Before I begin my regular post, I have to say that I have been deeply touched and highly encouraged by everyone in this group, by all who stop and give comments and by the posts you all share.
When I received news that Ken Rahmoeller (Chemist Ken, My Hogwarts Sabbatical) passed away, I cried. I had never met him in person. I never spoke to him other than through the comment sections on our blogs so I don't even know what his voice sounded like, but yet, I will miss him. He touched my life with his words, his fun, funny, and genuine posts over the course of a decade. He always encouraged me. I am praying for his family to be surrounded by a comforting support network, and loving family and friends. If you want to know more, you can read his obit here.
Many thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh for starting the Insecure Writer's Support Group over a decade ago and all the volunteers who keep it running.And thank you for everyone helping this month: Patrcia Josephine, Diedre Knight, Olga Godim, J. Lenni Dorner, and Cathrina Constantine!
Please note, I have posted about this at two other places, but this blog is my official, connected link to IWSG. Those other posts are, in a way, an invite for more people to check out our awesome group.
June 7 optional question - If you ever did stop writing, what would you replace it with?
Answer: That's not happening. I have only "stopped" writing for short amounts of time.
If I had to give it up because of some major health concerns, I would attempt to overcome those health concerns with new ways of writing and sharing stories.
I come from a storytelling family. Most of my family members don't write, but they do spin yarns, based mostly on facts and life events. My grandparents were all uneducated - farmers, loggers, sawmill workers, and a Calvary Sergeant turned farrier, who also worked in a sawmill and had a large vegetable garden. None of my grandparents graduated from high school. Their spelling could be creative. Some were from Canada and didn't realize American and Canadian spelling and grammar are not the same.
Despite their lack of formal education, my grandparents all loved swapping stories and reading. They were some of the best storytellers I've ever heard, with the way they could evoke emotion and setting with the tone of their spoken words. Their home libraries were either well-kept or scattered, but even those with organized shelves had books in nearly every room. They all also loved music. They couldn't read music, but they continued to play music, picking out the notes on their instruments.
If I couldn't write stories, I would tell them or sing them, or do both. I can't imagine living a life without stories and music. They are not only necessary for joy, but they are necessary for living and making sense of life.
What would you do if you stopped writing? Would you?
FROM MY WRITING DESK
I'm writing Kindle Vellas, working on how The Rayatana and Anomalies fit together, journaling, and writing poetry.
If you are interested in reading any of my work, check out the tabs above or go to one of the links below:
Liftoff, The Rayatana Book 1 is currently only 99 cents for eBook.
Champion in the Darkness is available for Kindle Unlimited for the summer.
A Pocket-Sized Jumble of 500+ Writing Prompts has a new cover and is currently only 99 cents.
Dark Blade: Forged is a complete Kindle Vella series and is my second highest earning book of all time. Eventually, it will find its way to paperback and eBook, but for now you can find it all on Vella.
So many other authors have awesome books coming out. If I get the links, I could post about some of them. Let me know if you have a new book coming out soon.
