones. These were basically my secret foes. I can tell you one is shutting off my brain and doom-scrolling Facebook. I'd like to regain that time for myself.

Week 4 was Recovering a Sense of Integrity. This chapter focused on making honest changes and seeking out my buried dreams. I was supposed to practice reading deprivation, but I can't fall asleep without reading first, and as an insomniac since I was twelve, I DO NOT mess with my nighttime routines that help me at least get some sleep. I did practice it during the day by not reading at any other time than bed time, but I think this exercise greatly overestimated how much reading time I usually get, considering the list of things the author felt I could do instead involved time I didn't have, such as painting a room, rewiring a lamp, and repotting plants. It's not reading that is keeping me from these exercises. Also, I felt this deprived a specific group of people more than others. Specifically, writers. And the book is about the ARTIST'S way, not the author's way, so why is it just readers/writers that have to give something meaningful up? I realize all manner of people read; I just think this lacked balance. I think a more effective exercise would have been to make a list of things that take up time and to choose one to give up that week. This would have been more fair.

My current week, number 5, is Recovering a Sense of Possibility.  This week is for me to look at my limits and open myself up to the universe. Something that stuck out to me and that I'd already been thinking about a lot with my work hours increasing well beyond where I'd wanted them to go was the following passage:

"An artist must have downtime, time to do nothing. Defending our right to such time takes courage, conviction, and resiliency." And "For an artist, withdrawal is necessary. Without it, the artist in us feels vexed, angry, out of sorts. If such deprivation continues, our artist becomes sullen, depressed, hostile. We eventually become like cornered animals, snarling at our family and friends [...]." Now, she was implying it was family and friends making the artist feel this way, but it's me. It's work and it's me. My family and friends give me plenty of space. 

The exercises this week had to do with wishes and writing letters to myself from different ages (80 and 8). 

I haven't figured out my artist's date for this week, but for dates I've so far gone for a hike with a camera (it was a double date!), taken myself out to a smoothie cafe to relax with a book while having a smoothie and a matcha latte, lying out in the grass in my front yard and reading a book, and things like that. My goal has been more downtime than more involved dates. I have ideas for more involved dates in the next few weeks, though. It comes down to finding time to do it.

Now for some news! Patricia Josephine Lynne has a new book of micro shorts out. 

A Quick Test 

A Quick Tale #4 

Aliens 

Outer Space 

Experiments 

These mysteries fascinate our minds. Explore the unknown in this exciting collection of tales. Each story is told in exactly 200 words and designed to stimulate your brain no matter how busy your day is. 

THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE. 

BUY at Amazon 

AUTHOR BIO: If you asked Patricia J.L. to describe herself, she’d tell you, “Too creative for my own good.” A paranormal and fantasy junkee, she loves to craft fantasy and paranormal stories about vampires, mermaids, angels, demons, zombies, and other mythical creatures. Aliens might even appear in her stories. No matter what mythical beast you crave. Patricia J.L. has a fantasy for every imagination. 

Patricia J.L. official started writing in 2012. She was bored and since she was always day dreaming fantastic stories, she thought, “Why not write them down and share them with people?” She's still deciding if that was a mistake or not. Since then, she has finished a dozen stories and has no plans to stop. 

When she’s not lost writing in fantasy worlds, she relaxes with knitting, drawing and art, and jigsaw puzzles. And of course, good paranormal fantasy books. Patricia J.L. currently lives with her husband in Upper Michigan. One day, they both hope to have enough pets to resemble a petting zoo. (Until then, can she pet your cat or dog?) 

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If you did The Artist's Way, were there exercises, chapters, or pieces that stood out for you? How about ones you were resistant to? What were your favorite types of artist dates?

May you find your Muse.

Week Two of The Artist's Way

This is week two of the twelve-week Artist's Way process. Each week we're supposed to have an artist date with ourselves. This doesn't have to involve anything having to do with writing, though I hope I squeeze that in at some point. Last week my date consisted of me just sitting and reading for an hour without it being before bed (since I read nightly before bed to unwind, but it is often the only time I get any reading in).

This week we had to write down a list of things we missed doing. My list was mostly minor things that I simply don't have the time for anymore, but I chose two from it I haven't been doing often enough for other reasons to do for my artist's date this week: walks and photography.

I have been getting some walks in here and there, but I miss the daily walks I used to take. A combination of medical issues has made it much harder to achieve, as has limited time due to work and other responsibilities. I've been trying to push past the issues to take some short walks with a knee brace I got to help with arthritis in my knee. The most I've gotten done in one week is three. While it's not perfect, I think that three isn't too shabby. But that was only one week. I'd like to get to consistently getting in three walks a week and a monthly hike. It would do me a lot of good. 

In terms of photography, I find that I struggle with that before I struggle with writing. It takes a certain mindset to walk around and look at my surroundings with that joyful, creative eye it requires to see those images I want to photograph. I love nature photography, and would like to get back to doing it. So I set out on today's walk in my neighborhood with the determination to seek out photo opportunities. They aren't great, but it felt good to spy things I wanted to photograph. What I really need is a hike in a new place with things to discover, but I wasn't up for that today.

Buds popping out on the first day of spring

The blue, blue sky

The back of the stop sign no one pays attention to

Three signs in a row (the stop sign in back is harder to see)

Someone's cute lawn ornaments

Last year's dried berries still clustered on a tree, along with old, brown leaves

Trying to capture the fuzzy buds, but it was too windy and the phone camera kept focusing on everything but them

Peeling bark

Tree with character

Two of the roots are crossed at the base, looking like a creature with its legs crossed

Just an odd-shaped tree

The skellies in my yard clinging to the last bits of snow from last week's blizzard

The snow on the ground probably makes it look cold, but it was a balmy day. In fact, it was so warm I had on a tank top and sweatpants, and I deeply regretted the sweatpants. Short would have been better. It's supposed to be warm all week, and then we'll see what next week brings. It's my daughter's spring break, and we probably get snow about 90% of the time for the kids' spring breaks. We're probably due one more at least mild snow before it hangs up for the winter. Possibly more.

Next week's my book release! I'm sure the time is going to pass quickly.

Wendigo Nights Universal Purchase Link 

(Choose your preferred market for e-book and paperback!)

If you had to make a list of three items you miss, what would it be? What's stopping you from choosing one to make a point of doing this week?

May you find your Muse.

IWSG - Projects & Gary Robbe New Release

 

It's IWSG time!

Created by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer's Support Group serves to give writers a place to air their insecurities and support each other. Anyone can join. Simply click on Alex's name and sign up, then post the first Wednesday of each month.

This month's co-hosts are: Natalie Aguirre, Kim Lajevardi, Debs Carey, Gwen Gardner, Patricia Josephine, and Rebecca Douglass.

We're in my favorite time of year, though it's been so hot and rainy that the trees haven't really started changing near our cabin in southern Colorado, but they're changing farther up north. Temperatures are still in the 80s right now, so this was not a year where we saw our first snowfall in September. I'm not placing any bets on October.

I finished the first draft of the big project I was hired for, so now comes the waiting part for edits or a rewrite request. I definitely proved to myself that pantsing or "discovery writing" is where it's at for me. Preparing an outline in advance then trying to stick to that outline is simply not how my brain works, but it was required for this, so just another aspect of the learning experience. The entire thing has been very interesting.

And, of course, until that final acceptance, I remain insecure about the whole thing.

But while I wait, it's back to finishing up work on my March release. My first novel will be coming out March 2024. More news in the coming months, but it feels nice to be so close. Add it to the list of insecurities! Once I have more info, I'll likely be putting out a call for help getting the word out. 

Until then, I have Gary Robbe's new release. Not Buried Deep Enough was released this past Monday, October 2.

We all have nightmares buried in our psyche. Gary Robbe has uncovered thirteen terrifying stories that weren't buried deep enough. WWI soldiers encounter ghouls in the wastes of No Man's Land. Siblings in rural Appalachia are haunted by their dying mother's last request. A family discovers that tearing down an old house doesn't make it go away. And the dreams get darker from there...

Gary's striking and unnerving tales - ranging from folk horror to supernatural to weird western - have been scaring readers for many years. Not Buried Deep Enough is his debut collection of horror stories. 

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Gary Robbe is a retired educator, and a not retired writer, currently living in Colorado. His dark fiction has appeared in numerous ezines, magazines, anthologies, and podcasts, including Dark Corners Magazine, Sanitarium Magazine, and The Best of the Horror Zine - The Middle Years, Screaming in the Night Vol 1, Terror at 5280', and the NoSleep Podcast. Gary is a member of the Horror Writers Association, the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and a founding member of the Denver Horror Collective. He is also an associate editor with Bewildering Stories. 

What are you feeling insecure about? Are you a pantser or a plotter? Have you ever had to switch to the other? How did that go? Have you checked out Gary's book?

May you find your Muse.

IWSG - Flops & Friends

Happy IWSG Day!

The Insecure Writer's Support Group exists to support the writing community in the airing insecurities. Created by Alex J. Cavanaugh, anyone can join. Simply click on his name and put your blog on the linky list.

The co-hosts this month are Jemima Pett, Nancy Gideon, and Natalie Aguirre. Be sure to drop by their blogs and thank them for their help!

The optional question this month is: Do you remember writing your first book? What were your thoughts about a career path on writing? Where are you now and how is it working out for you? If you're at the start of the journey, what are your goals?

Technically, my first published book was my nonfiction title The Business of Short Stories. The first ones I wrote are in limbo somewhere. My career path has been a bit different from that of most authors, as it's focused on short stories up to now. 

All that is changing, as I feel like I've grown stagnant in my writing career. I don't want to keep doing the same thing over and over again (this from a person whose longest work position before getting bored and moving along has been maybe 2 1/2 years). That doesn't mean I want to abandon horror or short stories, but it's time for me to grow and stretch and try new things. What that means right now is writing the next two books in my urban fantasy series so I can self-publish those, completing edits on a horror comedy novel I'll be shopping to agents this year, writing a memoir of my dad's journey with ALS, and writing the first in what will be a proposed amateur sleuth mystery series so I can start shopping that, as well. In addition, I'd like to revisit a YA Post-Apocalyptic novel I wrote way back when to see if I can bring it up to my current standards and either start shopping it again or finish what was a planned trilogy to self-publish.

So I have some fairly diverse plans for the next year, yeah?

I do have the rights back on enough short stories that I'll be releasing another collection in the next year. I just haven't decided how I want to time that yet. Plus I have to figure out which unpublished short stories to put in it, because I always like to put several brand new ones in for those who loyally purchase every publication I'm in. 

While I'm doing all this, I'm telling myself I will be pulling back on both submitting short stories and attending writing events as a speaker/featured author. Given, there are a few favorite events I'll likely keep appearing at, but I will not be seeking out new appearance opportunities. Which also means slowing down on the podcast appearances I was doing for a while. I think? (I have a work ethic I struggle to overcome, lol, which means I say I won't take on anything more, and then I do it anyway, but I REALLY need to give myself a break.)

Since I'm pulling back on submitting short stories, I'm going to probably cease keeping track on my IWSG posts to kind of discourage any deep focus on that. We'll see if that works or if I remember next month that I'm not doing that, LOL!

Both Sandra Cox and I are guests on L. Diane Wolfe's blog today, so stop by and say hi!

I want to thank anyone who helped with my book release in March! Diane is the last person on this hastily thrown together blog tour. Something significant and traumatic happened when I should have been prepping my book release, and it tied my hands for a couple weeks right after I got the book cover. I wrote out a whole post last month about it and ultimately decided it wasn't something I could share at this time. When I posted in desperation for help on Facebook the week of the release, a lot of people stepped up and helped by sharing the book release post. I feel bad, because, depending upon how that's shared (visibility setting) I can't see everyone who shared unless I happen to scroll past the post on their page. So some people don't end up getting thanked.

My current insecurity? I consider this launch a bit of a flop. The sales just weren't there. Since I released this title to force myself back into the game and it was meant to be fun for me, I've decided to move on and quit dwelling on the numbers. I didn't expect it to be BIG, but I did expect more than what ultimately happened. Interestingly, with the posts people did, several included other titles, and I saw a bump in sales on my older titles, so that was awesome and took away some of the sting of the low sales on Happy Ghoulidays II. But the support I got from the blogging community, the local writing community, and my friends and family when I asked for help is the most important and valuable thing that came from this book release. I appreciate all of you.

Onward and upward! The book is out. I learned some things. There were many factors I had zero control over due to personal life issues. But the factors I CAN control, I learned about. Each experience is an opportunity to learn, right? That's what I'm doing.

I'm actively editing the horror comedy novel now and will be asking for beta readers in the near future, and that's exciting! I have a plan for research material I'll need for my dad's memoir. And I've crappily outlined (I hate outlining and simply don't do it) the mystery novel. 

Cheers to next steps!

This ended up much longer than I intended. It was kind of a mental dump. I'll either add the open submissions onto this post later tonight or do a whole new post with those, but I wanted to get this posted.

What are your insecurities? Where are you on your journey? How has your journey changed since you started? Have you ever had a book release you considered a flop?

May you find your Muse.

More Blog Visits for Happy Ghoulidays II!

I'm visiting some more folks this week to talk about Happy Ghoulidays II. The book releases this Friday, March 17th! Schedule below:

Monday, the 13th

Marcy S. Hatch - Maine Words

Natalie Aguirre - Literary Rambles (I'll be in her follower news, but she always has a great post so I recommend visiting her!)

Wednesday, the 15th

Patricia Josephine - Twisting Myths

Jeff Wood discussing a short story career

Thursday, the 16th

K.A. Olgren - Stories 'n' More for an author interview

And a final one on April 5

L. Diane Wolfe - Circle of Friends

Thank you to everyone who hosted me and everyone who visited, commented, and shared! You can check out last week's posts at Guest Posts at Alex's, Anna's, and the Colorado HWA. (DeAnna's post was scheduled after I titled it, but the link is in the post).

Guest Posts at Alex's, Anna's, and the Colorado HWA

Hello and Happy Monday! I never post on Mondays anymore. But this week I'm guesting on other people's blogs. Drop by and say hi!

Monday, March 6:

I talk holiday horror movies at Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog

9 Random Facts Gleaned From a Tour of the Coroner's Office (Colorado Horror Writer's Association)

Friday, March 10:

What Draws Me to Write Horror at Elements of Emaginette

I discuss the Easter Sunday Massacre, a real-life holiday crime, over at DeAnna Knippling's blog

If you're willing to host me as I roll out Happy Ghoulidays II, you can sign up at this Google Doc link.

The Barnes & Noble paperback pre-order is now live for Happy Ghoulidays II! Amazon coming soon, among other online retailers.

Media Roundup, New Release, & YouTube TV

Well, between the issues I was having with Blogger and some personal life things, I didn't end up posting the last two weeks, which I find a bit frustrating since I was back in the rhythm of posting consistently and visiting blogs. Oddly, Blogger seems to have fixed itself after I threw my hands up and ignored it for two weeks. I guess we'll see. But it's keeping me signed in again, which it wasn't doing for a while, and it appears to be keeping me signed in when I visit others. Yay? I'll celebrate when it stays consistent. ~gives Blogger the hairy eyeball~

I had some news to share during my unintentional hiatus! My mystery short story "The Class Ring" came out in the Unsettling Reads anthology Summer Bludgeon! It's a nice, thick book with stories from some awesome people, and it's mystery, so those of you who don't like horror would enjoy this one!

Summer Bludgeon is available from Amazon.

I was also featured on Between the Covers, a sort of talk show for authors produced by Red Penguin Books. My fellow guests were Susan Cole and Amy Bernstein, and our host was Stephanie Larkin.

I was also a showcase author at Mountain of Authors, a program put on by my local library district (Pikes Peak Library District). The keynote was Craig Johnson. He's always a great presence, very laid back, but also personable, and he tells a great story. This was the first writing event I ever intended when I decided to start really doing it, and I have a special fondness for it. It was nice to have this bit of normalcy return after being canceled for the last two years.

I was also supposed to be part of a group book launch for those of us who had released books during the pandemic shutdown, but...I got COVID. Ironic, eh? I made it through two big writing conferences without getting sick, even after people I hung around tested positive, but it took my son coming home at the end of the school year with it for it to spread through our house. Oddly, it was a bit of a relief to finally get something we'd been avoiding for two years. Though now I've heard that the latest versions of Omicron don't actually give you immunity when you get them, so I'm feeling pretty disgruntled about that. I'm just glad we didn't get sick until things had calmed down. We also managed to keep my daughter from getting it, though the rest of us did, which was a relief, as she's prone to pneumonia, and I was really worried about what COVID might do to her. I'm grateful we seem to have weathered it okay, though my husband has a bad, lingering cough. 

Okay, media roundup time! These are some of the standouts of my media intake for the last month or so.

Books

The Sanitorium, by Sarah Pearse

An old sanitorium has been converted into a fancy hotel, but after it opens people start disappearing, with at least one body turning up. A massive snowstorm traps the staff and a couple guests in the hotel after an avalanche takes out the road. Trapped with a killer, an inspector on a dramatic break from her job must figure out who the killer is and what they want before they kill her or someone close to her. Great sense of desolate isolation. There are many secrets slowly revealed over the course of the book. Solid suspense.

The Between, by Tananarive Due

After witnessing his grandmother die then come back to life in his childhood, a man starts having weird dreams and reality seems to shift around him. As he fights for his sanity, and possibly his life, he must also deal with the man stalking his judge wife, who seems to want to destroy the entire family. Great tension that leaves you guessing whether he's crazy or if his world is really shifting the way it seems to be. I thought there were too many dream sequences (not my favorite), but it wasn't enough to deter me from reading the book and overall enjoying it.

Movies

The Man From Toronto - Netflix

Woody Harrelson and Kevin Hart. How could it be bad? It isn't! I enjoyed this quite a bit. Kevin Hart is a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now the bad guys think he's the go-to guy to torture information out of suspects. But he's not the Man from Toronto, Woody Harrelson is, and Woody's now got Hart's character on his radar. It's goofy, and there's a hysterical scene that I can't describe because I feel I'd give something away, but it's definitely worth a viewing when you need a laugh.

TV

Snowflake Mountain - Netflix

Okay, so it's "reality" television, but there's something satisfying about seeing some of the most entitled, bratty, twenty-somethings have to learn how to do things for themselves. There's one who seems beyond help, but the others appear to be trying. Good for mind numbing entertainment. These kids have been voluntold by their parents to go to a rugged camp with outhouses and tents. So far, they've had to find their food, dress a deer, learn to cut down trees, etc.

The Boys - Prime

The new season is running on Amazon. I've been looking forward to Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) joining the show, but it's been an odd introduction to him, so far. The boys are back together, but there's strife between them, and trust is hard to come by. They think they've found the ultimate weapon against their apparently unbeatable enemy, but the joke's on them. Plenty of intrigue and tension. There are always tons of things that go wrong, no matter how well they try to plan for it. And the surprises keep coming. It's dark and gritty, but they make sure you can figure out from the first episode of each season if it's the type of show for you or not.

What have you been watching? Any good books read lately? How are you doing on your reading goals for the year?

May you find your Muse.

*Image - Angry Eyes, clker.com, OCAL

*Image - Swoosh Blue MD, clker.com, OCAL

IWSG - Painful Mistakes & Summer Bludgeon Pre-Order

Hello! It's that time again. Time for another Insecure Writer's Support Group.

But first, I have two teeny bits of news: I will NOT be at the Overdue Book Signing event this weekend because there's COVID up in our house, so I've had to cancel. There will still be lots of great authors and their books there for anyone who wants to go!

Also, Summer Bludgeon, which includes my short mystery story "The Class Ring," is now available for pre-order in e-book on Amazon from Unsettling Reads. There will also be a paperback, but it's not available for pre-order at this time. 

Heavily inspired by the film Grease, the story traces what happened after the events of the film...and involves a murder mystery.

33 Original Tales About Summer's Darker Side

Inspired by an earworm from a song in the 1978 film, Grease, "summer lovin'" became “summer bludgeon.” Voila! A new collection was born. The stories, poems, and art included in this collection highlight the dark corners of our hearts. They pull back the curtains and show us people at odds, broken relationships, romantic love gone terribly wrong. Cold deeds and chilling words unfold against the simmering backdrop of the "warmest" season of the year.

 

Buy Summer Bludgeon from Amazon

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Created by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the IWSG serves to provide a place for writers to seek support and give it. Anyone can participate. Simply click on Alex's name and put your blog on the linky list, then hop around and visit others on the list, especially this month's co-hosts: SE White, Cathrina Constantine, Natalie Aguire, Joylene Nowell Butler, and Jacqui Murray!

The optional question this month is: When the going gets tough writing the story, how do you keep yourself writing until the end? If you haven't started the writing yet, why do you think that is and what do you think could help you find your groove and start?

I'm skipping the optional question this month, although my post sort of answers it in the end. 

I was really down this past weekend, due to some family issues, and then in the middle of what was a terrible weekend, I saw the news of a release for a book that was very similar to my current WIP. I've been working on this WIP off and on for probably about a decade now, which is shocking to consider, but I put it aside multiple times to work on my fantasy project, short stories, and book releases, and there were huge chunks of time where stuff with my dad, my family, and my jobs took precedence and my writing faltered. Plus, it started out as a short story, and I loved it so much that I decided to expand it into a novel and add a second POV. I've written about it on here multiple times through the years.

Now the other story being released is set during a different time period and has several other differences. What's similar is the feel. They're both horror comedies about killer critters. I guess that's where the similarities end. But it got me further down when I was already struggling. I've let similar issues make me drop a project in the past.

This time, instead of letting it sink me completely, I sat down on Saturday and finished the first draft of the book (I was 5000 words from the finish when I sat down.) I came very close to scrapping the entire thing. But this time I didn't let that happen. As soon as I get through some big work deadlines this week for the day job, I'll be jumping into revisions. Am I still mentally struggling with the doubt? You bet. But this is a project I love, and I'm not letting it go because of something that has nothing to do with me or the story.

Had I written this post on Friday or even Saturday, the tone would be very different. It took me several days to get to a positive place about it. Even as I sat there typing away at the final chapters, I was feeling dismal. This was a decade of my work. What I really wanted to do was curl up and let the numbness take over.

Now I'm just feeling that much more determined to finish it and get it out on submission, because the stories ARE different, and what this tells me is that there's a market for that type of story. Right?

I'm also excited about starting work on my next two WIPs. And maybe I won't take so long to write the next one so that this doesn't happen again. 

Not only that, but I've written, edited, and submitted one new short story per week for the last month, and I'm feeling pretty productive.

Okay, submission stats for the last month. I do this each month with my IWSG post to keep myself accountable. May stats:

24 submissions

10 rejections (feel the burn!)

0 acceptances

6 stories withdrawn from markets that either went under or were taking too long so I could resubmit

25 stories currently on submission

Note: I'm having issues with Blogger. Other than signing in and doing things on the back end, I can't stay signed in to comment on people's blogs. I can't even respond to comments on my own blog without posting as "Unknown!" I'm working on it and will get around for visits, but not today. Hoping I'll feel better tomorrow from the COVID and will have the energy to deal with the issues so I can visit then.

Have you been submitting? How are you doing? What are your insecurities? Have you ever had a similar situation to my IWSG post? What did you do? Did you scrap it or plunge forward?

May you find your Muse.

Alex J. Cavanaugh & Patricia Josephine Book Release Guest Posts - Starting & Ending a Series and The Fun of Short Fiction

Today I welcome Alex J. Cavanaugh and Patricia Josephine, who both have book releases! If you came for one's guest post, I hope you'll also enjoy the other's guest post! Alex wrote about Starting and Ending a Series and Patricia wrote about The Fun of Short Fiction. Alex J. Cavanaugh is releasing CassaDark and Patricia Josephine/Patricia Lynne is releasing A Quick Death.

Note that my usual open submissions post will be next Wednesday instead of this week.

Before we jump in, my interview with Claudia Monacelli at Multiple Voices (a podcast) is now available for your listening pleasure!

Multiple Voices Podcast, episode 97

Starting and Ending a Series - Alex J. Cavanaugh

Beginning a news series is challenging but also exciting. So many possibilities! It’s also satisfying to bring it to an end. After years of living with the characters, sharing their adventures, it feels good to find closure and tie everything together in a tidy package, sending the series out with a bang. 

I’ve started a series once. Ironically, I’ve ended that same series twice now. 

Wait, I can explain! Let’s go back to the beginning. 

The first book was a terrible first draft I wrote as a teen over forty years ago. I watched probably way too much BattleStar Galactica, Star Wars, and other science fiction shows, so the story’s vibe was similar. It sat untouched for almost thirty years before I decided to rewrite it, as the main characters were good but the execution terrible. 

When that first book was picked up by a publisher and released, I was excited. The story I’d imagined as a teen, a book at last. Then fans (and my publisher) started asking for another – in the series! Well, I’d never planned a series, but I did have an idea based on another story from the past. So, I wrote a second book. Of course, who’s ever heard of a series of two? No one! That meant a third book. 

I’d done it! A science fiction trilogy. I’d brought the series full circle, with each book containing its own story arc and theme. Stick a fork in it – it’s done. And while it seemed a little sad to end Byron’s adventures, it was time. I’d jumped forward twenty years with each book, so the main character was showing his age a bit.  Byron: The Geriatric Years didn’t have a nice ring to it. So, I moved on with an entirely new book, a couple short stories, and lots of blog posts. (Those count, right?) 

Somewhere along the line, an idea hit me. In the third book, I’d introduced Byron’s ten-year-old son, Bassan. What if I wrote a story about him instead? I jump forward in years anyway (although this was only a fifteen-year jump), so he’d be an adult. The wheels really started turning then. 

Since it was a different character, I came up with a divergent concept. It needed to stand out from the other three, and since it followed Bassan not Byron, it had to stand on its own. Plus, it was third person point of view from just one character, not two or three. But once I’d finished it, once it was edited and polished, I knew this was a great way to end the series. Sending Bassan across the galaxy on a bit of a cat-and-mouse game with only his wits and unique connection to ancient alien technology to help him survive – perfect! 

So, if you are considering a series, a little advice. If you’re reading one, understand the effort that went into connecting it all together. If you’re writing one, try to plan a little better than I did!

CassaDark, by Alex J. Cavanaugh

 

CassaDark

By Alex J. Cavanaugh

 

“Cavanaugh returns to the world of his Cassa Series…for a fourth inventive space opera.” – Publisher’s Weekly

 

His world is unraveling… 

Bassan’s father is stepping down from command. His best friend almost dies when Bassan freezes. Now, he’s being sent across the galaxy to speak at an important conference. Despite saving the eleven races years ago, he’s paralyzed by doubt. Could things get any worse? 

Once there, new acquaintance Zendar convinces Bassan to visit his planet for a humanitarian mission. Bassan’s special connection to ancient technology is the key to saving Zendar’s people. One problem though—it’s a prisoner planet. 

On Ugar, he discovers things aren’t so straightforward. As each truth reveals itself, the situation grows more desperate. If he can’t find the right answers, he might die along with Zendar’s people. Can Bassan summon the courage to be a hero again? 

Print - 9781939844842

EBook – 9781939844859

Science Fiction – Adventure/Space Opera/Space Exploration

 

Links:

iTunes | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Scribed | Goodreads 

You can find Alex J. Cavanaugh at his blog: Alex J. Cavanaugh

The Fun of Short Fiction - Patricia Josephine

A Quick Death is my third collection of 200 word flash fiction. I have two more collections in the works. It’s something I find myself coming back to again and again. I love writing it. I love reading it. They’re fun bite-sized stories that you can consume like candy. (The perk being that the stories won’t add to your waistline.)

 

The thing I really enjoy about shorter fiction is it allows me to read an entire story in one sitting. I am notorious for reading a book in one go. I’ve missed appointments because of the fact. There’s also a certain amount of emotion that a full length novel requires. At least for me. There’s a roller coaster ride you go on with a novel. You can go through so many emotions. You get attached to the characters. You cry when the author kills your fav. (WHYYYYYYY?????) I enjoy novels, but my energy reserves aren’t always full enough.

 

That’s where short fiction comes in. Where novels are roller coasters, short fiction are more like a kiddie rides at the park. They take you for a safer ride and you get off and say, “That was fun.” But your legs won’t be left shaking from the adrenaline. They don’t drain me as much as a novel does. That’s important since reading is a vital author task. (Yes, it totally is! Don’t argue with me.)

 

If you’re ever feeling a little worn out but still want to get some reading in, check out some short fiction. There’s a ton out there and, while they may not take you on a roller coaster ride, they can still make you say, “Wow.”

 

A Quick Death, by Patricia Josephine

Death
Murder
The Afterlife

These things fascinate our imagination. Delve into a collection of tales that explore death and murder. Each story is told in exactly 200 words and designed to give you a quick thrill no matter how busy your day is.

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THE END?

 

 Buy Links

Amazon | Universal Link | Goodreads 

 

About the Author

Patricia Josephine is a writer of Urban Fantasy and Sci-Fi Romance books. She actually never set out to become a writer, and in fact, she was more interested in art and band in high school and college. Her dreams were of becoming an artist like Picasso. On a whim, she wrote down a story bouncing in her head for fun. That was the start of her writing journey, and she hasn't regretted a moment. When she's not writing, she's watching Doctor Who or reading about serial killers. She's an avid knitter. One can never have too much yarn. She writes Young Adult Paranormal, Science Fiction, and Fantasy under the name Patricia Lynne.

Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, and has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow.

 

 Social Media Links:

Website | Patreon | Facebook | Newsletter 

 

Patricia Josephine:

Goodreads | Amazon Author Page 

 

Patricia Lynne:

Goodreads | Amazon AuthorPage 

Patricia is doing a giveaway! It's open May 11 to May 18. THE FINE PRINT: Giveaway is US only. (Sorry, but the packages I've sent international have vanished in transit.) Entries only valid for new subscribers and followers. Contest ends May 18th.

Giveaway code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

What do you think about their covers? Did you enter the giveaway? Have you written a series? What do you think of short fiction?

May you find your Muse.

Huge Thank You, Writer's Fun Zone, Read with Fey, & Free Horror Reading

We've found our way to the end of another month already!

I forgot to link to my interview at Writer's Fun Zone: Author Q&A with Shannon Lawrence.

I also did a live reading of my Lupercalia/Valentine's horror piece, Blind Date from Happy Ghoulidays, which is available on YouTube to watch: Stories Live! Love Kills.

To thank everyone who allowed me to be a guest during my book launch for The Business of Short Stories, my beta readers, and those who helped in other ways, I invited them to send me something they'd like to share. Following are their books or blog posts they wanted to share, and hopefully a great way to pick up a new read!

Jean Davis

Jean Davis: Not Another Bard's Tale

Website:https://jeanddavis.blogspot.com/

Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Jean-Davis/e/B00UY4XNEC

Alex J. Cavanaugh

Alex J. Cavanaugh: CassaDark
Coming April 5, 2022

Coming April 5, 2022

Website - http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com

iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id1574189874

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0982FL3SH

Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940164947033

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/cassadark

Scribed – https://www.scribd.com/search?query=9781939844859&language=0

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58461762-cassadark

Jemima Pett

Jemima Pett: Greed and Retribution

Jemima Pett Author at https://jemimapett.com

Blog Post: Greed and Retribution https://jemimapett.com/blog/2021/04/08/greed-and-retribution-atozchallenge2021/

Jemi Fraser

Jemi Fraser: Reaching for Normal

Free at all retailers books2read.com/u/b55eJO 

Jemi Fraser website: https://jemifraser.com/

Annalisa Crawford

Annalisa Crawford: Grace & Serenity

Website: https://www.annalisacrawford.com/

Buy Grace & Serenity: https://bit.ly/graceandserenity

J.Q. Rose

J.Q. Rose: Terror on Sunshine Boulevard

Website/blog link: https://www.jqrose.com/

Buy link: https://books2read.com/Terror-on-Sunshine-Boulevard-Rose

DeAnna Knippling

DeAnna Knippling: Writing Craft, Volume 1

Website link: http://writing-craft.com/

Universal link :https://books2read.com/writing-craft-vol-1 

Toi Thomas

Toi Thomas: Why Are You Afraid?

Toi Thomas writes clean adult fiction and nonfiction, as well as writes and illustrates picture books. Click here to see a book trailer for her picture books. Her latest release is Why Are You Afraid?, a book that helps parents start the race conversation with their kids.

Find Toi online here: https://linktr.ee/toithomas

Rebecca M. Douglass

Rebecca M. Douglass: Death by Donut

Book 5 of the Pismawallops PTA Mystery Series!

When a prominent Pismawallops Island businessman drops dead at JJ’s feet in the Have-A-Bite Bakery, there’s more on the line than catching a murderer. Can JJ save the bakery—and maintain her supply of espresso brownies?

Website: https://www.Rebecca-Douglass.com

Buy on Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1067247 

Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VKSZV2D

Ninja Librarian FB page: https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaDouglassNinjaLibrarian

Thank you to these folks and everyone else who helped! 

Chrys Fey is doing a reading challenge this year that I intend to take part in. The Read with Fey Challenge asks that you read 10 books for writers in 2022. It started January 1 and will go through December 31. 

Read with Fey: Reading Challenge for Writers

You don't have to read 10 books for writers. Set your own goal! I likely won't make it to 10, as nonfiction books take me longer to read and I have other nonfiction books to read this year, so I'm going to set my goal for 5 books for writers.

Hashtags for the challenge: #ReadWithFey #ReadWithFey2022

There's no sign up, but she does have an option for you to add yourself to the storygraph she's created. Read more at Write with Fey.

And, hey, my book counts as a book for writers, so if you've picked it up or plan to, that's one down!

Speaking of which, I have more formats available for The Business of Short Stories now, most of which are at this Books2Read universal link. For some reason I've had a lot of problem getting the Books2Read link to auto-populate, so I've had to manually add a bunch of the links. It doesn't show on this link, but the book is also available from Walmart. Check out my Publications tab for more direct links.

Are you participating in Chrys's challenge? Do you already have some books you're interested in reading for it? Have you read any of the books in this post? 

May you find your Muse.

*Blue Swoosh by clker.com, OCAL