Wednesday, January 5, 2022

IWSG Anthology Contest Winners and #IWSGPit Coming Soon!

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.

The awesome co-hosts for the January 5 posting of the IWSG are Erika Beebe, Olga Godim, Sandra Cox, Sarah Foster, and Chemist Ken!

January 5 question - What's the one thing about your writing career you regret the most? Were you able to overcome it?

The Seventh Annual IWSG Anthology Contest Winners!



The genre was sweet romance and the theme first love.

Thanks to all who entered – it was a record amount of entries this year.


Now we present the authors of First Love: The Art of Making Doughnuts:

The Art of Making Doughnuts - Linda Budzinski
Paper Faces - Sylvia Ney
The Real Thing - Sammi Spizziri
My Heart Approves - Melissa Maygrove
Oliver’s Girl - Michael Di Gesu
Clyde and Coalesce - Kim Elliot
My First Love(s) - Templeton Moss
How to Save a Princess - Katie Klein
The Castle of Ohno - SE White
Marmalade Sunset - Denise Covey


A special thanks to our official judges:


Author Nancy Gideon

Nancy Gideon is the award-winning bestseller of over 70 romances ranging from historical, Regency, and series contemporary suspense to dark paranormal and horror, with a couple of produced screenplays and non-fiction writing books tossed into the mix. She’s also written under the pseudonyms Dana Ransom, Rosalyn West, and Lauren Giddings.


Agent Caitlin Blasdell, Liza Dawson Associates

Caitlin Blasdell has been a literary agent with Liza Dawson Associates since 2002 with a focus on commercial fiction. Before becoming an agent, she was a senior editor at HarperCollins Publishers.


Author Susan Gourley

Susan Gourley is traditionally published in fantasy and science fiction romance using the name Susan Kelley. She is currently serving as the President of the Pennwriters writing group renowned for the annual conference.


Author Jennifer Lane

Jennifer Lane writes sports romance and romantic suspense with a psychological twist. She has published nine novels and two short stories, including Behind the Catcher’s Mask as part of the IWSG Masquerade Anthology.


Author Meka James
Meka James is a writer of adult contemporary and erotic romance. A born and raised Georgia Peach, she still resides in the southern state with her hubby of 16 years and counting. Mom to four kids of the two legged variety, she also has four fur-babies of the canine variety. When not writing or reading, Meka can be found playing The Sims 3, sometimes Sims 4, and making up fun stories to go with the pixelated people whose world she controls.


Author Loni Townsend

By day, she writes code. By predawn darkness, she writes fantasies. All other times, she writes in her head. People call her peculiar with a twisted sense of fashion, but don't let those understatements fool you. Her behavior is perfectly normal for a squirrel disguised as a human.




First Love: The Art of Making Doughnuts will be published by Dancing Lemur Press' imprint, Freedom Fox Press, later this year.

This is our seventh anthology! Previous titles include Dark Matter: Artificial, Voyagers: The Third Ghost, Masquerade: Oddly Suited, Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime, Hero Lost, The Mysteries of Death and Life, and Parallels: Felix Was Here.


#IWSGPit is this month!


If you’ve never participated in a Twitter pitch party, this is your chance.

Dozens have signed book contracts as a result – you could be next.

Visit the #IWSGPit page for the rules and hashtags. And then join us on January 26!



What do you regret? Joining us for #IWSGPit?

19 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Congratulations to the winners!

kjmckendry said...

Congrats to all the winners!!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Congrats to all the anthology winners!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Congrats to the winners and enjoying working with them.

L.G. Keltner said...

Congratulations to the winners!

Melissa said...

Congrats to all the other winners! I can't wait to read your stories!

Michael Di Gesu said...

Thank you, judges! I know it must have been a very hard call with so many enties. I am very thankful and I look forward to reading the rest of the Anthology. I am thrilled to share this anthology with such esteemed writers.

Sherry Ellis said...

I bet the new anthology will have some cute stories. Cute cover, too! Congratulations to the winners!

talklady said...

Congrats to the winners - well-deserved recognition, I'm sure!

cleemckenzie said...

Great to see the list of winners and look forward to the publication of this anthology.

Unknown said...

So many great titles ... can't wait to read them! Congratulations to all who entered for putting ourselves out there!

Arlee Bird said...

I don't know much about making doughnuts, but I can sure eat my share of them.

Congrats to the winners and all the rest who participated--winners in a different respect.

Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Alex - it's great to have another anthology published - congratulations to one and all. Here's to all authors ... keep on writing - cheers Hilary

Leigh Caron said...

Big Congrats to all and thanks to all who made it this anthology possible

Juneta key said...

Congrats to the winners. Thank you, judges.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Hurrah for all the winners. It's going to be another great one.

Steph W. said...

Looks like a great anthology! I can't wait to read it! Well done, authors. You have a fun-filled year ahead. Congrats!

Michelle Wallace said...

Congrats to all the winners! A great batch of stories.

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