Nancy Gideon's Blog, page 29

WeWriWa: Evil Woman . . . MIDNIGHT MASQUERADE – $.99 SALE!

Ever since the Wicked Witch of the West had me hiding behind our living room sofa every time she appeared in a puff of smoke, I’ve had a healthy respect for evil women – those who do what they want for no one’s benefit but their own and heaven help anyone who gets in their way. What better villain for my currently ON SALE(!) vampire romance set in our country’s capitol. Bianca DuMaurier has been a wonderful returning nemesis in my “Touched by Midnight” series and returns to MIDNIGHT MASQUERADE with a fiendish flare. Here a taste . . .

The ninety-degree vista of windows overlooked a city alive with intrigue and opportunity, which was why Kaz loved it, for the same reasons he might have loved the woman silhouetted against the glass . . . if either of them had had a heart.

It used to bother him that she didn’t cast a reflection in the window, but he’d gotten over that and a lot of disturbing little details about her since they’d chanced to meet in his home of South Africa all those years ago, because details weren’t important when one concentrated on the end result, which was why he was so successful . . . and why Bianca Du Maurier let him live.

“Does he know who Rae Borden is, or rather what she is?”

Kaz had taken a true liking to his young protégé and his naked ambition, who under the proper tutelage, could have developed into a fine associate, but watching his unnatural partner pace like a wild thing before the windows, he knew that wasn’t in the cards for Nick Flynn. 

“There is no need for you to know my plans.”

At times like this, when she looked down her haughty nose as if he were something too inferior to understand, he truly despised her . . . enough to rid himself of the threat of her . . . if only he didn’t fear her power and lust for it with an equal abandon. 

Then her humor returned upon another dark chuckle as she purred, “The poor fool has no clue as to what’s going on around him or why, that none of us are what we seem to be, himself included. He’s in for a harsh education.”

The way she said it made Kaz very glad he had been quick to learn things could be much worse than partnering up with a demon.

Bianca turned toward him, allowing him to see what she really was behind the facade of exquisite beauty, her image flickering, faltering and then fading into a juxtaposed shape of pure evil without time or place or rules, an evil so horrendous, so ugly, he had to avert his eyes.

“He will cooperate, or he will be dead . . . or as good as.”
 

Burr! The icy undead Queen of Mean is back in town and looking for revenge upon the family of those who did her wrong.


Next week I’ll introduce the opposites attract main couple who are in Bianca crosshairs. 
Preview Book 8
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Just got back from a fabulous five day, one woman (and occasional grandguy guest) hotel write-in to get back into my W.I.P. Got three chapters done and the momentum going again. How could I not in this lovely setting (with a pool, hot tub, exercise room and breakfast buffet!).

Many thanks to my sister for meeting me for dinner (eating one-handed with a broken clavicle!) one night and my D-i-L for indulging me at a great sushi place the next.

Happy Summer! And happy writing, Fellow Warriors!

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.

Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

WeWriWa: Home is Where the Heart Is . . . RISE BY MOONLIGHT

What pulls you into a romance and holds your emotions hostage until the very last page? The heart of the matter is the chemistry between the hero and heroine. And that reaction between Max Savoie and Charlotte Caissie has been a combustible mix of banter, simmer and sizzle since book one in my “By Moonlight” series. While my publisher was reluctant to take on a series with a continuing main couple within the paranormal romance genre, Max and Cee Cee quickly won them . . . and readers over with scenes like this one from my W.I.P. RISE BY MOONLIGHT.

He sensed her before gates opened onto the long drive leading to their gracefully crumbling plantation house. Her essence teased up his nose, stirring his awareness like a smooth stone dropping into a still, deep pond as ripples of warmth and desire spread outward in eager little shivers. 

She was home, and everything calmed in his complicated world. 

He waited, still as the heavy antique furnishings, a tall indistinguishable shape teased out by flames from the low parlor fire as the front door opened, relaxing at the brisk staccato of stilettos on marble tiles. Her silhouette hurried by, then the tap of heels paused, backtracking until she framed the doorway the way she did his life, with her strength, proud stature and shrewd intuition, a smile flashing with her welcoming, “Hi.” 

His reply rumbled, a rough caress, “Welcome home, sha, and how was your day?” Simple domestic comments steeped in an intimacy that relaxed the taut line of her shoulders. 

“Same ole, same ole.” She entered the room with her long, confident stride, crossing to him as an end rather than a means to the rest of that day. Her fingertips brushed over the bristle of evening stumble on his cheek on their way to cup the back of his dark head, drawing him down to her for a slow, reassuring exchange as vital to both their lives as oxygen.

Sigh . . . Something to come home to, indeed! It’s good to know these two can still bring on the heat 14 books later.

This weekend, I’m away from home in the middle of a five-day writing vacation, taking up residence in a hotel suite with my new laptop and few distractions other than the pool and hot tub, exercise room, breakfast buffet and planned visits with my grandguy. My goal – to get back to the business of writing as my business (at least until I go back to work on Friday).

Business goes on, even if I’m on a break. So, I’m excited to announce a S-A-L-E (something I took advantage of last weekend while out of state shopping, sunning and relaxing with former co-workers at our annual summer escape. You can see from the above picture there was a bit of work accomplished even with the distraction of a fantastic view!). But back to the SALE! 
Preview Book 8
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MIDNIGHT MASQUERADE from my “Touched by Midnight” vampire romance series will be priced at just $.99 (!) from July 1 to 15! I’ll be sharing from its pages for the next two WWW posts. I’d almost forgotten how much I enjoyed Nick and Rae. If you haven’t met them, this is a great opportunity to sink your teeth into the series!

Happy Writing Weekend fellow Warriors, and for those who celebrate it, have a safe and patriotic 4th of July!!

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.

Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

WeWriWa: I’m Your Boogeyman . . . RISE BY MOONLIGHT

(Caution: R-Rated Hero) Some guys ya just don’t wanna mess with. Max Savoie, the dark hero of my “By Moonlight” shapeshifter series is that guy. Like my movie fav, John Wick, he just wants to be left alone to live his life with the woman he loves in the home he’s rebuilt. But when provoked, the legend he’s made his bones upon will rise again. And that’s a real worry for the poor schmo in this excerpt from my W.I.P. RISE BY MOONLIGHT . . .

Fear of the NOPD came nowhere close to the threat of New Orleans’ notorious former Mob henchman. Savoie’s name was whispered with the same awed terror as the boogeyman. He’d been the cold, soul-devouring darkness at the back of Jimmy Legere’s empire. The whisper of ill-fated doom, he’d answered to Jimmy’s call alone . . . until a tough as nails detective claimed his heart and his allegiance. 

Savoie had taken over Legere’s legacy, turning it from criminality into a powerful business entity. Now, he walked, bold as you please, into society soirees with the same unruffled aplomb he’d once maintained wading in blood and retribution.

Max Savoie was someone no one with a brain or a prayer for a future messed with.

Pomerelli had both.

Very quietly, Leo asked, “What do you want from me?”

How do you let go of a hero whose complexity and cool factor just keeps growing (ummmm John Wick IV . . .)? That’s been my problem while wrapping up my series with this 15th(!) book. You just can’t take the darkness out of a tortured soul . . . except when it comes to a good woman who can turn that Boogeyman into her Boogie Man. (Caution: ‘70s fashion)


Enjoy the (K.C. and the) Sunshine and party on, fellow Warriors!

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.

Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

WeWriWa: Truth AND Consequences . . . RISE BY MOONLIGHT and the “By Moonlight” Series

Every hero needs a heroine who is his match. One who can hold her own, takes no prisoners (except in this excerpt!) and complements his weaknesses with her strengths. With a hero like Max Savoie, the enigmatic leader of the New Orleans shapeshifter clan who runs the now legitimate business empire of his former mobster boss, it takes someone like Detective Charlotte Caissie, in this introductory except from my W.I.P. RISE BY MOONLIGHT.

As detectives Caissie and Babineau exchanged glances, she took the lead with a brusque, “You’ll wear a wire.” 

Leo Pomarelli hedged at her offer, arguing, “They’ll kill me!” 

“Not if you’re smart, and you look like a smart boy.” 

He studied the undercover cop as she pulled off the scarf shadowing strongly cut café au lait features, taking in the aggressive bristle of black hair and hard dark eyes, his own narrowing as thoughts leapt beyond his own precarious situation to prompt a mutter of, “I seen you before.” 

“In my job, I meet the best kind of folks.” 

“No,” he mused, head tipping slightly, “not on the streets.” Then, realization struck like a fatal slug from her service pistol as he gulped, “On TV with Max Savoie.” 

Babineau arched a brow at his partner to allow, “You are a photogenic pair, Detective,” before smiling slightly at the rapidly paling criminal to take advantage of his rightful alarm. “And just how you think Max Savoie’ll react to hearin’ you made rough with his wife—his pregnant wife. Were I you, I’d stop worrying about your bosses and consider what he’ll do to you.”

Balancing lives and careers that are polar (and often ethical) opposites, the main couple in my “By Moonlight” series has had a lot to overcome as they’ve worked their way through emotional and biological baggage, and RISE BY MOONLIGHT is their final chance to get things right. But the road to Book 15 was as filled with as many potholes as Michigan streets in the spring. Good thing they have me for emergency road service that went into effect waaaay back in Book 2, CHASED BY MOONLIGHT!

Preview Book 2
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Looking forward to seeing what you’ve been up to while I’m off the grid at a critique group weekend, where we’re reading each other’s chapters and hopefully writing some more of our own. Hope yours is as productive, fellow Warriors!!

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.

Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

IWSG: It’s a Mystery to Me!

Our Insecure Writer's Support Group June 5 question is: Of all the genres you read and write, which is your favorite to write in and why?

After over 30 years in the biz as a published author and almost as many before as an avid reader, there are few genres I don’t devour. Some, I come back to over and over again, not so much because of the genre, as far as reading or writing, but for one specific novel element I can’t resist: Suspense. I love the tease and challenge of a good puzzle (which is why I snatch up the page of the newspaper with the crosswords and word searches). I can’t resist a mystery to solve, be it character motivation or an actual crime of greed or passion. I thrive on expecting the unexpected. Having devoured all the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew, Agatha Christie, Edgar Allan Poe, and Alistair MacLean stories as a teen, it’s no surprise my favorite books are by Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Sandra Brown, Nora Roberts/J. D. Robb, Daphne du Maurier, Ira Levine, and Lisa Gardner. And for that reason, all the books I write have some degree of suspense in them. It may not be the driving force of the plot, but unknowns and surprises always weave through my pages and torment the characters to keep the reader engaged, and on their toes wondering who done it and why. Sometimes, I don’t know myself until I reach the final chapter!

My WIP is the concluding episode in my “By Moonlight” 15-book dark shapeshifter series. What links them all together, beside the main couple, are unsolved questions in the over-arcing plot line that begin practically on page one of book one. Good thing I learned to knit as a child so I can pull all those secrets and truths together into a (hopefully!) satisfying pattern. Here’s a tease:


What I look for? Heart-wrenching, heart-wringing, heart-pounding reads that end just short of heart-stopping. Yeah. That’s what I like, and if I can similarly torture my reader, my job is happily done.

But that doesn’t make me a bad person . . .

How about you? What’s makes your WIP something you can’t wait to get back to?


The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time.The awesome co-hosts for the June 5th posting of the IWSG will be Diane Burton, Kim Lajevardi, Sylvia Ney, Sarah Foster, Jennifer Hawes, and Madeline Mora-Summonte!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

WeWriWa: Be Careful What You Wish For . . . RISE BY MOONLIGHT

Growing up, everyone wants to fit in, to feel like they belong. Being part of a peer group shapes growth and identity. But in the case of Max Savoie, the hero in my “By Moonlight” shapeshifter series, that’s never been the case. He’s never belonged anywhere, isolated and in hiding with his secretive mother, forbidden to live the life of a normal child . . . because his mother’s biggest secret is . . . they’re not normal, as Max recalls in this continued excerpt from W.I.P. RISE BY MOONLIGHT, my concluding book to this series.

“Max, bad dreams can’t harm you.” 

As much as he’d loved her, then and now, he never quite believed that assurance. Bad things existed beyond the rusty gate that had imprisoned his youthful curiosity within their overgrown yard . . . he knew because he was one of them. A child of the unnatural world, all he’d ever wanted was to find his place within it, but his mother hid that knowledge from him, just as she’d kept the outside away for as long as she could. 

“Mama, what’s wrong with me?” that small voice sobbed. 

“They just don’t understand, so they fear you, and that’s why you must be careful to never let them see the truth.” 

“What truth, Mama?” he’d pleaded. 

Low and soft, Max repeated, “What truth, Mama?” 

She brushed a kiss across the top of the child’s flushed brow then slowly straightened, turning toward Max Savoie, a surreal voyeur from the future she’d never see, her gaze swimming in tears of liquid silver before flaring bright, then hot . . . then red. 

“Max,” she crooned, “you’re just like me.”

Is he ready to hear that truth? Are you truly ever ready for something that will change your life for better or much worse? After fourteen books, he still doesn’t know that answer, but it’s a journey he . . . and the reader . . . will never regret taking!

Preview Book 1
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Start at the beginning with MASKED BY MOONLIGHT and work your way through the series. By then RISE BY MOONLIGHT will be ready and waiting with those answers. More to come next week . . .

I’m still aglow after a wonderful looong holiday weekend watching the sun come up from my patio glider with a cup of coffee and my cat, surrounded by the colorful pallet of my patio container garden, shopping (my bi-yearly sojourn to the mall), and enjoying my awesome birthday gift to me – Hamilton from the sixth row!! Did I say AWESOME?

Welcome to June, fellow Warriors! Write on!


Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.

Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

WeWriWa: Memories . . . RISE BY MOONLIGHT

You can’t go home again . . . but you can revisit. That’s where returning hero, Max Savoie, of my “By Moonlight” dark paranormal shapeshifter series finds himself, looking for answers in the concluding book, RISE BY MOONLIGHT . . . if only in his dreams.

He dreamed of the frightened child he’d once been.

Max hadn’t visited that dark portion of his past for a very long time. Why now? Because of the life his mate carried? Or were the dangerous shadows of unfinished business reaching out from a swampy grave? A reminder of things he’d rather forget.

A rocking chair’s familiar creak. He tensed and twisted anxiously beneath the covers. Icy fingers of caution and loss clutched his chest. Unable to deny his desire to look again upon the worn elegance of his mother’s features, he faced his dread the way he’d addressed his life, with a cautious, reluctant need to know the truth . . . of who and what he was.

This is a bittersweet journey for Max, and for me. We’ve come a long way together, twelve years and going on 15-books, to be exact. He and his friends and enemies have made themselves mine. It’s so hard to think of them as no longer being a part of my life. Similarly, Max feels as if he’s stepping away from what he always believed himself to be way back where it began in MASKED BY MOONLIGHT.
Preview Book 1
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I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me, stitching together plot points and potential loose ends into a satisfying ending. And I’ll be taking you along for the ride for the next few months in my planned race to release in 2019. Buckle up.
But this weekend is for lounging, sleeping in and welcome another birthday. Squee! I’m going to see HAMILTON – my gift to me! Another year older to binge Netflix, crack wise and sprout a few more grey hairs that will never see the light of day because only my hairdresser knows for sure.
Happy Memorial Day. Take time to remember it as not just a day off in May to fire up the grill and watch a parade. Remember those who gave all.


Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.

Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

WeWriWa: Daddy Issues – PRINCE OF DREAMS

Being the daughter of a police commissioner isn’t easy. Add family tragedy, instability, secrets and suspected criminality . . . what’s a girl to do? Especially a girl who’s fallen for a mysterious someone capable of destroying everything her life is built upon. But free-spirited Ophelia Brady, the steadfast cornerstone of her household, doesn’t march to Daddy’s orders . . . until a dangerous situation and a compromising romance pushes her into an uncomfortable corner in PRINCE OF DREAMS, book 4 in my “House of Terriot” dark shapeshifter series. (Excerpt creatively edited)

Made of stern stuff forged into unbendable iron by his ambition, Warren Brady rarely let personal feelings intrude upon duty, and he took his job as a single parent very seriously . . . or rather as a single parent in the overly critical public eye. His palm slapped down on the leather blotter, making her clear her seat cushion, as he rumbled, "Some thug gets aggressive with my daughter and you didn't think I’d find out?”

She’d missed the proverbial trap door beneath her feet until he gripped the lever. The floor fell away, leaving her dangling at the end of his carefully arranged noose of consequence.

"Pack up your crystals and cards and the rest of that nonsense. I no longer find it amusing or healthy, and it stops now before you supply fresh headlines to shame our family. Time to grow up, Ophelia, and do your part."

Her teeth clenched to keep her jaw from trembling and to prevent words she'd regret from tumbling out. There'd be no further argument. Her freedom gone, it was time to play the role of dutiful daughter.

Poor Phe! To protect her family and her father’s intriguing new employee, she must forfeit the freedoms that make life under a microscope survivable. Until she discovers some sacrifices are worth any cost. It’s then Ophelia Brady truly becomes her father’s daughter - a force to be reckoned with.


Because I’m seriously binge-ing my way through Riverdale, I found this musical number by the show’s crime kingpin’s pampered daughter a great fit. Because privilege isn’t always easy . . . and it doesn’t come without a price. Preview Book 4
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Once I visit everyone, I plan to spend this weekend doing some serious plotting on RISE BY MOONLIGHT, the concluding book in my shapeshifter series, while digging in the dirt to fill my patio pots with some colorful inspiration. And next weekend (everyone needs a birthday on a National holiday!), I hope to sit outside to appreciate the fruits of labor both manual and mental.

Happy Writing, fellow Warriors!

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.

Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

WeWriWa: (Grand)Mother Knows Best! PRINCE OF DREAMS

Happy Mother’s Day for those who are one, have one, or want to be one! In celebration, this video captures Momdom in all its glory (WARNING: Amy Schumer humor ahead. Not suitable for delicate ears.)


In honor of the occasion, my PRINCE OF DREAMS is going to the source for relationship answers . . . and because I’m proud to be one, that’s Grandma . . . 

“I want to do the right thing, but I don’t know if I’d be the right thing for her.” 

His grandmother smiled, a world of experience in that gesture, as she advised, “The right thing is never the easy thing, and I can’t make that choice for you.” Her chilly hand pressed over his, reminding Kip of her frailty while at the same time, her wise expression and strong reply reassured, “If you focus only on obligations, you’ll lose the joy of being alive. Your mother would say go boldly in the direction of your happiness, but I’d add, go wisely.” She stood, her thin frame beginning to shiver, perhaps from the cold, perhaps not. “We’ll love you and support you in whatever you choose, Christopher, just make it a choice you can live with. Don’t let someone else make it for you.” 

Instead of making that promise, he said simply, “I love you, Gram.” 

Ruth Terriot smiled in resignation, brushing the floppy hair back from his troubled brow, bending to kiss it before whispering, “Don’t forget where you live.” 

He took her veined hand and laid it over his heart as he told her, “Right here, always.”

Isn’t is just like (Grand)Mom to turn it back on you when you’re looking for answers! In plain ‘Mom Speak,’ “I don’t have a clue. Figure it out yourself!” And my poor hero will . . . eventually. Isn’t that what the rest of the book is for? Mom’s know these things! Trust us. Today, we don’t want to be your Yoda. We want a hot bath, a hotter book and an hour alone to enjoy both for Mother’s Day. And a call to wish us Happy Mom’s Day, if you’re not there in person (before or after said bath!) or to fill you with happy thoughts about us if we’re only there in memories.

Next week, I’ll turn it over to my heroine to address ‘Daddy Issues.’ Fair play, after all.

Preview Book 4

     
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Where in the World has Nancy been? Sick, mostly, after a hell week of preparing for a huge event at work. Not much writing done, but with my new ‘baby’ (that looked much smaller in the store!) I’ll be back at the keyboard . . . once I remember it’s an All-In-One computer for writing and not a 27” Dell gateway to Netflix!

After visiting all of you, I should be writing . . . right after that bath.
Happy Mom’s Day and Happy Writing, fellow Warriors!!

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.

Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

IWSG: Power of the Written Word

Our Insecure Writers Support Group question for May 1 is: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

In my upscale elementary school, I was the painfully shy daydreamer wearing out-of-style, home sewn hand-me-downs from two older sisters, with small circle of close friends who enjoyed my vivid imagination. A huge reader, I never thought storytelling would be my super power until a sixth grade English assignment. Write a fractured fairytale. After telling my story idea to friends, they encouraged me to write, Sandrella, the tale of a young teen excited about going to her first school dance in hopes of catching the eye of her rich, handsome crush with a little supernatural help. But reality can’t live up to the fantasy because the ‘prince’ turns out to be a bore, the party a drag, and the night a waste of magic. Those few hand-written pages earned me an A+, which was reward enough. But then the school newsletter was mailed out to all the parents featuring student works selected by teachers at each grade level as the best of the best.There was Sandrella, finally the belle of the ball! And beneath the title was my name. In print. For the first time ever. The thrill of seeing that typed name was somehow better than all the sudden recognition from my peers. My name. In print. And I knew right then that this sixth grader was going to grow up to be a writer. Through the power of imagination spun into words, I’d found my public‘voice.’

And she wrote happily-ever-after.

What’s your super power?


The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time.The awesome co-hosts for the May 1st posting of the IWSG will be Lee Lowery, Juneta Key, Yvonne Ventresca, and T. Powell Coltrin!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Twitter hashtag is #IWSG