The Insecure Writers Support Group and Surgery

It’s time for another edition of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, founded by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh.

The question for today: Is there a story or book you've written you want to/wish you could go back and change?

I’d love to re-edit and condense my five-book series, The Circle of Friends. And reclassify them as New Adult/Adult Romance. They began as YA – first one begins when the main character is a senior in high school – but as the series moves on, the characters move into adult territory. I have done some minor editing, but I’d love to do a total big edit some time. I still have a lot of fans for this series, so hopefully the edits would attract more fans and not offend my current ones.

My two non-fiction books and my In Darkness series? Not at the moment – they are some of the best things I’ve ever written! (And big hugs to my friend Tisha – I gave her a copy of In Darkness for Christmas and she is LOVING the stories.)

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In other news – I had carpal tunnel surgery in January. (One reason you haven’t seen me around much.) My first surgery and stitches. Ever! (I have always majored in the minor injuries although there have been a couple times I probably should’ve gotten stitches in my foot.)

It was a weird experience. First day, my whole arm was numb ALL DAY. (At one point, I felt something next to me and realized my arm had rolled off my lap. I just stared at it and though, “That’s not my arm!”) A few days later the main bandages came off. Yes, that will be a lovely scar. Then the stitches came out and it was a new set of paranoia as I worried I would tear open the cut. (They put butterfly bandages on it and tell you they can come off in 4 days. HA! They FELL off the next morning. Thank goodness we had some butterfly bandages on hand.) Still healing and I can’t put any pressure on the palm for at least another week.

This has led me to a new appreciation for what we need both hands (and our dominate hand) for: opening plastic baggies, cutting with scissors, combing hair, driving, showering, getting dressed, etc. My husband has done a great job of taking care of me (he won’t let me scoop the litterbox – darn!) and I am slowly getting back to normal.

What stories would you edit? Anyone else ever undergo carpal tunnel surgery?

Added bonus – we saw the Space-X launch from Florida last night on our way to Spanish class! We didn’t know what it was at first, so it was a little weird. Kinda cool – I’ve never seen a rocket launch before.

The Insecure Writers Support Group

It’s time for another edition of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, founded by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh.

The question for today: Describe someone you admired when you were a child. Did your opinion of that person change when you grew up?

If we are referring to authors, then there is an author I admired when younger but not so much now. Still a great writer, but as I matured, I realized our values didn’t line up. There were elements in the books that I’d missed when young and naïve that I prefer not to read about now. Sad, but there are other great authors that I can still enjoy.

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Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. You may have seen this on Facebook, but we were trying to go light with the gifts this year. As you can see from the carnage, we failed. (Several gifts are behind the coffee table, some out in the kitchen, and several big items out of sight, so it’s worse than it looks. And there are only two of us.)
The cats had a great Christmas—that toy in the photo held their interest for hours. Both of them! Needless to say, they slept well that afternoon.


Was there someone you admired? Has your opinion of them changed? How was your Christmas?

Insecure Writers Support Group and Anne McCaffrey Audio

It’s time for another edition of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, founded by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh.

The question for today: Do you write cliffhangers at the end of your stories? Are they a turn-off to you as a writer and/or a reader?

I hate cliffhangers and would never write one. All of my stories end with a definite conclusion.

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I have eight Anne McCaffrey books on cassette – if anyone is interested, let me know, $20.00 for the set.

How do you feel about cliffhangers? Fan of Anne McCaffrey?

The Insecure Writer's Support Group and Creativity

It’s time for another edition of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, founded by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh.

The question for today: What creative activity do you engage in when you're not writing?

It used to be photography. I’ve been a professional photographer since my mid-twenties. I still enjoy taking photos but don’t do it professionally or seriously anymore. (Although it takes every ounce of control to keep from grabbing cell phones at concerts and turning them horizontal. People, what is the ratio of your TV? Record video the same way!)

Now, my creativity is in cooking. And growing my garden. And fermenting and drying! Anything to keep us from eating processed foods. I bake our bread. I cook our beans. I grow sprouts. And herbs. Currently growing winter lettuce. I also make our tea with organic products, including mint I grow myself. Plus I do food boards. My one for our Friday night game night was so much fun.

Another passion is Spanish! I am learning to speak Latino Spanish from a wonderful couple at our church. It’s a once a week meet and we have so much fun. ¿Dónde está el baño? – the most useful sentence you will ever learn. (Where is the bathroom?)

So, with all of that, I am engaged in a lot of creative things!

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Bubba and Squirt’s Mayan Adventure by Sherry Ellis
Now on audio!
Purchase the audio book on:
Audible / Amazon

What creative things do you do?

If you live anywhere near Lumberton, NC, we are having a massive author event at the mall there!