Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Insecure Writers Support Group, November Movie Releases, Book Sale, and New Books!


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 for the November 4 posting of the IWSG are Jemi Fraser, Kim Lajevardi, L.G Keltner, Tyrean Martinson, and Rachna Chhabria!

November 4 question - Albert Camus once said, “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” Flannery O’Conner said, “I write to discover what I know.” Authors across time and distance have had many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write?

Let me start with saying as writers, we need to work harder on that first quote.

My answer is simple – I write to read what I can’t find elsewhere.

And...I got my manuscript back from my last test reader and am now editing!

Ninja News
 
My publisher is doing a holiday sale-


Buy 1 print book, get 1 print book free
Buy 1 eBook, get 1 eBook free
Buy 1 audio book, get 1 audio book free
Print & eBooks – must be purchased directly from Dancing Lemur Press’ website; free book must be same price or lower; when paying, note your desired free book in the comments section; free swag provided with print orders
Audio books – purchase from Audible, iTunes, or Amazon and send us your receipt stating your desired free audio book and we will send you a code for a free audio book: free audio book must be same price or lower
Offer good through December 10, 2020
Visit Dancing Lemur Press and explore their titles.

New books:


Flip my Heart by Elizabeth Seckman


Some hearts are fixer-uppers, hers is a total flip.

Find it on Amazon


Knot a Clue by Elizabeth S. Craig

Southern Quilting Mysteries | Book 13

Sometimes it doesn’t pay to go to work.

Find it at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, and more


Shooting by the Sea by Ellen Jacobson

A Mollie McGhie Cozy Sailing Mystery Book 5

When Mollie McGhie attends the grand opening of her friend’s nail salon, she’s looking forward to getting a manicure and sipping on champagne. The event is going great until Mollie discovers a dead body nearby and her friend’s brother is arrested for murder.

Find it through all major retailers HERE



For Opal by Yolanda Renée


For Opal is a collection of poems written in memory of Lilly Opal Stansberry, my grandmother, and the inspiration for my writing.

Find it on Amazon





November Movie Releases

Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for November! (And it’s slim pickens.) As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.


6 –


Mortal
Fantasy adventure origin story about a young man discovering he has God-like powers based on ancient Norwegian mythology.
Director: André Øvredal
Stars: Nat Wolff, Priyanka Bose, Iben Akerlie, Arthur Hakalahti
The incredibly true story of how Thor became Chris Helmsworth.




27 –

Stardust
Stardust will chronicle the young David Bowie's first visit to the US in 1971 - a trip that inspired the invention of his iconic alter ego Ziggy Stardust.
Director: Gabriel Range
Stars: Jena Malone, Johnny Flynn, Marc Maron, Aaron Poole
Between David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, Elton John must wonder if people still know he’s alive.



Why do you write? Ready for some new books? Either movie pique your interest?
I will be back with a guest and some movie and music reviews on November 16!


And everyone visit the IWSG Anthologies blog for my article on how to Twitter Pitch with Gusto!


97 comments:

nashvillecats2 said...

Amazing new books Alex with all the time on my hands will come in handy. Stardust brought back many memories at all these British artistes. Yes Elton is still alive.
Have a good November , keep safe and well.

Yvonne.

Rachna Chhabria said...

Hi Alex, glad that you new book is now practically ready for submission. Eager to hear about it :)

Can you believe it, I scheduled my IWSG post and it got posted a few hours earlier, because of the time difference between India and the US. Am thinking, shall I delete that post and repost?

J.H. Moncrieff said...

Just wanted to say thank you for all the incredible support over the years, Alex. You and the IWSG have been a powerful force for good in my life, and I will always be grateful for that. xx

Keep in touch if you can.

Elephant's Child said...

How wonderful that you continue to write. Wonderful for you - and for all your readers.

A Hundred Quills said...

Thank you Alex for all the wonderful things you write and share. Thank you for IWSG. I agree we must invest in what Camus said.
Sonia from https://soniadogra.com

Tony Laplume said...

That’s a good reason to write.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Great reason to write. And awesome that you are making so much progress on your manuscript. I'm moving along on my first draft and am going to try to write a little every day this month so I write more chapters than usual.

Annalisa Crawford said...

Congrats to all the authors with books out - I've already read Flip My Heart.

I love Bowie, I love the spate of musical biopics. I hope this one will be good!

A character in my next novel says she paints to make sense of the world. I write for the same reason. I came first, she's just copying me ;-)

T. Powell Coltrin said...

Congrats on your new book moving forward. That is so exciting.

I would like to see both Mortal and Stardust.

Teresa C.

Mason Canyon said...

Congratulations to all those with new books, they all look intriguing. Not sure about the coming movies.

Pat Garcia said...

Hi,
I agree the first quote should have us all thinking about the reason we write. If we're writing just to please ourselves then we're not reaching the people and people don't see a reason to change.

Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

Liza said...

Hooray for the editing process!

Jennifer Hawes said...

I love to edit! I wish there were more movie choices. Sigh.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Rachna, hope you didn't. You're ahead of us and that's all right - it's Wednesday where you are.

JH, thank you!

Natalie, good for you!

Annalisa, funny.

Teresa, Mortal is also playing on-demand.

Jemi Fraser said...

My TBR list just got longer - these all sound great!
Glad to hear you're editing - looking forward to your next book!

Empty Nest Insider said...

Wise words during such a devastating and divided time in our country. Great news about your manuscript! I can’t wait to learn more about your latest novel. Congrats to all the authors! Thanks for always being there for us, Alex!

Julie

Joanne said...

congrats to all new books and good luck to the authors. It is slim pickings at the movies. I like the Flannery O'Connor quote. I think I do try to extend something to make folks think when I write. Even in fiction - it's the word play. Quite a Wednesday - we'll see now what happens. Take care.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Congratulations, Alex. Editing is a wonderful place to be.

Lynn La Vita said...

I woke up this morning to intense conflict. I'm searching for words to express inspiration and reassurance.

I think editing your manuscript must be welcome right about now. A mind-absorbing activity of creativity.

Lidy said...

Congrats to all the new releases. And congrats to you too Alex. Happy editing.

And I agree with you.

Nick Wilford said...

"I write to read what I can't find elsewhere" - I think that quote deserves to be up there with the giants that appear in the question. Very well put, I think that's a big motivation for many of us.

Congrats to all those with new books!

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

We've gone back to watching older movies and TV shows since nothing new is really appealing to us lately. For Halloween, we re-watched Train to Busan and Willow Creek. For my husband's birthday, we re-watched Rocky I-IV. :)

Nancy Gideon said...

Great answer, Alex!

Tyrean Martinson said...

That's the best reason to write, Alex! And, I agree we need to do better on making that quote a reality.
Love the comment about Mortal. :)

PK HREZO said...

HEY ALEX!!!! I can't tell you how good it is to see your blog. And wow look at all those books you've pubbed! Sweet. I loved your answer for why you write. I totally agree. Write what you wanna read.
I'm looking forward to catching up with the crew. Take it easy, Captain! ( the Blog-father. ;) )

Nicki Elson said...

That's a very good reason to write - and now you get to read your latest IN DEPTH whilst you edit. Good luck!

J.E.S. Hays said...

Congrats on the book! Let us know when the publishing date is so we can pick up a copy!

EJ Murray aka JES Hays

Mary Aalgaard said...

Both movies look good. Where can we watch them?
Happy IWSG day!

Cathrina Constantine said...

Congrats on all the new books, they all sound amazing!

Having a test reader or critique partner can be a nail-biter. If their advice is sound and encouraging that goes a long way. I actually like the editing process. And I'm wishing you luck on getting your manuscript polished and tightened and ready for publication!!!

Yolanda Renée said...

Thanks a million for the shout out!
And wow, more books for my TBR list. I love it!
Great description for Mortal!!!

What a night, here's to the future! (holding my cup of tea hight) :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Jemi, thanks!

Appreciate that, Julie.

Lynn, I woke up this morning knowing no matter what, God is in control.

Nick, thanks!

Madeline, Train to Busan was good. Fortunately, The Mandalorian has begun its second season.

PK! So good to hear from you.

EJ, thanks.

Mary, Mortal will be streaming as well as in the theaters this Friday.

Cathrina, I like the editing process as well.

Erika Beebe said...

Fantastic answer! Congratulations to all the authors and new books!

Diane Burton said...

You and I started writing for the same reason--couldn't find what we want to read. Thanks to Dancing Lemur for the free book.

Birgit said...

One writes because one enjoys it. I like writing my blog. Congrats to everyone and their new books. These movies sound meh to me. I think many good movies have ended up going on Netflix. Happy November! I can’t believe I just wrote that.

Loni Townsend said...

I hope your feedback is good and your edits come easily to you!

Hmmm, haven't heard of those movies before, but I guess that's not surprising considering the way movies have been going this year.

Sadira Stone said...

Thanks for giving us something positive to think about as we await the U.S. election results.

diedre Knight said...

Howdy, Captain!

Good to see so many of us about today ;-)

As a writer, I would never assume I could prevent civilization from destroying itself. I would, however, hope to provide a positive (if fictional) alternative.

"Shooting by the Sea" is now on my list!

Wishing you a happy and stress-free November ;-)

kaykuala said...

Congrats Alex on your new book. How wonderful to have the time to go into it. Great for all the other new releases!

Hank

Lynn J Simpson said...

Yes, if that story we're looking for is not created yet, it's a call to create it ourselves, if we dare!

Jacqui said...

Lots of new books and they sound interesting. And the two movies sound good, too.

Notes Along the Way with Mary Montague Sikes said...

When I wrote travel stories, it helped me remember my trips in a very vivid way. That's a reason for writing, I think. Thank you for writing, Alex, and doing so much to promote the writing community!

Chemist Ken said...

Congrats on finishing your manuscript. I figure if you can do it and hold down a full-time job, I ought to be able to do it while tutoring part-time.

Mortal sounds a lot like Ragnarok from Netflix.

Carol Kilgore said...

Congratulations to all those with new books! All sound good and I'm adding them to my Amazon list. Happy November to all!

Stacy McKitrick said...

I guess I started writing the same reason you did (couldn't find it elsewhere). Then I was writing because it was fun. Now... I need to find the fun again.

Ellen Jacobson said...

Thanks so much for featuring Shooting by the Sea! Can't wait to read your new book. I'm a big fan of your writing :)

cleemckenzie said...

Great news on your book front! Love the editing process.

Thanks for featuring all the books and the movies.

J E Oneil said...

Seems like a lackluster movie month. But I suppose that can't be avoided these days. Lots of nice books coming out, though.

Arlee Bird said...

Dancing Lemur is building up a great catalog of literature. Good to see these writers having a good publisher behind them.

I write what I want to read. How weird if we were writing stuff we didn't like or weren't interested in, but I guess there are some writers who do that. I wouldn't want to.

Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Now that's the way to do it. If no one has written the book you wnt to read, write it nd let others read it, along with you. I like that.

H. R. Sinclair said...

"The incredibly true story of how Thor became Chris Helmsworth." teehee :)

Congrats on the last read. Have fun editing. :)

Liz A. said...

I'm thinking I might just do books for Christmas this year. We could all use some more fictional worlds.

Sarah Foster said...

Lol if it's our job to keep civilization from destroying itself then we aren't doing a very good job!
Good luck with your edits!

Fundy Blue said...

How exciting, Alex! I cannot wait to read your next book! Thanks for your excellent article on the IWSG Anthologies blog, Alex ~ You're just the best!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Yolanda, you're welcome!

Diedra, fictional alternative works.

Thanks, Mary!

Ken, you can do it!

Ellen, you're welcome and thanks!

Lee, neither would I.

Liz, good idea!

Thanks, Louise!

Pat Hatt said...

Writing the book you want to read is a great reason indeed. Meh to most movies these days.

Heather M. Gardner said...

Hi Alex!

Great list of new books and I hope that sale goes great!

Looking forward to the Bowie movie!

Heather

Tamara Narayan said...

I'd be interested in the Bowie movie. I don't know much about the early part of his career.

L.G. Keltner said...

I also write to read what I can't find elsewhere. Congratulations to everyone who has new books out!

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

I think many writers write the stories they want to read.

Botanist said...

I started writing to see if I could. I keep writing to please readers who liked what I wrote previously :)

Sandra Cox said...

Congrats to the authors with new releases. I've read FLIP MY HEART. Elizabeth has done it again:)
Hope your day is pleasant and productive, oh Captain, our Captain:)

kimlajevardi.com said...

I also write to please my reader self.

The Purple Assassin. said...

Thanks for posting about the upcoming books! They seem very interesting, I'd be happy to explore reading some of them, especially Stardust!

I guess I write to let go! Maybe our hearts are like jugs that get filled with emotions once in a while, and writing help me pour myself a little bit of whisky and release those emotions happily into the world! I like that you give yourself the content you wanna read by writing!

Have a great week ahead Alex!

Shannon Lawrence said...

Congratulations and good luck with editing! Also, congratulations to everyone on the releases!

G. B. Miller said...

Congrats on the new book moving one step closer to being something that everyone can read.

Unsure of the reason why I still write. Originally it was a way to work through some personal issues, but then it morphed into something else. I'm sure I'll find it again once I start writing again in 2021.

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Good luck with the editing! I'm in the same boat with it.

Susan B.Rouchard said...

Thanks Alex for your news and reviews. Good luck on your editing.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Ian, good reason!

GB, you have lots of time now.

Jennifer Lane said...

Congratulations to all authors with new releases, especially Ellen Jacobson! I've enjoyed earlier books in the series.

I think I know what you're talking about when you call on authors to do a better job preventing civilization destruction. :-(

Steven Arellano Rose Jr. said...

Stardust sounds like it may be interesting. I like bios and documentaries about artists, including song artists, and Bowie had some good numbers out during the '70s.

Andrew Leon said...

This comment will most likely not make any sense, but I am now wondering why George MacDonald wrote. People don't realize just how much influence he's had on our culture, but neither Narnia or Middle Earth would exist if it hadn't been for him.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Alex - congratulations on editing your latest book. And thanks for the book recommendations. Stardust sounds an interesting film - which I'll catch sometime. Our little cinema has just closed down again - still I did see a few films, and had more booked - but more the avant garde type ones.

I agree with your first idea ... we need to think, draft and mull before we hit publish on our short short posts, or comments ... we can keep our thoughts to ourselves - no need to stir the pot.

All the best - and I hope peace will reign ... Hilary

Kate Larkindale said...

That's why I started writing. I couldn't find many books like the ones I wanted to read, so I started writing. Now there are a lot more books dealing with the same kinds of challenging subject matter I like to explore, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop.

Steph W. said...

Love your reason for writing. It makes the most sense!

Carrie-Anne said...

Probably most writers are motivated at least in part by wanting to create stories they've not found elsewhere. That was a big reason I created my Atlantic City characters as a preteen.

J.Q. Rose said...

Well, I like your short and sweet answer to why you write. So true. Thanks for sharing the publisher's BOGO Holiday sale! What a deal!
I'm looking forward to the holidays, social distancing and all.

Sherry Ellis said...

The Bowie movie should be interesting!

Melissa said...

Amen! to your first remark.

So glad to hear you're making progress on your WIP!

C. D. Gallant-King said...

That Bowie movie was made without his family's input permission, and with none of his music. It's going to be terrible.

Sandra Cox said...

Woo Hoo on getting your manuscript back and working on edits. Me too! Let me know when you're ready, if you want me to post it.
Good answers on the monthly question.

Samantha Bryant said...

Oooh. Looking forward to Stardust. There have been some great biopics about musicians here lately! @samanthabwriter from
Balancing Act

mail4rosey said...

Lots of luck with the editing. I hear that's the part that makes you temporarily fall out of love with your book. ;) Fortunately, this too shall pass. :) Congrats on being at the final stages.

Victoria Marie Lees said...

All excellent titles and premises, Alex. Thanks for sharing these with your followers. Ziggy Stardust. I remember hearing about that. Of course I was only a youth at the time. Thanks for another interesting post!

Liesbet said...

Stardust sounds interesting. Love your snark. :-) And, I hope you're still able to go to the movie theaters, Alex, now that the restrictions are getting tighter again. I can't believe Ellen has another book out already again; such a prolific and determined writer! And, well done, you, on writing another book. What do you prefer? Writing or editing? Or, are you a fan of both? If that's the case: happy editing! :-)

Mary Kirkland said...

Good luck with the manuscript.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

I write to cope and heal, Alex.
Yay for Elizabeth! Here's to hearts flipping in positive ways.
Take good care, friend.

Truedessa said...

Hi Alex,

Let the editing begin, one step closer to completion.

Wishing you a peaceful week.

Bowie...creative genius in many ways.

Nilanjana Bose said...

I write mostly to hang onto my sanity.

All the best for the new book, glad it's nearing completion. My best wishes to the authors of new releases too, some of whom I am privileged to call friends :)

Have a great week.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Steven, it was his best years.

Andrew, not sure I've read any of his works.

Hilary, sorry your country is closed again.

Kate, definitely don't stop!

CD, didn't know that.

Rosey, fortunately I enjoy editing.

Liesbet, we can still go but there's just not a lot of movies out right now.

Heather Musk said...

Ooh, the editing stage can be as fun as the writing. Good luck with working through it and getting the new book finished.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

How sweet of you to mention my book. I seem to release books and then have something tragic happen during the launch. I am blessed with great friends who look out for me!

Deniz Bevan said...

Ooh, I hadn't known about that Bowie movie!
And yay for being at the editing stage! Sending you lots of editing mojo :-)

Anonymous said...

Yes, the movies really are slim pickings these days. I wish they would release more straight to home.

Congratulations on getting to the editing stage. That's fantastic!

Warmly,
Elsie

Sandra Cox said...

Have you been back to the theater?

Toi Thomas said...

Thanks again for another great hop, even if I'm late this month.
I'm excited about the Dancing Lemur sale and look forward to your movie and music reviews.
I write because it's part of who I am.

Ronel Janse van Vuuren said...

Good luck with the edits!

Ronel catching up for November IWSG day Achieving Kick-Ass Goals

Melissa said...

Amen! to your first remark.

So glad to hear you're making progress on your WIP!