Tag Archives: Spiral of Hooves

#IWSG – Genre Trial

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Another month has passed, so it’s time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post, and an opportunity to plan another writing adventure.

First, it’s almost two months since I submitted my Snowdon Shadows police procedural, Fevered Fuse, to London-based publisher Joffe Books, and I’m still waiting for an answer. I’m beginning to suspect a rejection is awaiting me when the three-month deadline is reached in early August. At least I’m checking out other publishers by listening to a few of their authors’ books,

However, as I wait, I’m distracting myself by working on draft 6 of ‘Fates Maelstrom’, the second book in my Snowdon Shadows series. This revision primarily involves changing the POVs from multiple 3rd Person to Sparkle Anwyl’s 1st person, an interesting challenge as Sparkle isn’t in every scene.

Sparkle & Kama Graphics by Jonathan Temples – http://jonathantemples.co.uk/

Has anyone kept up to date with the legal cases against AI companies, like Anthropic and Meta, that have used pirated books, ignoring copyright, to train their AI products? My debut novel, Spiral of Hoovess, was one of thousands of pirated books. Latest news from the Authors Guild on the cases at: https://authorsguild.org/news/mixed-decision-in-anthropic-ai-case/ and https://authorsguild.org/news/meta-ai-ruling-meta-gets-technical-win-but-law-favors-authors/.

I have yet to write another episode of my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights. The last one was Eagle’s Flight, and the next is provisionally called ‘Dispersal and Concealment’, and picks up on something discussed in Eagle’s Flight. Obviously, I’m also still following the news from Ukraine.

Slava Ukraini

Heroiam slava!

**

Every month, IWSG announces a question that members can answer in their IWSG posts. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience, or a 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. 

Remember, the question is optional!

July 2 question – Is there a genre you haven’t tried writing in yet that you really want to try? If so, do you plan on trying it?

This may be hypothetical for me, given that I have so many drafts to revise. There are also others that I must accept as remaining abandoned. Most of those to revise fall under the Crime & Mystery genre, although there is one that would be classed as Science Fantasy, Gossamer Flames.  Also, Freedom Flights starts in 1944, and although the current episodes are Present Day, it would be classified as Historical Fiction… especially if I keep developing the 1944-2014 chapters.

https://aeroscraft.com/

However, I have written Fantasy and Science Fiction stories, an Alternative History, and a few Children’s short pieces, all of which are unlikely to be revised. I even started a Romance novel on the international tennis circuit. Checking out genre lists, such as Reedsy’s The Ultimate List of Book Genres: 35 Popular Genres, Explained, or Wikipedia’s List of writing genres, I realise there are quite a few genres I’ve missed attempting.

Two stand out: Horror and Erotica. A few of my shorts have had horrific elements, and one reviewer of Spiral of Hooves was unable to finish reading because of the “sexual scenes”.

Time to attempt writing an Erotic Horror… featuring a female vampire with strange fetishes. Or is that a ‘miss-stake’?

The Demonic Pumpkin: http://www.artstation.com

**

The awesome co-hosts for the July 2 posting of the IWSG are Rebecca Douglass, Natalie Aguirre, Cathrina Constantine, and Louise Barbour!

Finally, don’t forget to visit other writers via the IWSG site:

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG, and our hashtag is #IWSG.

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 – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

#IWSG – Writing Fears

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It’s time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post, and an opportunity to write about something opportune.

On Sunday evening, I finally submitted my police procedural, Fevered Fuse, to London-based publisher Joffe Books. After researching the best independent publishers for crime fiction, Joffe Books was my first choice. I should hear back from them within three months. While waiting for the publisher to answer, I’ll rewrite ‘Fates Maelstrom’, the second book in my Snowdon Shadows Mysteries, and write more episodes of my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights.

Slava Ukraini

Heroiam slava!

**

Every month, IWSG announces a question that members can answer in their IWSG posts. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience, or a 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. 

Remember, the question is optional!

May 7 question – Some common fears writers share are rejection, failure, success, and lack of talent or ability. What are your greatest fears as a writer? How do you manage them?

Since my late teens, submitting a manuscript has triggered my fear of rejection. I can’t remember the exact short story, but I wrote many fantasy stories in my teens. However, I do remember my first rejection was for one I submitted to a fantasy magazine whose name I have conveniently forgotten. All I know is that I was discouraged from submitting any fiction for decades. But I couldn’t stop writing and even edited a magazine called Mind Sphere for a bilingual SF & fantasy society I helped create in Montreal, Canada.

Four-legged Field magazine fans Credit: http://www.thefield.co.uk

My first paid editing job for The Field magazine led to my first published fiction articles, and eventually, my factual writing was published hundreds of times over the next thirty-five years. But my fear of rejection for fiction writing hovered in the background.

When I finally finished a novel I believed in – not my first or even third attempt – I submitted it, despite fearing another rejection… and encouraged by my wife, Juanita. However, Spectacle Publishing accepted Spiral Of Hooves and my debut novel was published in 2013. Except another fear emerged: the fear of failure.

Cover design by Jonathan Temples. Cover photo by Nick Perry.

Although Spiral Of Hooves sold a few copies and had predominantly excellent reviews, I believed I had failed. I’d written a sequel but shelved it and worked on other stories, unwilling to resign myself to accepting I lacked talent.

Or was that my problem?

I submitted some shorts, willing at last to accept a few rejections. IWSG threw me a lifeline, and in 2019, my WWII historical fantasy short story Feathered Fire was accepted for the 2020 IWSG Anthology Voyagers: The Third Ghost. The encouragement from the published short and fellow authors has helped me have faith in my writing. It’s also led to my ongoing Ukraine episodic story, Freedom Flights.

On one level, I manage my fears through my writing, although if I look at the growing pile of unpublished shorts and novels, I still question my talent.

Submitting Fevered Fuse feels like a test. Am I prepared for rejection? Or does another publishing opportunity bring the risk of not promoting the book enough? How do I promote a book when I’m housebound? I must do more than print a few T-shirts like the Spiral Of Hooves one I’m wearing today.

Perhaps I only need to be online in the present digital age… not housebound but cloud-borne.

Graphics by Jonathan Temples – 
http://jonathantemples.co.uk/

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I’ve just read this interesting blog piece by Pauline Rowson, the best-selling author of many crime novels, published by Joffe Books: https://www.rowmark.co.uk/article/the-emotional-stages-of-writing-a-novel/  

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The awesome co-hosts for the May 7 posting of the IWSG are Feather Stone, Janet Alcorn, Rebecca Douglass, Jemima Pett, and Pat Garcia!

Finally, don’t forget to visit more active writers via the IWSG site:

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG, and our hashtag is #IWSG.

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 – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

#IWSG – Reappraisal

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It’s time for my first Insecure Writer’s Support Group post of 2025, having missed the January IWSG post… I realised it was too late when I saw others posting. At least I managed a Christmas-New Year post.

However, I have also posted Episodes 28-32 of my Ukraine saga, Freedom Flights. I will post the next episode later this week, and there should be many more until I write about the just peace, hopefully this year.

Slava Ukraini

Heroiam slava!

**

Every month, IWSG announces a question that members can answer in their IWSG posts. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience, or a 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. 

Remember, the question is optional!

February 5 question – Is there a story or book you’ve written you want to/wish you could go back and change?

Cover design by Jonathan Temples. Cover photo by Nick Perry

Initially, I felt I wouldn’t change any of my too few published fiction writings, although Spiral of Hooves was revised for the second edition. Perhaps rereading the novel would make me wish I’d changed more things.

However, some of the shorts posted on this site should be reappraised and, in many cases, revised even though I edit them a few times before letting my followers read them.

As an ongoing episodic tale, Freedom Flights will have to be revised. I’ve already started making changes to the collated episodes whenever I find mistakes and oversights. For instance, as I research the aviation aspects of the story, I notice incorrect jargon. In early episodes, I called groups of four to six planes ‘wings’ rather than ‘flights’… and other basic errors. When I’ve reached the final episode, Just Peace, I will start filling in the gap from 1950 to 2021 and revising the war episodes.

Naturally, there are other projects due for revision… one day.

*

The awesome co-hosts for the February 5 posting of the IWSG are Joylene Nowell Butler, Louise Barbour, and Tyrean Martinson!

Finally, don’t forget to visit more active writers via the IWSG site:

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG, and our hashtag is #IWSG.

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 – and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

#IWSG – Walk the Line

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Time for the monthly Insecure Writer’s Support Group post and finally better news on the writing front.

Although my search for a co-author ran into problems – primarily financial – I reassessed how best to edit Fevered Fuse, and stay sane.  Last year, I’d been using Fictionary to edit the manuscript, as it helped me deal with even the fine detail – down to the weather and the scene opening/closing types. The programme/software is exceptional, and I recommend Fictionary, especially as sorting out my convoluted/twisted plotline was simplified using it. However, due to my health, I felt I was trudging through mud with no end in sight. So, I collapsed.

I realised the best approach was working through the invaluable beta readers’ comments – thanks Dawn Ostlund, Rebecca Douglas, and Toi Thomas for fantastic feedback.  I’d already used their guidance to improve the plotline, and I’m now focusing on other elements – a few scenes/issues each day. Slow and steady, I’m walking the line towards completion.

The next step is the professional editing, which I’m getting quotes for – a) substantive/developmental; b). Copy edit. First, from the London-based editor friend who nursed Spiral of Hooves to publication, and second, from a Welsh-born editor-author friend working with a small UK press, Crooked Cat / Darkstroke Books. If anyone else wants to throw their editing cap/quote in the ring, let me know.

Anyway, on to the monthly question, which I’ll attempt answering, so please prepare for more weird thoughts.

Okay, here goes.

Well, first I must thank the Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh for all he does – and thanks for creating the Insecure Writer’s Support Group without whom my writing would be non-existent…and March’s post might have been ‘farewell’.

Second, my thanks to all those whose encouraging comments ensure I scribble onwards. Apologies for failing to reply to every comment recently. I try at least to press ‘like’ when I’ve read them. Maybe I’ll attempt an all-inclusive answer sometime.

Anyway, don’t forget to visit more active writers via the IWSG site, and to read better answers to this month’s challenging question.

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Although the question is optional, I’m again tempted to answer.

October 6 question – In your writing, where do you draw the line, with either topics or language?

A: When I feel my readers will stop turning the page.

For you, I know I’d even try to turn the tide

Because you’re mine, I walk the line

Okay, that was the cryptic answer.

First, I avoid ‘horror’ although that’s because it’s not my genre -although I’ve written one or two ghostly tales.

However, within my own genres, I try to avoid writing too bloody or graphic crime scenes, although the suggestions might be there – as in cruelty to animals:

https://rolandclarke.com/2021/06/16/wep-iwsg-june-challenge-great-wave/#:~:text=Plastic%20water%20bottles%20float.%20I%20shiver.%20Bottles%20with%20captive%20birds.

Same goes for erotic scenes – I write suggestive encounters, but not as overt as in some romance novels I’ve recently listened to. Although there are readers who still balk at my ‘sex scenes’. One critic, a Mormon, took exception to the restrained encounters in Spiral of Hooves…and to my foul language.

Seems even though I heard the F-curse often used by horsey people, it is unacceptable. Guess someone hadn’t heard Royalty swear like a trooper.

So, that’s why DC Sparkle Anwyl chooses to say:

Ffyc

**

The awesome co-hosts for the October 6 posting of the IWSG are Jemima Pett, J Lenni Dorner, Cathrina Constantine, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, and Mary Aalgaard!

How can I be repetitive asking you to agree these guys are the best? Well, they are – especially as they all have concerns, fears, and insecurities. But they struggle on, so ticker-tape applause for all of them – plus toasts with the best brew available.

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.

For more on the IWSG monthly post and links to other participants visit:

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

#IWSG – Expectations Dashed

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Like for last month’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group post, I’m back grinding keys – well, mis-stabbing…hunt & peck fail. So once more, this post has been assembled over time- please bear with the jumble.

No change with progress on Fevered Fuse – and other writing. That- has ground to almost nothing. I did manage my bi-monthly WEP/IWSG Challenge flash – another Sparkle & Kama incident: https://rolandclarke.com/2021/04/21/wep-iwsg-april-challenge-freedom-morning/

Writing even briefly about my Welsh duo might ensure my mind stays focused on Fevered Fuse even if that’s all. There’s no sign of a co-author – not even a glimmer. Did I expect one to turn up? Yes – initially. But then I realised any talented writer has their own projects so why work on someone else’s dream/delusion.

1st Expectation Dashed.

Mind break I.

I’m back at the keyboard, attempting to address the main reason I’m here – the monthly IWSG post.

First, thanks to the Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh for all you do – and thanks for creating the Insecure Writer’s Support Group without whom my writing would be non-existent…and March’s post might have been ‘farewell’.

Second, my thanks to all those whose encouraging comments ensure I scribble onwards.

Anyway, don’t forget to visit real writers via the IWSG site, and for better answers to this month’s challenging question.

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Although the question is optional, I’m again tempted to answer.

May 5 question – Has any of your readers ever responded to your writing in a way that you didn’t expect? If so, did it surprise you?

In general, my followers here have been more encouraging than expected. However, that’s never surprised me as many are writers themselves, so they understand the need for recognition and positive feedback.

Back when I released my first (and only) novel into the world, Spiral of Hooves, I expected mixed reviews as few authors can claim 100% 5* feedback. However, although I received some 5* reviews, one reader reacted in an unexpected way given the background to the book – a reaction echoed in a couple of other places.

For those unfamiliar with my background, I was an equestrian journalist and photographer as well as an event organiser. More of my equestrian career can be found in this dated interview just before I retired in 2010: http://horseytalk.net/HorseyInterviews/RolandClarke.html

Roland Clarke (Eventing Magazine) & Jane Perry (Horse & Hound) interviewing winners at Tweseldown Horse Trials. Photo: Nick Perry (H&H)

So, I knew ‘eventing’, the sport at the heart of my novel. Yet this reviewer said, ‘It’s missing an understanding of the horse world that makes someone who is immersed in it want to read the book.’

Guess what my reaction was.

Annoyed, yes – and frustrated. I also laughed as other reviewers from the horse world rated it worth at least four stars. I admit there were elements I knew might be controversial – like the foxhunting debate. But not the world I worked in, even if I was a poor rider. And I’d researched anything alien to my life, by reading and talking to experts.

2nd Expectation Dashed.

Mind break II.

At least, this was a minority opinion. Although, something discouraged people from buying the novel.

When those you interact with express their interest and say they ‘can’t wait until the book is out’, you expect a flood of readers – from riders to officials. Well, I did – vainly. Not even a trickle of sales or a smidgen of reviews. Same applied to family desperate for a copy.

3rd Expectation Dashed.

Suffice to say, I wrote a sequel, Tortuous Terrain, but one that may never appear – not that I’m expecting it to. It was enjoyable to write though.

Hilda Donahue and Tuff Stuff climb Cougar Rock at Tevis. Photo by Gore/Baylor Photography – https://eventingnation.com/hilda-donahue-tackles-the-tevis-cup/

Lessons learnt?

Maybe.

Research – Readers – Reviews – Reasons – Reactions – Recognition

***

The awesome co-hosts for the May 5 posting of the IWSG areErika Beebe,PJ Colando,Tonja Drecker,Sadira Stone, andCathrina Constantine!

How can I be repetitive asking you to agree these guys are the best? Especially as they all have concerns, fears, and insecurities. But they struggle on, so ticker-tape applause for all of them – plus toasts with the best brew available.

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.

For more on the IWSG monthly post and links to other participants visit:

https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

#IWSG – Inspiring Artwork

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Today brings us closer to the release of the new IWSG anthology, Voyagers: The Third Ghost on May 5, 2020. I can’t wait to see what other contributors have penned.

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

Today also sees ‘Flying Fur’, my post about the emergence of my tale. Read the post on the IWSG Anthology blog at https://iwsganthologies.blogspot.com/2020/02/in-spotlight-roland-clarke-author-of.html?showComment=1580912370761#c7777400888558189756

Posts from the other authors will appear in forthcomings weeks and months – as will other news on Voyagers: The Third Ghost.

I’m grateful the Ninja Captain himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh who 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 – I’m wading through January’s email backlog still.

February 5 question – Has a single photo or work of art ever inspired a story? What was it and did you finish it?

Although, inspiration comes from various directions including dreams, I’ll have to admit that photos and works of art do trigger my mind to create.

First off, I was a photographer so trained my eye to frame a picture and learnt to appreciate other photographers’ work.

Borde Hill Horse Trials publicity shot – Photo: Roland Clarke

While editing my debut novel, ‘Spiral of Hooves’, I thought about the sequel, provisionally called ‘Tortuous Terrain’, and again about crime in the horse world. But not the sport of eventing where I worked as a journalist and photographer.

I had considered Endurance but never photographed it, although there is a short scene in ‘Spiral of Hooves‘ foreshadowing the sequel’s sport. But it was this photo from the 100-mile Tevis Cup that inspired the main plot-line. However, another equestrian sport, Barrel Racing is also featured – and I have taken some photos of my step nieces competing in that.

http://revitavet.blogspot.com/2012/08/in-morning-hours-before-light-begins-to.html

My wife’s photo of Snowdon on this website’s header and above my desk is one of the inspirations behind my series Snowdon Shadows, police procedural stories featuring Sparkle Anwyl.

Which brings us to art and a decades-long appreciation for Dutch masterpieces. Although my initial appreciation was for 17th century works as my family owned a few, it was Van Gogh that capped the passion. So, Café Terrace at Night (1888) is special and will be the inspiration for the WEP/IWSG Challenge flash creation in two weeks. But I need to work on the new case for Sparkle and Kama, ‘Custody Chain’, even if Skadi wanted to meet Vincent at a Stadacona café in 1892.

**

The awesome co-hosts for the The awesome co-hosts for the February 5 posting of the IWSG are Lee Lowery, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Jennifer Hawes, Cathrina Constantine, and Tyrean Martinson!

(Once again, you must agree these guys are the best. They all have commitments too – but they volunteer. 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.