Tag: Alex J. Cavanaugh

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IWSG

#IWSG June 2022- When the going gets tough.

IWSG

Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click here to learn more or sign up.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

Optional Monthly Question: When the going gets tough writing the story, how do you keep yourself writing to the end? If you have not started the writing yet, why do you think that is and what do you think could help you find your groove and start?

In truth, sometimes I don’t. There have been times when I’ve been able to push through a rough patch and make a story happen, but I never feel satisfied when I do that. I often would rather walk away from a story than force it. Fortunately for me, I usually end up going back to it, but that’s part of the beauty of working on multiple WIPs at once. There are those rare times when no writing is happening. Again, I’ve forced it a few times, but now I don’t. If it feels forced, that means I’m not enjoying it and it isn’t helping me in any way. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to complete a longer writing project because of this but I’ve learned that I don’t have any deadlines other than the ones I’ve put on myself.

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IWSG BOOK CLUB ON GOODREADS

Member Spotlights

#iwsgbookclub

The books we’ve chosen to spotlight in the month of June are Wielder’s Prize (Wielder’s Prize #1) by Elle Cardy (Amazon.com & Bookshop.org) and The Futhark Chronicles Book One: Keepers of Sulbreth by Susan Gourley (Amazon.com). Please check these out and consider giving one or both of these a read this month. If you’re not up for reading them, no worries, you can still help spread some love for these publications and or participate in the book club activities.

 

Feel free to share this image on social media to help spread the word.

My co-mods and I have done a lot of research into the books written by IWSG members to help facilitate the current direction the book club is taking. In the process, I’ve learned about how readers find and don’t find books by our members. So, I’ve put together some, hopefully, helpful tips I like to call…

Ways to Make Your Book(s) “Findable”

…and increase their chances to be featured and discovered.

10) Another great way to make your books findable and or grow your readership, is to post articles on your blog about your books. Not just samples from the text, but articles of interest- things people might want to know or like to know that are somehow related to the content and or themes within your books. These are the types of articles that get shared organically on social media. For those who are a bit more daring than the average writer, also consider creating video content in the same fashion. When I first published, my now unpublished paranormal series- pending a rewrite, I posted a short video series explaining my geekish inspirations. Many people discovered my videos and later showed interest in the books. You can create posts about your inspirations, important themes, and even advocate for causes that line up with the content of your book, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction.

Reminder: Here’s our spotlight schedule.
IWSG blog list 1-50 = Feb, Jun, Oct
IWSG blog list 51-100 = Mar, Jul, Nov
IWSG blog list 101+ = Jan, May, Sep (IWSG Anthologies)
IWSG Registry (Facebook) = Apr, Aug, Dec

Remember, if you are not currently on the IWSG blog hop list and don’t plan to join, the registry is the only way for your books to have a chance to be spotlighted by the book club. If you are on the blog hop list, please don’t join the registry. We want to be fair and give everyone an opportunity to be featured, which means some of us will have to wait our turns, including me (the book club admin) and the co-mods.

Please click this hyperlink to fill out the form to be added to the IWSG Book Club Spotlight Registry, and please help us spread the word.

Now, on to the personal updates.

I really like my job and love the company I work for, but some days are harder, plain and simple. Yesterday was one of those days, so I took some time to process, thus this late post. Outside of that, I’ve been hanging in there. I’ve been dealing with some pain in my shoulder that I still haven’t had any major resolve to, but I keep moving forward. Hope to find some relief soon.

I’ve been writing and illustrating a lot and have a lot to share with my YouTube and Patreon community in the coming weeks. I’ve done two live events and now need a break. I know I should probably be trying to build on this momentum, but I know my limitations. I have some ideas for events in the Fall.

I’m halfway through the process of redistributing all my ebooks wide. Once I’m all done I’ll share all my new links here. For now, as the process rolls out, I’ve been updating the links on my individual/category book pages.

Here’s the latest on my YouTube series, The Read Local Show (Hampton Roads, VA, USA) and The Read All Over Show (global). I’ve been having so much fun with this.

If you’re interested in being featured: check out the Read Local/All Over Sign-up form here.

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What do you do when the writing gets tough?
Gonna check out one of the IWSG Book Club Spotlight reads?
It may take some time, but I promise, I will eventually stop by your blog. My response time has gotten slower but I’m still making my rounds.

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
SE White,
Cathrina Constantine,
Natalie Aguire,
Joylene Nowell Butler, and
Jacqui Murray!

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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #31).

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter

Categories
IWSG

#IWSG May 2022- Writer Highs and Lows

IWSG

Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click here to learn more or sign up.

Happy Star Wars Day!

May the 4th Be With You.

A good day, I plan to have… Correction.

A good day I will have. There is no plan.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

Optional Monthly Question: It’s the best of times; it’s the worst of times. What are your writer highs (the good times)? And what are your writer lows (the crappy times)?

My writer highs seem few and far between these days, but I’ll take’m when I can get’em. My highs usually involve getting feedback on my writing, good or bad, that means someone actually read something I wrote. It’s also nice when someone actually likes something I’ve written.

My lows usually involve time. I never seem to have enough time to write, develop, edit, promote, etc… But the lowest low I’ve experienced came from someone who made racist comments about my writing. The comments themselves weren’t the “low”, I’m used to that, I’ve been black my whole life. The “low” was the fact that the comments came from someone who was supposed to be a leader, someone who was supposed to provide critical responses- not emotional judgments, someone who was supposed to make me feel welcomed in a group of writers all sharing their work. It’s difficult to learn and or create in an environment where you don’t feel safe being who you are, so I left.

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IWSG BOOK CLUB ON GOODREADS

Member Spotlights

#iwsgbookclub

The books we’ve chosen to spotlight in the month of May are Up on the Roof and Other Stories: Revised with Bonus Short Story by Judy Ann Davis (Amazon.com & Bookshop.org) and The Or’in of Tane: Book One: The Chronicles of Aden Weaver by Yvette Carol (Amazon.com & Bookshop.org). Please check these out and consider giving one or both of these a read this month. If you’re not up for reading them, no worries, you can still help spread some love for these publications and or participate in the book club activities.

 

Feel free to share this image on social media to help spread the word.

My co-mods and I have done a lot of research into the books written by IWSG members to help facilitate the current direction the book club is taking. In the process, I’ve learned about how readers find and don’t find books by our members. So, I’ve put together some, hopefully, helpful tips I like to call…

Ways to Make Your Book(s) “Findable”

…and increase their chances to be featured and discovered.

9) I know I just told you, last month, not to spam and overpromote on social media, but that doesn’t mean you have to pretend not to be a writer, especially if you have published work. Just a simple example- if you have a Facebook page, consider creating a simple photo album of your book covers (with or without links). I’ve had several people find my picture books because they landed on my page and went straight to my photos. Don’t try to be everywhere on social media but do try to find where the community of your potential readers will be and connect with them.

Reminder: Here’s our spotlight schedule.
IWSG blog list 1-50 = Feb, Jun, Oct
IWSG blog list 51-100 = Mar, Jul, Nov
IWSG blog list 101+ = Jan, May, Sep (IWSG Anthologies)
IWSG Registry = Apr, Aug, Dec

Remember, if you are not currently on the IWSG blog hop list and don’t plan to join, the registry is the only way for your books to have a chance to be spotlighted by the book club. If you are on the blog hop list, please don’t join the registry. We want to be fair and give everyone an opportunity to be featured, which means some of us will have to wait our turns, including me (the book club admin) and the co-mods.

Please click this hyperlink to fill out the form to be added to the IWSG Book Club Spotlight Registry, and please help us spread the word.

Now, on to the personal updates.

I got a critique of one of my stories and discovered that it wasn’t working as well as I thought it was. I was actually glad to hear this. I had a feeling something was off but I didn’t know what it was. Now I have some suggestions of ways to improve the work.

I’ll be attending my first live book event of the year this weekend and hope to connect with readers and other writers in my local area. I’m not stressed about the event itself, I just always feel anxious about being around crowds. It’s nice to be able to use my table as a security blanket.

I submitted a story to an anthology with no real expectation of my story being selected. I’m looking forward to feedback and like to stay in the practice of submitting from time to time.

Here’s the latest on my YouTube series, The Read Local Show (Hampton Roads, VA, USA) and The Read All Over Show (global). I’ve been having so much fun with this. I had such a good time finally sitting down for a chat with J. H. Moncrieff. I’ve been following her work and career for years and she is one of my favorite authors.

If you’re interested in being featured: check out the Read Local/All Over Sign-up form here.

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What are your writer highs and or lows?
It may take some time, but I promise, I will eventually stop by your blog. My response time has gotten slower but I’m still making my rounds.

****

After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Kim Elliott,
Melissa Maygrove,
Chemist Ken,
Lee Lowery, and
Nancy Gideon!

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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #31).

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter

Categories
Guest Posts Virtual Book Tours

Putting Characters Through Trials by @AlexJCavanaugh

Hi there everyone. I’m so excited to be hosting the Ninja himself today as he talks about the latest book in the Cassa Series. This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support. 

Putting Characters Through Trials by Alex J. Cavanaugh

Any good story contains trials. If the main character just enjoyed a good day, wow, wouldn’t that be boring? That character needs to struggle. Sometimes even fall, get his heart ripped out, almost die!

Now, throwing everything at the character, including the kitchen sink, might be overkill. Although I very nearly did that in the third Cassa book, CassaStorm. But the stakes need to be high; even higher for the next book in a series.

So, what trials and misfortunes does Bassan go through? I can’t give away the major points, but I can reveal some things that send his anxiety through the roof.

He was a hero at age ten in the third book. And that’s what most people remember about him. But being shy and non-assertive, he doesn’t think he’s done anything heroic since then. Not that he wants to put his neck out there! But the thought his one great achievement lies behind him really gets under his skin and causes anxiety.

Drent’s accident exposes his weaknesses even more. He knows he’s not assertive or a leader, but the incident really shines a light on the problem. Bassan doesn’t react fast enough, and it really adds a layer of guilt and angst on top of everything else.

Then he’s sent across the galaxy by his supervisor. Bassan, son of famous pilot parents, hates to fly! Plus, he’s supposed to speak at a conference. Add fear of public speaking on top of the ever-growing list.

Then there’s a mission to save the people on another planet. No pressure there!

And things keep piling on.

Mentally and emotionally, the poor dude has been put through the wringer even before the adventure kicks into overdrive. But what doesn’t kill him will make Bassan stronger. At least we hope so!

You’ll have to read the book to find out.

See my 4.5-star review here. 

CassaDark by Alex J. Cavanaugh

His world is unraveling…

Bassan’s father is stepping down from command. His best friend almost dies when Bassan freezes. Now, he’s being sent across the galaxy to speak at an important conference. Despite saving the eleven races years ago, he’s paralyzed by fear and doubt. Could things get any worse?

Once there, new acquaintance Zendar convinces Bassan to visit his planet for a humanitarian mission. Bassan’s special connection to ancient technology is the key to saving Zendar’s people. One problem though—it’s a prisoner planet.

On Ugar, he discovers things aren’t so straightforward. As each secret reveals itself, the situation grows more desperate. If he can’t find the right answers, he might die along with Zendar’s people. Can Bassan summon the courage to be a hero again?

Trade paperback, 226 pages, Dancing Lemur Press, LLC
Science fiction – Adventure (FIC028010)
Space Opera (FIC028030)
Space Exploration (FIC028130)
Print ISBN 9781939844842 – $16.95
eBook ISBN 9781939844859 – $4.99

iTunes  |  Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

Kobo  |  Scribed   |   Goodreads

Alex J. Cavanaugh works in web design and graphics, and he plays guitar in a Christian band. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is known as Ninja Captain Alex and he’s the founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.
http://alexjcavanaugh.com
https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/
https://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh

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Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter