Over the coming weeks, prior to the May 5th release of Voyager: The Third Ghost, the IWSG Anthology blog will feature posts from each of my fellow authors.
In the Spotlight today is Katharina Gerlach so visit the IWSG Anthology blog at:
https://iwsganthologies.blogspot.com/2020/01/in-spotlight-katharina-gerlach-author.html
The latest Insecure Writers Support Group anthology Voyagers: The Third Ghost is coming soon – on May 5th 2020.
I will post links to the anthology’s blog every week. Today, you can meet the ten authors showcasing their talents at: https://iwsganthologies.blogspot.com/2020/01/meet-authors-of-voyagers-third-ghost_15.html
The countdown has begun for the new IWSG anthology, Voyagers: The Third Ghost, coming May 5, 2020. I can’t wait to see what other contributors have penned. Whether my story works with the readers remains to be seen; selection was the first hurdle.
Review copies have been ordered, and the eBooks uploaded. These are the purchase links:
Amazon – Print https://www.amazon.com/dp/193984472X/ Kindle https://www.amazon.com/Voyagers-Third-Ghost-Yvonne-Ventresca-ebook/dp/B083C4WPR5/
Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/voyagers-yvonne-ventresca/1135912991?ean=2940163430857
ITunes – https://books.apple.com/ca/book/voyagers-the-third-ghost/id1493413956
Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/voyagers-the-third-ghost
I will be posting more in forthcomings weeks and months—with links to other contributors’ blog posts as well.
UPDATE…STOP PRESS…NEWSFLASH: For the latest anthology news, visit the IWSG Anthologies blog at https://iwsganthologies.blogspot.com/
I’m grateful the Ninja Captain himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh created the Insecure Writer’s Support Group as they do such amazing things for writers, from the annual Anthology to the IWSG monthly blog post. Many thanks, Captain Alex.
And that IWSG day is here again – and so am I, less insecure after jumping that first Anthology hurdle.
Anyway, on to the monthly question which creates so many fascinating posts – apologies in advance for the slow visits on my part.
January 8 question – What started you on your writing journey? Was it a particular book, movie, story, or series? Was it a teacher/coach/spouse/friend/parent? Did you just “know” suddenly you wanted to write?
Do childish scribblings count? School projects? Storytelling with toys?
There were early cases, but my memory is foggy. There was a scribbled tale about a fox – stolen from an old book my father owned as a child.
However, I have a letter dated 6 August 1965 – when I was eleven – confirming I won a first prize in the Frog Navy Competition, which offered three days with the Royal Navy. To win, I wrote an essay on ‘A Day in the Life of a Helicopter Pilot’. That sounds factual, but with no family knowledge, it must have been a tad fictional. I believe my imagined pilot flew a rescue chopper.
Did I explore RN/RAF rabbit holes? Probably. But, like many boys of my age, I was fascinated by war stories so read about them in comics and books. I watched some old B&W films at school. I made model planes and boats. The latter included models from Airfix, and that was how I learnt about the competition.
My reading went beyond war, fortunately. History was not just fighting. Fantasy played a major role in the choice of books – and in what I wrote. My first draft novel – a lost manuscript – was fantasy. But it was my first proper job, as a sub-editor on The Field magazine, which triggered my debut equestrian mystery – even if it didn’t emerge until I retired four decades later.
Strange, it’s taken me 55 years to win again, and the latest story merges history and fantasy.
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The awesome co-hosts for the awesome co-hosts for the January 8 posting of the IWSG are T. Powell Coltrin, Victoria Marie Lees, Stephen Tremp, Renee Scattergood, and J.H. Moncrieff!
(You must agree these guys all have commitments too – but they volunteer. These are the best. Ticker-tape applause for all of them – plus toasts too.)
Purpose of IWSG: 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!
Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
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 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 – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
My wife posted a link to this excellent list. I may not tick everything – hard to walk in a wheelchair – but I can live and love life. CLICK BELOW:
Throughout the Winter break, my Inbox has been flooded with emails wishing me seasonal greetings, reflecting on the year/decade ending, or plotting the future.
Feeling inundated and overwhelmed, do I dare add to the navel gazing – oops, discussion?
I need to scratch one large itch, so apologies.
My year in books was frustrating, after I started 2019 with great determination. I committed to reading 35 books for the Goodreads Challenge – not as many as some years – and 16-25 mystery/suspense/thriller/crime for the Cloak & Dagger Challenge.
But I failed both Challenges.
For the 2019 Goodreads Challenge, I only read 28 out of my intended 35 books. Only 14 of these were ‘crime’- three more than 2018, but not enough to make me more than an ‘Amateur Sleuth’.
I had a mid-year reading/review crisis. I was unable to keep up with my reviews, so stopped reading. That didn’t resolve the review problem and instead created a reading backlog/logjam. At least seven books are screaming for reviews, not counting ones from previous years.
I have other excuses/alibis.
My Kindle Fire frustrates me. When I switch the power on, it takes ages to load – often re-organising its files – dissuading me from reading. Paperbacks win on that score – and others. Yes, I can store so many more with the Kindle. But that means more books unread. I wanted to delete some books – samples etc – but that’s near impossible on my model.
Audible: simpler as I don’t need to turn pages or struggle with my failing eyes, and I get swept into other worlds by great narrators. Is that why two of my five star reads were five stars – The Alice Network and The Pearl Thief? However, the downside is my tendency to fall asleep, not because of the book, but because of my fatigue.
MS fatigue is one of the side-effects of my chronic illness. I fear MS and old age are more than excuses.
Let’s put excuses aside and be positive. I’m setting my sights lower in 2020.
For the Goodreads Challenge, I’ve decided that 30 books in 2020 is a realistic target. I already seem to be ‘currently reading’ eight books: three with Audible, one on Kindle, three paperbacks and one hardback. Doesn’t that look like a good start for the year?
Deceptive fog, I fear. Two of those are research books that I dip in and out of. One is a factual grind which will never get finished. The Kindle read is proving disappointing so slow. And one of the Audible books is proving a hard listen.
Does another reading-review wreckage loom? Not if I persevere.
I’m veering back to old-fashioned paper books – there are plenty on my desk to read. I will persist with Audible as my eyes will welcome that – if I can evade the fatigue.
As for the Cloak & Dagger Challenge, I have eleven of my 2019 ‘crime’ reads remaining – plus, my TBR list has a few more from the genre. Another Amateur Sleuth?
My book of 2019? A five-star read that was magical. A story that resonated with me – wolves, Russia, revolution, adventure, and the wolves. Plus, prose that was masterful. An encounter with middle-grade reading with unexpected but amazing results.
Writing Wings 