Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Insecure Writer’s Support Group, @TheIWSG Anthology Contest, Allen/Olzon – Worlds Apart Review, and Ayreon - Transitus

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.


The awesome co-hosts today are Jenni Enzor, Beth Camp, Liesbet, Tyrean Martinson, and Sandra Cox!

July 1 question - There have been many industry changes in the last decade, so what are some changes you would like to see happen in the next decade?

Well, since I’m clueless as to most of the changes, what I would like to see next is a total guess. More science fiction book reading groups? More ways to reach people online? More people downloading eBooks and audio books? Any of those work for me.


Don’t forget the IWSG Anthology Contest is open!

Guidelines and rules:
Word count: 4500-6000
Genre: Science Fiction
Theme: Dark Matter
Submissions accepted: May 6 - September 2, 2020
How to enter: Send your polished, formatted (double-spaced, no footers or headers), previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes.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 judges: Dan Koboldt, Lynda R. Young, Colleen Oefelein, Damien Larkin, Ion Newcombe, Julie Gwinn, and David Powers King


Music

Allen/Olzon – Worlds Apart


Russell Allen (Symphony X, Adrenaline Mob, Ayreon, etc.) and Anette Olzon (Nightwish, The Dark Element, etc.) team up for a singing duo spectacular.

This prog album not only showcases their vocal talents, but it offers a fun variety of catchy songs. The album seems to build, so that by the time you near the end, the songs have gotten better and better.



This is the official video of the title song:

And here is an album cover only of My Enemy, which is on the second half of the album:


Same with this one of Who You Really Are, the song after it:


Those should give you a good idea on the band’s sound.

Nothing ground-breaking, but it’s a lot of fun.


Don’t forget – the next Ayreon album comes out this September – Transitus. Featuring the talent of Marcela Bovio (lead singer of Stream of Passion and featured on many Ayreon albums), Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), Tommy Karevik, Johanne James, and others.

It’s available for pre-order HERE




What changes would you like to see? Entering the IWSG Anthology Contest? Fan of Russell Allen?

I will be on break until August 5, the next IWSG post date.