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The best gift I ever received as a writer
If the hordes of people at our local mall are any indication, it’s holiday season, so I’ll get into the spirit and write a post about gift-giving. Specifically, I’m going to write about the best gift I ever received as a writer. But first: This post is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) blog hop. On the first Wednesday of every month, we IWSG-ers share our doubts, fears, struggles, and triumphs. Our awesome co-hosts this month are Tara Tyler, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, Liza, and Natalie Aguirre. Each month our fearless leader (Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh) gives us an optional question to answer. This month’s question is, As a writer, what was…
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My So-Called Writing Life: expectations vs. reality
I love books about the writing life. In fact, they are one of my favorite ways to procrastinate from living the writing life (by, you know, actually writing). I want to know every famous writer’s writing routine, favorite beverage while writing, where they wrote, what they wrote with, even the name of the human/animal/epic tragedy that inspired them to write. Writing is a vocation that inspires awe. We like to imagine that it involves some kind of magic (and really, I’m half convinced Stephen King’s works are actually written by a sentient Ouija Board, because he’s clearly channeling something). So let’s talk about the writing life, or at least my…
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My favorite thing I’ve written–and the terrifying real-life event that inspired it
Thanks to some work commitments, I’m very late with my October IWSG post, but better late than never. At least this month’s topic is an easy one: What is the most favorite thing you have written, published or not? And why? Before I get to my answer: his post is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) blog hop. On the first Wednesday of every month, we IWSG-ers share our doubts, fears, struggles, and triumphs. Our awesome co-hosts this month are Beth Camp, Crystal Collier, and Cathrina Constantine. Please stop by and leave them some comment love. Now, back to my favorite thing I’ve written. I like all my writing (eventually, after…
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I’m doing a public reading at LitHop Fresno on October 18
I’m doing a public reading at LitHop Fresno on Saturday, October 18! I’ll be reading an excerpt of my award-winning short story, “Walk Me Home,” at Mi Cafesito on Van Ness. Participants read in teams of four, and my team is scheduled from 2:00-2:45. If you’ll be in the area, come on out, have some great coffee, and find out what happens when Robert walks Rachel home on a foggy night in Sacramento. LitHop is an annual pop-up literary arts festival in Fresno, California. All events are free and open to the public, so if you stop by, be sure to check out all the other authors doing public readings…
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The most unethical practice in publishing
What is the most unethical practice in publishing? There are plenty to choose from, from scammy, predatory publishers (not all publishers! just scammy, predatory ones) to the zillions of businesses popping up like dandelions to profit off authors without adding any value, to publishers that want to profit off authors and readers without adding much actual value–e.g., minimal editing, minimal marketing, no willingness to invest in an author’s career. (Again, I’m not talking about all publishers here.) But the most unethical practice in the publishing industry puts these to shame. But before I do the big reveal: This post is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) blog hop.…
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Interview with Karen McCoy, author of The Etiquette of Voles
Today I’m going to introduce you to Karen McCoy, author of The Etiquette of Voles, a middle grade Victorian mystery, and a good friend from my Flagstaff days. And since we’ll be talking about middle grade fiction, I’ll share a little about the books that impacted me when I was a kid. But first: This post is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) blog hop. On the first Wednesday of every month, we IWSG-ers share our doubts, fears, struggles, and triumphs. Our awesome co-hosts this month are PJ Colando, Pat Garcia, Kim Lajevardi, Melisa Maygrove, and Jean Davis. Each month our fearless leader (Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh) gives us an optional question…
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My greatest fear as a writer–and a middle grade Victorian mystery
OK, today let’s talk about a topic that plagues just about every writer I’ve ever talked with: fear. In the spirit of honesty and commiseration, I’ll share my greatest fear as a writer, and if you also write (or create or are just a fraidy cat like me), you can share yours in the comments. And I’ll tell you about my friend Karen’s shiny new middle grade mystery, The Etiquette of Voles. But first: This post is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) blog hop. On the first Wednesday of every month, we IWSG-ers share our doubts, fears, struggles, and triumphs. Our awesome co-hosts this month are Feather…
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What literary character would you like to hang out with?
The best fiction is character-driven. Plot matters, of course, but if I don’t care about the characters, the best plot in the world won’t make me enjoy a book (see: Gone Girl. Amazing plotting/storytelling, but the characters? Not so much.) So let’s talk about characters–specifically, a literary character you’d like to hang out with. But before I get to that: This post is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) blog hop. On the first Wednesday of every month, we IWSG-ers share our doubts, fears, struggles, and triumphs. Our awesome co-hosts this month are Jennifer Lane, L Diane Wolfe, Jenni Enzor, and Natalie Aguirre. Stop by and leave them some comment love. Each…
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Short story “Proof Text” published in Kings River Life
My short story, “Proof Text,” was just published in Kings River Life! “Proof Text” is a short suspense piece about an exhausted farm wife who must finish one essential chore. I thought up the idea when I was doing farm chores on a windy fall day in Flagstaff. Read “Proof Text” free on the Kings River Life site. I wrote “Proof Text” in 2019, when I was still very new to fiction writing. In fact, it’s the first short story I ever wrote as an adult. With much fear and trembling, I shared it with my newly-formed critique group, expecting them to think it average at best. They loved it!…
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3 ways I’m finding my way back from a writing slump
I mentioned in my 2024 highlight reel post that I accomplished very little on the fiction writing front last year. I got pretty discouraged about that, even though there were some good reasons why I didn’t write much. This month I seem to be finding my footing again. I have a 24-day writing streak in Online Writing Log, and I’m finding easier every morning to sit down and start writing. So how am I finding my way back from a writing slump? Let me count the (spoiler alert: 3) ways. But first: This post is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) blog hop. On the first Wednesday of…
Janet Alcorn
Suspense | Horror | Romance
