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C. Lee McKenzie

Young Adult and Middle Grade Author

IWSG November

By

Alex J. Cavanaugh

Here we go again! And just to show you how insecure a writer can be, I’m not even showing up this month. No. I’m hiding somewhere in the world and it isn’t HERE. What this means is that I wrote this post back in October, then packed my bags and fled. I’ll tell you about it when I’m home.

I will be back, but not for a couple of weeks. When I do return, I expect to find that all my INSECURITIES have vanished and I can get on with my life–my confident one.

I’ll be around to say hi after I return, but hope you’ll understand that I’ll be a lot late this month. 

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In the meantime, here’s something you can do to make this group even more secure and exciting (if it hasn’t happened already in my absence). Email Writers’ Digest’s at [email protected], subject line 101 Websites, and suggest the IWSG site be listed as one of Top 100 Best Websites for Writers! Be sure to include this link.  http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/
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If you’re not signed up for IWSG. You can do that at any time. And just look at the gang you’ll be joining!

IWSG in October

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SIGN UP HERE

Fall is officially here and nights grow longer. Spookiness wraps its arms around you and you shudder in the chill of October. It’s the perfect time of year to look under the bed before climbing in to sleep. And guess what you’ll find there–besides those dust bunnies and the last page of your manuscript you lost in April. . .

INSECURITIES

Yep, there they are huddled together, waiting, hoping to keep you tossing in those sheets and sleepless with them nagging at you.

Well, heck no, INSECURITIES. Take that! 

But just in case you don’t have a good left hook, SIGN UP for the IWSG and get the help you’ll need to see you through the dark and stormy nights ahead.

And if you have a good story to share. Enter it to be included in the IWSG Anthology!
ENTER HERE

Oh and speaking of Insecurities: There’s nothing like a contest to give you the jitters. The Great Time Lock Disaster has been entered in the Cover Wars Contest over at Masquerade Crew this month. If you like the cover, it would be great to have your VOTE. 

Amazon

IWSG, AtoZ Road Trip, Win Some Books–What A Wednesday!

By

Alex J. Cavanaugh

I used to think that insecurity would vanish as I grew older and improved my craft. That is not the case. 

If anything, I think it has increased in size and duration–like, it’s no longer gorilla big; it’s gorilla ginormous, and it’s there all the time. 

Photo Credit

So why? 

My theory is that the more you come to understand what you’re up against in the publishing world, the more you anticipate those hurdles and know just what it takes to get over them. There’s something positive about having that knowledge, but I think that knowledge also is anxiety producing, which leads to insecurity, and which leads me to write posts like this every first Wednesday of the month.

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Hosts The Madlab Post & Write Game

I’m also posting on The Road Trip this summer while I take a road trip or two with Mario the Muse. He and I needed a break and new scenery. If you have time I’m featuring a few bloggers on my latest post. It could be YOU, so come take a peek.

On the road with Mario

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And now for a major DRUMROLL kind of announcement. 12 UncommonYA authors have banded together and are offering. . .SURPRISE!!!! Books. Yes, indeed. Winning them is a snap. Enter here. Rafflecopter Giveaway

Do you have a theory about this thing we label as insecurity? Taking any road trips this summer? Want more books to wrap up your summer reading? 

Insecure Writers’ Group and AtoZChallenge 2015

By

IWSG Sign Up 

I’m getting good reviews on my books, so I’m very lucky, but there are times when reviewers write things that make me feel like the kid caught doing something bad and hauled in front of the principal. That principal thing only happened to me once, but when I remember the experience I know what insecurity and shame for not doing the right thing feels like. 

We writers are such a vulnerable lot. We want to do the right thing. We don’t set out to make ourselves insecure or ashamed by writing badly, but we can’t wow everyone, can we? And when we fall short, one thing we can do to keep our keels on the even, is to remember we have a lot of people who support us, who understand exactly what it’s like to be called up in front of the principal.

AtoZ Challenge Sign Up

Now I hope you’re all signed up and ready for the April Challenge. If you haven’t done that yet, get going. It’ll be fantastic. Click on the Sign Up List and look at all the people you can hang out with–Including the Muffin Commando Squad. Yvonne Ventresca, Carrie Butler, Donna McDine, Patricia Lynne, Elizabeth Seckman, Tyrean Martinson, Tara Tyler, Tammy Theriault, and me. You’ll get to know more about us in the weeks to come. 

www.matusic.com

Insecure Writers Support Group and The Muffin Commando Squad Meets the Kargrandes

By

Thanks ALEX CAVANAUGH 
The LINKY’s at the bottom ( if Blogger hasn’t done another fail on me). Visit some others and boost their SECURITY.

Nobody escapes the thought that they may not MAKE it. They may not SUCCEED. They may not be the BEST or win an AWARD. Even the most successful among us have considered this emotion, this very real part of our human condition. Here are some of the quotes I dug up to share with you on this February IWSG Wednesday.

  • “There is no such thing as perfect security, only varying levels of insecurity.” Salman Rushdie
  • “It’s insecurity that is always chasing you and standing in the way of your dreams.” Vin Diesel

        And then there was Diane

  • “Insecurity is a waste of time.” Diane von Furstenberg

SIGN UP TODAY!

Let me introduce The Muffin Commando Squad. The very fun, very exciting and very capable Yvonne Ventresca, Patricia Lynne, Elizabeth Seckman, Tara Tyler, Tammy Theriault, Carrie Butler and Tyrean Martinson are the Muffins with the most fiber in town. We’re going to be one super team. 

MATUSIC

And what are those Kargrandes? Anyone? 
The Muffins are armed and ready if they show up.

Here’s our team’s 
Head Muffin. Doesn’t that make you want to sign up, like, now?

TaDa! The AtoZ Challenge is Upon Us AND Hat’s Off Corner Welcomes Diane Salerni

By





Please read and follow the sign-up instructions outlined below so you sign onto the list correctly!

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out, the A to Z Challenge is posting every day in April except Sundays (we get those off for good behavior.) And since there are 26 days, that matches the 26 letters of the alphabet. On April 1, blog about something that begins with the letter “A.” April 2 is “B,” April 3 is “C,” and so on. You can use a theme for the month or go random – just as long as it matches the letter of the alphabet for the day.

The A to Z Challenge is a great way to get into the blogging habit and make new friends. For more details and its history, go HERE

We recommend short posts, turn off Word Verification, and visit five blogs (or more) a day beginning with the one after yours on the list.

Blogs must be on an open platform – no Tumblr, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. – and comments enabled.

To streamline legitimate blogs from advertisement blogs, the Co-Hosts will be visiting each blog on this list throughout the Challenge. Blogs on the list showing no activity once the Challenge starts or miss five days in a row will be removed.

Please note your blog name and number in all correspondences. Remember that as blogs are removed, your number will change.

There are categories for those looking for like-minded blogs. Select ONE category code and enter it after your blog’s title/name. The code applies to your blog, not your theme for the Challenge and is purely optional. See the first few blogs on the list for examples. However, if your blog has adult content, you MUST mark it (AC) or it will be removed from the list. Codes are as follows:

ANIMALS: (AN)
ART: (AR)
BOOKS/REVIEWS: (BO)
CRAFTS: (CR)
CULINARY: (CU)
EDUCATION: (ED)
FASHION: (FA)
FILM/MOVIES: (FM)
GAMING: (GA)
GARDENING: (GR)
HISTORY: (HI)
HUMOR: (HU)
LIFESTYLE: (LI )
MEMOIR: (ME)
MUSIC: (MU)
MYTHOLOGY: (MY)
PERSONAL: (PR)
PHOTOGRAPHY: (PH)
POLITICS: (PO)
SCIENCE: (SC)
SOCIAL MEDIA: (SO)
SPORTS: (SP)
TRAVEL: (TR)
WRITING/STORYTELLING: (WR)
ADULT CONTENT: (AC)

Be sure to grab the badge and display it in your sidebar so we know you are participating and link to the A to Z Challenge Blog.

For more information we recommend you follow the A to Z Challenge Blog and the hosts:

Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh
Jeremy @ Hollywood Nuts
Nicole Ayers @ The Madlab Post
Author Stephen Tremp
Heather M. Gardner
AJ @ Naturally Sweet
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian
Matthew MacNish @ The QQQE
Zalka Csenge Virág @ The Multicolored Diary
S. L. Hennessy @ Pensuasion
C. Lee McKenzie @ The Write Game
Joy Campbell @ The Character Depot
Susan Gourley @ Susan Says
John Holton @The Sound of One Hand Typing
Lisa Buie-Collard, Author

We also have a Facebook Page
Email address is [email protected]
Twitter hashtag is #AtoZChallenge and Twitter id is @AprilA2Z

Sign up below and join us for a month of alphabet fun!

Hats Off Corner. 

I’m really excited to host Dianne Salerni here today. Her books have fantastic covers and some powerful story lines. I love the combination of old myths with the modern day slant.

In The Eighth Day, 13-year-old Jax Aubrey discovered a secret day of the week hidden between Wednesday and Thursday and a mysterious girl living in the house next door who existed only on that day.  Jax learned that he and his guardian, Riley, and the girl, Evangeline, were descendants of people out of legend, tasked with maintaining the Eighth Day Spell and keeping the world safe from the dangerous and powerful Kin race imprisoned in that day.

Now, in The Inquisitor’s Mark, the adventure continues … and Jax has a terrible choice to make.

After the battle on The Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico, Jax, Riley, and Evangeline have gone into hiding from rogue Transitioners and evil Kin lords who want to gain control over the Eighth Day.

So when Finn Ambrose, a mysterious stranger, contacts Jax claiming to be his uncle, Jax’s defenses go up—especially when Finn tells Jax that he’s holding Jax’s best friend, Billy, hostage. To rescue Billy and keep Riley and Evangeline out of danger, Jax sneaks off to New York City on his own. Once there, he discovers a surprising truth: Finn is his uncle and Jax is closely related to the Dulacs—a notoriously corrupt and dangerous Transitioner clan who want Riley dead and Evangeline as their prisoner. And family or not, these people will stop at nothing to get what they want.

“Combining modern intrigue and ancient magic, this second volume in what continues to be an inspired series does not disappoint. Jax is an endearing mix of heroic and awkward as he struggles with his new identity. An exciting blend of Arthurian legend and organized crime.”  ~Kirkus Reviews

Eighth Day (paperback release date January 6, 2015)

Inquisitor’s Mark (release date January 27, 2015)

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My Quote for the Day: “Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

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Are you A to Zing in 2015? Hope so. Don’t Dianne’s books look interesting?  I hope you’ll stop by and give her books a boost. She’s a talented writer.

Happy New Year Again and Again and Insecure Writer’s Support Group 2015

By

I’m Still Welcoming 

2015 

If I keep welcoming this  year maybe it will stay around longer.

I’ll be at Dianne Salerni’s Blog today, talking about the ideas that knitted together to create Sudden Secrets. Hope you’ll stop by to say hello.

To start off this year, IWSG asked that we introduce ourselves briefly again. I think I’ll do a bullet list for quick reading.

  • I’m a native Californian who travels around, but always returns to my state.
  • I write young adult contemporary-realistic books because I can’t write picture books. 
  • I also write middle grade fantasy and even have a sequel to my first one on the way out this year, if the dog doesn’t eat it first.
  • When I’m not writing I practice yoga, hike, garden and stare into space for inspiration. . . or because I forgot where I was going.
  • When I grow up I want to be tall. At the moment I’m 5′ 1″ and weigh in at 101. However, the upside of that is I can wear kids clothes when they outgrow them.
  • Before I stop writing, I want to write something really good and powerful, something I can call the “perfect” story (laughter is not appreciated).
  • My philosophy includes never saying I’m too old to do something, along with a bunch of other very deep stuff.
Here’s to another year of writing, nailing biting and jolly good fun. Let’s toss all of that with a nice dollop of INSECURITY just for the heck of it. I you need to DE-Stress, here are some tips from THE ODD PARTICLE. It has some perfect tips. And if you’re in need of a wee bit of support, visit these other folks. There are 255 of them, and they’ll have some super help to share.
Thanks Alex J. Cavanaugh

Insecure Writer’s Support Group and The Guide to Publishing and Beyond

By

ALEX J CAVANAUGH

Awesome co-hosts for the December 3 posting of the IWSG are Heather Gardner, T. Drecker from Kidbits, Eva E. Solar at Lilicasplace, and Patsy Collins!

I can’t believe it’s December. 

I knew my break would end, but so fast? 

Didn’t I just say hasta la vista yesterday? 
Didn’t I just write my  Insecure Writers Support Group post for November? 
Didn’t I just visit the land of ten thousand stupas and a million Buddhas? 
Then there was that holiday that flashed past at warp speed.
 Thanksgiving?
 Yes.
 That was it.
Stop the World. I Want to Get Off.
I should write a play by that title. 
Wait! 
Too late. 
Someone already did. 

Maybe it’s the speed that’s dredging up all of these insecurities. But I don’t have time to wallow in my insecure puddle. I’m off to visit others who are sharing their thoughts on this affliction today. Join me and say hi to a lot of writers and read about their INSECURITIES.

AVAILABLE on AMAZON

Don’t forget to get your copy of this collaboration by writers who share their writing experience. 

Insecure Writers Support Group & Burma

By

ALEX CAVANAUGH
I’m not here. 
Nope. 
I’m in Burma (AKA Myranmar). I like Burma better and it’s easier to spell. 

Credit: https://www.gipom.com

However, I’ve packed my Insecurities, some of them. I’m only allowed something like 40 lbs., so taking all of them would make my bag too heavy. Here’s the insecure feelings I took with me. 

While I’m gone, 

  • no one will notice
  • everyone will disappear from my blogging life. “So long. Farewell. Been good to know you.”
  • I’ll forget how to blog.
  • I’ll forget why I blog.
  • I’ll miss a writing opportunity of a lifetime, never to be repeated.
Credit: https://www.gipom.com
I’ll be back to Blogging December 1. Hope to see you here then. 

Insecure Writers Support Group

By

ALEX CAVANAUGH
Seven Things I’d Do Before I Published a Book 
(if I had it to do over again)
by C. Lee McKenzie
1. Have a professional website and/or blog designed. 
  • Be sure the navigation is easy and the pages are easy to read.
  • Buy a domain name. Mine’s cleemckenziebooks. I wish it were simply cleemckenzie.  The simpler the better. 

  • Don’t use music. People often browse in public places and music isn’t always appreciated.

  • Be sure people can pull up your site on all their mobile devices.

Your website/blog is going to be a major marketing tool. It’s going to reveal who you are and what you write. You’re unique, so this is where you show that uniqueness.

2. Write short pieces and get them published. Ezines are a great market. 

Having samples of your writing published gives people a chance to become familiar with your style. It gives you credits to add to those query letters. It gives you a boost and, there’s nothing like practice to improve your craft. You can begin your email list with these short publications.

3. Become visible on the Social Networking Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Goodreads
  • Shelfari
  • LinkedIn
  • Amazon (Especially, become familiar with Authors Central)

There are more, but these are ones I’ve chosen to focus on. You’ll have to choose the ones that work best for you.

The Social Networking sites are all a bit different, and there’s a learning curve for each one. That takes time, and after you’re published, you really don’t have much of that anymore. Learn how to use each of these or ones you find most comfortable using.

If you only have time for two, go with fb and twitter. Add goodreads if you have time to manage three. Why?

  • facebook claims to have over 500 million active users, average age 38
  • twitter has over 75 million accounts, average age 39
  • goodreads is about books and reading; their ads are targeted at people who buy and read books.

4. Build a relationship with well-respected and highly visible reviewers/bloggers.

When you build a relationship with a reviewer/blogger you’re doing double duty. You’re learning what they like and how they respond to different types of books. They’re also reading your comments and learning a bit about you. You’ve established a relationship before you ask for a review. I think that’s important. 

5. Build an email list of people who know you and know your work. (Short pieces, remember? )

Email is a powerful marketing tool. Just be sure you know the people you’re contacting and they know you. Don’t be a spammer.  

6. Find bloggers with a large following and similar interests: books, hobbies, lifestyle. Build a relationship with them.

Bloggers are amazing. First, they love content, so if you know what they want, you can give it to them. Second, they’re pretty cool people who like to help others because they know others will help them when the time comes. It’s a very symbiotic relationship, and it’s effective for writers who are marketing books.

7. Create an image for yourself. Answer these questions: Who are you? What are your interests? What will you share with your readers on your website/blog, fb, twitter?

Blowing your own horn is not effective marketing, so you have to have something to contribute on social media. You have to provide interesting/informative content, and you have to do it in your unique way.

About me: I write stories about people who overcome adversity and rebuild their lives.
My books: Sliding on the Edge, The Princess of Las Pulgas, Double Negative and Alligators Overhead (my one leap into fantasy-adventure.)
My webpage: CLEEMCKENZIEBOOKS
(Permission to publish under “Publishing” in Insecure Writers Support Group, A Guide to Publishing and Beyond.)