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 February 7 posting of the IWSG are SE White, Janet Alcorn, Victoria Marie Lees, and Cathrina Constantine!
First up – we need co-hosts for March, April, and May! Four to five for March, three to four for April (Natalie, got you down), and four to five for May. If you can co-host, leave a comment or send me an email. If you’ve never co-hosted, it’s fun and easy! Just visit fifteen or so blogs in a range and leave a comment. That way everyone on the list has visitors and feel appreciated.
February 7 question: What turns you off when visiting an author's website/blog? Lack of information? A drone of negativity? Little mention of author's books? Constant mention of books?
I think many will say a constant mention of the author’s books, especially on a blog or Twitter, is a turnoff. It’s like a constant commercial.
But for me, a drone of negativity is even worse. Life is negative enough without adding to it. And it probably wears on the fans, eager to hear what is happening but getting a wave of what’s going wrong, why the writing sucks, etc. instead.
#IWSGPit is back on!
The next #IWSGPit will be March 27, 2024.
10:00 am - 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.
Get all the details here.
Alien Romances by L. Diane Wolfe
Alex asked me to list the top movies similar to my latest release, In Darkness: The Alien. It’s a sci-fi, paranormal romance, so I have selected movies that have a romance between a Terran (human) and an alien.
Starman – An alien crashes on earth and takes the form of a woman’s deceased husband, enticing her to help him reach his rendezvous point. The reluctant romance is sweet to watch and the alien so genuine in his innocence.
The Fifth Element – Pure Evil is destroying the universe and only the fifth element can stop it. As the lead discovers, that element is a beautiful woman. This film has some sweet and very funny exchanges and is one of my favorites.
Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars - A series that ran for many years, it ended with a full length movie. Throughout that time, the human lead and alien lead had an on again-off again relationship that did end in love and a baby.
Avatar – A human in an alien avatar on the planet of Pandora falls in love with one of the natives. Since almost everyone has seen it, you know it ends well.
Guardians of the Galaxy – An unlikely team is thrown together and it takes the male human a while to convince the alien woman to accept his advances. A fun series.
John Carter – Transported to Mars, John lands in the middle of a power struggle and war, forming a reluctant alliance with the Martian princess. If you’ve never seen it, this is a fun and exciting sci-fi movie.
Cocoon – Residents of a retirement community discover a revitalizing pool that aliens are using to revive those left behind years before. While it’s a romance that could never be, it’s sweet to see the young man and young alien woman interact.
And there you have it–seven stories involving human-alien romances. Eight if you decide to read In Darkness: The Alien!
In Darkness: The Alien by L. Diane Wolfe
From Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.
Romance-Science Fiction / Science Fiction-Alien Contact / Romance-Paranormal
eBook ISBN 9781939844972 $3.99
Souls shrouded in darkness…
Abducted from her research station, Liz’s life is flung into chaos. Sold into servanthood for her knowledge of planetary mining to a race called the Stren, she discovers her problems go far deeper. She is to marry her alien master, Krist, after enduring a procedure designed to eradicate her emotions.
Desperate, Liz persuades the Stren to grant her the duration of a short voyage to change his perception of emotions. But how can she convince someone lacking feelings of their value? Is there a means of accessing the emotional side of Krist before it's too late?
A professional speaker and author, L. Diane Wolfe conducts seminars, offers book formatting, and author consultation. She’s an editor at Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. and contributes to the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Find her at website, blog, and the IWSG
Find In Darkness: The Alien at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Everland, Gardners, and Goodreads
February Movie Preview
Here are the theatrical releases for February. Descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.
2 –
Argylle
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Stars: Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill, Catherine O’Hara, Sofia Boutella
An introverted spy novelist is drawn into the activities of a sinister underground syndicate.
I know they’re running out of ideas, but socks? Really?
14 –
Madame Web
Director: SJ Clarkson
Stars: Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Emma Roberts
Cassandra Webb is a New York City paramedic who starts to show signs of clairvoyance. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she must protect three young women from a mysterious adversary who wants them dead.
Fifty Shades of Spiderman.
16 –
Land of Bad
Director: William Eubank
Stars: Russell Crowe, Milo Ventimiglia Liam Hemsworth
A rookie air force combat controller and a seasoned drone pilot support a Delta Force team as they try to shift a mission gone wrong into a rescue operation.
Maybe the title shouldn’t be so easy for critics to destroy…
What turns you off an author’s site? Can you help co-host? Seen any of the Alien romances or eager to read In Darkness: The Alien? And what movies catch your eye for February?
