Jennifer Lane Books Blog

Let's support each other during the August group meeting, hosted by  Alex Cavanaugh . Thank you to this month's co-hosts:  Renee Scattergood,   Sadira Stone, Jacqui Murray,   Tamara Narayan, and  LG Keltner! Today's question: Has your writing ever taken you by surprise? Some of my best writing moments have been surprises! I had no clue how to write when I started my first story,  Bad Blood into Good  (awful title). The climax involved my hero eating poisoned food, turning his skin blue. When I returned his skin to a healthy color upon healing, one of my readers observed how this plot element exactly echoed my title. How fun when something unexpected like that happens. Credit: Irina Kukuts from Pixabay I love when writing takes a surprising direction, turning out better than we planned. I suppose we also face some nasty surprises as writers. Here's an article for insecure writers: How to Stop Self-Doubt From Holding You Back   T...

Happy August , writers! Join the Insecure Writer's Support Group at Alex Cavanaugh's blog . Thank you to this month's courageous co-hosts: Erika Beebe,   Sandra Hoover,   Susan Gourley,  and  Lee Lowery! I love this month's question: What pitfalls would you warn other writers to avoid on their publication journey? I've faced publication pitfalls galore so I hope that sharing them will help newbie authors avoid them. Here are beliefs that put the pain in publishing: 1) "I've got this writing thing." I thought my debut novel was well-written. It wasn't. WRITING IS A CRAFT. It takes years of developing the craft even to knock on the door of good writing. I feel more confident in my day job after over twenty years of experience, so why did I think I was competent at writing after only a few fledgling years of fan fiction? Fortunately I had the opportunity to re-edit my debut novel seven years later, so at least now I can read it withou...

Welcome to May's Insecure Writer's Support Group hosted by Alex Cavanaugh . It's a great place to vent fears and encourage each other. Make sure to visit May's Co-Hosts: JQ Rose , C. Lee McKenzie , Raimey Gallant , & E.M.A Timar ! May's Question: I t's spring! Does this season inspire you to write more than others, or not? Thank goodness spring has sprung. These cold, cloudy days have been major downers. The longer daylight in spring often motivates many aspects of my life, including writing.  I'm also inspired by different types of artists. Is anyone watching American Idol ? I'm amazed by how much I enjoy the new season. Besides writing, creative pursuits like singing, cooking (in Chopped ), and fashion design (in Project Runway ) enthrall me. Here's a post  that might interest you: Seven Ways to Build Your Writing Confidence. Happy writing!

Happy spring, writers! Join us as we vent and cheer at the monthly Insecure Writers Support Group, hosted by Alex J Cavanaugh . Thank you to this month's co-hosts: Olga Godim Chemist Ken Renee Scattergood Tamara Narayan IWSG Day Question:  When your writing life is a bit cloudy or filled with rain, what do you do to dig down and keep on writing? This is a timely question for me because it feels like fog has rolled into my writing life. I haven't written since December of 2017. I'm not upset about it--I just don't have ideas for new stories whispering in my ear. So I'm not digging down deep for now, but that's okay with me. Instead of writing, I've enjoyed hanging with my friends and family on the weekends. I visited one sister (along with my 4-month-old niece) in South Carolina in March, and I'll visit my other sister (and three nephews) in Chicago in April.  I also found time to assemble Pinterest recipes for Easter, eac...

Happy December to all Writers! Join us for the Insecure Writers Support Group, developed by Alex Cavanaugh and maintained by lovely writers everywhere. Visit today's co-hosts: Co-Hosts:  Julie Flanders, Shannon Lawrence,   Fundy Blue,   Heather Gardner! IWSG Question:  As you look back on 2017, with all its successes and failures, if you could backtrack, what would you do differently? After just getting weighed at the doctor's *gulps*, I would have set up the standing desk I bought. Amazon delivered it months ago and it sits still neatly packed in its box while I sit my life away as a therapist and author. One hour of exercise doesn't counteract fifteen of sitting. Sitting is the new smoking, they say, *coughs* How's your writing? I'm in the exciting phase of writing: preparing for publication! My editor is polishing and my book designer is creating a cover for the launch of  TWIN SACRIFICE . Inspired by a dream, I started this novel in 200...

Crap, where did June and July go? It's time for the August edition of Insecure Writers Support Group where we share our fears and successes. Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh and this month's co-hosts! Co-Hosts: Christine Rains Dolarah @ Book Lover Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor Yvonne Ventresca LG Keltner IWSG Question: What are your pet peeves when reading / writing / editing? After working with professional editors for seven novels, I've become a stickler for grammar and spelling. One word I see consistently misspelled (even in traditionally published novels) is BLOND. My editor taught me that the only time to use the spelling BLONDE is describing a female as a noun.  The sassy blonde approached me. When using blond as an adjective (or as a noun for a blond man), THERE IS NO E!!! The sassy, blond woman approached me. I fell for the blond dude in a heartbeat. Holy Leo DeCaprio, he's hot! I fell for that blond in a heartbeat. ...

Welcome to October's Insecure Writer's Support Group, hosted by Alex Cavanaugh. Join us HERE .  This month's question: When do you know your story is ready? My answer is simple: WHEN MY EDITOR FINISHES!  I've worked with the same bomdiggity editor --Jessica Royer Ocken-- for all seven of my novels, and I absolutely trust her ability to polish the manuscript. Then my amazing book designer, Coreen Montagna, swoops in to make it pretty.  I'm lucky I met Jessica and Coreen, along with my astute critique partner, Nicki Elson, through my publisher. Now that I self-publish, I feel so grateful for the team that readies my story for publication. I manage to publish one book a year, and 2016's book launch (Spiked) happened October 1st. Once your story is ready to be published, how do you market your novel? I'll share a couple of strategies I've tried. Facebook Party. My zesty marketing assistant Mitsy Princell convinced me to host...

Welcome to November's Insecure Writers Support Group , where we share insecurities and bolster confidence. Join us at Alex Cavanaugh's blog HERE . How goes the writing battle? My struggle recently has been my impatience. I have a new release ACED (Blocked #2) on 12-2-15. I wanted to get the ARC out to readers earlier, but life doesn't always cooperate. Fortunately my awesome editor and book designer kicked into overdrive and the ARC is now ready. (Contact me if you're interested in a copy!) And we were able to get an excerpt from the third book in the series (SPIKED) at the end, happily. Some things were out of my control but I tried to communicate as best I could to resolve misunderstandings that delayed the process, and that seemed to help. What helps you deal with the waiting game?

It's July already and the rain won't stop in Ohio, waah . How can I train for swimming in a triathlon relay when thunder closes my outdoor pool? Time for July's Insecure Writer's Support Group, the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh. Join us HERE . Last week I delivered a presentation to swim campers about ways to build their confidence. I mentioned the technique "fake it till you make it". In other words, if you don't feel confident, sometimes acting confident on the outside can boost confidence on the inside. Head up, shoulders back, add a smile or serene facial expression, and you're good to go. Then I heard about a TED talk by social psychologist Amy Cuddy that takes confident body language a step further. According to Dr. Cuddy, our nonverbals affect how others see us. But can nonverbals affect how we see ourselves? Since I know you're busy and may not have time to watch the 21 minute video (it's worth it if you do have the t...

Thanks to author ninja Alex Cavanaugh   for his brainchild: I want to hear your experiences with writing series. Love 'em? Hate 'em? I have written one stand-alone New Adult sports romance and one romantic suspense trilogy. I'm considering turning my upcoming NA volleyball romance Blocked into a series. So I have some writerly questions for you, in my deliberations. Feel free to answer none, one, or more! 1. Do you prefer to read stand-alone novels or series? Why? 2. Have you ever written a series (or plan to write one)? If so, when in the process did you realize you wanted to write a series? 3. If you like series, do you prefer the same characters as protagonists or new main characters featuring "spin-offs" in subsequent novels? 4. How do you decide to write a stand-alone or a series? 5. How many books are ideal for a series? When does a series get too long for you? THANK YOU! Write on, my friends.

Happy Insecure Writers Support Group, hosted by author Alex J Cavanaugh ! "The mind of a writer can be a truly terrifying thing. Isolated, neurotic, caffeine-addled, crippled by procrastination, consumed by feelings of panic, self-loathing, and soul-crushing inadequacy. And that’s on a good day.” ~Robert DeNiro at The Oscars I think that's the new IWSG rally cry, ha ha. How's your writing coming along? I'm plodding through my WIP Blocked , though I just sent the hero and heroine to therapy so it should be smooth sailing now! My awesome critique partner Nicki Elson has been oh so helpful, and she's also hosting a fun blog tour next week: The Grown-Ass Man Tour . Are you a fan of a grown-ass man? We'll give away a $50 Kindle gift card and post about the adult men we love to write. YA and NA boys are nice, but this tour is about MEN. Grown-ass men. My post will be " Grown-Ass Men Have Feelings Too ", celebrating beta hero Grant Madsen ...

Inspiration in Strange Places Hey, fellow writers! *waves*  My main insecurity this month is my book sales. Two words: They suck. ;-)  Hope you published authors out there are doing better! But I am enjoying writing my current work-in-progress: a New Adult volleyball romance titled Blocked .  I have fun finding inspiration in strange places, like my volleyball board on Pinterest. I'm proud that I worked this quote into my novel: Where do you find random inspiration? I'm not sure if any IWSGers will attend the New Adult Sleepover Weekend December 6-8 in Savannah, Georgia, but I WILL BE THERE! I'm super stoked to party with authors and readers.

I came across a great TED talk by social worker Brene Brown on the power of vulnerability. Courage is showing others who we are with our whole heart. The only way to connect with others is by showing them our vulnerabilities. Since the above talk is 20 minutes and I know we're all busy hopping blogs for the Insecure Writers Support Group, here is a 5 minute presentation by Dr. Brown about the joys of imperfection. Power of vulnerability? Joys of imperfection? Wha? I'm here today to share with you some of my vulnerabilities, including insecurity and impatience. That's what happens in support groups, right? ;-) In an earlier IWSG post I mentioned that my book sales had improved once my publisher lowered my ebook prices to $2.99. Unfortunately sales have slowed since then. Like, real slooow. Has anyone else noticed sales dipping? While it's incredible to witness some books killing it (especially  Wallbanger  by Alice Clayton--released from my small pu...