Insecure Writer’s Support Group, February Movie Preview, and Love Triangles!

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.

My awesome co-hosts today are Allison Gammons, Tamara Narayan, Eva E. Solar, Rachel Pattison, and Ann V. Friend!

And yes! We have a new official badge. Time to ditch the lame image and go upscale. Feel free to grab it for you blogs.

Since not a lot has changed in my personal writing world since January, I thought I’d focus on some opportunities for you guys.

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group’s first newsletter goes out on February 24! Sign up HERE. (If you are a member of the monthly blogging group, you are already signed up.)
One of the monthly features is an article from an IWSG member – and Chrys Fey needs your articles! If you’d like to submit an article for consideration, please follow the instructions below:
Who Can Submit: Insecure Writer's Support Group Members
Topic Ideas: Your number one writing, publishing or marketing tip; a motivational pep talk or inspirational story; a snippet about something you used to be insecure about but overcame or an Aha moment you had about writing/publishing.
Length: 200 words or less
How to Submit: Send a DOC attachment to Chrys Fey at ChrysFey(at)yahoo(dot)com Put “Member Article” in the Subject Line.
Deadline: March 2nd (Next IWSG Day)
NOTE: Chrys needs a member article for our first newsletter coming out February 24th. If you’d like to be considered for that issue, please send your article to her no later than February 17th.

Most of you saw the cover art and synopsis of the IWSG Anthology on Monday. Releasing this spring, Parallels: Felix Was Here features the ten winners from last fall’s IWSG Anthology Contest.
But guess what? We’ll be holding another contest this year as well! Which means another opportunity for blogging and Facebook members to submit a story.
And we’re going to let you guys decide the genre. So, keep watching the newsletter for details!

Now, go visit others on the IWSG list and encourage them!

Love Triangle: coffee, tea, and juice, by Toi Thomas

Alex, thanks for having me today. As we writers and bloggers know, our fuel of choice makes all the magic we create possible whether it’s coffee or tea, we can never have too much of it. But what about the oddballs- I mean, rare exceptions where the person doesn’t like tea or coffee. I find that these people tend to like juice or soda (water doesn’t count, we all need water at some point).

When working on my latest novel, It’s Like the Full Moon, a contemporary romance, I begin to think about the nature of writers and their fuel of choice. In my book, my main character Rebecca gets caught in a love triangle and I think I may be caught in one as well. While it seems that most writers have a kind of love-hate relationship with coffee and tea (they love one and hate the other), I find that I crave them both at different intervals.

When I’m in the zone, honing in character and plot development, tea is my drink. When I’m exhausted but know I need to write, coffee gives me the boost I need. Sometimes, however, when I’m milling about the draft stage, sweet juice keeps me going. What can I say, I just can’t choose one. But at least I’m not stuck in Rebecca’s shoes. Please enjoy this sample and check out my book, released under the pen name Glorie Townson.

“Whenever she was at home alone she tended to drink juice; when spending time with Virgil they drank coffee, and when she was with Paul they, of course, drank tea. With a furrowed brow, Rebecca shook her head to snap herself out of her trance. She thought to herself, This is not the time or the place to be having this particular breakdown.”

Find Toi at The ToiBox of Words
Find It’s Like the Full Moon at Amazon

February Movie Preview

Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for February! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snarky comments by me.

5 –

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Jane Austen's classic tale of the tangled relationships between lovers from different social classes in 19th century England is faced with a new challenge -- an army of undead zombies.
Director: Burr Steers
Stars: Lily James, Lena Headey, Douglas Booth, Matt Smith
I might be in the minority, but I’m about zombie’d out – especially PG-13 zombies.

Hail, Caesar!
A Hollywood fixer in the 1950s works to keep the studio's stars in line.
Directors: Ethan Coen | Joel Coen
Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes
Coen brothers, so could be great, or it could be the Ladykillers all over again.





12 –

Deadpool
A former Special Forces operative turned mercenary is subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopting the alter ego Deadpool. Director: Tim Miller
Stars: Morena Baccarin, Ryan Reynolds, Gina Carano, T.J. Miller
Holy chimichanga – this looks funny as hell!





26 –

Gods of Egypt
A common thief joins a mythical god on a quest through Egypt.
Director: Alex Proyas
Stars: Gerard Butler, Abbey Lee, Courtney Eaton, Geoffrey Rush
Doesn’t look great, but then again, this is the director who brought us The Crow and Dark City.

What’s your writer insecurity today? Submitting to the newsletter? Have a genre in mind for the next IWSG Anthology Contest? What’s your love triangle? (If you can state it in public!) And what movie catches your eye this month…?

Thanks again to all who participated in the Lost and Found blogfest on Monday.