Show and Tell #IWSG | 2017 Goals | Bookworm News

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh. January's co-hosts are Eva @ Lilicasplace, Crystal Collier, Sheena-kay Graham, Chemist Ken, LG Keltner, and Heather Gardner. For a list of other IWSG bloggers, click here.

January's question: What writing rule do you wish you'd never heard?

A couple years ago, I would say "Write every day," but I must admit I've found it helpful to write every day. So I guess I would go with "Show, not tell." Yes, it's a good rule. It is better to show when writing, but there are times when telling is not only good but necessary. The rule should be show and tell with examples of when which is better. Of course, some days I still am trying to figure out if I'm showing enough. *laughs*

So. Wow. We've made it to 2017.

My writing goal this year is to finish writing the Soul Reaper series. I'm currently writing book two, A Soul to Keep, and have three more books to go.

My editing goal this year is to edit The Fate Challenges and start to publish them. Reborn was published way back in 2014. I have a bonus woodwose section titled Determined, which is set between Chapters 24 and 25 in Reborn, that I plan to publish on my website. I also need to edit and publish Marked (#1.5, a novella told from Liam's POV), Forged (#2), and Destined (#3). Destined will need the most work, so I might not have the time to publish it before the end of this year, but I'm hoping to get Determined, Marked, and Forged out. *crosses fingers*

Speaking of edits, I plan to count the words I edit this year instead of by the page. My hope is this will give me a clearer sense of how many words I edit as words per page varies so much.

My reading goal continues to be 24 books a year. I read 35 books last year.

My January goals include:

- Write for an hour a day in A Soul to Keep.

- Edit for 30 minutes a day in The Fate Challenges. This goal will likely revolve around the polish/read-through notes/creating a glossary of Reborn and editing Determined.

- Continue helping my friend with her nine-part novella series.

What are your goals for 2017?

2016 Stats: 348,203 words written and 2,213 pages edited

SPECULATIVE FICTION
BOOKS READ

Shattered Spirit by Christine Rains

The Illusory Prophet by Susan Kaye Quinn

Stargate SG-1: Trial by Fire by Sabine C. Bauer

Ghost Cat by Christine Rains
Raven by Rachel Morgan

SPECULATIVE FICTION
BOOK REVIEWS

Shattered Spirit by Christine Rains

Ametta Dorn’s dream job of remodeling a Cremaschi comes with a ghost of a problem in Christine Rains’ Shattered Spirit. The fourth novella in the Totem series follows the youngest Dorn sister, a polar bear shifter. What I loved best was Ametta’s emotional growth and how she becomes closer to the handsome Kodiak shifter Lucky Osberg. Rains continues to expand the paranormal world she’s created and introduces readers to unusual mythological creatures such as the domovoi. Shattered Spirit by Christine Rains delves deeper into the characters’ lives while keeping the tension high as they continue their quest for the seven totem tokens.

The Illusory Prophet by Susan Kaye Quinn

Elijah “Eli” Brighton needs to understand his powers before his next vision comes true in Susan Kaye Quinn’s The Illusory Prophet. As Eli falls deeper in love with Kamali, he can’t hide from the world falling apart around him and what that world expects of him. What I loved most about this book was Eli’s growth in his powers concerning the fugue. He is finally stepping up to his destiny, whether he wants to accept that destiny or not. I love how Quinn infuses science fiction with philosophical musings of the soul and reality. The twists at the end have left me craving the next book. A fast-paced story, The Illusory Prophet by Susan Kaye Quinn is a fantastic intellectual installment in her Singularity series that will excite science fiction fans.

Stargate SG-1: Trial by Fire by Sabine C. Bauer

An archaeological discovery on Earth leads the SG-1 team to a new planet in Sabine C. Bauer’s Trial by Fire. This novel is set in the Stargate universe. Colonel Jack O’Neill, Dr. Daniel Jackson, Major Samantha Carter, and Teal’c become drawn into a conflict between the Tyreans and the Phrygians, especially when O’Neill and their archaeologist guest are kidnapped. The sarcasm found throughout the novel was entertaining. As someone who has studied ancient cultures, I loved seeing the rites of Mithras as well as all the Latin. O’Neill’s growth is particularly poignant, especially as he confronts what happened to him by the Goa’uld Ba’al. The downside to this novel was the rapidly changing point of views, which sometimes left me confused by who was telling the story at any particular moment. That said, I did enjoy Trial by Fire by Sabine C. Bauer and feel that Stargate SG-1 fans will enjoy reading about some of our favorite characters.

Ghost Cat by Christine Rains

Kinley Dorn, a polar bear shifter, must heed the silent whispers if she’s going to find him in Christine Rains’ Ghost Cat. This fifth novella in the Totem series follows the middle Dorn sister. Kinley faces her growing insecurity over her relationship with Ransom Averill and the legacy her mother left behind. Several parts of the story tugged on my heart. Rains does an excellent job continuing the totem quest as well as introducing readers to Inuit legends such as about the ghost cat (a lynx) and the Urayuli (a bit similar to Bigfoot). I’m thoroughly enjoying Christine Rains’ Totem series, and Ghost Cat is a great continuation.

Raven by Rachel Morgan

Raven Rosewood can’t wait to graduate as a clothes caster, but graduation day might be killer in Rachel Morgan’s Raven. This standalone novella takes place within Morgan’s fantastic Creepy Hollow series. Raven has grown up in high fae society, but as she is falling for her guard Flint, she questions the wealth around her and what type of person she wants to be. The mystery of who placed an explosion at school and tried to kill Raven amped up the tension. Raven by Rachel Morgan is a fast-paced, sometimes intense, and sweet coming-of-age tale.

SPECULATIVE FICTION BOOKS

RELEASING IN JANUARY

The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

The Heart of What Was Lost by Tad Williams

Deadlight Jack by Mark Onspaugh

Shattered Spirit by Christine Rains

Ghost Cat by Christine Rains

Fangs and Fennel by Shannon Mayer

Little Heaven by Nick Cutter

When Ash Rains Down by Cecelia Earl

Freeks by Amanda Hocking

Freefall by M. Pax

Pressure Point by Adam Quinn

Fate of Perfection by K.F. Breene

Diffraction by Jess Anastasi

Girl of Fire by Norma Hinkens

Lock and Key by Clara Coulson

From the Ashes by Xen Sanders

Death’s Mistress by Terry Goodkind

Frost Blood by Elly Blake
Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston

There are a few more days left to have a chance to win one of two paperback copies of Parallels: Felix Was Here on Goodreads.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Parallels

by L.G. Keltner

Giveaway ends January 07, 2017.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Parallel Universes and a Goodreads Giveaway

I hope everyone is having a good holiday. Today I'm over at the Parallels' blog talking about multiple worlds. I'm also hosting a Goodreads giveaway for a paperback copy of Parallels: Felix Was Here. Happy New Year!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Parallels

by L.G. Keltner

Giveaway ends January 07, 2017.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Comments are turned off here since this is just an announcement post. I'll be back on this blog on January 4, 2017 for IWSG.

#IWSG: The anthology is here - Parallels: Felix Was Here #specfic #althistory

IWSG was created by the Captain Ninja Alex J. Cavanaugh. Click here to visit the other IWSG participants. This month's co-hosts are Stephen Tremp, Stephanie Faris, Susan Gourley/Kelley, Bish Denham, Fundy Blue, M.J. Fifield, and Loni Townsend.

My insecurity and excitement revolve around the release of Parallels: Felix Was Here. No matter how many stories I have out, I always have release week jitters.

Do you get nervous when you release a new story?

Enter the realm of parallel universes! 

What if the government tried to create the perfect utopia? Could a society linked to a supercomputer survive on its own? Do our reflections control secret lives on the other side of the mirror? Can one moment split a person’s world forever? 

Exploring the fantastic, ten authors offer incredible visions and captivating tales of diverse reality. Featuring the talents of L. G. Keltner, Crystal Collier, Hart Johnson, Cherie Reich, Sandra Cox, Yolanda Renee, Melanie Schulz, Sylvia Ney, Michael Abayomi, and Tamara Narayan. 

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these ten tales will expand your imagination and twist the tropes of science fiction. Step through the portal and enter another dimension!

Purchase the anthology at Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, Nook, and Smashwords.

Add to your Goodreads list.

Follow the blog.

My story in the anthology is "Folds in Life and Death." In 2001, the Curse of Tippecanoe strikes again. This story is set within the world of To the Future series, which I plan to start writing in the next few months.

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I'm sure many bloggers are trying to recover from the craziness that is April. I participated in the A-Z Challenge on the Parallels anthology blog, and it was a lot of fun, although I didn't get around to nearly as many blogs as I'd hoped.

I finished another edit of Marked (The Fate Challenges #1.5) and sent it to my next critique partner. This year I've written 24 of 41 chapters in Destined. I am almost finished writing "A Soul to Protect," a Soul Reaper short story. I've made progress on my outline for A Soul to Reap (Soul Reaper #1), but I didn't touch A Soul to Kill edits, although I have decided to rewrite it in first person instead of third.

My May goals include:

• Write 30 minutes a day in one project (Destined).
• Write 15 minutes a day in a secondary project ("A Soul to Protect" | A Soul to Reap).
• Rewrite A Soul to Kill. I'd like to complete at least half of this before the end of May.
• Edit "On Day 168" for the forthcoming UR anthology Ghosts of Fire.
• Outline A Soul to Reap.

What are your goals for this month?

2016 Current Stats: 117,811 words written and 766 pages edited

Two years ago in May, I published my first novel Reborn (The Fate Challenges #1). Although the rest of the series won't be out until 2017 (most likely), I have decided to run a sale. For this month, Reborn is only 99c, and you can purchase it on Amazon.com, Other Amazon Retailers, Google Play, iTunes, Kobo, Nook, OmniLit, and Smashwords.

#IWSG: Passion, Projects, and Plans | Cover Reveal Parallels: Felix Was Here

IWSG was created by the Captain Ninja Alex J. Cavanaugh. Click here to visit the other IWSG participants.

Today's post seems to be brought to you by the letter P. *laughs*

My writing projects Destined (The Fate Challenges #3) and A Soul to Kill (Soul Reaper #0) have been on my mind a lot lately. I've noticed how I light up when I talk about A Soul to Kill and the Soul Reaper series in general. When it comes to reading, I want to dive into all the urban fantasy books. It's not that I don't enjoy Yssa's story. We've been together for ten years, after all, but I'm all excited about Soul Reaper. This passion has led me to ponder whether I should switch my projects #1 and #2.

And this idea has led to my insecurity for this month. I've made a commitment to finishing The Fate Challenges. People have read Reborn (The Fate Challenges #1) and I'm sure at least three of them are looking forward to the rest of the books in the series. Destined is the last book, and I just have to finish that first draft to have the series written. Will I be letting them down if I take even longer with writing Destined? Will I be letting myself down?

I feel guilty for considering switching the two, yet I also want my main passion to be my main project. It's not that I'll stop writing Destined. It'll just take me a few months longer to finish that first draft than I first thought.

So for this month I'll switch them and see how it goes. If I don't chicken out and switch them back midway through!

What are your insecurities this month?

As you might have seen on the IWSG blog last month, my story "Folds in Life and Death" is one of the ten stories in the IWSG anthology. Thank you so much for your congratulations and kind comments. It had been a few years since I last submitted a story, so I was shocked to find out my story was one of the ten chosen.

We also have a title and cover art! Parallels: Felix Was Here will be out sometime in Spring 2016. Isn't it an awesome cover!?

Science Fiction/Alternate History

Enter the realm of parallel universes!

What if the government tried to create the perfect utopia? Could a society linked to a supercomputer survive on its own? Do our reflections control secret lives on the other side of the mirror? Can one moment split a person’s world forever?

Exploring the fantastic, ten authors offer incredible visions and captivating tales of diverse reality. Featuring the talents of L. G. Keltner, Cherie Collier, Hart Johnson, Cherie Reich, Sandra Cox, Yolanda Renee, Melanie Schulz, Sylvia Ney, Michael Abayomi, and Tamara Narayan.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these ten tales will expand your imagination and twist the tropes of science fiction. Step through the portal and enter another dimension!

---

In January, I wrote in Destined and A Soul to Kill and outlined A Soul to Kill. I also edited "Folds in Life and Death" and a friend's novelette and short story. I'm working on edits for another friend's novel. Unfortunately, I keep striking out on finishing the outline for Destined as well as editing Marked (The Fate Challenges #1.5).

Here are my goals for February:
Write 30 minutes a day in main project (A Soul to Kill).
Write 15 minutes a day in a secondary project (Destined).
Finish editing a friend's novel. I plan to finish it this week/early next week.
Edit Marked. Seriously! I've put this off for way too long.
Edit "On Day 168."
Outline Destined.

Current 2016 Stats: 29,868 words written and 214 pages edited.