Wednesday, January 7, 2015

January IWSG: Back to the Future



Come join Alex J. Cavanaugh and the Insecure Writer's Support Group. We post the first Wednesday of every month! http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html

Alex wanted us to post a short bio about ourselves this month.

I am motivated by my kids, my family and my faith in Christ. When I was a kid, I always dreamed of becoming a detective or a secret agent. Don't judge. Since I didn't join the CIA, I became a fifth grade teacher, but I retired early from teaching to become a writer. I'm hooked on the t.v. show Chuck. One of my favorite series is the Alex Rider series based on a fourteen-year-old MI6 agent. The Cold War fascinates me: microfiche, cryptology, code breaking, the KGB. I do enjoy foreign languages and can fly a plane, so, hey, maybe there's hope for me as a spy someday. 

I write middle-grade fiction and enjoy going back in time to my eighth grade year and the 1980's. My writing also reflects the possibilities the future can bring. Because I have two teenage boys, my novels end up written from a male, first-person POV with geeky, humorous protagonists. My current WIP is set in contemporary Chicago, centered around an ancient relic with enough 80's references to indulge the parents of said middle-grade readers. Of course, the pages overflow with lies, spies and secret government projects, bringing to life some interesting objects and characters.

Let's do this.

My top 5 New Year's Resolutions:

1. Watch Back to the Future on October 21, 2015. You'll get this date if you've seen the movie. (If you haven't seen it, I just don't, can't understand.)  I'm still undecided which is the greatest 80's movie of all time: Back to the Future or Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
2. Finish writing my new WIP. This one is my re-worked YA novel turned back to MG and switched from a mystery to an Urban Fantasy. I'm having way more fun than I ever imagined. Goal: make final edits by March.
3. Not get the flu. (You don't even want to know. So far, so good.)
4. Become the best writer I can be. There is always room for improvement. Be humble. Keep learning.
5. Be patient. Always working on this one.

Maybe the year 2014 didn't fulfill your dreams or expectations. Is 2015 already headed in the wrong direction? I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. There's always a lesson to be learned from our experiences. And you can always include them in your writing.

2015


Have you made any resolutions this year? What things do you like to include in your writing? Let's settle the debate. Which movie do you like better: Back to the Future or Ferris Bueller's Day Off? 

April #IWSG: Country Roads, City Girl

           Come join Alex J. Cavanaugh and the Insecure Writer's Support Group. We discuss our fears, insecurities, ups and downs of the...