GalaxyCon is Here!

It’s been a long two years since the last one, but we are finally back at GalaxyCon at the Raleigh Convention Center downtown.

We’ve got a lot of new books to feature from the last two years. (Tablespace is getting full – a good problem to have.) Plus we have new art prints and a ton of new stickers, both anime and Baby Yoda.

Watch our Instagram feed for fun cosplay photos of characters holding our books.

At least one of our authors will be there – Steph Wolmarans from Dark Matter: Artificial!

The con has also widened the passageways between booths, added sanitation stations, limited ticket sales, and instilled a no-touchy policy. Everyone at our booth will wear masks and have sanitary wipes and hand sanitizer available. Plus we’ll have a disinfectant spray to get those pesky germs that are in the air. (I guarantee we’ll have the cleanest booth there!)

Exhibition areas are open July 29 2-8pm, July 30-31 10-8pm, and Aug. 1 10-6pm. Event hours go until midnight most nights! Headliner guest is William Shatner and there are a ton more.

For more information, go to GalaxyCon Raleigh

Hope to see you there!
Just remember – irradiated lemurs will bite.

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group and Blood Red Sand Release!

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

Sorry I missed last month. My mother-in-law passed and we were busy taking care of things and attending the memorial.

Today’s optional question: What would make you quit writing?

I’m going to let DLP author Damien Larkin answer that, as he has a book release today!

“Nothing. I can’t think of a single reason or scenario where I’d ever want to quit writing.

Writing can be a frustrating, exhausting and at times mind numbing process. I have moments where I’d rather stare out the window or bash my head off the laptop screen than write another word (although, I don’t think I’m the only one…)

Something about it always spurs me on, though. I love creating and crafting new worlds and characters. I enjoy a fresh new story pouring out of the depths of my psyche and slowly coming together into a coherent tale.

There’s times when I may feel like quitting, but I know I’ll never follow through. This is who I am now. If it takes me a year, ten years or a lifetime to get to where I want to be, I’ll keep pushing. What could make me quit writing? Absolutely nothing.”

Blood Red Sand
By Damien Larkin

Mars will run red with Nazi blood…

After World War Two, Sergeant McCabe knew the British army could send him anywhere. He never imagined facing down another Nazi threat on Mars.

In New Berlin colony, rivalry between Generalfeldmarschall Seidel’s Wehrmacht and Reichsführer Wagner’s SS threatens bloodshed. The Reichsführer will sacrifice everything to initiate the secretive Hollow Programme and realise his nightmarish future for humanity.

McCabe, Private Jenkins, and the Mars Expeditionary Force must overcome bullet, bomb, and bayonet to destroy the Third Reich. While Jenkins fights to stay alive, McCabe forms an uneasy alliance with MAJESTIC-12 operatives known as the Black Visors. Will this be the final battle of World War Two or the first confrontation in an interstellar war?

$17.95, 6x9 trade paperback, 252 pages
Science Fiction - Military/Alternative History/War & Military
Print ISBN 9781939844781 / EBook ISBN 9781939844798
$4.99 EBook available in all formats

Damien Larkin is an Irish science fiction author and co-founder of the British and Irish Writing Community. His debut novel Big Red was longlisted for the BSFA award for Best Novel. He currently lives in Dublin, Ireland.

Links: Amazon US / Amazon UK / iTunes / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Goodreads

What would make you quit writing?
Picking up Blood Red Sand?

IWSG

 Due to a family emergency, I won't be able to post this week.

Dark Matter: Artificial, the IWSG Anthology Contest, and Free Book Publishing Webinars

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

Today’s optional question: Has any of your readers ever responded to your writing in a way that you didn't expect? If so, did it surprise you?

I’m trying to think of specifics but it’s been a while. I know there has been some inspired fans of both my fiction and non-fiction. I wasn’t surprised though, as my non-fiction IS inspirational and the slogan for my fictional series is “Get inspired to achieve your dreams.”

NEW RELEASE TODAY

Dark Matter: Artificial
An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology

Discover dark matter’s secrets…
What is an AI’s true role? Will bumbling siblings find their way home from deep space? Dark matter is judging us—are we worthy of existence? Would you step through a portal into another reality? Can the discoverer of dark matter uncover its secrets?
Ten authors explore dark matter, unraveling its secrets and revealing its mysterious nature. Featuring the talents of Stephanie Espinoza Villamor, C.D. Gallant-King, Tara Tyler, Mark Alpert, Olga Godim, Steph Wolmarans, Charles Kowalski, Kim Mannix, Elizabeth Mueller, and Deniz Bevan.
Hand-picked by a panel of agents, authors, and editors, these ten tales will take readers on a journey across time and space. Prepare for ignition!

Print ISBN 9781939844828 $14.95
EBook ISBN 9781939844835 $4.99
Science Fiction: Collections & Anthologies / Space Exploration / Genetic Engineering

Founded by author Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database; articles; monthly blog posting; Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram groups; #IWSGPit, and a newsletter. A Writer’s Digest 101 Best Website for Writers and The Write Life’s Best 100 Website for Writers.

Links: Dancing Lemur Press / Amazon / iTunes / Kobo / B&N / Goodreads

The next IWSG anthology contest opens today!

Guidelines and rules:

Word count: 5000-6000
Genre: Sweet Romance
Theme: First Love
Submissions accepted: May 7 - September 1, 2021
How to enter: Send your polished, formatted (double-spaced, no footers or headers), previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes. Please include your full contact details, your social links, and if you are part of the Blogging, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter IWSG group. You must belong to at least one aspect of the IWSG to enter.
Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges.
Prizes: The winning stories will be edited and published by Dancing Lemur Press' imprint, Freedom Fox Press, next year in the IWSG anthology. (Please see their site for general submission guidelines.) Authors will receive royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have the honor of giving the anthology its title.

Free publishing webinars!

All of my NC community college seminars are virtual this year – they are free for anyone to attend! They come with a handout loaded with information.

If you’re nowhere near North Carolina, this is a great opportunity to attend a session.

May 11: Publishing 101 – Fayetteville CC

May 18: Publishing 102 – Fayetteville CC

May 12: Publishing 102 – Halifax CC