kimlajevardi

I commissioned @allypopovichart (Instagram) to bring the main characters of my fantasy book to life, and she didn’t disappoint. Dragon Embers is currently with my agent, but it will go on submission soon. Dragonriders, witch hunts, and rebellion are in the very near future. #artislife #dragons #booktok #bookstagram #fantasy#slowburn #witchhunts allypopovichart.com

It is time once again for the Insecure writer’s Support Group monthly post. We post on the first Wednesday of every month. Our awesome co-hosts this month are JS Pailly, Rebecca Douglass, Pat Garcia, Louise-Fundy Blue, and Natalie Aguirre!

July 3 Question – What is your favorite writing processing software, apps (e.g. Word, Scrivener, yWriter, Dabble, Google Docs, Fictionary, Atticus), and tools? Why does it fit your process? Why do you recommend them? Which is favorite if you have more than one?

My answer is Word. It is easy to use, has good formatting, and is readily accepted by industry folks/contests. Boring but true. See you next month.

I’m happy to announce I am now represented by Kristina Sutton Lennon at Focused Artists! Dragon Embers, Paper Worlds, Silent Witnesses, and all future books have a fierce advocate to help them find their way in the literary world.

Welcome back to my monthly Insecure Writer’s Support Group (IWSG) post. The first Wednesday of every month writers form across the virtual world log in and share in a collective moment of twittering focus. CHeck it out by clicking the image above.

The co-hosts for the May 1 posting of the IWSG are Victoria Marie Lees, Nancy Gideon, me, and Cathrina Constantine!

The May 1st question is how do you deal with distractions when you are writing? Do they derail you?

Hmm…depends on the day. I am very focused on most days. I set aside mornings to write, and I get up early to ensure it is a chunk of time. I go to my office and sit in front of my laptop and try to put down words without TV, music, or outside distractions. That works most days, but there are other days where I just need to curl up in my chair and zone out. Honestly, I give in to those instincts sometimes. I think it is part and parcel of expecting something out of my brain to also give it the zone-out days it seems to require. Today is one of those days, by the way. This blog post is the only writing I’m doing this morning. 😉

I’ll leave you with a book recommendation. I just finished Leah Bardugo’s The Familiar, and I enjoyed it. If you’re looking for a new read, give it a go. See you next month.

Time for another Insecure Writer’s Support Group post. The first Wednesday of each month a band of twittering writers take to their blogs to share a little bit of their twitchy thoughts with the world. Take a peek. It can be very enlightening. The amazing co-hosts this month are Janet Alcorn, T. Powell Coltrin, Natalie Aguirre, and Pat Garcia!

Optional question – How long have you been blogging? (Or on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram?) What do you like about it and how has it changed?

I’ve been blogging for years. I don’t remember exactly how long, but I think it’s about eight. I’ve been on Twitter about the same amount of time. Instagram and Threads are my newer socials.

I like getting to talk to writers around the world, but my usage has changed, especially the frequency of my posts. I recently went back to only regularly making the IWSG post. I will occasionally do others on my blog, but I can no longer commit to a set schedule. My Twitter usage has similarly declined. I’ve never been a frequent poster on either Insta or Threads, just a presence. Time is everything. And with that said, time for me to bounce for the evening.

I just thought I’d drop in and share my current and recent reads.

Just finished:

And I just started:

Very different stories all with interesting characters and definite twists. Recommend!

It is time once again for my monthly post for The Insecure Writer’s Support Group (IWSG). If you haven’t checked out the group yet, get on it. We’re a twittering bunch of supportive keyboard monkeys. What’s not to love about that?

The amazing co-hosts this month are Kristina Kelly, Miffie Seideman, Jean Davis, and Liza @ Middle Passages!

Optional March Question: Have you “played” with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI’s impact on creative writing? 

I refuse to go the AI route. To me, writing is a creative pursuit that can’t be turned over to artificial intelligence. Creativity is at the heart of who we are. If we turn that into little more than carbon copies of pattern recognition, what do we become?

That’ll do it for me tonight. See you next month.