Tag: anxiety

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IWSG

#IWSG Jan. 2023- New Year, new hope; right?

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: [not my words] Do you have a word of the year? Is there one word that sums up what you need to work on or change in the coming year? For instance, in 2021 my word of the year was Finish. I was determined to finish my first draft by the end of the year. In 2022, my word of the year was Ease. I want to get my process, systems, finances, and routines where life flows with ease and less chaos. What is your word for 2023? Why?

I’m trying really hard not to sink into a deep depression right now. The last few years have been rough, in general, but the last quarter of 2022 was just too much. All I wanted for the holiday was to spend time with my family. Instead, I got to be sick and quarantined. I’m so tired of everything being so hard.

I’m not delusional.

I recognize that there are people in this world far worse off than I am, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m overwhelmed with constantly trying to cope with all the struggles. I was almost hit by cars twice and sustained mild physical injuries from each incident. I had the flu in the Fall and did nothing for my birthday. I got COVID on Christmas Day and spent the week in bed. I mean like really, too weak to even binge-watch TV. I’ve had work and life traumas including ongoing health issues resulting in increased anxiety and PTSD. My writing continues to be a struggle and now I can barely even read for pleasure. Plus, I lost my wedding ring- removed while laid up so my hand wouldn’t swell and now it’s nowhere to be found. On top of all that, my dog is constantly sick- I’m currently nursing her back to health as I write this blog post.

I know there are so many ways in which I’m blessed. When my PC crashed on Dec 21st, my new Mac had just arrived in the mail. I’m grateful for that, but the weeks leading up to the crash were a real struggle. Plus, Macs are a lot more expensive than PCs- it took a lot of hard work to save up for it. I need time to recover- time I didn’t get over the holiday, and time that I can’t get now that I have to be back at work.

I guess my word for 2023 is recovery. It’s all I really want.

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IWSG BOOK CLUB ON GOODREADS

#iwsgbookclub

Member Spotlight

Fractions of Existence | Amazon

Craft Book

The Emotional Craft of Fiction | Amazon | Bookshop.org

No other updates this month.

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What’s your word for 2023?
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:
Jemima Pett,
Debs Carey,
Kim Lajevardi,
Sarah Foster,
Natalie Aguirre, and
T. Powell Coltrin!

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Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.

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IWSG

#IWSG January 2022- I have no regrets (sort of)!

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: What’s the one thing about your writing career you regret the most? Were you able to overcome it?

I had the perfect job for building a writing career while still working until I could write full-time or retire, but then I quit. I quit because I was miserable. Not just whiny miserable but still need therapy to this day miserable. I worked in a classroom and got lots of vacation time and summers off. Now I find time to write between long work hours and bouts of anxiety commuting to and from my clients due to the number of times others have hit my car. I never get time off, I can take time off and not get paid, but I don’t get time off. Since I quit the job, I legitimately hated, my writing has suffered. I just don’t have the time to write like I used to. It’s just one of the major triggers to my ongoing battle with depression, and yet, I have no regrets. I’m blessed. I thank God every day for family and friends who help me cope with life, even when it’s hard. No matter how hard life gets, at least I don’t have to go back to that job. Never again. Not sure I’ll be able to overcome this, but maybe this is just how it’s meant to be. I’ll do what I can when I can and keep moving forward.

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IWSG BOOK CLUB ON GOODREADS

Member Spotlights

#iwsgbookclub

The books we’ve chosen to spotlight in the month of January are The Glass Gargoyle by Marie Andreas and Satellite Blues by Team Netherworld. 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.

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.

5) This may sound a bit touchy, but after all the searching I did, I found it incredibly helpful when an author not only posted their book cover but also listed the title of the book in text on the page. Sometimes, a beautiful cover comes with the slight drawback of not being very readable. Just something to keep in mind.

Here’s our monthly 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

In February we’ll feature books from authors in the 1-50 position of the IWSG blogging list. 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 for our turns, including me (the book club admin) and the co-mods.

Please click the 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 had a lot I wanted to put into this post, but it just didn’t happen. I hope to catch up throughout the month and recap in February.

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So, any regrets in your writing career?
Read, or written, any good books lately?
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:
Erika Beebe,
Olga Godim,
Sandra Cox,
Sarah Foster, and
Chemist Ken!

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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

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IWSG

#IWSG May 2015: FAQs and Answers

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

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Being insecure at home alone in front of my computer is one thing and being out in public, testing my limits, is something else entirely. I did this to myself, but it’s an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up. I got in early and saved a bunch of money, but now the big day is at hand and I’m feeling all kinds of anxiety…Oh, but you’re probably wondering what I’m talking about.

CITY400X400TWCC-A117In just ten days, I’ll be setting up an artist/author table at my local Comicon to sell copies of my paranormal series, Eternal Curse. My immediate insecurities include:

my fear of crowds, what to wear, do I have enough stock, do I have too much, will people ask a lot of questions, how much weight can I lose in ten days, will I get a chance to see any of the cool stuff at this event, will I have enough battery and data to handle credit/debit transactions, will someone heckle or criticize me just because they can, will I get anyone to sign up for my email list, will this be a waste of time and money, will anyone buy my books, and just what will I say when people ask the basic FAQ’s?

I’ve really given the last question some thought and have attempted to anticipate, answer, and memorize my responses in hopes that I don’t sound like a complete weirdo when the time comes. I’ve listed a few of the Q&A below and would love any feedback you’d be willing to offer.

ECGA coverWhat’s the first book about?

Eternal Curse: Giovanni’s Angel is an origin story where purpose is the main pursuit. It’s a mash-up between Beauty & the Beast and Jekyll & Hyde, which involves angels, demons, and everything in between, along with a spiritual or religious twist.

ECB coverWhat’s the second book about?

Eternal Curse: Battleground is the ultimate story of the one. My hero knows who and what he is and now it’s time to see him in action and all his glory. There’s a lot more action and adventure, which also comes with a great deal of pain and loss; but love, blood, and ash are all part of my hero’s cycle of life.

SeriesWhat’s the series about?

The series is a ‘what if ‘of Biblical proportions and is played out in modern and futuristic times. Told more as a work of general fiction instead of fantasy, the characters feel real and reflect reality in with their actions, relationships, and mundane daily activities, but when the moon rises the gates of Heaven and Hell open and the battle for Earth takes place. My character Giovanni just happens to be the lucky one at the center of it all.

What do you mean a spiritual or religious twist?

Stories of angels and demons and everything in between aren’t new, but tales of what if, on the Bible level that don’t bash religious doctrine, are quite rare. Take the tales of King Author for instance. My characters may not be in search of the Holy Gail, but they knights of a different caliber in search of a balance and peace on earth. There’s nothing scriptural about my books, but if I’m going to write an epic battle between Heaven, Earth, and Hell, I’m going to include God and the Devil.

What kind of response has your book/series been getting?

Most people have told me that the book is surprising. Most people aren’t sure what to make of the book just on the surface, but once they’ve read it, they say they get it. Everyone seems to walk away from this story with a different impact. Some readers are impressed with the refreshing spin on romance the books take. Some readers are intrigued by the alterations of religious ideas and the intermingling of fantasy and science fiction. Most readers, however, find that while there are subtle influences of other genres and classic stories, this series is simply not the norm and worth experiencing for that reason alone.

So, what do you think of my answers: good, bad, other?
Can you think of other questions I should be ready to answer?
Any of you have a public appearance coming up? What are you doing to prepare?

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Eva Solar,
 Melanie Schulz,
 Lisa-Buie Collard, and
 Stephen Tremp!

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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 #115).

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