Wednesday, September 04, 2019

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group and Upcoming Events

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

Today, Sept. 4th, is the last day to enter the IWSG anthology contest – don’t miss it. Details here - Annual Anthology Contest.

Today’s question:
If you could pick one place in the world to sit and write your next story, where would it be and why?

I have two locations I would pick.

First would be on the banks of Loch Ness. We visited there in 1999 and the place really does have a mystical feel to it.


Second would be the House on the Rock in Wisconsin. I visited it solo in 1987 and was simply mesmerized by this unique attraction, especially the world’s largest carousel.

Considering my on-again/off-again project is paranormal, I think either location would be perfect.

What’s your ideal location?


* * *


This past month or so, Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. signed contracts for two more books. And potentially another one this week! So very busy right now.

I have two events this month. Both were cancelled last year due to Hurricane Florence, so hopefully Hurricane Dorian doesn’t do the same to them this year.

Sept. 14 - Book ‘Em NC
9:30 – 4 pm, Robeson Community College, Lumberton, NC
Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. will have a booth there, selling print and audio books, plus some original art prints and stickers.
DLP author Sherry Ellis will also be there, and I’m excited to meet her in person.

Sept. 19-21 Hampton Roads Writers Conference
September 19 - 21, 2019
Holiday Inn, Virginia Beach - Norfolk Hotel & Conference Center, Virginia Beach VA
I’m doing two talks, one on book publishing and the other on book marketing, and Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. will be taking pitches from writers all weekend.

If you live in the area, I hope to see you there!



And if I am slow to comment or offline for a bit, my cousin was severely burned in a forest fire Sunday night (he's a volunteer firefighter) and is in the burn unit in Seattle. Between that and a ton of work to do, everything else is taking a back seat right now. Plus a hurricane is headed our direction.

64 comments:

Pat Garcia said...

Hi,
I've been to both places you mentioned. I loved Loch Ness.
In Wisconsin, I was uncomfortable with the cold, but have to say it is a beautiful state and i love the wildlife. A deer came right up to my bedroom window and I thought that was cool.
All the best with your busy schedule.

Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

Karen Baldwin said...

Praying for your cousin. Very tragic. Loch Ness looks like it would inspire me to write something spooky. I love when places do that. And are you the blonde in the photo?

The Cynical Sailor said...

Loch Ness would provide all sorts of writerly inspiration - great choice! Do you have blonde hair in that picture?

Cheers -Ellen

Jennifer Hawes said...

I was born in Wisconsin. Funny you should mention that crazy House on a Rock place! It's the wierdest place in the world. But so intriguing. Nothing like it on earth.

nashvillecats2 said...

Been to Loch Ness. lovely place Diane.

Yvonne.

Chemist Ken said...

Loch Ness would be great! I was there once, many years ago. Great landscape. And congratulations on the new acquisitions by Dancing Lemur Press. I was at Virginia Beach a few weeks ago. If I was there in a couple of weeks, I'd have stopped by and said hello.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Loch Ness sounds great.
Cool you'll be meeting Sherry!

Jemi Fraser said...

Be safe! And sending good vibes to your cousin. Hope he heals well.
I'd love to visit Loch Ness - I used to have a few Nessie toys/decorations when I was a kid!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Pat, that's amazing. I've never met anyone else who has seen the House on the Rock.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Yes, I bleached my hair for many years before letting it go back to red.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Bleach blonde! Did that for 17 years.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

You're now only the second person I've ever met who has visited it. I so want to go back.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I still have my stuffed Nessie from our visit.

Tamara Narayan said...

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear about your cousin. I hope he recovers well.

I'd love to see Loch Ness and carousels are kind of creepy, at least the old ones. We have one (Dentzel Menagerie Carousel) that's over a 100 years old near our house. It's been restored. The kids loved to ride in when they were younger.

Doreen McGettigan said...

I am so sorry about your cousin. I will pray for his recovery.
I've always wanted to attend both of those events. I'm in Philadelphia so it wouldn't be to difficult to get there. Definitely going to look into it for 2020. Congratulations on the contracts and best wishes for many more.

H. R. Sinclair said...

I hope you cousin recovers and doesn't suffer long term. Burns are very scary.
--
The carousel is amazing. I want to see that! The unusual and the peaceful are the things that tickle my creativity.

Nicki Elson said...

Both places sound magical in their own ways.

I just sent up a prayer for your cousin and will keep them coming - for him and for all of you who love him. Same goes for Dorian to pick a new path away from land. Stay safe!

emaginette said...

Your writing places are truly inspiring. I can feel them from here. :-)

Anna from elements of emaginette

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Diane - I've never been Loch Ness ... but rather fancy seeing your House on the Roc - sounds intriguing. I too hope your cousin pulls through - burns are so challenging ... all the best as you do what you need to - cheers Hilary

Chrys Fey said...

I hope you enjoy meeting Sherry. :) I don't think Dorian will impact those events, but as we've been saying to each other...you just never know.

Sandra Cox said...

Waving hands wildly. We used to live in WI and I've been to House on the Rock. My forty year old daughter was two at the time. Isn't it the most amazing place ever? And that carousel...it would fit right into a fairytale.

Sandra Cox said...

I am sooo sorry to hear about your cousin. Hope he heals quickly.
Keep me posted on how things go in your area with Dorian.
Hugs

Michelle Wallace said...

So sorry to hear about your cousin Diane. Hope you're not in Dorian's pathway... stay safe.
My ideal location is right on my doorstep... literally.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

Sorry to hear about your cousin. That's awful. Hopefully Dorian tuckers out before it hits NC.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Thank you Nicki. He has a very long recovery ahead.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

That's three of you now! Craig just doesn't get why I want to go back so bad.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Stay safe during the hurricane. So sorry about your cousin. I hope you enjoy the conferences too.

Judy Ann Davis said...

Prayers and well wishes to your cousin. My husband used to be a volunteer fireman for many years, and I used to get nervous every time he went out. Dorian just rained hard on our winter condo in New Smyrna Beach, thank goodness. Have a great day.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Prayers for your cousin! I hope he heals well and quickly.
I'm so glad you've signed new authors and Dancing Lemur Press is rocking the publishing world! Way to go!
And, your writing places ... ah yes. I've been to Loch Ness (2000) and it is a magical place.

Erika Beebe said...

Sending prayers for you and your cousin. Loch Ness would be fantastic.

J E Oneil said...

I definitely want to see the world's largest carousel, but I don't know if it would be a good place to write.

I hope your cousin gets well soon. I'm sorry he was hurt.

Tonja Drecker said...

My prayers and thoughts are with your cousin.

That carousel is amazing! But the lighting might make it difficult to write. To dream, definitely.

Sarah Foster said...

I'm so sorry about your cousin. Hopefully he heals quickly.
I would love to see that carousel in person!

Loni Townsend said...

I'm so sorry to hear about your cousin. I hope he pulls through and heals up quickly and fully.

Those look like pretty great locations to visit. Lots of inspiration there!

Pat Hatt said...

Hopefully your cousin heals quickly. Loch Ness would be a great place to go indeed. Meeting Sherry should be fun.

cleemckenzie said...

I think you have an abundance of reasons to shut down on book business for a while. I'm so sorry about your cousin. In our mountain area, we treasure our firefighters and support them as much as we can. They are life-savers and they put themselves into such danger.

Here's to Loch Ness. I've never spotted Nessie, but I'm sure she's there. That alone makes it a perfect writing spot.

Lynn J Simpson said...

Sorry to read about your cousin, Diane! Being there for family takes precedence over all things, I'd say! And hope the hurricane does not bring overwhelming damage to your area. That place in Wisconsin does sound so interesting! The world's largest carousal in Wisconsin. ha World wonders are in places I often hadn't considered visiting until I hear about them!

Juneta key said...

I'd like to see Lock Ness. I'm so sorry about your cousin. Sending prayers.

Liz A. said...

Best wishes to your cousin. Burns are no joke.

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

You are a busy young lady, Diane. Take it easy. Praying for your cousin's complete recovery. Praying the hurricane slows down or goes out to sea or whatever. My oldest son and wife live in Charleston. Take care.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Prayers for your cousin. Forest fires are so dangerous. Hope the hurricane doesn't wreck your plans.

kimlajevardi.com said...

Both locations sound cool. My ideal location isn't practical to get stuff done, so I blogged about my home office. Boring, but distraction free.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Yikes, you are busy. Prayers for you, your cousin, and your safety from the hurricane.

Damyanti Biswas said...

Stay safe, Diane.

Prayers for your cousin--and also, all good wishes for your events.

Take care.

Anonymous said...

Hope you're safe. My folks evacuated to Alabama to let Dorian pass.

I have been to both of your writing choices and they are amazing and inspiring! All of Scotland is mystical magical. And the House on the Rock is simply indescrible unless you've been there.

Anonymous said...

I read, "back of Loch Ness" haha Now that would be a sight to behold. I love your two choices. Such inspiring places to write.

My prayers go out to your cousin and his family and your family.

Elsie

Olga Godim said...

As all my recent projects have been sci-fi, I think I'd like to write on a space station. Rent a small office there for a while. See how they grow their vegetables. Meet the aliens. Watch the stars.
I wish your cousin a speedy recovery.

Gwen Gardner said...

I agree about Loch Ness. It's very mystic. Although I spent the whole time looking for Nessie. The closest I came was a gold Nessie charm that I bought for my daughter. Sorry about your cousin! Stay safe!

Nick Wilford said...

Sorry to hear that about your cousin. He sounds like a hero. I love Loch Ness, and yep, would be a great place to write. You can go Nessie hunting in down times from writing - she's been back on the news just now, now they're saying it might be a giant eel?! I love that the mystery never ends!

Denise Covey said...

Sorry to hear about your cousin, L Diane. Hope he's rapidly improving. Loch Ness. Great idea if you're writing a mystery or something gloomy set in the mists of Scotland.

Fundy Blue said...

I hope that your cousin is healing and that the doctors are providing him with adequate pain medication. Volunteer firemen are definitely heroes! I would love to see Loch Ness. It speaks to my Scottish soul. Good luck with your book events this month. This hurricane is beyond belief! I understand that it has made landfall at Cape Hatteras and moved into the Atlantic. Hopefully you came through safely! Take Care!

Julie Flanders said...

Oh my gosh I'm sorry to hear about your cousin. I hope his recovery will go as smoothly as possible.
I have never heard of that House in Wisconsin. Now have to look it up!

dolorah said...

Oh no, sorry about your cousin. I hope he is ok.

Wow, those are both beautiful and inspiring places to write. Good luck with the conferences!

Mark Koopmans said...

Sending the very best wishes to your cousin... I hope he is progressing and getting better. He's a brave man - especially as he's a volunteer...

SpacerGuy said...

I'm partial to Valencia, Spain. The city is known for arts and science not to mention museums and futuristic buildings. I'd like to explore that side of the world with all the adventure it entails.

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Ooh, Loch Ness . . . that would be cool. I guess if I had to say an actual landmark or place, Rome with all the history and architectural design would probably be it.

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Forgot to say how excited I am for Sherry!

Michael Di Gesu said...

Scotland has always been a place I wanted to experience. I hope to get there within the next couple of years.

I hope your cousin is doing better. He's in my prayers....

Sandra Cox said...

Hope you and Sherry have fun and get lots of sales.
How's your cousin?

Sandra Cox said...

We'd never heard of it. We were just out driving around, saw it and decided to check it out. It was unbelievable.

Susan Kane said...

I would be in Ireland, with a peat fire and brown bread. It is enriching.

Ella said...

Hi Diane,
I love your writing locations-how wonderful! So,fun you and Sherry get to meet..I mean met. Prayers for your cousin! Please, keep us posted about his recovery.

J.H. Moncrieff said...

So sorry to hear about your cousin, Diane. That's horrible. I hope he's okay.

Did it go okay with the hurricane?

I'm glad you mentioned Loch Ness! I'm FINALLY planning to visit next spring, and I can't wait.

Sandra Cox said...

Congrats on the two contracts:)