Writers in the Storm

A blog about writing

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August 30, 2021

Double The Love (aka Pimp & Promote)

Since the beginning here at Writers in the Storm, we've been all about spreading the love. And every so often, we throw the doors open for some shameless self-promotion opportunities for our readers. Our only requirement for those glorious days -- formerly called "Pimp & Promote" -- is that they double the love and promote someone else's work alongside their own.

New Name - Same Awesomeness

As of now, we're officially changing the name of this event from "Pimp & Promote" to "Double The Love." First of all, it has a nice ring. Also, the world could use a whole lot more love these days so why not rebrand one of our favorite things here at WITS?

Today's event will give us all the opportunity to share great resources and celebrate our own successes. So get ready to double the love!

How DO you "Double the Love?"

For many in the States, school is back in session. In that same spirit, let's get out our pom-poms and cheer for ourselves and other writers! Down in the comments section, we ask that you:

  • Heap love on somebody else’s work – a favorite author, blogger, post or book you’ve read, a wonderful teacher or just someone who had profound influence on you as a writer or a person. Please limit your comments to one work.
    AND
  • Promote one of your projects that you’re excited about – a hobby, a blog, a book, or a new direction your writing is taking you. You decide. Just tell us about it in the comments! (Please restrain your enthusiasm to just one of your WIPs.)

The rest of us will shake those pom-poms, and “ooooh and ahh” (with a side of rah-rah). Full disclosure: our to-be-read piles and our resource lists double in size on days like these, which is always a cause for both celebration and nail-biting.

We'll lead off the love fest with some of the WITS Team!

Ellen Buikema

New Love:

Thomas Davis has written a fantastic, epic poem in blank verse, The Weirding Storm. The story contains magic, dragons, witches, dire wolves, malicious spirits, community unrest, and some interesting transformations, all woven into a dance of words.

A wonderful Young Adult Fantasy.


Self-love:

If you are looking for a young readers chapter book series, take a look at The Adventures of Charlie Chameleon. I wrote these stories to help encourage empathy and cultivate insight into children’s lives.

These multicultural stories cover situations children typically encounter like getting lost, moving, starting a new school, making friends, family vacations, working in a team, and dealing with bullies using positive methods. Each chapter ends with one or more activities for children and parents or teachers to do together, related to the actions in the stories. These books are filled with humor to make the stories more engaging for children (and more fun for parents to read to their kids).

The first three chapter books in The Adventures of Charlie Chameleon Series are New BeginningsSchool Days, and Summertime.

Jenny Hansen

New Love:

If you've been around WITS for a while, you've seen some of the gorgeous posts by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, the co-authors of the Emotion Thesaurus series of books. Perhaps you know about the labor of love they created called "One Stop" for writers.

They've kicked it up a notch recently with the Storyteller's Roadmap. Frankly, I love it. I love that it meets you where you are as a writer, and that there are three different paths you can take, based on your own writing challenges. For example, I have friends who get hives at the thought of plotting so they happily write away like the pantsers they are. Then they get stuck or get lost in revisions. There are roadmaps for all these scenarios!

Below is a screen capture of the main page.

And here is a snippet of the Planning Roadmap:

So, to summarize, if you haven't checked out One Stop for Writers with their thesaurus cheat-sheets, character builders, checklists, timelines, and now, their Storyteller's Roadmap...why not?

Self-love:

Writers in the Storm is looking for new blog hosts and contributors. We like to change it up every few years and hear from some new voices and viewpoints. And we like to spread out the hosting over 4-6 people so no one has to do more than a dozen hours of work throughout the year.

Let us know in the comments if that's something you'd be interested in or send an email to writersinthestorm(at)gmail(dot)com!

Okay, now it's your turn!

* * * * * *

What do you think of "Double the Love?" Do you like the new name? Spread the love all around the comment section, and we'll chime in and cheer you on!

Top Photo by Frantisek Duris on Unsplash

50 comments on “Double The Love (aka Pimp & Promote)”

  1. New Love:

    Another vote for Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi! I'm fortunate to be on the street team for their forthcoming addition to their amazing thesaurus series. It's volume 1 of _The Conflict Thesaurus_, releasing Oct. 12. In addition to other street team activities, I'm reading the ARC right now and am blown away by how much I'm learning in the opening pages about conflict and all of its tangentials. Becca and Angela are AMAZING!!! Their tireless efforts to support others are truly a gift to writers everywhere.

    Self-Love:

    My debut releases October 19th! It's a novella called _The Truth About Elves_, and it's about Curtis who works part-time for Santa (or Mr. C., as the elves call him.) Mr. C. took Curtis in when he had nowhere else to go, and Curtis will forever be grateful. But now the boss is calling in a favor, and Curtis doesn't know if he can deliver. I'm inviting everyone to come discover the power of forgiveness this holiday season along with Curtis in _The Truth About Elves_. (Released by Atmosphere Press. Kindle pre-orders are available now. Hard copy pre-orders go up Sept. 21!)

    1. Ahhhh, I am so pleased this book is up to snuff and will be a help! I can't thank you enough for being on the Street Team and helping with everything - thank you, thank you!

      1. Oh my goodness, Angela, it absolutely is my honor! I'm always eager to help other writers and the writing community in any way I can. Thank YOU for the chance to do so by being on the street team!

    2. Hi Ekta! Your novella sounds like great fun!

      Thank you for the heads-up on The Conflict Thesaurus. Sounds amazing.

      1. Thank you, Ellen! Really appreciate the encouragement. And it's so much fun to see you posting regularly here! I really enjoy your articles. Thank you!

    3. I'm super excited about the Conflict Thesaurus as well! One of the biggest problems I see in relationships that have conflict is the inability to navigate it in a healthy way.

      Congratulations on your debut!!!! Such a very exciting time in your life. 🙂

  2. New Love:
    I have a fabulous critique partner whom I have never met because she lives in Queensland, Australia and I live in Texas. We were paired via Women Fiction Writer's Assoc. She has an unfailing eye for where I go wrong and her suggestions are always spot on. As of now, she is unpublished, but her books are wonderful, especially the last one based on a family member with a mysterious and intriguing past. She actually tracked down long-lost relatives through her research! Thank you, Michele Douglas! I can't wait for your books to be published, so start submitting!!!

    Self Love:
    After publishing five individual titles, I am working on a series that begins in the last gasp of the Gilded Age and extends through the end of WWI. Book I is finished and currently out of query. Book II is well underway. Great wealth, noble titles, mansions, castles, muddy battlefield trenches, suffrage, love, loss, and renewal all feature in the series. Wish me luck in my quest for just the right path for its publication!

    1. Linda, the Women Fiction Writer's Association has been on my agenda to join. I'm glad you mentioned it. When juggling too many items it's easy to drop one ... or four.

      How wonderful to have a great critique partner, and from Australia! I have family in New South Wales. I love how the English language is just a tad different in other countries.

      Best of luck in your publishing journey!

    2. Thank you, Linda.
      Sending the writerly love back at you across the world. Your critique suggestions are gold and your characters tale me back in time.

    3. I absolutely adore stories like this! A great critique partner is priceless. They see the holes in your story that you can't see and help you plug them before sending the story into the world. PRICELESS DIAMONDS, I tell you!

      Congratulations on your new book/series. The Gilded Age was such a very interesting time for America - workers came from all over the world to share in the US industrial boom, public schools, railroads and industries were built and we became a true country of immigrants (which is our strength in my opinion).

  3. Double the Love - I love this! First, some love for Julie Carrick Dalton's Waiting For the Night Song whose ebook is on sale for $2.99:
    Don’t miss this great price on @juliecdalton’s debut thriller, WAITING FOR THE NIGHT SONG. From Aug 30- Sept 5 you can grab the ebook for just $2.99. A CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, and Parade Most Anticipated 2021 book, Waiting for the Night Song is a compelling novel about friendships forged in childhood magic and ruptured by the high price of secrets that leave you forever changed. Perfect for book clubs and fans of Where the Crawdads Sing or Barbara Kingsolver novels. https://amzn.to/3khr90o

    And maybe some love for my own debut: Nowhere Near Goodbye: Kindle edition on sale for $5.99 and now available on Audible!
    “The past versus the present. The desperate needs of a family going against the desperate needs of work. And secrets that could derail everything. Conrey’s beautifully written novel probes the choices we make—and the choices we regret, and she does it with grace and aplomb.”

    Caroline Leavitt, New York Times Bestselling author of Pictures of You and With or Without You

    1. Oooooo, TWO ebooks on sale! You are a stellar human being, Barbara. (Of course, I already knew that. 🙂 ) Now I'm off to go check out the books...

  4. My friend, Hollie Smurthwaite, debuts today with The Color of Trauma, a paranormal romantic suspense. Kiera is a memory surgeon. With her gift of removing and holding other’s traumatic memories, she’s helped dozens of women but hasn’t helped herself. Now Dean, a Chicago homicide detective, is asking for even more: for her to look into the memories of a coma victim to help him catch a serial killer. http://bitly.bz/e6OHf

    My debut novel, At First Sight, is also romantic suspense and comes out on Oct. 22 but is available for preorder now. Chicago, Illinois 2013. When Cress Taylor starts receiving anonymous threats, the successful novelist feels her world crashing down. Max Grant turns up at a book signing and wants to renew their fleeting acquaintance. Is the timing coincidental or suspicious? Should she fall into his arms or run like hell? Then the plagiarism accusations start. http://bitly.bz/24Mtm

  5. Jenny, ALL THE HUGS! I am so glad you are finding the Storyteller's Roadmap helpful! We've wanted to put this out there for writers for a long time because it is a hard road getting from that first word to the last one. I am so excited for this and really hope it helps writers get their books into the hands of readers. Thank you so much for giving it some love here. <3

    I have to send double love to K.M. Weiland and September Fawkes. Both these women have incredible writing craft brains, and you always walk away with new knowledge when you visit them.

    So head over and sign up for blog updates, newsletters, etc!

    Katie: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/
    September: https://www.septembercfawkes.com/

    1. ALL THE HUGS back, to you and to Becca. I am so excited about what y'all are doing at One Stop, and about the upcoming conflict Thesaurus. Brava, ladies. Brava!

  6. Double the love: Phyllis Irene Radford, writing under several names, but most recently as Rachel Atwood. The sequel to her WALK THE WILD WITH ME is coming out from DAW in 2022. Meanwhile, as Irene Radford, she has many lovely books available through the Book View Cafe. Someone to watch for.

    Sara Mueller has THE BONE ORCHARD coming out from Tor in 2022. A chilling and lovely book.

    Self-love: the newest addition to my Martiniere Legacy series, JUSTINE FIXES EVERYTHING: REFLECTIONS ON MORTALITY, comes out in October. It's a science fiction thriller with an enduring relationship underlying the story. Meanwhile, I'm putting up outtakes from the Martiniere books as well as serializing the current Martiniere book-in-progress, REPAIRING THE LEGACY, on Substack. The serialization starts next Friday, and will alternate with short stories and outtakes. It can be found here: https://joycef1d.substack.com/p/an-introduction-to-martiniere-stories

    Additionally, I'd love to write for Writers in the Storm. Besides occasionally writing my own blog posts about writing and the process of writing, I work with beginning writers to help them get a positive start in their writing world. I am also currently the Secretary of the Northwest Independent Writers Association, and work with NIWA to promote independent writers.

    1. Joyce! What a fun comment. The Martiniere series is new to me, and it is lovely that you doubled the love to include your friends as well.

      I'll email you about options for writing for WITS, so expect to get a note from me. 🙂

      1. Thanks for the appreciation! Sara has worked very hard on that book and we're all so proud of her. Plus the cover...IS AWESOME! And Phyllis is the hard-working editor on my books.

        I do think the Martinieres are the best thing I've written...and dang are they ever opinionated, mouthy characters....

  7. Double the love: The Senary series by L.D. Rose. I believe she's gotten her rights back to this series and is going to re-release the series as self-published works, I've enjoyed the first 3 books and anticipating the fourth. Dark and gritty writing is what I love best, and she delivers in aces. You might want to keep an eye out for the series when she relaunches.

    Self-love: I'm currently working on book 3 of my Sentinel series to launch later this year. Book 1 is a reunion of old friends after 17 years. It has a touch of mystery and an underlying romance. Book 2 furthers the series arc and takes the couple to Louisiana. Book 3 takes them once again into danger in the mountains of Montana. Book 4, will end the series. Full of ghosts and things that go bump in the night. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08TR7WPPG

    1. Thanks for the alert, Brenda! I'm thinking about all L.D. Rose will likely need to do to re-release. New covers for sure.

      Your series sounds great. I love a good mystery.

  8. I love the new name! Double the Love for the win!

    New Love: Liz McCraine writes romantic fantasy with realistic characters and believable romance (gasp!). No instalove here... Add in a dash of adventure and a sprinkle of magic, and the Kingdom of Aggadorn series is a great read. I think she's wide now, but I only have a link for Amazon, sorry. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TV1DC1R

    Self Love: I have book 5 of my YA secondary-world fantasy series coming out in September (yay!), but you should really start with book 1, Wind of Choice. All sixteen-year-old winged Ahjin wants is to be a skydancer, but the god he doesn’t believe in has other plans. But when his god is kidnapped and asks for help, Ahjin sees an opportunity for blackmail. In exchange for his own freedom, he’ll find and rescue the god from the mysterious force that’s somehow powerful enough to restrain the deity. How hard could it be? https://books2read.com/windofchoice

  9. Double the love, I adore it!

    New Love: I just finished Kerry Anne King's latest release, coming out this month - OTHER PEOPLE'S THINGS and you know when you read something and you're like - "wow that is such a clear idea for plot and character, where the heck did she get that?" Such a great read!

    Self Love: I'll be returning with the new season of The Best of Womens Fiction podcast this coming weekend. 15 minute interviews with women's fiction authors I admire, packed with great writing advice and chit chat about their latest release. https://www.bestofwomensfiction.com

    (well this isn't exactly self love I do it to uplift and draw attention other writers). Self love - my own debut THE EXIT STRATEGY just won it's 11th award - overall winner in American Fiction Awards (women's fiction category). So grateful !

    PS also a huge Angela Ackerman fan. The Emotional Wound Thesaurus is one of the best writing resources out there!

  10. NEW LOVE
    I just discovered Anne Liu Kellor. Absolutely love the way she writes. Specifically this article she wrote about writing your memoir.
    “The Art of Endlessly Revising a Memoir”. It’s helped me stop picking at the fragments of my memoir and start putting it into something more cohesive.
    https://www.janefriedman.com/the-art-of-endlessly-revising-a-memoir/

    SELF LOVE
    Within a few months after a surgery to remove a rare and aggressive form of cancer, I decided to pursue a secret life long dream of becoming a writer.
    I started out lukewarm but then lost my nerve. Recently decided to get over myself and go forward with it. Because life really is too short for hesitation to explore your dreams.
    Today I’m promoting my profile on the platform Medium. This links contains everything I’ve published there. It’s extremely modest but I need to start somewhere, right?
    Thank you!
    https://cindybahl.medium.comWeb resultsCindy Bahl – Medium

  11. Double the Love: My dear friend and fellow author, Pru Warren, has a fantastic new RomCom coming out next month. Dash & the Moonglow Mystic, is fun, suspenseful, and swoon-worthy!
    https://www.amazon.com/Dash-Moonglow-Mystic-Laugh-Out-Loud-Ampersand-ebook/dp/B098MRHPWP/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Dash+%26+the+moonglow+mystic&qid=1630353890&sr=8-1

    Self Love: My romantic suspense, SECOND ACT, is out with a brand new cover that better conveys the reader's immersion into the beautiful world of ballet where a killer threatens to bring down the curtain for good! https://amzn.to/35BnXH3

  12. New love: One of my favorite authors is Jill Williamson, and at the moment I'm loving her Thirst Duology. The second one just came out a few months ago! It's apocalyptic/dystopian, so if you like that genre, definitely check it out! 🙂

    Self-love: I just announced the release of my debut novel, so that's exciting!!! It's middle-grade fantasy, and the world is based on music. It's coming out in December. 🙂

    1. Hi Talia! Congratulations on your debut novel. That is exciting. What is the title of your MG fantasy novel?

  13. Love the name change.

    My friend Pooks has been a great mentor. She hasn't updated her blog for a bit, so I won't link it. She writes in multiple genres and is an award-winning writer in several genres and an award-winning screenwriter. When I was in Dallas, we met for breakfast, and she gave me some advice which has helped.

    Warner Bros. has given me quite a few movies to review recently. Prior to that, I was mostly reviewing for Disney. With the pandemic, they've been giving digital access, so I don't have to go to a theater.

    denise

    1. Thanks, Denise! And congratulations on getting a new review source. I hope the digital access is a pandemic benefit that stays. It's lovely to be able to do all your work from home.

  14. I love this blog! I also love the rebranding of this event.

    My own stuff is great, obviously, but it's not out there yet, so I'm doubling the love for this blog! ^^

  15. What an awesome concept!

    New Love: Rick Adelmann's MG&M Detective Agency Mysteries take you back to the roaring twenties. Set in the raucous Jazz Age, it follows the adventures of a decorated, retired calvery officer, Major Jim Mallory, after his forced retirement due to injuries after the Mexican-American War. Jim soon finds himself in the company of Sherwood Garth, a Pinkerton agent in need of partner. They are soon joined by Anneka Larsson who brings her own uncanny intuition to the mix and sweeps the intrepid major off his feet.This unlikely trio soon form the MG&M Detective Agency. Settling in southern California, they hobnob with Hollywood's elite and get invited to all the fanciest house parties and poshest of the mansions in the area. , day's work for MG&M. I've watched Rick grow as a writer, and am amazed by the sheer joy, mischief and creativity I find in his work.

    Self Love: Second Son, A Novel of the Deep South, was a project I took on to rescue an orphan manuscript originally written by my uncle back in the 60s. Towanna's story of heartbreak, betrayal, loss, and redemption touched me at a visceral level and compelled me to make the brilliant story hidden in my uncles type-written pages come to life. Second Son was published by Touchpoint Press in July 2021, and received a five-star review in the Reedsy Discovery Program:

    https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/second-son-a-novel-of-the-deep-south-kathleen-parrish#review

    Must read ?
    Reading this book is like traveling back through time. Deserves to be on the list of classic American literature all should read. Second Son follows a host of beautiful, flawed characters that immerse the reader into the human struggles of yesterday. The story centers on Towanna Whitaker. He's the second son of a white sharecropper in Mississippi just before the Second World War. His father is old-fashioned and a hard worker, and doesn't quite believe in "book learning" but the son is determined to "be somebody."
    . . . It was not until I finished the novel that I learned that the author had lived through this time, in this place, and had written the story using his memories of the time and that his niece had been left the manuscript and turned it into the beautiful novel that is today. I believe that this book could be an American classic. It is a book I will never forget, the characters will live with me for all my years. I feel like I was privileged to be able to get a glimpse of the life these people lived, granting the author, Herman Willis Logan, some small measure of immortality - the words he left behind will continue to touch all who read them. His niece, Kathleen Parrish, has certainly done him proud.

  16. I'm happy to find this site, through the Blog and Inspire Facebook group! The Double the Love concept is wonderful

    New Love: I discovered author Karen White and Tradd Street Series. It's set in Charleston and the books inspired me so much that I'm headed to Charleston this weekend for my first visit there. Here is her author link: https://www.karen-white.com/ I love the way she writes about a city she loves.

    And I'm a blogger with two blogs. Cindy Goes Beyond is a travel and lifestyle blog: https://www.cindygoesbeyond.com and Journey with Healthy Me is my healing journey after embracing a plant based lifestyle: https://www.jounreywithhealthyme.com I'm working on a book as well.

    1. Thanks so much, Cindy! And welcome to WITS. We're happy to have you here. I LOVE Karen White. She is such a fantastic writer. I haven't read the Tradd Street series yet, so this is a fun recommendation for me.

      If you love books set in Charleston, I'd also recommend "South of Broad" by Pat Conroy. It's incredible, and shows many areas of Charleston.

      Thanks for the links to your blogs - it's a medium that I love.

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