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Frail but tough women and nosy but loving neighbors: my favorite character archetypes
Now that I’ve been writing for awhile, I can see patterns in my own work: I love to include music (and wish it were less expensive to include song lyrics), I’m a sucker for a good revenge story, I write about sexual assault a lot, and I tend to gravitate toward two favorite character archetypes: frail but strong women and nosy but loving neighbors. I’ll talk about those character archetypes today. But first: This post is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) blog hop. On the first Wednesday of every month, we IWSG-ers share our doubts, fears, struggles, and triumphs. Our awesome co-hosts this month are Kate Larkinsdale, SE…
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Writing regrets, I have a few: 3 things I wish I’d done
Hot take: Be wary of anyone who says they have no regrets. At best, they probably aren’t very self-aware. At worst, they’re sociopaths who don’t know they’ve hurt other people or, more likely, don’t care. Anyway. Today I’m going to talk about regrets, specifically my 3 biggest writing regrets. But first: This post is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) blog hop. On the first Wednesday of every month, we IWSG-ers share our doubts, fears, struggles, and triumphs. Our awesome co-hosts this month are Shannon Lawrence, Diedre Knight, Liza, and Pat Garcia. Please stop by and leave them some comment love. Each month our fearless leader (Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh) gives…
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3 things I’d like to change about the publishing industry
Whenever authors gather, we will complain about the publishing industry. Guaranteed. Why? Let me count the ways (because most of us can count those ways a lot more easily than we can count the money we earn from publishing). In this case, I’ll only be counting to 3, which is good, because I haven’t had my caffeine yet. Read on for my list of 3 things I’d like to change about the publishing industry. Before I attempt advanced mathematics: This post is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) blog hop. On the first Wednesday of every month, we IWSG-ers share our doubts, fears, struggles, and triumphs. Our awesome…
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Where my story ideas come from
Where do you get your ideas? That’s a stock question almost every author gets asked at some point. For authors of crime fiction and horror, like me, it’s often asked with a tinge of, well, horror. I imagine the person’s thought bubble as either, “How does a nice girl like you think up so much murder and mayhem?” or “I’m going to back away slowly before she kills me and dissolves my body with quick lime.”1 Today I’m going to share where my story ideas come from. The short answer is, everywhere. For the longer answer, keep reading. But first: This post is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group…
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The most inspiring feedback I’ve ever received
As soon as you show your writing to someone else, you’re going to get feedback. Readers, critique partners, agents, editors, contest judges, hell, even your mom–all will have something to say about your creative darling (let’s hope at least your mom is kind). Some of that feedback will be encouraging, some will be daunting but constructive, and some will break your fragile little writer’s heart. Then there’s the special kind of feedback querying authors are all too familiar with: silence. As someone wiser than I once said, No answer is an answer–and it’s rarely the answer you want. But I’m not going to talk about the heartbreaking feedback or the…
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How my novel, Delta Dawn, got its name (#IWSG)
If you’ve been hanging out here in my little cobweb-infested corner of the interwebs for very long, you know that I’m currently revising a domestic suspense novel called Delta Dawn. Inspired by this month’s IWSG discussion question, I’m going to tell you how it came to be called Delta Dawn and infest your brain with a wonderful early 1970s earworm. But before we get to the brain infestation: This post is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) blog hop. On the first Wednesday of every month, we IWSG-ers share our doubts, fears, struggles, and triumphs. Our awesome co-hosts this month are Melissa Maygrove, Cathrina Constantine, Kate Larkinsdale, and Rebecca Douglass. Each month…
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Dispatch from the query trenches
Happy March! Welcome to this month’s IWSG post, a/k/a my latest dispatch from the query trenches. I continue to labor away, though my querying is winding down. I’ve queried all the agents on my query list that are open to queries. Fortunately, some agents I have my eye on have opened in the new year, so I’ve sent a few more queries out. Otherwise, I’m in waiting mode, which is so much fun.1 Before I whine say more about my querying experience: This post is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) blog hop. On the first Wednesday of every month, we IWSG-ers share our doubts, fears, struggles, and…
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What it’s like to reread my old work
This week on the IWSG blog hop, we’re talking about rereading old work. What’s it like to reread my old work? Before I dive into that: This post is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) blog hop. On the first Wednesday of every month, we IWSG-ers share our doubts, fears, struggles, and triumphs. Our awesome co-hosts this month are J Lenni Dorner, Victoria Marie Lees, and Sandra Cox. Stop by and leave them some comment love. Each month our fearless leader (Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh) gives us an optional question to answer. This month’s question is, Many writers have written about the experience of rereading their work years later. Have you…
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My 2025 highlight reel: writing, travel, and more
It’s time for my 2025 highlight reel post. I love writing annual highlight reel posts, because 1) I get reminded of things I forgot I did last year, and 2) I get to relive some good memories. 2025 was our first full year here in Clovis and in our new house, so there was lots of settling in, and since it’s me, lots of gardening. Also a little (very little) writing and some travel. Here we go: Writing highlights Academic writing The academic book I co-edited in 2024 was released early in 2025, so that was exciting. There’s nothing quite like holding a book in my hands with my name…
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My writing plans for 2026
New year, new plans. Resolutions, SMART goals, out with the bad habits, in with the good habits. Eat less, move more, meditate, write every day, hustle harder. If we’re lucky, that holds till maybe MLK Day, then it’s back to our usual behavior. Usually. I’ve never been much for resolutions, but I used to be all in on goal-setting and morning routines (example: my 2020 goals, which seem hilarious in hindsight). Don’t get me wrong–those are good things. But the last couple of years, dealing health issues and watching Long-Suffering Husband deal with ever more health issues, I have learned to be gentle with myself. So I have scaled back…
Janet Alcorn
Suspense | Horror | Romance
