Wednesday, November 06, 2019

The Insecure Writer's Support Group and Music Boxes on Audio

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

Today’s question:
What's the strangest thing you've ever googled in researching a story?

I really can’t think of anything strange. I’ve had to research several sports and locations. I researched a ton of items for my two non-fiction books.

Probably what other people would think was a strange thing for me to research was pregnancy and childbirth. (I actually sat down with a friend rather than Googling it.) But I’ve never been through it and I needed to know for my five book series.


Here are the prompts for November’s IWSG Instagram:


* * *

Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. has a new audio book available:

Music Boxes
Narrated by Nance Weber

A Barnes & Noble “5 Spooky New Middle Grade Books for Campfire Chills!”


“I only desire your talent...”

Twelve-year-old Lindsey McKay's biggest dream is to be a famous ballerina. But after moving to New York, she ends up at the Community Center with a teacher who’s a burly bear in tights.

When she meets Madame Destinée, the teacher of a top dance school who offers her classes for free, Lindsey can't believe her luck. In exchange, she must perform in the school’s exclusive midnight shows, ones sure to make her a star. But something’s not right...

One by one, the other dancers disappear. Each time they do, a music box with a figurine just like the missing ballerina joins Madame Destinée’s growing collection. If Lindsey doesn’t discover the truth about the dance school, she might end up a tiny figurine herself.

Find the audio book on Audible / iTunes / Amazon

Find the print and eBook on Barnes & Noble / iTunes / Amazon /Kobo / Books-A-Million / Goodreads



Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. also has a now monthly newsletter! Sign up at the bottom right corner of the home page for special updates, industry news, and tips every month from our authors. (This month was gifts for writers and readers.) Plus be the first to hear about special sales such as Small Business Saturday and our Christmas Special.


What is the strangest thing you’ve ever Googled?

66 comments:

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

That "Music Boxes" cover is great!

I'm always Googling murder techniques and motives and poisons. I likely have an FBI file. :)

nashvillecats2 said...

Great post Diane and a great "Music Boxes" cover.

Yvonne.

Nick Wilford said...

Such a beautiful cover. A lot of research would be involved in pregnancy and childbirth. In my WIP, all the babies are grown in test tubes, so I circumvented the gorier details!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Congratulations to Tonja!

Tamara Narayan said...

Congrats to Tonja on the new audiobook!

The scariest part of pregnancy and childbirth? Maybe that those two experiences are not the hardest part of being a parent.

Bish Denham said...

I don't think I've googled anything really strange, but I have done some interesting research on things like chocolate and Tibet.

Congratulations to Tonja!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Oooo, fun!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

LOL!

T. Powell Coltrin said...

I'm always googling strange things then feel like I'm doing something wrong.

Teresa

Sadira Stone said...

My online search history has probably earned me an FBI file. I promise, I've only ever murdered on paper! Happy writing in November.

Carrie-Anne said...

Congratulations to Tonja!

Probably the oddest thing I've ever researched is if a person has ever lost all five senses, and how such a person would live and communicate.

Chrys Fey said...

I had to research pregnancy and childbirth while writing Frozen Crimes. :) Odd one for me to research, too. lol

Big congrats to Tonja!

Bernadette said...

Congrats to Tonja on the new book.

I used to research pregnancy and infant care when writing for a diaper brand. The worst part was being the target of ads for maternity dresses and all the other paraphernalia.

Nicki Elson said...

I had two babies over 20 years ago but STILL had to do research for a pregnant character and infant because I've forgotten so much...maybe intentionally, ha.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

One thing about pregnancy- I did four times and every single one was something different. Given that, no one could ever say you're wrong.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Awesome that Music Boxes is in audio version. I will keep checking to see if I can get it through my library.

Rachna Chhabria said...

Music boxes sounds lovely. Like the books you are bringing out.

Anonymous said...

You have the perfect search history to actually BE a serial killer!

Congrats on the audio release of Music Boxes.

David Powers King said...

Awesome cover! That doesn't sound like an entirely strange topic, but I can imagine the search results would reveal some curious answers. :)

Carol Kilgore said...

My search history is varied. I always get a little antsy when I'm looking up explosives or guns right before or after I've been at a law enforcement or government agency site. Congrats to Tonja!

Jemi Fraser said...

Congrats to Tonja & DLP on the new audio - fun!!
I did a few interesting searches when I was playing around with steampunk :)

Tyrean Martinson said...

Congrats on the new audio book!
I have researched some interesting things, but I spent a bit of time reading through my mom's nursing books as a kid so I guess, even now, I don't think of looking up stuff about that kind of thing - when I see everyone else's "strange" research, I think ...hmm. I guess no one else's mom sat down and told them about rigor mortis when they were little kids. In my mom's defense, she wasn't trying to be creepy - I had seen two dead bodies by the time I hit seven, so she was trying to explain things to me calmly so I had a better understanding of death in a scientific fashion.
And no, my childhood was not as traumatic as all that sounds ... erg. At least, I don't think so. I just happened to have older grandparents and I happened to be there when they died or I was taken to some of the funeral home proceedings (I was an only child so I went everywhere with my parents).

Loni Townsend said...

Woot on the audiobook! That's awesome (and how I primarily consume stories).

Astrid said...

Researching pregnancy and childbirth sounds interesting to me. I’ve never been through it either, so I can relate in that sense.

J E Oneil said...

I don't know if I've googled anything weird. Gross, yes, but not what I'd call weird.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

That is really odd. Did you find anything?

L. Diane Wolfe said...

You know where I'm coming from.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

LOL - good to know!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Please do, and request it.

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Congratulations on the new audio book. They're so neat.

Michelle Wallace said...

Tonja's cover art is lovely and it sounds like a great read!

Liz A. said...

Childbirth would not be something I'd have to google. I've never done it, but my mother was a labor and delivery nurse for 40+ years. It's nice to have sources.

emaginette said...

The Music Box looks great. Happy Release!

Anna from elements of emaginette

Olga Godim said...

That Music Boxes audio book sounds like fun. I hope it has music in the tracks. Do they even produce music boxes anywhere now? I have never seen one, only read about them. I should google it, right?

Pat Hatt said...

Sure a great cover. Hey, if one has never done it, then best to research indeed.

Jennifer Hawes said...

Ha! You can ask me. I've had 3 kids. Ugh. Not fun!!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Yes, music boxes are still a big industry.

Juneta key said...

Congrats Tonya on the audible, Yeah!

Fundy Blue said...

It's great to see Tonja having such success with her book! It was a great read!

Gwen Gardner said...

Ha! Childbirth is full of horror stories and wonderment at the same time. A very in-depth subject. Congratulations on your new Music Boxes audio book!

Congratulations on

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Every mother has a unique story about childbirth but also they have a lot of things in common. Signing up for that newsletter.

Selachimorpha said...

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Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Congrats to Tonja!

Yeah, I've never been pregnant either.

Karen Baldwin said...

How wonderful that Music Boxes is an audiobook. The story is intriguing. And **tee hee**... I originally wrote, 'how wonderful that Tiny Dancers is an audio.' Funny how my mind remembered the title by the cover art.

Anonymous said...

Smart thinking interviewing someone instead of relying just on the internet.

Elsie

kimlajevardi.com said...

Congratulations, Tonja! I bet you got an earful when asking about pregnancy. It's definitely an interesting way to spend nine months.

cleemckenzie said...

I enjoy a good audio book, especially on those long trips. Congrats on this one!

Sarah Foster said...

Congrats to Tonja on the audio book!
Hey, I wouldn't know anything about pregnancy, either, but it hasn't come up in a story yet. I'd have to do some research, too.

Jennifer Lane said...

I would need to research pregnancy and childbirth as well!

Sandra Cox said...

Many congrats on the audio.
You mentioned at the blog you had a BB gun growing up...so did I and shot myself in the toe. Haha.

J.Q. Rose said...

I really like talking to someone who is knowledgeable about the subject. And getting stories about the experiences they had. More fun than reading a laptop screen!

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi L. Diane...

I think it is much better to talk to someone who has had the experience than randomly googling on certain subjects. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!


CONGRATS Tonja!

Damyanti Biswas said...

The cover looks great! And I do have a soft spot for music boxes.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

That's why I'm glad I don't actually know.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

That's okay, I've referred to it as Magic Boxes more than once!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

LOL! Ouch. I didn't actually have my own. A neighbor across the street taught me on his.

Lidy said...

Congrats Tonja! Sometimes going directly to the source would be the best for a writer. At least you had someone to go to ask questions about pregnancy.

Shannon Lawrence said...

There must have been a wealth of information on pregnancy and childbirth! Often too much.

Lynn J Simpson said...

What I learned about pregnancy and childbirth is something will surprise you every time!

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

I betcha you didn't lack for women clamoring to tell you alllll about pregnancy and childbirth. Most of us love to talk about it. HA

dolorah said...

There are times I've started researching something normal like name meanings or clothing brands and devolved into the occult and Native American superstitions. And one person's experience with anything can be vastly different than another. So many many things can go wrong with pregnancy and child birth, even in modern society. Women are making even that normal process strange - like giving birth in a swimming pool. Seriously? I think showing the changing birthing practices is a good way of dating an era, showing generational gaps and shifts.

Research just shows how strange life really is, lol.

Angela Brown said...

You know, there are some things that just get translated better through an interview than research online. Good idea.

Powdered Toast Man said...

We all need to check your browser history.

Mark Koopmans said...

Congrats to Tonja! That must be an awesome feeling to hear your book for the first time!!

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

That's a creepy story. I like it. Congrats, Tonja!
I've selectively forgotten all the strange things I've googled, though I'm guessing there have been many.

Be well, Diane.

Tonja Drecker said...

I'm over the moon that Dancing Lemur Press made Music Boxes into an audio book :) As to research...oh wow. I've done some pretty strange things on that front.