div#ContactForm1 { display: none !important; }

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

IWSG - Breezes, News, Chicken Mysteries and a Ship to the Stars!


Every first Wednesday of the month, this group of writers come together to offer support, advice, encouragement or simply to let out frustrations and woes. Writing is a tough journey, and we don't have to go it alone.

Thanks goes to the brain behind this group, Alex J. Cavanaugh! If you want to join in or find out more (because there is so much more to this group) then head on over here.

Special thanks goes to this month's co-hosts:  Gwen Gardner, Doreen McGettigan, Tyrean Martinson, Chemist Ken, and Cathrina Constantine!


September is here!!! I love this time of year. Not only do the cooler temperatures make me smile, but the work outside starts to slow down. Yippee! Which means more writing time for me!

I have a lot planned on that front, but then, I have high hopes every year at this time. (Let's not admit how much writing really gets done in the end, though, because I'm staying positive.) 

Before heading into this month's question, there are a few tidbits, dates, and surprises I want to mention...

Bookworm for Kids was placed at #14 in the top 50 Children Book Blogs according to Ranked Blogs. So yay!

I'm honored to be September's featured author over at the Society for Children Book Writers and Illustrators for the KS/MO district and have an interview up on their website.

I'll be up in northern Kansas City at the Barnes and Noble on September 28th for their 'Campfire Chills' event and will be signing books, handing out SWAG and simply having fun chatting with everyone who stops by. (So mark those calendars!)


And on the farm front....

A calf was born this last week. So cute! It's black and bouncy, and I'm not sure if it's a boy or girl yet, but I'll figure that out as soon as it (or its mother) lets me get close enough to take a peek.

I also had a chicken coop murder mystery, which took longer to solve and cost more feathered lives than I would have liked. We lost our proud, majestic rooster...and two hens.

Did you know that raccoons are smart enough to lift doors and enter the coop? I didn't. 

But we caught the villain, and now, there's peace in the realm of eggs again.


Before things start popping up again, here's this month's question!


If you could pick one place in the world to sit and write your next story, where would it be and why?

THIS is a question which could take an entire novel to answer.  There are so many places I'd love to write. I'm open to so many things!

On a cliff overlooking the Irish shore.
On a raft floating down the Amazon river.
On a branch in a tall tree with a great view of a rain forest.
In front of the fireplace, curled up in a blanket.
Next to a waterfall.
In an igloo.
Sitting in front of a dinosaur bone display in a museum.
Riding a gondola in the Alps.
Sitting on the side of the Himalayas.
In a chair on the moon.
In a dungeon of an ancient castle.
The list goes on...and on... and on...

See? I'm not even picky? Especially if I'm allowed to bring snacks.

And where would you like to sit and write your next novel? Do you have any news or tidbits to share? Does September put a smile on your face or are you sad to see Summer go?

34 comments:

  1. Congrats on your blog award! I always admire how much you post. And it's great that you are a featured author this month.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I've always admired your blog. So, I guess we're even ;)

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
  2. You'd like to write in a dungeon, huh? ^_^

    My dad never solved his chicken murder mystery. I'll have to tell him about the raccoons. I was convinced it was weasels, and he thought it was hawks, but raccoons make more sense.

    Congratulations on the blog recognition and the blog interview!

    For the record, I'm never sad to see summer go. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can you imagine how much inspiration a dungeon could offer...okay, dark but still?
      My brother was the one who figured out it was a raccoon. I honestly thought it was a ferret or something since we don't have holes in the coop. I honestly would have never guessed that raccoons could do that.

      Delete
  3. Congrats on being in the not just top 50, but top 15 blogs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm always amazed that anyone notices what I post.

      Delete
  4. You are going to be writing all over the world.
    Sorry about the chickens.
    That's awesome about the book review site placement and the interview and all that!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Congrats on the excellent ranking and on being the featured author!

    I'm ready for summer to be over, although the weather won't get much cooler here for a bit. For me, it's more about the attitude. :)

    Good luck at the signing! Sounds like fun!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Campfire Chills - and you were one of their top ones. Perfect!

    Sneaky little raccoons.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lol! The person in charge at B&N thought it'd be a fitting theme and wanted to make an entire event out of it. There's no way I'm going to complain.

      Delete
  7. I'm beginning to think you could write anywhere. :)

    We have a few chickens, and we added multiple locks on the doors so that raccoons (or anything else out there) couldn't get to them. My wife would have been devastated.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I should have started with locks, but I'm not letting those sneaky raccoons in again.

      Delete
  8. Congratulations on being the featured author! That's wonderful.

    I like your choices, but I'd have a hard time selecting one.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congratulations on your blog ranking! Well deserved.

    Enjoy your book event!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Congratulations on getting ranked. How awesome!

    I do know how smart raccoons can be. My cousin had one get into her cellar and eat all of her freshly canned goods. They were smart enough to avoid the foods they didn't like and popped the lids on the ones they did. She had my son come trap it and move it to a new home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh wow. They can opened canned goods too? If they weren't so vicious, they'd be quite amazing.

      Delete
  11. Wow! Your list sounds awesome! I would like to write in all of those places, too. :)
    Congratulations on the success of your book channel!!!
    And, I did know that about raccoons. We stored our cat food outside in a 'locked' plastic bin for maybe a month before the raccoons figured it out - they threw the whole thing off the deck onto a rocky pathway. Yeah. That was loud and involved a lot of raccoon excitement. Raccoons are smart and they are always hungry - or so it seems.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a mess! Or maybe not if they were that hungry. Still, frustrating.

      Delete
  12. Congratulations on your blog award. I'm also glad your chickens are okay now.
    Your book event sounds like fun. Enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. The chickens are recuperating...or maybe it's me from all the excitement ;)

      Delete
  13. What a great award! I may have to wander up your way that weekend at Barnes and Noble and say Hi :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great list of potential places to write! If only we could twitch our noses and go wherever.

    Sorry about your chickens and rooster.

    Teresa

    ReplyDelete
  15. I liked your places. Sorry about the chickens. Glad they have peace again. Happy IWSG!Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ooh I love your places to write, can I borrow them?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh wow, so many inspiring places. I love it! P. S. Glad you solved your chicken coop mystery. Raccoons are indeed quite smart.

    ReplyDelete
  18. You have so many awesome things lined up for spreading the word about your book! A guest writer for SCBWI? Wow! You know, I need to chat with you about how you're getting your Barnes and Noble signings. I have not had luck with that. Maybe you're doing something better than me that I need to learn!

    ReplyDelete
  19. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

I would love to hear your valuable Tidbits -