Happy Birthday, IWSG! A Tiny Update, and another Troll (but a nice one)

 

HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY, IWSG! 

YOU ROCK THE WRITING WORLD! 

The IWSG gave me reasons to write, encouragement when I needed it the most, and a place to hang out with like-minded authors for the last 15 years! 

Thank you, Captain Alex! 

Thank you to everyone who volunteers now and in the past. 

Thank you to our co-hosts this month: 

Kate Larkinsdale, SE White, JS Pailly, Olga Godim, and Natalie Aguirre!  

You rock the writing world and make it a better place to be!

Tiny Update 

• I almost didn't make it this month because of life stuff. I visited the ER twice in the last few weeks and will spending some quality time with doctors and tests starting again on Friday.
• And my dad is on hospice, having some bad episode days, and does not want to be anywhere but at home.
• I am spending a bit of time writing each day. Dark Blade Unchained has not been forgotten, but it has been slowed.

Another Troll (but a nice one)

My husband and I with Oscar

A side view with the bird boxes and a tiny bit of the crowd (most were in front)

Bird boxes on poles like this surround the park where Oscar the Bird King sits.

Not long after my husband and I visited Pia the Peacekeeper on Bainbridge Island, we went to see Oscar the Bird King on Vashon Island (both are in Washington state). We are being local tourists because it's a bit difficult to travel far right now, plus, I really like the Way of the Bird King recycled art statues I've seen so far by Thomas Dambo. If you haven't heard of him yet, look him up. There may be some recycled art he's created near you - his art is worldwide. But I feel like these trolls really fit the funky, fun vibe of Washington state. 

And I turned 55 a few days after we saw Oscar the Bird King, and that feels like a big deal to me (I like double digit birthdays). So, my Prime Directive for year 55 is health (possibly should be in all caps), seeking joy, and celebrating one wild and precious life. 

And the IWSG Celebration invitation mentioned links with books. 

As many of you might (or not) know, I have another website these days, but I post here for IWSG. Most of the links on the side are questionable and need some clean up. 

Here are a few:

Liftoff is on offer this month as a free ebook with a newsletter sign up here: FREE Sci-Fi and Fantasy

If you want to purchase books, here are some universal links:

To Speak https://buy.bookfunnel.com/fq37f9jehp 

Liftoff https://books2read.com/u/3y6NnZ

Nexus: https://books2read.com/u/3y6NkZ 

Champion in the Darkness https://books2read.com/u/bW8kJ0 

Champion in Flight https://books2read.com/u/4968qk

Champion’s Destiny https://books2read.com/u/bajwX6 

Dark Blade: Forged https://books2read.com/u/meLNaz 

A Pocket-Sized Jumble of 500+ Writing Prompts https://books2read.com/u/b6lAqW 

25 Impossible Tales of Survivors, Flawed Heroes, and Annoyed Villains https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGT65CMF 

https://buy.bookfunnel.com/6jtv6nfins

A Troll and an Author Update

 Last weekend, we went looking for a troll for our 30th Anniversary.

Not an internet troll. A very large, much more charming, wooden one.

Pia the Peacekeeper by recycle artist Thomas Dambo.

We visited Pia the Peacekeeper, one of Thomas Dambo's Northwest Trolls, and along the way my husband unexpectedly pulled out a Professor Quirrell impersonation/callback that made the whole adventure even better. 

"Troll! There's a troll in the dungeon! I thought you ought to know."

It was exactly the kind of outing I love: a little walking, a little exploring, something unusual to discover, and plenty to laugh about.

And it turned out to be particularly good timing.

LIFE UPDATE

The days afterward became much more serious. My dad had a significant health decline, and our family has now brought in hospice care.

That's about all I want to say about that here, except that it means I'm giving myself a little more breathing room for the next couple of weeks.

I'm taking a brief break from my usual podcast schedule, and when Growing Our Gifts returns, I'm going to change the order of the next few episodes. I had planned to talk about nourishing our creativity next, but first I want to talk about support—the people who help us keep growing when we don't have the capacity to do everything ourselves.

Because something I've noticed over the past week is that my creativity hasn't disappeared.

I've walked.

I've journaled.

I've listened to podcasts.

I've rested.

I've spent time with people I love.

I've laughed at unexpected Professor Quirrell impersonations and visited giant trolls.

And, in the middle of several very difficult days, I found twenty minutes to sit down with my book again.

It wasn't a full writing day. It wasn't supposed to be.

It was just twenty minutes of revising, remembering the story, and finding my way back into that creative space.

Sometimes growing our gifts means putting in the hours.

Sometimes it means learning, practicing, revising, and stretching ourselves.

And sometimes, I think, it means keeping a tiny bit of space open for creativity while the rest of our lives need our attention.

The gift doesn't disappear because we're resting.

It doesn't disappear because we're grieving or caregiving or simply tired.

Sometimes it's still there, growing quietly.

And sometimes you find it again while walking through the woods looking for a troll.

Pia the Peacekeeper and me

IWSG Writing Regrets AND Rest is Part of the Trellis

 

Insecure Writer's Support Group

Many thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh, all of the IWSG, and this month's blog hop volunteers for August 2026.

The awesome co-hosts for the August 5 posting of the IWSG are Shannon Lawrence, Diedre Knight, Liza, and Pat Garcia! 

The IWSG has been a part of my writing journey for over a decade and I am thankful for all the encouragement and support I have received, but more importantly, I am thankful for the community.

This month's optional question is: As a writer/author what is something you regret? Or something that you wish you'd done differently in your writing process?

My biggest regret is giving into fear and doubt at various times in my writing life, following the "wrong for me" advice that I knew was "wrong" deep in my gut, and not pivoting at times when I knew a pivot was needed - again, not trusting my instincts.

Some of this is that I didn't know what I know now: my strengths (based on the Clifton Strengths test) are ideation, strategic thinking, connectedness, achiever, and learner. There are weaknesses alongside those, but honestly, I process and draw conclusions on data points and ideas that I've taken in from a variety of places without necessarily walking through the "A to Z" logic of it step by step.

Trusting my own "intuition" that isn't really intuition but a lot of ideas coming together has been a huge step forward for me, but I'm still learning how to do that, and learning how to take what I "know" and create systems that rely on those strengths. So, my doubt in my own process is what I think has held me back the most, and discovering how to play to my strengths is both helping me as an author and healing me as a person.

Perhaps that's one of the reasons I've been thinking so much lately about trellises, gardens, and growth.

On my podcast, The Truth About Storytelling, I've started a short series called Growing the Gifts We've Been Given. In the first episode, I talked about how our strengths need trellises like healthy structures and rhythms that support the gifts we've been given instead of leaving them tangled. This week, I've been wondering about something else.

What if rest isn't the opposite of growth?

What if it's part of the trellis?

The more I think about my own writing journey, the more I realize that growth hasn't come simply from writing more words or working harder. It's also come from learning to notice, to listen, to take long walks, to read widely, to pray, and to give myself enough space for ideas to connect.

In other words, I've been learning to trust both the way I grow and the One who grows me.

Rest is a Part of the Trellis

We often think growth comes from doing more.

Working harder.

Producing more.

Trying longer.

But gardens tell a different story.

Healthy growth includes seasons of rest, renewal, and quiet preparation.

This week, I found myself asking a simple question:

What if rest isn't the opposite of growth?

What if it's part of the support that helps us flourish?

Walking, reading, prayer, creativity, listening for birds, or simply sitting quietly for a few moments may not look productive, but they often refill the well we draw from every day.

As you go through your week, I'd encourage you to consider a few questions:

• What truly restores you?
• What helps you notice beauty?
• What leaves you with more hope than when you began?
• Where might God be inviting you to receive instead of striving?

Rest isn't stepping away from growth.

Rest is one of the ways we grow.

IWSG: Publishing and Joyful Reading

 

Thank you Alex J. Cavanaugh for this blog hop!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
The Awesome co-hosts for

July 1 posting of the IWSG are Rebecca Douglass, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Cathrina Constantine, and Jacqui Murray!

Joyful Invitations to Read

This month's IWSG question asks:

Is there anything you'd like to see changed, added, and/or rearranged about the book publishing industry?

My answer is simple.

We Are the Publishing Industry

It's easy to think of "the publishing industry" as traditional publishers, but I don't think that's the whole picture.

Authors, indie publishers, booksellers, librarians, teachers, bloggers, reviewers, and readers all help shape the culture around books. We all have a role in inviting people to read.

A Reminder from Realm Makers

Last week I attended Realm Makers, a conference for Christian writers, where I spent several days talking with readers, writers, editors, publishers, and fellow creatives.

One thing stood out over and over again.

People still love stories.

Kids want adventures. Adults want books that leave them with hope, wonder, courage, and memorable characters. They aren't just looking for another product—they're looking for an experience.

My Hope

If I could change one thing, I'd love to see all of us help make reading joyful and invitational again.

Let's recommend books because they delighted us. Let's welcome new readers instead of assuming everyone already knows the language of publishing. Let's celebrate imagination as much as marketing.

As authors, we don't simply create books.

We invite people into stories.

That's something worth celebrating.

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Now that I'm home, I'm back to revising Dark Blade Unchained, the third book in my Dark Blade Trilogy, and I'm sharing more writing thoughts on The Truth About Storytelling podcast. Thanks for following along on the journey!

What about you? What would you like to see changed in the publishing industry?

Dark Blade Unbroken Proof Copy Arrives

 I'm excited to share that the proof copy of Dark Blade Unbroken, Book Two of The Dark Blade Trilogy, has officially arrived.

After months of writing, editing, formatting, and production work, it's always a special moment to hold a new book in print for the first time. I'm especially pleased with how this edition turned out, from the hardcover presentation to the interior chapter artwork.

The next step is a final proofread and quality review to ensure everything is ready for publication. Once that process is complete, work will continue toward the release and fulfillment schedule for the trilogy.

At the same time, revisions on Dark Blade Unchained, the concluding volume of the trilogy, are underway.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this series and journey through Aramatir. More updates will be coming soon.

Dark Blade Unbroken

The Dark Blade Trilogy, Volume 2

New alliances. An unbroken blade. A battle drawing ever closer.