THANK YOU to this month’s co-hosts: Rebecca Douglass, Natalie Aguirre, Cathrina Constantine, and Louise Barbour!
July 2 question – Is there a genre you haven’t tried writing in yet that you really want to try? If so, do you plan on trying it?
There are quite a few genres that intrigue me. I enjoy action movies, and it would be fun to write a novel about heroes facing crises like in Speed, Top Gun Maverick, Gladiator, or The Fugitive. (Though I have written novels in adjacent genres of romantic suspense and psychological thriller.) Speaking of movies, I would like to learn how to write a screenplay one day.
I’ve also considered writing a nonfiction book in my specialty of psychology. I’m excited about an upcoming psychologist work trip to Germany that will add to my knowledge base!
Unrelated question: For those of you with Mailchimp newsletters, have you seen any strange activity lately? I’ve been getting new subscribers daily, though I’m not soliciting them with giveaways or other marketing strategies. (Alas, my marketing has been non-existent.) A few of the email addresses (that I deleted) were suspicious, but most of them are gmail addresses. Any ideas what is going on?
Novel in Progress Update: Low Water 59,000 / ~85,000 words
Jennifer Lane Books 
Writing something like The Fugitive would be fun. Sorry that I can’t help with your question.
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What a great movie! I’ve seen The Fugitive probably ten times. I hope you are well, Natalie.
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I don’t manage the IWSG email, so no idea. I will ask Juneta though.
That trip to Germany will be awesome!
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I don’t speak one word of German–I hope there will be a lot of English over there.
Google translate tells me “Ich bin aufgeregt” means I’m excited!
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Suspense, eh? I like reading it but no desire to dabble there. With the nonfiction, I hear it sells better. LOL. Why not — if you have the bandwidth.
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Interesting about nonfiction perhaps selling better–I hadn’t heard that.
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I look back on my life and wish I had got into a career where I was enough of knowledgeable one to write a nonfiction book with enough advanced stuff to be interesting to anyone. Mediocrity is a curse.
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I probably DON’T have enough knowledge to make my nonfiction book interesting, ha! But it’s all about trying, I guess. What career paths have you taken, Laer?
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All over the place.
I completed three undergraduate majors, Sociology, Anthropology, and Computer Science. I went to work in the computer industry for about 30 years until I got laid off the final time.
I got into graduate school for Sociology at Purdue at around 50 years old, but I had health issues for a time and had to give it up, along with some other reasons.
I ended up marketing a Christian camp to churches to bring their retreats until I got laid off from that.
I have worked for the Census Bureau several times around the years of the Census.
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Wow, Laer! You sound like who psychologists would call a “multi-potential” career client in that you have many varied interests, skills, and abilities that are tough to narrow down. Sociology and computer science don’t often align in one person! It’s rough being laid off. One time I felt devastated when I got fired from half of my psychologist position, but it ended up being a good thing for me. I hope you find a position that feels fulfilling, and if not, I hope that writing or hobbies on the side satisfy your varied interests.
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I have found the lucrative and fulfilling career of retirement (I’m halfway between 68 and 69).
Hobbies are wine making (5%), wine drinking (95%), raising mealworms to feed the bluebirds who are failing to show up, blogging (as you know), learning about writing a novel (95%), actually writing a novel (5%), road trips when our children force us out of the house, learning about St. Theresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, a bit of vegetable gardening, backyard bird feeding (and watching) and trying to discourage squirrels, striped ground squirrels (striped gophers) and chipmunks, and dad jokes.
The story I’m writing in tandem with my spouse has romantic conflict (one girl, two guys in conflict over her), a crime, wine, a fire, a bike trail, and a small town.
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I’d love to read a book on the basics of psychology for writers and I think word-of-mouth can be a big–huge–marketing campaign.
Congrats. 🙂
Anna from elements of emaginette
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Sounds like an interesting idea for a book, Anna. I was thinking a different kind of book about my psychology specialty. I’m going to stop working Fridays at my day job, so maybe I’ll have more time to play around with it. Hope you have a fab July!
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No suspense here. But the Mailchimp thing… I migrated my newsletter (and the sign-ups) to Kit, and have continued to get new Mailchimp followers. I think it was because I forgot to change the old blog, but it’s weird that people would go to a webite that forwards you to a new place and stick around to sign up for the newsletter. I haven’t looked at the new sign-ups to know if they are legit.
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Hmm–curious. I tried emailing a “new follower” to ask where they saw a sign up for my newsletter, and there was no reply.
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Screenwriting seems like such a stretch that I’d be afraid to try it!
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I hear the formatting is completely different in screenwriting. I like the idea of compressing the story.
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Those are some of my favorite movies, well, except for Gladiator. It’d be really interesting to learn screenwriting. Some of my favorite craft books are by screenwriters. They seem to really get how to tell a story well.
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Aw, no Gladiator for you? 😉 That is interesting about screenwriters. I know so little about that world, but I’d like to learn more one day.
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A psychology conference ? Fascinating, even if not in Germany . Still love that vintage crime by Josephine Tey, ‘ Miss Pym Disposes – escaped French teacher* writes a bestseller on psychology, comes to give a lecture at a girls only sports college… Are any of the students ‘ normal;’
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Thanks for stopping by, Esther! I’m attending more of an event than a conference in Germany–I hope I get to do some sightseeing.
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It went on for a while (Mailchimp) which is why I moved to Kit (Convertkit). Might be an AI swarm… I had it with my website until I added more layers of security specifically to ward off spam of all kinds.
Writing a book that’s like the action movies I love would be awesome. I wonder why I haven’t done that? Good idea!
Ronel visiting for IWSG day Seven Things for the Seventh Month
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I’m not sure what an AI swarm is, but it doesn’t sound good! I see we’re both action fans, Ronel.
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Just means attacks created using generative artificial intelligence were sent to find a weakness in a system. We have loads of them in my country, especially attacking via WhatsApp and other social media. Sigh. What happened to good old fashioned hackers?
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Someone else in my blogosphere was getting volumes of new subscribers. Jan Sikes maybe? I don’t know if they were through MailChimp, though.
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Interesting–thanks for the lead, Jacqui.
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I have been learning that there are a number of sub genres to romance writing. The most unusual I have heard of in IWSG posts is MC Romance or Motorcycle Club Romance. Wow! Somewhere over the years I missed that you are a psychologist, Jennifer. How do you do it all. I am in awe. Enjoy your business trip to Germany!
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I like to spice up romance by adding elements of sports or suspense. MC Romance is indeed unusual! I’ve read a few, and they’re not my thing. Thank goodness I have my psychologist gig to pay the bills, because writing definitely does not. 😀 Thanks for the positive travel vibes, Louise.
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For the last several years I’ve lived nearly full time in Mexico. My Spanish is limited, that’s for sure.
Thanks goodness for my iPhone (and SmartPhones). They do a terrific job of translating.
Sounds like a wonderful adventure.
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What an adventure to live in Mexico, Lynn. I bet your Spanish has improved mucho. ¡Diviértate!
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