It's All Fun And Games 'Til The Flying Monkeys Show Up

This week has been just a little bit mad. Not a lot mad, just a little. Between job hunting, co-organizing two Meetup groups and trying to get Book 2 plotted and written, I think maybe I've lost more than a few marbles.

The awesome thing is, that when it comes to plotting, planning, questions, comments and screams of moral outrage, I've got the best Writers' Group. Evah.

It's not a big group. It's not even an official group. In fact, not all of them are even writers. Some are readers who are passionate about a great story with a kick-ass heroine fuelled by just a tweak of magic. Without these women, Kissed by Darkness would have never been finished and Kissed by Fire would still be nothing but a germ of an idea. If that.

I can not stress just how important having a Writers' Group is for an author. They're your sounding board, your cheer leading squad, your faithful conspirators and your team of drunken commiserates. They'll give you unflinchingly honest feedback and unshakable moral support.

They don't have to be World Famous Authors. They don't even necessarily have to be writers (Though it helps if at least some of them are.). They DO have to love books and they have to be willing to be honest with you. 100%. Kissing your ass is worthless. Brutal honesty is your friend.

There's a fantastic blog post on The Write One about this very subject. See, I'm not the only one who thinks so! It's a common theme among all successful writers: Writing Groups are worth their weight in gold. And that, my friends, is one heck of a lot of gold.

So, if you want to be a "real" writer, hie thee to a Writers' Group. And if you can't find one, make one. You won't regret it.

Meanwhile, I'm off to have a chat with the flying monkeys. Might as well have them clean my house since the Cleaning Fairies took the day off...

Dragons In The Hedgerows

It's amazing, the places one can find inspiration.

Agatha Christie used to find inspiration on trams and trains and sipping tea outside cafes. Who am I to argue with genius.

Inspiration, my friends, is everywhere. I found my inspiration in hedgerows in the North of England.

Yes, hedgerows. Dragons live in them, dontcha know. They lay their eggs there and some times they hide behind the stone walls in quaint little English villages.

Trust me.

And sometimes, very late at night, if you watch very closely, you will find them meeting atop Hadrian's Wall for a conclave. That's when things get interesting...

So yes, ladies and gentlemen, Kissed By Fire is all about DRAGONS!

(Picture by Ushika)

"Thou shoulds't beware of Dragons for thou art crunchy and taste excellent with ketchup!"