IWSG and Weekly News

InsecureWritersSupportGroup

It’s time once again for The Insecure Support Group (IWSG). Every month a motley crew of twittering writers shares either the answers to a monthly writing-related question or their own bubbling insecurities, whichever trips forward first. The co-hosts for the October 5 posting of the IWSG are Beverly Stowe McClure, Megan Morgan, Viola Fury, Madeline Mora-Summonte, Angela Wooldridge, and Susan Gourley!

 

October 5 Question: When do you know your story is ready?

I don’t. Pretty short answer, huh? Okay, okay … I’ll elaborate. The truth is when I just can’t look at it anymore.

Sounds bad, huh? Let me explain. I’m a constant fiddler, and at some point–some very long point, I will tire of the constant nature of rewrites. When that happens, I move it to the next step. But I always reserve the right to go back to it when I tire of whatever I’m currently working on. See why I said that I don’t know when my story is ready? 😉

 

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Next up is a departure from my normal weekly news feature. One of my amazing critique partners just released her book, and I am ecstatic to be able to share it with you today. Lexa Cain is not only an amazing writer, but the characters and plot she created in Bloodwalker expose us to a world we haven’t seen before. Please check it out!

bl-cover-400x270

Lightning flashes. Another child disappears…

When Zorka Circus performs, its big top roars with laughter and cheers, but when it moves on, there are fewer children in the European towns it leaves behind.

Circus Security Chief Rurik suspects a killer hides among the international performers, but they close ranks—they’ve always viewed lightning-scarred Rurik as the monster. Nevertheless, he’s determined to find the culprit and stop them before anyone else dies and the only place he can call home is ripped apart by the murders.

Into Zorka Circus comes the Skomori clan, despised as gravediggers and ghoulish bloodwalkers. A one-day truce allows bloodwalker Sylvie to marry. Instead, she finds a body. Alerting others will defy her clan’s strict rules, break the truce, and leave her an outcast.

When more bodies turn up, the killer’s trail becomes impossible to ignore. Rurik and Sylvie must follow the clues—even if they lead to something unimaginable…

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1939844258/

Amazon (Kindle): https://www.amazon.com/Bloodwalker-L-X-Cain-ebook/dp/B01IAGHS5K

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bloodwalker-L-X-Cain/dp/1939844258

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bloodwalker-lx-cain/1123844780?ean=2940153034508

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/bloodwalker

iTunes: https://fnd.io/#/us/book/1116824924-bloodwalker-by-lx-cain

BAM: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Bloodwalker/L-X-Cain/9781939844255?id=6649549825050

Powell’s Books: http://www.powells.com/book/bloodwalker-9781939844255/62-0

Dancing Lemur Press: http://www.dancinglemurpressllc.com/mysteryparanormalhorror

CONTACT:

L.X. Cain:

FB Profile: https://www.facebook.com/lx.cain

FB Author Page: https://web.facebook.com/LX-Cain-Author-504432766289367/

GR-Author: https://www.goodreads.com/LX_Cain

LX on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LXCain

Lexa Cain:

Lexa’s Blog: http://lexacain.blogspot.com/
Lexa on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexa.cain.1

GR-Author: http://www.goodreads.com/Lexa_Cain
GR-Book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18753339-soul-cutter

BUY:

SOUL CUTTER (Will be re-released soon with new cover!)

The Inter-Galactic Gourmet, The Mission, and Biggun on Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/lxcain

 

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Weekly News

Welcome back one and all. I imagined a big sweeping arm movement as I typed that last sentence. It was imagery that brought a smile to my face. Can you tell that this week has definitely been an improvement over last week?

The first news story up this week is so cool. Birds sleeping in flight. I’m jealous of the flight and of the naps.

http://news.sky.com/story/brain-tracker-finds-birds-sleep-during-flight-10521380

That little guy really looks like a toy. I’d think it was staged if it were any other source.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/08/20/490738084/googly-eyed-stubby-squid-captures-internets-attention

Eat more chocolate. Science says so. 🙂

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110829070555.htm

That’s for me tonight. See you back here in seven.

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Weekly News

Welcome back to the longest hump day so far this school year. All day it felt like it should be Friday, and no matter how much I wished it to be, it remained Wednesday. It wasn’t even a challenging day. Argh … fall is going to take forever.

I need a distraction.

This first diversion didn’t just take my mind off of my weird Wednesday, it made me contemplate the badassery of cows. Holy cow! 😉

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cow-vs-helicopter-australia_us_57e0dc39e4b08cb14097b8bb?section=us_weird-news

Do people honestly need to be repeatedly told to stop kissing chickens?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cdc-salmonella-live-poultry-study-kissing-chickens_us_57da38ece4b08cb14093da83?section=us_weird-news

And finally in science news, the earth weebles and it wobbles. The wobbles changing the migratory patterns of humankind. Where’d you think I was going with that?

http://www.livescience.com/56188-humans-left-africa-due-to-earth-wobbles.html

That’s all for me folks. I’m off to try and genie-blink Thursday into Friday. If Barbara Eden can do it … ah, hush.

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Weekly News

Welcome back for another installment of the news. September is rapidly unfolding, steaming toward October, and in this speed toward cooler temperatures, a little something to nosh on.

This first one is a bit creepy. It’s not a single statue that would give me the willies, or even a few of them scattered around. But 800?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/worlds-creepiest-village-home-hundreds-8824799

Ride, Roger, ride.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/amateur-cyclist-accidentally-leads-pack-8801159

I always love great science pictures. Take a look at some of the best of the week.

http://www.livescience.com/50717-amazing-images.html

Another week is in the proverbial books. See you again in seven.

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Demystifying Contests, Winning, and My Results

When I discovered I was a contest finalist in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Colorado Gold Contest (that’s a mouthful), I felt like I already won. I knew many had participated, so I was gratef…

Source: Demystifying Contests, Winning, and My Results

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IWSG and Weekly News

InsecureWritersSupportGroup2

It’s time once again for unstable but entertaining support of other neurotic writers from across the virtual world. If you haven’t taken in the show before, come in and pull up a keyboard.

Thanks to our wonderful co-hosts for the month of September: C. Lee McKenzie,Rachel Pattison, Elizabeth Seckman, Stephanie Faris, Lori L MacLaughlin, and Elsie Amata!

The question this month: How do you find the time to write in your busy day?
I get up early. And when I say early, I mean early. I get up at 4:45 these days, so I can get 1 1/2 hours of writing in before I leave for work for the day. My day job is simply too taxing to leave available brain cells for after-work writing time, so … 4:45 a.m. This is the reason that I mainline coffee. 🙂
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Time for the weekly news.
If I was on a hike and saw a tarantula, I would be running immediately.  No pictures. No harassing the poor lovelorn little creatures. I would be gone.
Just so many levels of redneck. Jeff Foxworthy, where are you?
This is so important. Science scores yet again.
That’s it for me yet again. Have a great week. I’ll see you in seven.
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Weekly News

It’s still Tuesday, don’t check your cat calendar. I’m posting this a day early because I have evening plans tomorrow. And boy was this a banner day to check the news.  I have intriguing science news below to tickle your brain.

First up, I can’t decide if this is the first step toward Terminator-style world changes or an amazing step forward into a new era in human engineering. Take a look.

http://news.sky.com/story/watch-robot-builder-construct-house-in-two-days-10514890

I think she overreacted just a bit.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/woman-drives-store-refused-gift-card-purchases-145522453.html

And now for the BIG news ….

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/aug/29/russian-radio-telescope-strong-signal-hd164595-seti

It may be nothing, but it could be a game changer. Not a bad way to end the news, huh? Have a great week. See you in seven.

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Weekly News

Welcome back to a weekly news feature run by a non-weepy, relatively-normal person this week. I have partially recovered from taking my only son to college and dropping him off.

*Sniff*

The news is a good distraction. This first story is equally intriguing and macabre. Ultimately, I love how beautiful that dress looks as a result.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/09/arts/sigalit-landau-salt-bride-dress/index.html

Um … crappy is absolute the correct word.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/russia-poop-explosions_us_57b66dcae4b00d9c3a16c481?section=us_weird-news

Dude. (Do you like my surfer moment? I had a very Bill and Ted moment when I saw the article. :)) This is so close in terms of space distance. I love astronomy!

http://www.livescience.com/55868-closest-earth-like-planet-proxima-b-discovered.html

That’ll do it for me this week. I get to see my son on Sunday, so I’ll be even better next week. See you in seven.

 

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Weekly News

Sorry to cut this short today. I sent my son off to college today, and I am not up for much of a post. Take the night to read something funny, listen to music that makes you laugh, or curl up with a good book.

See you in seven.

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Weekly News

Hello. I know that doesn’t have much flair or humor, but I’m tired. Today was my first full day back at work. Summer is over. Sad face. Sad, sad teachers across my state. Rather than wallowing in my pity party–you can save the reminder that I had over ten weeks off–I’m going to plow through the news, albeit in a tired, foot-dragging kind-of way.

This first story is interesting. I think little kids ask this question all of the time, but when I really dug into what this could mean, though, I realized how it could be used in my writing. Fantasy and Sci Fi writers–can you see how this could inform a scene(s)?

http://www.livescience.com/54864-do-trees-sleep.html

This is good. Sorry for those of you who lump rats into animal rights protection discussions. I don’t. They’re icky.

http://www.livescience.com/55544-nyc-fights-rats-with-geeky-tools.html

This is super cool.

http://www.popsci.com/next-leather-jacket-will-made-from-mushrooms#page-2

That’ll do it for this tired, back-to-work teacher. See you next week. Same time, same place.

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