I Think I've Said Too Much #IWSG | October Goals | Bookworm News #SpecFic

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. October's co-hosts are Olga Godim, Chemist Ken, Jennifer Hawes, and Tamara Narayan. Find the other IWSG participants here.

October's question: Have you ever slipped any of your personal information into your characters, either by accident or on purpose? The simple answer is yes.

I think it goes back to the guideline of "Write what you know." It would be nearly impossible to write without pulling on some sort of emotion, action, etc. that we've experienced in the past, even if we present it in a different way or from a different view. I think experience leads credence to our imagination.

That said, I have purposely written about events that happened to me. The best example is Once upon a December Nightmare from Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection. The main event that sets up the story actually happened to me in December 2002. I played off what occurred and expanded it into a horror story. Yes, even the dead deer were really in that clearing.

My unpublished YA contemporary novel Starred also features true incidents that happened while I participated in musical theater.

And I'm sure I'll find new things to insert into new stories too.

Don't forget about the IWSG Anthology contest! I had an idea in mind for a story, but I didn't know how to narrow it down to 3500-6000 words and didn't really have the time to write and edit it for the November 1st deadline. Plus, it took kept turning into a horror story in my head. So good news, I have a new horror story to write some day. Bad news, I have no story to submit for the next IWSG Anthology. Oh, well.

What are you insecure about this month?

---

For the past couple months, I've created a Word document to keep track of important dates, overall things I need to do, and then daily goals. It's really made a world of difference. So I did quite well on my goals for September.

I formatted a manuscript for a client. I proofread, formatted, and published Spirits in the Water (Elements of Untethered Realms #4). I edited the outlines of A Soul to Reap, A Soul to Keep, and A Soul to Take as well as reached the midway point in my novel Destined. I even found time to update Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection, the ebook and print versions.

I've also been thinking of my old Gravity series, and I have an idea of a new direction to take the characters. Now I don't know when I'll get back to it, but I'm excited about the new starting point.

As for October's goals, they include:
- Continue editing Destined. The third novel in The Fate Challenges series is over 92,000 words so far and will likely be as long as Reborn (around 95,000 words). I hope to be 75-85% finished with this edit by the end of the month.
- Update the print version of People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors with the new map and a few other minor tweaks.
- Write the outline for A Soul to Give (Soul Reaper #4).

And that's it. October is a lighter goals month than the previous ones.

What are your October goals?

2017 Stats: 105,864 words written and 885,566 words edited

---

BOOK READ AND REVIEWED

Spirits in the Water by Untethered Realms' authors

SPECULATIVE FICTION BOOKS

RELEASING IN OCTOBER

Spirits in the Water by Untethered Realms’ authors

Amazon | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo | Nook | Smashwords

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

Tool of War by Paolo Bacigalupi

Devils and Thieves by Jennifer Rush

Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield

The Goblins of Bellwater by Molly Ringle

Berserker by Emmy Laybourne

Ally by Anna Banks

Never Apart by Romily Bernard

Seize Today by Pintip Dunn

27 Hours by Tristina Wright

Blood in the Water by Angela Roquet

The Uncrossing by Melissa Eastlake

Fairday Morrow and the Talking Library by Jessica Haight and Stephanie Robinson

Strange Weather by Joe Hill

Harry Potter – A History of Magic: The Book of the Exhibition by J.K. Rowling

Cold Spectrum by Craig Schaefer

---

Twisted Earths (Elements of Untethered Realms #1) is currently free.

Amazon | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo | Nook | Smashwords

Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection is 99c for October.

Amazon | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo | Nook | Smashwords

Spirits in the Water Available for Preorder and Twisted Earths now Free on Retailers #anthologies #scifi #fantasy

Spirits in the Water is now available for preorder. The fourth Elements of Untethered Realms anthology will be released on October 3.

A haunted journey on a riverboat, water sprites borne of pennies, preternatural creatures, ancient serpents, and the Lady of the Lake lurk in dark waters. Raging storms and magical rainbow fountains. Water is spectacularly beautiful but also treacherous.

Gwen Gardner gives us Shake, Rattle and Row. Harlow Grayson has the chance to rid herself of a pesky ghost but she must first brave a haunted riverboat and recover a family heirloom. What she finds might be more than she can handle.

Jeff Chapman offers The Water Wight. When a drowned girl changes her mind about suicide, Merliss and her associates face a fearsome, preternatural creature.

M. Pax presents The Wallows. Evernee Weems wants to escape this world in the worst way. Her daughter needs everything, the rent is being raised, Evernee’s job barely pays minimum wage, and she has little hope for better. Inside a puddle is a different reality. She jumps in, happy to trade her problems for a life in which worries don’t exist. Or do they?

Angela Brown gives us Extraordinary. Puberty hits Angelique like a gut punch and brings about a change, forcing an unexpected revelation about her past. All seems well until a vicious storm tears through her Texas community, and Angelique learns there are worse things than a little change.

River Fairchild presents You Can’t Go Home Again. A young woman, filled with regret about the past, goes on a journey and discovers more than she bargained for.

Simon Kewin offers us The Waters, Dividing the Land. Hyrn the horned god of the woodlands is learning the meaning of fear. Death magic blights the land, threatening everyone and everything. To save what he can from spreading corruption, he turns to the ancient river serpents, but they’ve grown old and distant and may not hear his call at all.

Christine Rains gives us Frozen. A necromancer is on the frozen moon of Saturn where the dead do scream.

Meradeth Houston presents The Flood. Sometimes a flooded kitchen isn’t the unluckiest thing to happen to you.

Catherine Stine offers Maizy of Bellagio. April still searches for her mother who vanished nineteen years ago from the fountain at Hotel Bellagio in Vegas. Can Maizy, a water sprite who works the fountain’s pink colors, begin to help the three generations of eccentric women tortured by this tragedy?

M. Gerrick gives us The One Who Would Wield the Sword. Nikka is supposed to be nothing more than dragon bait so a real dragon hunter can do his job, but the Lady in the Lake has other plans for her.

Cherie Reich presents The Folding Point. Aimee’s fight against those who banned paper magics has begun.

From USA Today, Amazon bestselling, and popular science fiction and fantasy authors comes Spirits in the Water, a supernatural anthology of eleven thrilling tales. Spirits in the Water is the fourth, long-awaited Elements story collection from the dynamic and inventive Untethered Realms group.

Amazon | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo | Nook | Smashwords

Add on Goodreads!

Read some excerpts from Spirits in the Water.

To celebrate the release for Spirits in the Water, the first Elements of Untethered Realms anthology Twisted Earths is now free on all major retailers. Pick up your copy today!

Amazon | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo | Nook | Smashwords

A Lesson Learned #IWSG | Writing Goals | Bookworm News | Smashwords Sale

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. July's co-hosts are Tamara Narayan, Pat Hatt, Patricia Lynne, Juneta Key, and Doreen McGettigan. Follow the other IWSG bloggers or sign up for the blog hop here.

July's question: What is one valuable lesson you've learned since you started writing?

Although many answers come to mind, the one that sticks out the most is that each writer's journey is different and valid. We may have many things in common, but we each find our own way to write and that way is just as valid as any other way. Too many times we get caught up in the "rules" of writing, but they are just guidelines. It's up to each of us to find what works best.

For example, I'm a plotter. I need an outline before I write the first page. I will also come up with ideas and not get around to writing them for months or even years. The outline is where I learn the story. Writing that first draft is where I learn the main characters. In edits, I expand upon the world and solidify who people are. That's my process.

Yours will most likely vary, and there's nothing wrong with that.

What are your insecurities this month?

---

I'm writing up this post on June 27, even though it won't go live until July 5. Why? I'm off work from June 28-July 4, which means no access to unlimited internet and a fast internet connection.

After all I completed in May and early June, I've felt rather exhausted the past few weeks. I did catch up on blog comments and emails; however, I did not write any new reviews, edit the outline for Destined (The Fate Challenges #3), or update my websites/social media. I did finish editing the stories for Spirits in the Water, helped my friend with her fantastic novella series, and I made progress in editing Forged (The Fate Challenges #2).

My July goals include:
- Continue editing Forged.
- Continue helping my friend with her novella series.
- Catch up on writing reviews for books I've read.
- Update my websites/social media.

Oh, I also realized that July 1 is my two year anniversary of writing every single day. Since I'm editing a lot, the added words are much fewer than writing-writing days, but so far I've worked on a project and gotten new words down every single day since July 1, 2015.

What are your goals for July?

2017 Stats: 84,951 words written and 513,456 words edited

(January 1-June 27)

In June, I read Sacrifice Moon by Julie Fortune. This is a Stargate SG-1 series book, and I loved it. If you're a fan of the show, you should enjoy it too.

SPECULATIVE FICTION BOOKS

RELEASING IN JULY

The Legion of Flame by Anthony Ryan

MIND: The Vision by Jenn Nixon

Lost Boy by Christina Henry

Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine

Cracked Open by Susan Kaye Quinn

Enigma by Tonya Kuper

Age of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan

Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn

Heroine Worship by Sarah Kuhn

Shadows Fall by Christine Rains

Children of the Fifth Sun by Gareth Worthington

Gork, the Teenage Dragon by Gabe Hudson

---

Smashwords is having its month-long sale from July 1-31. You can get the Untethered Realms' anthology Twisted Earths for free, my fantasy short story collect People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors for a dollar, and my paranormal horror collection Once upon a Nightmare for just 99c.

FREE

Coupon Code: SW100

Twisted Earths on Smashwords

$1.00

Coupon Code: SSW75

People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors on Smashwords

$0.99

Coupon Code: SSW50

Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection on Smashwords

Writing Update | Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale July 1-31 #fantasy

Happy Wednesday!

I have to admit July has been a really good goals completion month.

I have updated my social media pages, websites, and blog to their new looks. I have consolidated quite a few of my pages on my blog with pages on my author website. Doing so means I'll have to update in fewer places. I still have a couple more drawings I want to finish, but they're not needed until 2016, so I have plenty of time to draw and color them.

I've also been writing. Every. Single. Day. I wrote more this month than I wrote during the past six months combined. It's been amazing to get back in the swing of things. And I'm working on not one project but two. Yes, you read that right. Two projects.

Marked (The Fate Challenges #1.5) is my main project. So far I've written almost 10,000 words and am a third finished. If I keep this up, then I might be able to finish the first draft of Marked by late August/early September.

My second project is a new one. The series is called The Gaia Project, and the first "episode" is titled The Mission. I figure The Gaia Project will be a serial with episodes and seasons. The premise is what if a colony ship plans to colonize a super-habitable planet where alien dinosaurs live. The first season will focus on six characters and their scouting mission to discover what happened to the first team the space colony sent down to the surface. For The Mission, I have written almost 6,000 words and am on chapter three out of nine. I'll likely finish this first episode by the end of September. Maybe. I don't have a scene by scene outline yet, so I'm winging it a bit for now and will see if I continue writing this project or choose to place it on the back burner and try another one later on.

So my goals for August are:

Marked - Continue writing this novella told from Liam's point of view and in The Fate Challenges series (YA Epic Fantasy).

The Mission - Continue writing this first episode in the science fiction series The Gaia Project.

Mayhem in the Air - The stories in the UR anthology have been written and edited. We're in the proofreading stages, but as I get the final stories from their authors, I'm going to compile the collection and work on a final proofread. My urban fantasy story "Paper Lanterns" is in this anthology.

So what are your goals for August?

2015 Stats (1/1/15-7/21/15): 31,118 words written and 1,176 pages edited

The Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale runs through July 31st. You can purchase Reborn and People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors for 50% off and download A to Z Flashes of Foxwick for free with coupon code SW100. The Untethered Realms group has also placed Fantasy Uprising on sale for 75% off and our first anthology Twisted Earths for free with the SW100 code.

#IWSG: 10 Tips for Formatting Your Ebook / Wattpad Wednesday: Reborn Chapter 10

10 Tips for Formatting Your Ebook

You wrote, edited, and polished your manuscript to perfection. It took months or years to get everything perfect. Whether you self-publish your book or go with a publisher, it helps to know some formatting tricks so you can have a great looking book beyond just a great read. These ten tips correspond to Microsoft Word.

1. The Show/Hide button is your friend. It’ll reveal the hidden formatting within your document.

2. One space after a sentence-ending punctuation (or quotation) mark.

3. Never ever use Tabs. Seriously. Don’t do it.

4. Set your indents.

5. Styles will keep your formatting the way you like it through a .doc, an .epub, and a .mobi file.

6. Don’t leave extra spaces after a paragraph.

7. If inserting an image, be sure to position and wrap in line with the text.

8. To create a linked Table of Contents, you will need to use bookmarks and hyperlink.

9. It is better to use page breaks for chapters instead of hitting the enter key multiple times.

10. Set your em dashes (—) and ellipses (…) through symbols.

Having a great base for your manuscript will make formatting much easier for yourself and formatters. And if all else fails, clear out your formatting and start over in a fresh document.

Books recommended:

Smashwords Style Guide by Mark Coker

Design and Upload Your ePub: The Steps to Your Success by Cheri Lasota

Indie Author Survival Guide by Susan Kaye Quinn

Websites/Software recommended:

Microsoft Word or something similar

Scrivener (writing software) http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php

Calibre (convert files to other formats) http://calibre-ebook.com/

Sigil (an .epub editor) https://code.google.com/p/sigil/

Jutoh (an editor and convertor of files) http://www.jutoh.com/

Cherie Reich is a speculative fiction writer and library assistant living in Virginia. http://cheriereich.blogspot.com

I give permission for this publishing topic article to be used in IWSG to Publishing and Beyond.

IWSG was created by the Captain Ninja Alex J. Cavanaugh. To visit the IWSG participants, please click here.

It's time for another chapter of Reborn to go up on Wattpad. Click here to start at the beginning or here to go to Chapter Ten.

Time's almost up to get Twisted Earths on pre-order and obtain your free Untethered Realms' authored book for free. Click here for purchase links and more details.

I'm one of the hosts of the 2014 Realms Faire coming November 10-14. I'm hosting an event titled Riddle Me This. Each day during the Faire, I'll post a riddle about a mythological creature. Anyone can play and those who guess the creature will be entered to win a prize pack. For more information about the Realms Faire, click here.