#IWSG: What's Hiding Under the Back Seat?

The first Wednesday of the month has rolled around again. That means it's time to post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group event. If you want to join, go HERE. Everyone is welcome!

Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh and his co-hosts this month: The awesome co-hosts for the October 3 posting of the IWSG are Dolorah @ Book Lover,Christopher D. Votey, Tanya Miranda, and Chemist Ken! 

This month's optional question is: How do major life events affect your writing? Has writing ever helped you through something?

This is a timely question! We've done some restructuring at the day job and now my duties have been increased. Stress levels have increased. I've been promised some help, but probably not until the first of the year. A raise is somewhere in the offing too. For now, 10 - 11 hour days are the new normal. 

Writing time? Not likely, except on weekends, if I can manage it. 

Still, I'm grateful for my job and will do the best I can. But writing will take a back seat--or more likely, will be hiding under the back seat until I go looking for it and drag it into the light of day. Heh. There's a story in there somewhere... 

What do major life events do to/for your writing?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Untethered Realms have put all of our accumulated short stories together in an anthology--just released! If you like speculative fiction, this anthology has everything from ghosts, witches and sprites, to otherworldly creatures and dystopian worlds. 

Elements of Untethered Realms

First Impressions and a Revealing Day

 

 

 

Despite the old saying to the contrary, everyone knows you really CAN judge a book by its cover.

I'm nearly always attracted by a cover first. Of course I have to like the blurb about the content, but the cover is the first impression.

 

AND,

 

I am very impressed with these two covers!

 

Check them out...

 

 

 

 

 

Coming soon! From Amazon bestselling and popular science fiction and fantasy authors comes Mayhem in the Air, a supernatural anthology of ten thrilling tales. Meet hot robots, hungry winds and the goddess of chaos. Explore alien planets, purgatorial realms, and a shocking place where people bury the living with their dead.

 

Mayhem in the Air is the second, long-awaited story collection from the dynamic and inventive Untethered Realms group.

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Tremp writes speculative fiction and his fourth novel, Salem’s Daughters, is a supernatural thriller. A four hundred year old evil is unleashed when souls of the daughters of those killed during the Salem Witch Trials find a new generation of people to murder at a popular modern-day bed and breakfast.

 

For a full synopsis and to pre-order a copy of Salem’s Daughters for $2.99 (price goes up to $4.99 soon after release) Click Here

.

 Are you ready for some Mayhem?

 

How about a little witchy business, hmmm?

 

Twisted Earths

Coming October 2014!

 

 

 

 

The Untethered Realms speculative fiction authors are releasing an anthology of short stories! We're very excited about it and can't wait to show it to the world. But that will have to wait until October 1st.

It has been a great experience working with these authors. You'd think it would be hard to corral nine authors and give them deadlines and guidelines for writing, editing, proofing, etc. But we did it and it's been a wonderful experience. These authors are pros and I'm excited to be a part of their group.

Here's a little about each of the authors and their stories:

M. Pax, author of the series, The Backworlds and The Rifters spins a tale called Patchworker 2.0. Specialists with digital interfaces are the only ones who can distinguish between biological energy and mechanical pulses, and “patch” AIs, which hold the world together. Patchworker Evalyn Shore meets up with an AI with deadly intent.

Cherie Reich, known for her epic fantasy series The Fate Challenges and The Foxwick Chronicles, presents Lady Death. Umbria, a beautiful and powerful swordsmith, is given an impossible task by her brother Leon when he asks, “You are the assassin. Are you scared to destroy Death when you are up to your elbows in it?”

Angela Brown is the author of the paranormal Shadow Jumpers and NEO Chronicles series. In her story, In The Know, Jacob, a loyal family man is struggling to stay out of debt when he’s hired to report on big plans for a future Detroit. He’s given a mysterious manila envelope with instructions to “open it alone” or pay the price. With switchback twists you won’t see coming, a debt of a much steeper cost is what he just might end up paying for his involvement.

Catherine Stine, author of the futuristic thrillers, Fireseed One and Ruby’s Fire, offers The Day of The Flying Dogs, a sinister tale of brilliant, troubled NYC high-school student, Theo. He experiences a day at Coney Island that includes drugs, delusions, a lonely capybara, Nathan’s hotdogs and a mind-bending lesson in our very twisted universe.

Christine Rains, known best for her paranormal series The Thirteenth Floor, gives us The Ole Saint, a story at once sweet, horrific and heartrending. Ezra longs to fit in and have boys stop calling him witch and freak, yet his unique supernatural skill sets him apart, and the last gift from The Ole Saint cinches the deal.

Graeme Ing, known for his young adult fantasy, Ocean of Dust presents The Malachite Mine, a gripping, scream-inducing ride. Whatever was Mary thinking when she accepted her husband’s gift of a most terrifying twenty-first birthday celebration in an abandoned Russian mine?

River Fairchild, author of the Jewels of Chandra series, presents A Grand Purpose. Rosaya and her cousin, Drianna are soon to be married off, but Rosaya is unhappy with her assigned match. She’s much more intoxicated by the older Firrandor, a wizard she hardly knows. When Rosaya is accused of killing an oracle boy, all bets are off, not only for her love, but her freedom.

Gwen Gardner, who pens the Indigo Eady "Cozy" Paranormal Mystery Series, adds to her collection with Ghostly Guardian. Indigo and her rib-tickling ghost-busters must travel to a dangerous pirate-laden past in order to unearth a curmudgeonly eighteenth century spirit that is plaguing the Blind Badger Pub.

Misha Gerrick, whose War of Six Crowns series is forthcoming, gives us a story called Red Earth and White Light. Emily, a young ghost bride has long haunted a house. She longs to cross over into the afterlife, but she’s trapped in memories of lilies and betrayal.

Have you been part of an anthology?
How did it go?