IWSG, ROW80, and HMS Sofa

acation! Sort of.

But first, it's Insecure Writer's Support Group Day!

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

Short answer, not really.

Long answer, maybe the meaning of a certain interaction between characters may have been misunderstood, in a snip I may have posted in monthly exercises on thelitforum. This is actually helpful when I'm in the midst of editing my stories!

The awesome co-hosts for the May 5 posting of the IWSG are Erika Beebe, PJ Colando, Tonja Drecker, Sadira Stone, and Cathrina Constantine!

Find the IWSG: Website / Facebook Group / Twitter / Book Club

Coming 4 May!

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!
 
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.

Release date: May 4, 2021
Print ISBN 9781939844828 $14.95
EBook ISBN 9781939844835 $4.99
Science Fiction: Collections & Anthologies/Space Exploration/Genetic Engineering
Dancing Lemur Press
 
Artificial - Stephanie Espinoza Villamor
Space Folds and Broomsticks - C.D. Gallant-King
Rift – Kim Mannix
The Utten Mission – Steph Wolmarans
Sentient – Tara Tyler
One to Another – Deniz Bevan
Resident Alien - Charles Kowalski
Nano Pursuit – Olga Godim
Resurgence – Elizabeth Mueller
Vera’s Last Voyage – Mark Alpert
 
Links:
Amazon
Kobo
Barnes and Noble
Goodreads

As for ROW80... I haven't quite been keeping up with my goals, but I did CampNaNo! More on that soon. I've also got a poem published in Sauti: Poems of Healing (I'm on page 151)!

And now it's time for a vacation...except we can't travel far. Instead, we can sail on HMS Sofa! I first posted about HMS Sofa in 2009 (!):

"In creating the HMS Sofa, you collect all the items you will need for an afternoon's sail (a cat or two, your favorite drink, some knitting, a huge stack of books, puzzles and magazines, etc.) and veg for a few hours. No getting up! except to replenish your drink or maybe catch an errant ball of wool before the cat does."

Even better if you bring something to work on, like a writing or craft project.

I reposted in 2019 with a lovely photo of a sailboat.

And for some vicarious travel, here's an older post about my summer vacation in England and Turkey!

But we've also been exploring around the house. The river is right across the street!

I love milk jugs!

I took a new shelfie after I rearranged the Tolkien and Inklings shelves!

Feeding the goats!

Purple flowers! I don't know what they're called...

What interesting sights do you have nearby?