The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, 5K, and Getting Old

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

June 3 question - Do most of your story ideas come from one place (the news, dreams, etc.) or do they hit from all over the place?

99% of my story ideas come from dreams. I will dream a scene, and if it is powerful and emotional enough, I will expand upon it during the day. Once I have a solid idea, I write it down. Some become stories, some are just too convoluted. (It took me several tries to make The Alien make sense, but I did!) But every published fiction books/story from me originated from a dream.

* * * 

Life notes...

My father-in-law was in the hospital last month and my husband spent a week in Arkansas with him. It’s just very frustrating. Hospitals and doctors suck. Their view of the elderly is “You are old and going to die soon so we don’t really care.”

On a more positive note, my garden is growing great.

And…I smashed my 5k time! 32:06. When I ran the Senior Game 5k on April 10th, I was at 36:06. Four minutes off in just six weeks! I am now in an elite group for my age. My ultimate goal is to do it in thirty minutes. (And the guys I ran against in the Senior Game 5k – I would’ve smoked them like a Christmas turkey as their time was over 33:00!!)


Where do your story ideas come from?

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group and Chimney Rock & Biltmore

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

May 6 question - What was the most inspiring feedback you received from readers, including agents, editors, and beta readers?

I have one special young woman in mind. She came to an appearance in South Carolina and got Book I of my series. She came back and got Book II. Then, when I was in Ohio for some appearances, she came to get the third book (she lived there) and told me my books had so inspired her she had made some big changes to her life and was happier than she’d ever been.
The real icing on the cake – I posted a picture of her with one of my books on my website, and a man contacted me saying he’d known her in college and could he get in contact with her. She said yes to sharing her email with him. The following year she let me know – they’d rekindled a lost love and were getting married! Such an incredible journey for her and an inspiring story!

* * *

With airline tickets through the roof, we did not make it to The House on the Rock for our anniversary. We did visit Chimney Rock (which suffered severe damage from Hurricane Helene in 2024) and The Biltmore, America's largest private residence at 178,000 square feet. We’d never been to either and knew that area needed our dollars.

The Biltmore and gardens are a bit overrated (especially since I have seen the mind-blowing Windsor Castle in England and Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island) but it was cool to see.

Chimney Rock was excellent and we parked in the lower parking lot and hiked the trail and then stairs-stairs-stairs all the way to the top. Glad I’d trained for that 5k!

Enjoy some photos, including one of the devastation in Chimney Rock – but they are recovering and rebuilding!

The view from our stay – The Lodge on Lake Lure:

Chimney Rock:

Wine tasting at Parker-Bimms Vineyard:

The Biltmore:

What’s the most inspiring feedback you’ve ever received? Ever been to Chimney Rock or The Biltmore?

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group and More Charcuterie

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

April 1 question - If you have a playlist (or could put one together) that either gets you in the groove to write or fits with one of your books, what is it? What type of music or what songs?

I had a large playlist for my series The Circle of Friends consisting of a lot of love songs (since there is a lot of romance in the stories) and most of them from the 80’s and 90’s. I never did make a playlist for my In Darkness series though.

* * *

Cathrina Constantine has joined the IWSG admins and we welcome her to the team.

Her positive attitude and joyful spirit will be a blessing to all.

* * *

A recent Charcuterie board for a meal – lots of sandwich fixings!

What’s on your playlist?

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group and 5K at Sixty

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

March 4 question - What elements do you include in your book launch? Or what do you have in mind for your future book launch? Or what advice do you have to offer to others planning to launch a book?

Research, research, research! (Exactly what I say in How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now.) Every genre is different and the landscape continues to change. Ultimately, you must reach your target readers. How do you do this? Through Facebook? TikTok? In person? It used to be so much easier but now an author has to work ten times as hard to reach his or her audience.

* * *

I turned sixty last month! Unbelievable. This year was low-key compared to last (lunch with almost 30 friends) - some cool gifts, went out of town, and dinner with friends. (As always, some cool stuff for the garden and kitchen but this year’s theme was noodle cat!)

And…I signed up for my first ever 5K run! I pulled a glute four weeks ago, which set me back a bit. (I had just dropped under 38 minutes for a 5K, too.) But I am determined to build up my strength and endurance and be primed for April and this run. Wish me luck!


What would you suggest for a book launch? Have you ever run a 5k?