The awesome co-hosts today are Pat Garcia, J.Q. Rose, and Natalie Aguirre!
We need co-hosts! July 1,
Aug 5, & Sept 2. If you can help, leave a comment.
Today’s optional question - Writers have secrets! What are one or two of yours, something readers would never know from your work?
My secret? I write romance and yet I get totally embarrassed reading or talking about ... The Sex. :)
Hi guys! I knew what day it was, saw it on my calendar, but I totally forgot to write my blog post, so I had to steal all the info from the IWSG web page and Alex's blog! I sure hope they don't mind!
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The annual anthology contest is open!
Submissions accepted: May 6 - September 2, 2020
Guidelines and rules:
Word count: 4500-6000
Genre: Science Fiction
How to enter: Send your polished, formatted (double-spaced, no footers or headers), previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes. Please include your full contact details, your social links, and if you are part of the Blogging, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter IWSG group.
Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges.
Our official awesome judges:
Dan Koboldt, author and #SFFpit founder
Dan Koboldt is the author of the Gateways to Alissia trilogy (Harper Voyager), the editor of Putting the Science in Fiction (Writers Digest, 2018), and the creator of the sci-fi adventure serial The Triangle (Serial Box, 2019). As a genetics researcher, he has co-authored more than 80 publications in Nature, Science, The New England Journal of Medicine, and other scientific journals. He is represented by Paul Stevens of Donald Maass Literary Agency.
Dan Koboldt is the author of the Gateways to Alissia trilogy (Harper Voyager), the editor of Putting the Science in Fiction (Writers Digest, 2018), and the creator of the sci-fi adventure serial The Triangle (Serial Box, 2019). As a genetics researcher, he has co-authored more than 80 publications in Nature, Science, The New England Journal of Medicine, and other scientific journals. He is represented by Paul Stevens of Donald Maass Literary Agency.
Lynda R. Young, author
Lynda R. Young is an Aussie writing fantasy novels as Elle Cardy. Wielder’s Prize is her debut YA epic fantasy. She is also an editor, game developer, 3D artist, graphic designer, photographer, gamer and more.
Lynda R. Young is an Aussie writing fantasy novels as Elle Cardy. Wielder’s Prize is her debut YA epic fantasy. She is also an editor, game developer, 3D artist, graphic designer, photographer, gamer and more.
Colleen Oefelein, agent, The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency
Colleen Oefelein is an author of YA, picture books, and author promotion guides, a devourer of books, and the owner of the book review site North of Normal. Formerly an associate agent and PR manager with Inklings Literary Agency, Colleen has hosted numerous “Pitch Perfect” and “Rejection Correction” workshops on Facebook and at conferences nationwide, and she’s mentored several authors one-on-one through online pitch contests such as Pitch Wars.
Colleen Oefelein is an author of YA, picture books, and author promotion guides, a devourer of books, and the owner of the book review site North of Normal. Formerly an associate agent and PR manager with Inklings Literary Agency, Colleen has hosted numerous “Pitch Perfect” and “Rejection Correction” workshops on Facebook and at conferences nationwide, and she’s mentored several authors one-on-one through online pitch contests such as Pitch Wars.
Damien Larkin, author
Damien Larkin is an Irish science fiction author and co-founder of the British and Irish Writing Community. His debut novel Big Red was published by Dancing Lemur Press and went on to be longlisted for the BSFA award for Best Novel. He currently lives in Dublin, Ireland and is working on his next novel Blood Red Sand.
Damien Larkin is an Irish science fiction author and co-founder of the British and Irish Writing Community. His debut novel Big Red was published by Dancing Lemur Press and went on to be longlisted for the BSFA award for Best Novel. He currently lives in Dublin, Ireland and is working on his next novel Blood Red Sand.
is the editor and publisher of AntipodeanSF, Australia's longest running
online speculative fiction magazine, regularly issued since January
1998. His qualifications and employment range from horticulture through
electronics into literature and communications.
Julie Gwinn, agent, The Seymour Agency
Julie Gwinn most recently served as Marketing Manager for the Christian Living line at Abingdon Press and before that served as Trade Book Marketing Manager and then Fiction Publisher for the Pure Enjoyment line at B&H Publishing Group, a Division of LifeWay Christian Resources. Recently, she was awarded Editor of the Year from the American Christian Fiction Writers and won B&H’s first Christy award for Ginny Yttrup’s debut novel Words.
Julie Gwinn most recently served as Marketing Manager for the Christian Living line at Abingdon Press and before that served as Trade Book Marketing Manager and then Fiction Publisher for the Pure Enjoyment line at B&H Publishing Group, a Division of LifeWay Christian Resources. Recently, she was awarded Editor of the Year from the American Christian Fiction Writers and won B&H’s first Christy award for Ginny Yttrup’s debut novel Words.
David Powers King, authorDavid's works include Woven, The Undead Road, and Full Dark: An Anthology. He currently resides in the Mountain West with his wife and 4 children.
Prizes: The winning stories will be edited and published by Dancing Lemur Press' imprint Freedom Fox Press next year in the IWSG anthology. Authors will receive royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have the honor of giving the anthology its title. Please see their website for general guidelines on the types of stories they publish.
We’re excited to see the creativity and enthusiasm that’s such a part of this group put into action. So don your creative caps and start writing. And spread the word!
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Have news and want a shout out? Email us!
Each month, we send out the IWSG newsletter packed with information, updates, and tips. If you'd like to be included or add quick promo for your work, just let us know.
Email me: elizabethseckman(at)ymail(dot)com
*please add IWSG shout out to the subject line
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Have a question about marketing or publishing?
Carolyn Howard Johnson has a series of books that are a great resource for writers who need to do their own editing and promoting. She's one smart lady and she's agreed to help our writers by answering any question from editing to promotion to publishing. If you have a question you'd like Carolyn to answer, add it to the comments or email me at elizabethseckman(at)ymail(dot)come. Add IWSG Question to the subject line.
This multi award-winner, now in its third edition, celebrates its 16th Anniversary as the flagship of Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s
HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers. For only a few cents a
day the third edition of The Frugal Book Promoter assures your book the
best possible start in life. The author was inspired to write this book
full of nitty-gritty how-tos for getting nearly-free publicity for her
UCLA Writers’ Program class. A former publicist, journalist, and
retailer, Carolyn shares her professional experience as well as
practical tips gleaned from the successes of her own book campaigns. She
tells authors how to do what their publishers can’t or won’t and why
authors can often do their own promotion better than a PR professional.
Check out Carolyn's website and see all of her books.
The sex can embarrass you? That's funny. Someone else said that today as well.
ReplyDeleteNo worries about being late!
I tried my hand at a sex scene and now I have it hidden in my locked drive, never to be seen by my family or friends. However, it will be in book, so the locked drive seems odd, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteLate is my newest adjective as in "I'm late." I also say I'm sorry a lot.
I'm kinda the same!!
ReplyDeleteBut the books are going out into the world so I'm going to have to get over it too! :)
I posted a day early so I wouldn't forget.
ReplyDeleteHaving written exactly one sex scene, which won't be making it into the book, I agree they're a challenge! Thank you for the reminder about the anthology contest--now in my calendar.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I read a bunch of erotic and romance books hoping to better describe the sex and whatnot between characters not of my orientation/ preference/ attraction.
ReplyDeleteCool post.
Hehehe, I don't think I could write romance just for that very reason!.
ReplyDeleteI've found I look over my shoulder when writing sex or a particularly disturbing horror scene. And writing it in public is even harder!
ReplyDeleteNice global list of judges for the next anthology. I haven't even written a sex scene. Maybe wrote about a kiss and mentioned the word. How do actors do it in front of a camera, director, and crew?!?
ReplyDeleteMary at Play off the Page
Awesome list of judges. :)
ReplyDelete