A decade with the Insecure Writer’s Support Group: The Making of a Mythmaker

It’s the first Wednesday of the month and time for another posting of the IWSG.

I’m down to #37 this month… I wonder who left?

So, I asked Gemini to turn our group’s badge gothic for me. I rather like it. You are welcome to use it, too. For thoughts on AI, read this post I wrote: Unethical Publishing Industry Practices.

I joined the IWSG in September 2015… Just as I can hardly believe the group is fifteen years strong, I can hardly believe that I’ve been blogging for a decade.

Writing and submitting stories to the IWSG anthologies taught me a lot about writing, my voice and the genre I really wanted to write. Though my work was never accepted, great story ideas were born and some became the basis for series.

For example, Dark Desires was written for the masquerade theme. This turned into the Dark Court Sisters series…

Three sisters. Three destinies. Three ways to destroy the world.

I am working on book three (I’ve been working on Lucienne’s story for a while now…), I’m working on how the three sisters work individually and together, and I’m also working on a rebrand for the covers, etc. I’m hoping to continue publishing this in 2027.

But as it is right now, Dark Desires has had favourable reviews. Like this one from Jennifer Lane earlier this year: my 5-star review of fellow IWSG author’s supernatural young adult romance, Dark Desires.

While part of the IWSG Goodreads Book Club, I was able to read books that I wouldn’t normally have chosen, but learned from because I did. When we pivoted to reading member books, I discovered gems I wouldn’t have otherwise have (yes: we do have a discoverability issue where it comes to books). Not all the books were for me, but the ones that were, I devoured the entire series and added the author to my “watch this author” list for new releases.

My favourite IWSG member series I found during the book club:

My book, Magic at Midnight, was featured during the book club and I hope that the readers who found it and read it enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. This has now grown to become a series, just as reviewers had asked for… Though that is something for 2027.

The monthly blog hop has brought me not just the advice of more experienced authors, but great author friends that I cherish even if we don’t talk regularly.

Through it all, I’ve grown not just as an author but as a person.

I’ve been part of other writer groups, none of them lasted – not because they don’t exist anymore, but because they required the type of mental energy one needed to safely traverse high school. There’s a reason my YA books take longer to write than the others…

This group has seen me through my debut release, all the books since, and my recent rebranding with encouragement and all the help I could ask for. You can read about my rebranding here: A New Sigil: Rebranding Ronel the Mythmaker.

Though I wanted to blog about a series rebranding this month, I’ll share that next month, as I felt it was more important to share my appreciation for the IWSG and everyone who is part of it.

So, if you’ve been part of the IWSG journey with me — or if you’re simply curious about the worlds that grew out of it— come and step into the Faerie Mythos.

Start with Magic at Midnight, a mythic romantasy of magic, fae and forbidden love. Wander into Once… Tales, Myths and Legends of Faerie, my dark fantasy collection of faerie tales, myths and legends. Or meet one of my irascible immortals in Breaking the Habit, a paranormal fantasy with a healthy dose of humour.

And if you’re already familiar with my books, thank you for coming along for the journey.

Here’s to another fifteen years of stories, discoveries, friendships — and probably a little faery mischief along the way.

How long have you been part of the IWSG? Any achievements you’d like to celebrate?