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Jessica Ferguson

Author, Writing Coach, Speaker

IWSG Day: Christmas is a-Coming

December 1, 2021 By Jessica Ferguson 9 Comments

I hate to say it but IWSG Day slipped up on me this month. I can hardly believe it’s December 1st. The days are flying by so fast, if I don’t keep a calendar near me I’m a goose, totally lost. So here goes with this month’s post:
Our purpose is: To share and encourage. It’s our pleasure to offer assistance and guidance. IWSG is a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
We post the first Wednesday of every month. That is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. This group is all about connecting!Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
The awesome co-hosts for the December 1 posting of the IWSG are PJ Colando,Diane Burton,Louise – Fundy Blue,Natalie Aguirre, and Jacqui Murray!

Every month, we announce a question that our members can answer. These questions may prompt us to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. The question is ALWAYS optional.

December 1 question – In your writing, what stresses you the most? What delights you?

What stresses me the most? Deadlines and a blank mind.

What delights me? Deadlines and a germ of an idea.

Writing is exciting and fun. If we can’t take pleasure in every aspect of it, what’s the point? After all, isn’t it a little like volunteering for our favorite charity? We’re the volunteer and the charity is the reading world. If we think of it that way, maybe we’ll take some of the pressure off. It’s our game, people. Let’s love it!

That’s all I’ve got for you today but I want to wish you a very wonderful Christmas. I pray you have God’s peace as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Oh, before I forget: I have some good news to share as soon as I can, and would love for you to sign up for my newsletter. Yep, I was instructed to create a newsletter. I’ve been putting it off for a couple of years but the time has come. I promise I won’t pepper you daily or weekly. I don’t have that much to say, but you can expect to hear from me about once a month. Take this journey with me … One way or another, it’s going to be exciting.

Merry Christmas, my IWSG friends!

Filed Under: IWSG, News Tagged With: Christmas, IWSG, Jesus, newsletter, Stress

IWSG Day – It’s May!

May 5, 2021 By Jessica Ferguson 22 Comments

Hello IWSG readers and writers! It has been awhile since I’ve posted (not sure I remember how) so I need to remind any new readers out there (and myself) that Insecure Writer’s Support Group is for any and ALL insecure writers. Yes, that would be me! We’re here to support each other and that’s been desperately needed during the past year or so. Agree?

The awesome co-hosts for the May 5 posting of the IWSG are Erika Beebe, PJ Colando, Tonja Drecker, Sadira Stone, and Cathrina Constantine!

This month’s optional question is one I had to think about: Has any of your readers ever responded to your writing in a way that you didn’t expect? If so, did it surprise you?

I can answer with one word: No. And maybe that’s why I’m an insecure writer. I can’t recall anyone responding to my books–fiction or nonfiction–in a positive or negative way. Oh, wait! One lady I play bean bag baseball with has come to mind. She complimented one of my stories in Woman’s World Magazine and told me how much she loved it. She said it in such a dreamy voice, I believed her. 🙂 She even read it twice. Mmmm, I feel a little better now. Encouraged! Maybe I should try to write more short romances. It has been an entire year.

Just out of curiosity, how much have you written during this pandemic? I’ve been totally blank and blocked. I feel I’m just now getting back to normal, but not quite there yet.

I just wanted to pop in today to participate in IWSG day and promise you this new leaf I’m turning: to blog each week on something writing-related. Hope you’ll sign up or tune in so we can encourage each other. Good writing, and I’ll see you again next week!

Filed Under: IWSG, News, Writing

IWSG DAY: Your Characters = You?

July 2, 2019 By Jessica Ferguson 12 Comments

Wednesday is IWSG Day because it’s the first Wednesday in July. IWSG stands for Insecure Writers Support Group and was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh.  You can read and follow other IWSG members here or on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG. We also have a Facebook page. The purpose of IWSG is to share and encourage, and members have the option of answering questions in our post. 

The awesome co-hosts for the July 3 posting of the IWSG are Erika Beebe,Natalie Aguirre,Jennifer Lane,MJ Fifield,Lisa Buie-Collard,and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor!

Our July 3 question is: What personal traits have you written into your character(s)?

I always incorporate many of my own traits and beliefs into my characters. In my short story that was published in Legacy Letters, my character was a procrastinator. So am I.

In The Last Daughter, I gave Trent Jones, the hero, more of my traits than the heroine, though I did make her a vegetarian. Trent (known as a picker) and his family owned antique stores, and frequented auctions, estate sales and garage sales—something I’ve always enjoyed doing. I’m a collector (or a packrat) of just about everything. It was fun showing Trent’s excitement over valuable (or interesting) items he came across, and what he could sell them for. By the way, The Last Daughter isn’t available any more. I have the rights back from The Wild Rose Press but I haven’t finished my revisions so I can get it back out there. Hopefully soon.

 

WHAT’s HAPPENING IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW:

The days are zooming by. I’m getting older by the second. I’m a July girl—my birthday is the last day of the month. I never imagined getting old; I still can’t and here I am leaving 70 behind and turning 71. Of course, there was a time I couldn’t imagine being published either. Here are some wonderful things I’ve got going these days:

I speak at The Woodlands-ACFW on July 13th on article writing. I was supposed to have spoken in May but the weather was horrific from Louisiana to Houston so we postponed. I’m looking forward to visiting with this ACFW chapter.

Secondly, I sold an 800 word romance to Woman’s World magazine. It will be out around July 11th, maybe a little sooner. I titled it Summer Promise but according to the contract, the title has been changed to The Promise of New Love. I’m pretty excited about this sale. I’ve been trying to sell stories to them for years.  Don’t ask me how I did it. I just hope I can do it again!

And that brings me to—I have a guest blogpost coming out some time in September telling everything I did to “crack the Woman’s World code.” Yeah, right! That’s a hoot! I’ll remind you so you can learn my secrets.

On another note, I just finished my second Christmas play for my church. (If you’d like to see my first Christmas play and my debut acting go to other media; Its posted there.) I haven’t submitted this new endeavor to our Music Minister so I have no idea if it’ll fly. It may not be joyful enough; or Christmas-y enough. Sometimes I tend to get too serious.

I guess that’s all the news I have except…maybe you’d like to sign up for my newsletter? It doesn’t really exist yet, but I took a great newsletter course called A What-to Course for Author newsletters and I’ve been wanting to create one ever since. So sign up if you will and I promise, I won’t bombard you with unnecessary news about me, Me, ME.

Hope everyone is doing well, writing, submitting and selling! Let me hear from you!

Filed Under: IWSG, News Tagged With: accomplishments, IWSG, plays, short stories, speaking

Merry Christmas

December 24, 2015 By Jessica Ferguson 1 Comment

ChristmasChristmas Eve, and here I am posting Merry Christmas! Nothing like being a day late and dollar short, huh? But to quote another cliché–better late than never.

We’re rejoicing in the wonder of Christ’s birth, and sending Christmas blessings your way.

Merry Christmas from

Jessica & Jim

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Filed Under: News Tagged With: Christmas

Only 99 Cents

August 12, 2015 By Jessica Ferguson Leave a Comment

I wrote The Last Daughter while living in Yukon, Oklahoma.
I met a friend at the Mustang Library and we would write for four hours at a time.
Libraries have great writing vibes.
Until Friday August 14, 2015, The Last Daughter is only 99 cents.
Help Yourself!
If you read The Last Daughter,
please leave an honest review on Amazon.
Thanks!
Jess

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Amazon sale, promotion, The Last Daughter, Uncategorized

The Last Daughter – A GREATER DETROIT RWA 2014 BBA FINALIST!

June 14, 2014 By Jessica Ferguson Leave a Comment

The Greater Detroit RWA 2014 Booksellers Best Award announced the finalist for their annual contest, and guess what! The Last Daughter is one of them! If you remember, in my previous post, I wondered if I would ever write again so this is just the shot of encouragement I need to MAKE time. Sometimes it seems like too much of a challenge between the wedding planning, retired hubby, church work, renovation and decorating. Surely I don’t have a touch of laziness! Surely not!

I’m not really familiar with this contest. Every month or so, we RWA members get our trade magazine that lists contests and conferences and I decided to enter The Last Daughter in the novella category. I chose this contest because of the judges. They’re booksellers. That makes being a finalist even more special to me. I had to print out several copies of The Last Daughter and have them bound for the judges. It was time consuming and at times I wondered if I was wasting a tree, but now … I’m so glad I took the time. I’m flattered and honored, excited and  super-pumped, even though I’ve got some wonderful competition in the other five contestants.

 
Winners will be announced at the RWA National Conference in San Antonio, Texas.

  
In no particular order, the following is a list of finalists. Those listed with an asterisk are also nominated for Best First Book.  When I see contest winners, I’m always curious about the publishers and editors so if you’d like to know who they are, go to the Greater Detroit RWA 2014 Booksellers Best Award link.
 
Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations!
TRADITIONAL
Last Chance Proposal Barbara DeLeo
The Courage to Say Yes Barbara Wallace
The Cattleman’s Ready-Made Family Michelle Douglas
First Comes Baby Michelle Douglas
A Marriage Made in Italy Rebecca Winteres
Crashing into Tess Lilly Christine
SHORT HISTORICAL
The Witch Finder Blythe Gifford
Before the Larkspur Blooms  Caroline Fyffe
Lachlan’s Bride Kathleen Harrington
Surrender to the Earl Gayle Callen
At the Highlander’s Mercy Terri Brisbin
SINGLE TITLE
Mystic Cowboy Sarah M. Anderson
The Time Between Karen White
Home to Whisky Creek Brenda Novak
Lost Melody Dolores W. Maroney
The Pieces We Keep Kristina McMorris
SHORT CONTEMPORARY
The Rancher She Loved Ann Roth
*Doctor, Soldier, Daddy  Caro Carson
Conceal, Protect Carol Ericson
To Tame a Cowboy Jules Bennett
His Southern Temptation Robin Covington
LONG CONTEMPORARY
Kidnapped Cowboy  Lindsey Brookes
Out of his League Cathryn Parry
A Kiss to Die for Gail Barrett
The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby Carolyn Brown
Seduced by his Target Gail Barrett
PARANORMAL
Midnight’s Kiss  Donna Grant
Omega Susannah Sandlin
Allegiance Sworn  Kylie Griffin
Fire of the Dragon Lori Dillon
Tempt Me Tamara Hogan
The Reunited Shiloh Walker
INSPIRATIONAL
Vanished by  Irene Hannon
Cozy Christmas by Valerie Hansen
Shenandoah Nights by  Lisa Belcastro
Wedding On the Rocks by Rose Ross Zediker
Healing the Forest Ranger by Leigh Bale
LONG HISTORICAL
*For the Love of A Soldier  Victoria Morgan
The Hunter  Monica McCarty
Lady Vivian Defies a Duke  Samantha Grace
Love’s Price Cheryl Holt
What a Duke Desires Sabrina Jeffries
YOUNG ADULT
Camp Boyfriend J.K. Rock
*Running On Empty  Colette Ballard
Briar Rose Jana Oliver
Dirty Little Secret Jennifer Echols
*Playing Tyler  TL Costa
EROTIC
On her Masters Service Lexi Blake
Unforgettable Alison Kent
Avoiding Mr. Right  C.J. Ellison
* Masque   Lexi Post
Too Fast  Alexia Haynes
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
Trapped  Irene Hannon
Ashes, Ashes, They All Fall Dead Lena Diaz
Til’ Death Sharon Sala
Hard Target Kay Thomas
Pieces of You- A Snowy Creek Novel Loreth Anne White
NOVELLA
Christmas At Copper Mountain Jane Porter
Outside the Lines Kimberly Kincaid
The Last Daughter Jessica Ferguson
One True Love  Lori Wilde
Take Me, Cowboy Jane Porter
A Cowboy for Christmas Katheirne Garbera
 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Booksellers, contests, Greater Detroit RWA 2014 Booksellers Best Award, The Last Daughter, Uncategorized

Bayou Writers Group presents 2013 Bridge To Publication

October 23, 2013 By Jessica Ferguson Leave a Comment

Next month–Saturday, November 9, 2013–is our Bayou Writers’ Group annual conference called Bridge To Publication. It’s a small, cheap conference but we always have quality speakers.  Just look at this line-up.

 
DiAnn Mills – Keynote Speaker: award-winning writer of Christian fiction and writing coach to authors in any genre. First published in 1998, she currently has more than fifty books in print, which combined have sold more than a million and a half copies.  http://www.diannmills.com/

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Jessica Kirland – Agent with Blythe Daniel Agency: She is acquiring and representing adult fiction, young adult fiction, and some non-fiction. She will be taking pitches. http://www.theblythedanielagency.com/jessica-kirckland-joins-as-marketing-literary-agent/
 

Jill Marr – Agent with Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency: Jill is interested in commercial fiction, with an emphasis on mysteries, thrillers and horror, women’s commercial fiction and historical fiction. She is also looking for nonfiction by authors who are getting their work published regularly in magazines and who have a realistic sense of the market and their audience. Jill is looking for nonfiction projects in the areas of self-help, inspirational, cookbooks, memoir (she especially loves travel and foodie memoirs), health & nutrition, pop culture, humor and music. She will be taking pitches. http://www.dijkstraagency.com/meet-the-agents.html

Stella Riley – Aquisitions Editor for Soul Mate Publishing – She will be taking pitches. http://www.bayouwritersgroup.blogspot.com/2013/07/more-conference-news.html

 
 
 
 
 
Glen Pitre and Michelle Benoit – Screenwriters. For more information: http://www.bayouwritersgroup.blogspot.com/2013/07/2013-conference-update.html
 


If you want to drive to Lake Charles, LA for this one-day event we’d love to have you. Go to our blog where you can download the registration form.  Did I say cheap? Just look at these prices!

 
FEES:

_________ $35 for BWG Members (Must be received by Nov. 1)
_________ $40 for Non-Members (Must be received by Nov. 1)
_________$50 At the Door on Nov. 9
_________$25 Students— with ID

Filed Under: News Tagged With: agents, BWG, Diann Mills, Glen Pitre, Jessica Kirkland, Jill Marr, Michelle Benoit, Stella Riley, Uncategorized

Reality Faith.
Reality Fiction.

"As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
Acts 4:20

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