IWSG Monthly Blog for October 2025

Good morning. I hope you’re all enjoying the beauty and benefits of the changing seasons. In the Southern Hemisphere, you’ve welcomed spring, while those of us up north are hoping for a mild autumn with notes of summer for at least a few more weeks.

This month’s question is: What is the most favorite thing you have written, published or not? And why?

That is a tough question to answer. Being an author was a pipe dream for so long, and then, after I retired from teaching, I took a chance and reached for the stars. I was first published in 2013, and I haven’t looked back.

Everything I write holds a little of my soul and has a special place in my heart. In a very real sense, my books are my children, created within my brain and my imagination. It would be like asking who’s your favorite child, or which limb is more imoprtant, your arm or your leg? How do you choose? You can’t.

Certainly my most financially successful books are my Harvester Files series. After that, it’s a toss up with my other romantic suspense novels. I love drama, and I get to touch on all kinds of criminal evil facing the world we live in. Do I get a little political? Yes, maybe even a little preachy, but I make sure that my facts are sound. My latest book in the Protecting the Innocent series, And Justice for All is fiction wrapped in current events. While I enjoy wirting that genre, it sometimes takes a toll on me since it can be emotionally taxing.

I deal with that level of stress by jumping to another genre. Sometimes, I’ll work on a cozy mystery; at others, it’ll be simple romance or a holiday book. To fully unwind, I work in my Cocktails for You series which is a collection of novels, written in the first person, that are essentially romantic comedies each named after a cocktail. Usually, there is more romance than comedy, and some have higher heat levels than others, but each story is unique and has bits and pieces of my own life woven into them. Character names are often those of family and friends. While they haven’t met with the success of my suspense books, they are growing in popularity. In time, I hope I’ll find more readers for them. An author’s job is basically to entertain and that’s what I stive to do.

I also enjoy writing historical novels, mild paranormal, and fantasy books. I find research fascinating and informative. I’ve learned so much looking into cultural mythologies. Most recently, I started a fantasy/paranormal series called Listen to the Stones. The first book came out In March and has been well received by those who’ve read it. My surgery in April and commitment to publishers for other work stopped me from getting book 2 out as soon as I’d hoped, but after I finish my current project, I will get back to it. Modern Fantasy is probably the hardest genre to write, especially if you set your stories in this current time and space. Things can be impossible but that have to be probable on some level. I enjoy giving my imagination free rein. I never know exactly where I’m going, and that makes for an exhilarating ride!

What about you?

Check out the other blog posts and have a great day! https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html