Tag: Alex Cavanaugh

Uncategorized

#IWSG: Good luck #NaNoWriMo !

jenlanebooks

Happy November, writers! Once again I almost forgot to post on the first Wednesday of the month for Insecure Writers Support Group, but I saw a post on my lovely critique partner’s blog and got busy writing this at work! (Thanks, Nicki Elson.)

How’s your writing? I’m hustling to finish my WIP by the end of this month to squeeze into my editor’s schedule. I only have two chapters left to write, but one is rather pivotal to the plot and I haven’t figured out the details yet. I also am writing what I DON’T know by deciding to include chemistry in this story. Not the romantic kind, but the lab chemicals kind. If you’re a chemist and want to take a stab at an aspect of my plot that’s vexing me, please let me know!

IWSG question of the month:

Win or not, do you usually finish your NaNo project? 
 
I’ve never tried NaNo. Combine my busy fall schedule at the day job with my anxious tendencies and I think it would feel like way too much pressure. I like writing to be fun and refreshing, so a daily goal might not work for my style.

But I wish much productivity for those writers undertaking this November adventure!


This post is part of the monthly blog hop/therapy session known as Insecure Writer’s Support Group, founded by the one and clonely Alex J. Cavanaugh. Click below to join the group!


Uncategorized

#IWSG Inserting Yourself into Your Characters #amwriting

jenlanebooks

Doh! I almost forgot IWSG two months in a row (busy fall at my day job). Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh for creating this supportive group.


October’s Question: Have you ever slipped any of your personal information into your characters, either by accident or on purpose?

Oh, yes, in multiple books, on purpose. (That sounds narcissistic!) As a psychologist/author (psycho author), I throw all of my characters into therapy, and the therapist character often channels me in some way. And in my swimming novel, Streamline, the heroine’s friend was a backstroker who struggled with her body image–also autobiographical.

I look forward to hearing how other authors have inserted themselves into their characters.

How is your writing? I’m 80% done with my romantic suspense and I’m really excited about releasing it into the world maybe January or February of 2018. I keep changing the title (my original idea was Twin Sacrifice) and my latest brainstorm is My Life For My Brother. How does that title sound to you?

Uncategorized

One Lesson I’ve Learned as a Writer #IWSG #amwriting

jenlanebooks

Happy July to All Writers! Hop on the Insecure Writers Support Group train HERE.


How is your writing? Mine has grown less and less frequent over the years. But I AM still writing! I’m excited about my romantic suspense WIP–it’s just that my day job has grown in scope and I don’t write if I travel on the weekends. 

As I write this post, I’m in Nashville, visiting a good friend who moved here recently. We cooked quite a few dishes for his brother’s July 4th party, including spicy grits, pimento dip, banana pudding, spiked lemonade, and red velvet brownie stars.


IWSG Question: What is one valuable lesson you’ve learned since you started writing?


I could fill pages with all I’ve learned since I started writing ten years ago, but I’ll narrow it down to this:

Use punchy action verbs instead of adverbs.

Instead of Joe ran quickly … Joe dashed.

Instead of She looked frantically through her purse … She rummaged through her purse.

My debut novel, With Good Behavior, was full of adverbs and bloated writing. I sliced 30,000 words and my publisher will re-release the tighter version soon. I cut the book down to its fighting weight!

Check out this pdf by Deanna Carlyle, 1000 Verbs to Write By.

Thank you to Alex Cavanaugh and this month’s Co-Hosts:

Uncategorized

#IWSG Weird, Cool #Writing Research

jenlanebooks


Happy May to all writers!


Pop over to Alex Cavanaugh’s blog to join us for the Insecure Writers Support Group.

Today’s co-hosts: Nancy Gideon, Tamara Narayan, Liesbet @ Roaming About, Michelle Wallace, and Feather Stone!

How’s your writing? I’m about 40% done with my romantic suspense WIP, Twin Sacrifice. Thank you to my awesome critique partner, Nicki Elson, for her tremendous help.

I love this month’s IWSG question:

What’s the weirdest/coolest thing you’ve researched for a story?

So many weird/cool topics to choose from! I know quite a few writers like me hope our internet search histories don’t alert the authorities to possible subversive behavior. Here are my highlights:

* Building bomb triggers

* Layout of rooms in the White House

* Effects of Rohypnol (Roofies) on the body

* How to get a gun through airport security

And my most fun research? Taking a Chicago architectural cruise.

I look forward to hearing what funky stuff you’ve researched!

Uncategorized

#IWSG Is Your Writing a Dream?

jenlanebooks

Happy April to all writers!


Head on over to Alex Cavanaugh’s blog to join us for the Insecure Writers Support Group.

After the publication of my 7th novel in October of 2016, I took a writing break to focus on my day job and other fun activities. But in March I jumped back into writing a romantic suspense I started in 2009: Twin Sacrifice.

Has a dream ever inspired your writing? As I mourned the end of my favorite TV show, Prison Break, in 2009, I had a dream about an alternate ending to the show. That dream inspired the plot of Twin Sacrifice.

Now I’m no longer in mourning, since Prison Break returns for a 5th season on April 4, yahooooo!

Wentworth Miller *swoons*


April IWSG Day Question: Have you taken advantage of the annual A to Z Challenge in terms of marketing, networking, publicity for your book? What were the results?


I did A to Z once (maybe 2012?) and it was fun but exhausting. Blogging was a more active world back then, and I post less frequently now. But it’s still great to bond with writers in both A to Z and IWSG!

IWSG Co-Hosts:

I’ll leave you with a marketing idea. The folks at USB Memory Direct sent me some cool flash drives with my book cover and website on them. I plan to load my ebooks and use them as giveaways. Check them out HERE. They even have a fun book-shaped flash drive.

Uncategorized

#IWSG Dusting Off Old Manuscripts

jenlanebooks


Happy March Insecure Writers Support Group!


Hop over to Alex Cavanaugh’s blog to join us.

Co-Hosts:


I’m late to post this month because work has been so busy and my friends are going through some big changes. One friend’s husband just died, and another good friend (my swimming buddy) is moving to Nashville. *sad face* But it’s good to hang with my writer pals in the support group!

March IWSG Day Question: Have you ever pulled out a really old story and reworked it? Did it work out?


Well, I’m actually doing that right now so the outcome is yet to be seen. I started a romantic suspense novel titled Twin Sacrifice back in 2009, and I’m dusting it off to rework it. I haven’t had much time to write lately but I hope to get cranking soon.

Write on, friends!

Uncategorized

#IWSG How Does Writing Affect Your Reading?

jenlanebooks


Welcome to February’s edition of Insecure Writers Support Group, the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh. Hop on board at Alex’s blog!


How was your January? I had to replace my furnace/AC/water heater and let’s just say I’m relieved I don’t have to survive on my measly author income after getting that bill. Luckily the system died when we had unseasonably warm temperatures in Ohio.

Are you ready for Singles Awareness Day on February 14th?


February Question: How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?

Positive change: A greater appreciation for well-written books.

Negative change: Less enjoyment of many books. Before starting as a writer, I didn’t notice misspellings (like blond/blonde) or excessive verbiage. In the past, I skipped over cliches and telling instead of showing. Now those errors disgust me.

I feel fortunate fellow authors had the patience to read my debut novel, considering all my fledgling writer mistakes. I just re-edited With Good Behavior and chopped off 33,000 words, yahoo! The manuscript is with my publisher for a copy edit before we re-release it.

Speaking of revising, my website is over six years old and in need of an overhaul. Any web designers you’d recommend?

Thank you to this month’s co-hosts:

Uncategorized

#IWSG Finding Time to Write in a Busy Day

jenlanebooks

Welcome to September’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Join us at Alex Cavanaugh’s BLOG.

This month’s question…

How do you find time to write in your busy day?

My answer?

I don’t. I don’t write on the weekdays because my psychologist job takes too much out of me. Today I trained a new employee followed by seven straight psychotherapy clients, and combined with a workout, I barely have the energy to write a blog post, much less a book chapter!

But the weekends are another matter. I try to write a 4,000-word chapter each weekend. Therefore it takes me about 8 months to complete a novel. Some weekends I devote to other fun and enriching activities like travel.

Since I finished my latest novel SPIKED (Blocked #3) in late July, I’ve been chilling on the weekends. It’s been low-key but also a tad boring. I’m jonesing to start writing a new project soon.

If you’d like to share a release post for Spiked on 10-1-16, please email me at jenniferlanebooks at gmail and I’ll send you the html. 

Happy writing! May we all eke out more time for our craft.

Uncategorized

#IWSG First to Last Piece of #Writing

jenlanebooks

Welcome to the Insecure Writers Support Group, August edition. Alex Cavanaugh leads the band of fledgling, fun writers. Join us HERE.


And now for the two-part IWSG question of the month!
What was your very first piece of writing as an aspiring writer?

I never anticipated becoming a writer. But when my psychologist career took a downturn in 2007, I got hooked on the TV show Prison Break. The dark themes and conspiracy theories of the show echoed my own gloom at the time, I guess. I stumbled across a section on the Fox discussion board: Fan Fiction. “What’s this?” I thought. I read some stories and shook my head. “What LOSERS are writing stories about TV characters?”

Fast forward a couple of months and I started writing my own fan fiction! The first piece was laughable in its inept writing. I was lucky for kind TV fans who encouraged me. I decided to write a Prison Break story about what I knew: swimming. My writing style was bloated, but some readers gave me positive feedback about the plot and characterization.

Years later, I reworked the story with my publisher. We cut over 70,000 words and published the story as my third novel: Streamline. It’s a military murder mystery centering around my favorite sport of swimming.


(I can’t BELIEVE my beloved TV show returns in 2017, yaaayyyyy!)
 
I just finished writing my seventh novel, SPIKED (Blocked #3). I believe my writing has become tighter, and I can’t wait for Spiked to launch on 10-1-16. Once again this story features swimming, so I’ve come full circle. We shared the cover reveal two days ago.

Happy writing to all!

Uncategorized

#IWSG Pinterinspiration #Pinterest #Writing #Inspiration

jenlanebooks

Happy May, writers. Time to discuss our hopes and fears. Join us at Alex Cavanaugh’s blog. The amazing co-hosts for the May 4 posting of the IWSG will be Stephen Tremp, Fundy Blue, MJ Fifield, Loni Townsend, Bish Denham, Susan Gourley, and Stephanie Faris!


We writers find inspiration in the strangest places. For me, Pinterest is top on my list. I’m addicted to Pinterest, I must admit.

I like to create a Pinterest board when writing to collect images and websites that relate to the story.

For my work in progress SPIKED (Blocked #3), I’ve pinned these images:

1) Volleyball T-shirts (the heroine from Blocked has quite a collection)




2) Bad pickup lines (How Mateo gets Jessica to laugh)




What inspires YOUR writing? What’s the worst pickup line you’ve heard?