Insecure Writers Support Group badgeWelcome to 2019, and it’s #IWSG day.  The Insecure Writers Support Group does what it says, supports writers of all levels of experience even though sometimes that tough going doesn’t seem as tough for you as other people.  It’s still tough, though.

The monthly post always comes with an optional question and co-hosts. And don’t forget to check out today’s monthly post from IWSG themselves, as they are announcing the finalists in the Anthology competition!

Today the co-hosts are:

Patricia Lynne, Lisa Buie-Collard, Kim Lajevardi, and Fundy Blue!

and for once I’m going to answer the question, which is:

What are your favorite and least favorite questions people ask you about your writing?

It took me less than five seconds to say “they are the same question, and I welcome it.”

Favourite: I love talking about the answer to this one.  They are the inspirations for my characters, and a constant source of amusement – and for flash fiction too, as this tale suggests.

Least favourite: I feel the need to justify using them as characters, and then there’s the awkwardness of talking about my Princelings books, because although I tried to write them as people, they really are guinea pigs.  And ‘guinea pig fantasy adventures for people over ten’ isn’t exactly a huge market.  It does, in fact, make marketing them extremely difficult.

In fact, it’s why I’m an insecure writer.  I know I am seriously weird letting my love for my guinea pigs turn into a whole series of novels.  They aren’t even really MG books. Fantasy/MG crossover maybe? That might be a welcome change for some readers.

Neville & Roscoe Christmas welcome

But I have to, seriously have to, get back to writing the final parts of the saga this year.  Once I’ve got the launch of Curved Space to Corsair, the second Viridian series book out of the way (it comes out on 22nd January), it’ll be nose to the grindstone on the Chronicles of Marsh and Princelings Revolution. Time is running out – for me, the characters, and for the story!

What questions do you welcome?

What questions do you welcome, and what make you shake in your shoes? Either leave an answer in the comments, or link it to your IWSG post.  One of my new year’s resolutions is to improve my return visit rate—without using that to avoid getting on with my writing or editing!

Happy new year! 

Launch of Curved Space to Corsair

If you would like to join in blogging a book launch post for Curved Space to Corsair, please see the resources page here.

Welcome to #IWSG 2019! Questions you love and hate

21 thoughts on “Welcome to #IWSG 2019! Questions you love and hate

  • 2 January, 2019 at 6:56 am
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    I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this before regarding your awesome Princelings… Have you thought of marketing it to the Furry fans? “the furry fandom is a fan community focused on appreciation of anthropomorphic animal characters” You can check out the full details here: https://furrywritersguild.com/what-is-furry/
    I think that might be a market worth investigating for your books 🙂

    Happy New Year!

    Ronel visiting on IWSG day 2019 Goals, Resolutions and Questions

    • 2 January, 2019 at 6:12 pm
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      Oh! No, I’ve not come across them. Thanks so much. I have been berating myself for not getting out to guinea pog shows as I have all the stuff for a nice stand… except huge stocks of paperbacks, of course 🙂 But an online community is just what I need!
      Thank you do much, Ronel! <3 🙂

      • 3 January, 2019 at 11:31 am
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        You’re welcome 🙂

  • 2 January, 2019 at 7:00 am
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    Have the Happiest of New Years Jemima
    xxx Humongous Hugs xxx

    • 2 January, 2019 at 7:26 am
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      I’ll second that wish!

      And I finally managed to get my IWSG post up ahead of Jemima! (I had to cross the international dateline to do it, but hey!).

    • 2 January, 2019 at 6:14 pm
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      Lovely to see you, David… watch out for a book review later this month that might interest you…. possibly on the 19th.
      Happy new year and Humongous hugs to you too xxxxx

    • 2 January, 2019 at 6:14 pm
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      Well, I did try to make them into people…

  • 2 January, 2019 at 2:08 pm
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    Happy New Year, Jemima! May you NEVER run out of stories – yours are just too good. Loved the picture of your two companions. I know how much they mean to you and what good care you take of them. Makes it hard when I see guinea pigs for sale in a pet store!

    • 2 January, 2019 at 6:15 pm
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      Resist. There is only so much room in one house for pets of different species!
      Happy new year, Noelle 🙂

  • 2 January, 2019 at 2:39 pm
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    Writing about your pets sounds great. It seems there should be readers that like guinea pigs, the way they like dogs and cats. Have a wonderful 2019. Best wishes for your stories.

    • 2 January, 2019 at 6:17 pm
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      Thanks, Beverly. I think there are plenty who would like them, but equally plenty of people who would go ‘oh, not guinea pigs’. I think they’d like the books anyway… or maybe not, for that matter!
      Happy new year 🙂

  • 2 January, 2019 at 6:22 pm
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    The winning entry in the Anthology competition was LG Keltner! Well done LG! The official title of the next anthology will be Masquerade: Oddly Suited. It’ll be out ‘late spring’. See all the winners here.

  • 2 January, 2019 at 6:46 pm
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    I understand your embarrassment. I get the same and my characters are human (although, usually vampires, aliens, or werewolves.) I feel silly talking about my imagination. Funny how I don’t feel that way about my art which is my imagination, too.

    • 2 January, 2019 at 7:02 pm
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      That’s an interesting thought – or maybe I just got over my art, even the weirder bits. I must start painting again, maybe it’ll help the stories 🙂

  • 3 January, 2019 at 4:06 am
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    Why can’t guinea pigs rule your writing, Jemima? Go for it.

  • 3 January, 2019 at 6:07 pm
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    Happy New Year!
    I love each one of the books you written in the Princelings series. The characters come across as being real, so don’t be shy about that. You put life in those characters.
    Wishing you an awesome 2019.
    Shalom aleichem,
    Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

    • 4 January, 2019 at 9:55 am
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      Thanks so much, Pat. As I’ve now got the new scifi book up on Smashwords and Amazon, I can get back to finishing the Princelings series 🙂
      Have a wonderful 2019

  • 4 January, 2019 at 3:51 am
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    Hi, Jemima! This is my first visit at your blog, so I didn’t know about your guinea pig books. They sound like fun! I taught second and third grade for many years in a combination class, and I’ll bet your stories would have been a hit. Why not guinea pigs? Rabbits, dogs, cats, pigs, spiders, dinosaurs have been classics ~ guinea pigs sound like fresh fun! All the best to you and your writing in the next year!

    • 4 January, 2019 at 9:56 am
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      Welcome Louise! They are written so they could be taken as humans, but people tend to find them easier if they know the secret! There is a selection of books with guinea pigs acting like guinea pigs, but mine are kings and inventors…
      All the best to you too. Have a great 2019.

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