Big News!

I've been sitting on this news for a few days, but I'm overjoyed to be able to announce that I have fulfilled an ambition I've held for fifteen years and will become a traditionally published author when my YA sci-fi novel The Becalmer is published by Creative James Media in August 2023!

I'm still processing the news really - I feel like my submissions process has been a whirlwind, as I only started querying in November last year. I'm aware that to get an acceptance after a few short months is the exception, not the norm, so I feel blessed. I gathered many rejections, including some very helpful and encouraging ones. One of those helped me strengthen my story by completely excising the first two chapters, which I'm sure played a part in its acceptance. When I queried Jean Lowd at CJM, I was stunned that she came back with a request for a full the very same day. A few weeks later, I attended a Zoom interview to discuss my book, and the next day, I signed a contract. Suffice to say that this is still sinking in!

This is my lockdown project - I started writing it in January 2020 and finished up editing in autumn 2021. Although it doesn't have to do with the pandemic, I'll always associate it with those couple of years and I'm glad that at least something good has come out of them. My MC holds a special place in my heart - she's determined, surprising and resourceful, and I'm overjoyed that she will now make her way out into the world. Here's a short blurb:

Gifted with the ability to defuse conflicts with her mind, Harica is headhunted to resolve a war via an arranged marriage, unaware that the reluctant would-be bride—the entitled Princess Jasmila—has similar powers. But the princess doesn’t use them for good, and she fights back, sending Harica into a coma through which she finds a mysterious liminal space populated by others who share her gift, both living and dead. She learns to do things she never thought possible, but when things get out of control, she almost swears off her gift forever—until events dictate that she must come to terms with the dark side of her gift and take ownership of it.

I'll provide more details in the coming months. This year, I'm also planning to release Reckoning, the concluding part in my YA trilogy, so it's a busy old time. Looking forward to the ride!

IWSG March 2022

In a fractured and volatile world, one thing we can rely on is the first Wednesday of the month being the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Hosted, as ever, by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the aim of the group is to offer a place to share fears and insecurities about writing without being judged. Join us if you haven't already. Today's excellent co-hosts are Janet Alcorn, Pat Garcia, Natalie Aguirre and Shannon Lawrence!

Today's optional IWSG question is: Have you ever been conflicted about writing a story or adding a scene to a story? How did you decide to write it or not?

This is a pretty interesting question because I'm not afraid to take on difficult topics if it's what the story demands. I always think that whatever goes in has to serve the story rather than just being there for the sake of it, but that doesn't mean I don't worry about the possible reaction. Taking my recent WIP as an example, I had written a scene featuring an attempted sexual assault on my protagonist. Note "attempted"; the incident doesn't actually take place because my character deflects it by going inside the attacker's mind, which serves as character development because it's an aspect of her power she hasn't realised yet. However, when I sent the book to critique partners, I left out that part with a note that it was to be rewritten. This raised questions based on later references to the incident, and after a few discussions I ran the scene past them. They suggested that, with a few tweaks, it could be incorporated as an important part of the story. It was absolutely the right thing to do.

My reticence stemmed from a previous response from a CP for my dystopian series, who stopped reading after a rape scene. In hindsight, that was unnecessarily graphic, and I rewrote so this was only alluded to off the page, but in that case, it was also a necessary part of the story because it showed the controlling actions taken by a corrupt antagonist - but it was only one part of those actions. 

I have also written death and murder scenes, and these books are YA, but I believe it's important not to sugarcoat things for a younger audience or pretend that certain things don't exist. If it's handled sensitively, it can be a key part of fortifying, moulding and making a character.

If you're interested to hear others' answers to this question - I know I am! - you can find many more entrants to the IWSG here.

IWSG February 2022

Rolling into February and it's time once again for the Insecure Writer's Support Group, the monthly event where we get to share fears and insecurities in a judgement-free zone. Hosted as always by Alex J. Cavanaugh, today's co-hosts are Joylene Nowell Butler, Jacqui Murray, Sandra Cox and Lee Lowery.

This month's optional IWSG question is: Is there someone who supported or influenced you that perhaps isn't around anymore? Anyone you miss?

Ahh, this could get emotional, so I'll keep it brief. I have two nominees. One is my stepson Andrew, who many of you will remember. He had an infectious enthusiasm for life and a fearless willingness to take on anything, despite the challenges he faced, and I try to keep that spirit with me at all times. Many members of this group kindly contributed to the anthology of stories I published as part of the drive to send Andrew to a specialist college - perhaps you were among them.

My second nominee is the late great Terry Pratchett, an incalculable influence on my own writing. I started reading his work at the age of eight and never looked back! Pratchett's strength lay in reflecting the full gamut of human experience and emotions, even when the characters weren't human and lived on another world. All delivered with a mischievous twinkle in the eye. He was also a master of the mash-up, breaking boundaries and combining genres such as sci-fi, fantasy, thriller and mythology. I could go on and on, but I'll finish by encouraging you to pick up one or two of his books. There are dozens to choose from, and you can't go wrong.

So what else is happening? I'm continuing to query, and trying to send submissions to a few more agents and publishers each week. I've hit 10,000 words on my new WIP, which feels like it's starting to get into its stride now, and I'll shortly start prepping the final part of my trilogy for release. So plenty to keep me going.

I'll finish on a musical recommendation, which I don't often give, but this week I've been really enjoying Cult Leader Tactics, the new album by Paul Draper (former frontman of Mansun, who were another big influence on me, just in terms of creativity). Any fan of 80s electropop with a modern twist should love this album. It's packed with his trademark dry wit and tongue-in-cheek humour, but the song in the video strikes a more emotive note, with a powerful chorus about being unable to reach someone during lockdown. It feature Steven Wilson (the guy in the little handheld device), a name that prog rock fans might know. Check it out!

And of course, don't forget to check out the other IWSG entrants here!

IWSG January 2022

Welcome to the first posting of 2022 for the Insecure Writer's Support Group! I hope everyone's had a restful and healthy holiday season and is in a good place for a great year of writing. If anyone is new to the group, its purpose is to offer a safe space where writers can share doubts and insecurities without fear of being judged. Hosted as ever by Alex J. Cavanaugh, this month's co-hosts are Erika Beebe, Olga Godim, Sandra Cox, Sarah Foster and Chemist Ken.

Christmas and New Year were pretty relaxed here at Wilford Towers and weren't marked by adverse illness, which I'm thankful for. I do go into 2022 with several queries outstanding on my standalone YA sci-fi novel, but I'd rather see these as opportunities than insecurities. I've managed to garner some valuable feedback to hopefully strengthen my query and will be revising and sending out more this month. 

Meanwhile, I'm starting the process of getting the final part of my dystopian trilogy readied for publication, which includes sending it out to beta readers. The bulk of this book was written by the end of 2019, but I struggled with the ending for a while, even having to rewrite it after a data loss. 2019 was also when the second part of the series was published, so I'm wary of the gap extending for too long. I did also fight shy of releasing during the pandemic, but such concerns seem increasingly meaningless. In fact I think we need the escape of a good story more than ever.

Finally, I'm continuing with a new WIP I started towards the end of last year, which I've enjoyed dabbling with over the festive period. This one is set in the near future, centres on trans characters and features a heavy sci-fi twist on the process of transitioning. It ventures into unknown territory for me and I'm enjoying the research and writing so far. 

Let's have a look at this month's optional IWSG question.

What's the one thing about your writing career you regret the most? Were you able to overcome it?

I'd rather not focus on regrets at the start of a new year. The only thing I would say I'd regret was I didn't start taking writing seriously earlier. I started writing my first book at 26 - I'd had a few false starts before that but nothing went anywhere, which was probably out of doubt that I could actually do it. At some point you have to push through that doubt and just keep going. Like most people's first attempts, that book didn't come to much but it gives you the confidence to do another, and then another... in fact this year it'll be 15 years since I started down this road, which is strange to think about. I might do something to celebrate!

In the meantime let's look ahead to a very exciting annual event which is coming around the corner fast. 

The next #IWSGPit will be in January 26, 2022,
8:00 am - 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time

Create a Twitter-length pitch for your completed and polished manuscript and leave room for genre, age, and the hashtag. On January 26, 2022, Tweet your pitch. If your pitch receives a favorite/heart from a publisher/agent check their submission guidelines and send your requested query.

Many writers have seen their books published from a Twitter pitch - it’s a quick and easy way to put your manuscript in front of publishers and agents.

See full rules here - and don't forget to check out the full list of IWSG participants here.

IWSG December 2021

For the last time in what has been another very strange year, it's the first Wednesday of the month and time for our monthly meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the aim of the group is to offer a safe space where writers of all kinds can share fears and insecurities without fear of being judged. Today's co-hosts are PJ Colando, Diane Burton, Louise - Fundy Blue, Natalie Aguirre and Jacqui Murray.

The optional question this month is: In your writing, what stresses you the most? What delights you?

I'm going to interpret this question as relating just to the writing itself, rather than associated activities like marketing, querying, formatting etc., which can obviously be major stressors. I'm querying at the moment and I think we can all agree that's a big source of stress. Others may read the question differently, but I just don't feel like going there with those sort of aspects!

So what stresses me the most about writing? I think it's all the nitty gritty elements, like making sure the timeline adds up and that there aren't any major plot holes. Okay, maybe that's more than nitty gritty. But it's basically all the things that need straightened out and set in line before you arrive at a finished book. Or as close to finished as is possible.

What delights me? I'd say when it does work out and all those disparate elements come together to make something beautiful. So, in order to get to the delightful part, I have to get through the stressful part. Which must mean that all the stress is worth it - or that's what I'll tell myself anyway.

Something that is hopefully delightful and not too stress-inducing is the annual #IWSGPit Twitter pitch party, which is coming around the corner soon on January 26, 2022. It's a chance to get your manuscript seen and hopefully liked by agents and publishers via a tweet-length pitch. Find more details here.

And for further entries in this month's IWSG meeting, check out the sign-up list here.

Patricia Lynne Birthday Scavenger Hunt

We've got a bit of fun today as I'm helping the amazing author Patricia Lynne celebrate both her birthday and 10-year writing anniversary. To celebrate, Patricia is holding a scavenger hunt where you need to collect a series of words nestled within various blogs. My word is highlighted in red in the post below. Make a note of it, then head to Patricia's blog for a list of other participants. Once you've collected at least five words, go back and comment with them on Patricia's birthday and anniversary post to enter a giveaway.

No human can resist Keane, so why can Quinn?

Keane is an incubus coasting through life without a care. It’s actually pretty boring. Then he meets Quinn, a human who can resist the allure of an incubus. That shouldn’t be possible. He’s going to have to use all of his wiles if he’s going to seduce her.

Quinn is less than impressed by Keane. He’s too cocky and has sex on the brain. A typical male, and her complete opposite. Despite their differences, they can’t deny the attraction between them. Can a human and an incubus make a relationship work?

But something sinister is lurking in Keane’s world. Incubi are vanishing, and when Quinn is kidnapped, Keane realizes someone is after him. He races to uncover who is behind the abductions and find Quinn. Will he get to her before it’s too late? Or is their tempting romance doomed?

Tempting Friendship is a friends to lovers urban fantasy.
Steam rating: Warm (Moderately explicit sensuality.)

​AVAILABLE FOR $3.99 AT AMAZON OR READ FOR FREE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED!
Add to Goodreads

Patricia Josephine aka Patricia Lynne
Author of paranormal, fantasy, and sci-fi novels you can escape into.
 Website: patriciajosephine.com
Twitter: @pjlauthor
Facebook: @pjlauthor
Instagram: @pjlauthor
Patreon: @pjlauthor

IWSG November 2021

It's time for the first Wednesday of the month and time for our monthly meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the aim of the group is to offer a safe space where writers of all kinds can share fears and insecurities without fear of being judged. Today's co-hosts are Kim Lajevardi, Victoria Marie Lees, Joylene Nowell Butler, Erika Beebe and Lee Lowery.

Let's have a look at this month's optional IWSG question. I think it's a good one: What's harder to do, coming up with your book title or writing the blurb?

This is pretty pertinent for me as I embark on querying small publishers for the very first time. I always thought the title was the hardest thing to do but weirdly for my last couple of books, the title was basically there from the beginning. For the project I'm querying, the title is a one-word description of the main character's special ability so it was always pretty obvious. I'm sure next time I'll go back to struggling for a pithy title. 

The blurb is really hard to do well, I think. Summing up tens of thousands of words of story in a couple of paragraphs that must grab the reader's attention in a couple of seconds? Mm... Before, I've gone for the approach of starting with a question - what would you do in xxx situation - which hopefully pulls the reader in right from the start, but it's hard to gauge if the approach is successful. I'm trying to transfer this blurb-writing style to the hook in a query letter. I figure they must be similar because they both have to rise above a sea of other stuff to hook the reader. A daunting task, but I suppose the key is to pack in as much stakes and conflict as possible. How easy that is probably depends on how strong those aspects are in the book itself. So, that must mean the key to writing a good blurb is to write a good book in the first place.

I'm sure more profound answers can be found with the rest of the IWSG list, which you can find here!