Janet Alcorn

Sunset from our front porch.

The Blue Bar is wonderful! Congrats, Damyanti At Daily Write!

The Blue Bar just turned ONE year old.

A number 1 international new release on Amazon, hitting top 50 in several categories, and available on offer this month to members in the USA.

Book reviewers and readers have smothered it with love —to each reviewer, I’m SO grateful. Say hello if you posted a review or boosted the book!

THE BLUE BAR is finally available in and signed copies are available from indie bookstores in USA : https://bio.link/damyanti

Happy Birthday, !

Yep!

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For this month's blog hop, I look back at my writing in 2023--publications, promotion, education, appearances, blogging, and writing stats. And memes. Always memes.

2023: my year in writing - Janet Alcorn I covered the highlights of my year in writing in my last post, but I’ll add more detail here, in my first post of 2024 for the Insecure Writers Support Group. My IWSG posts attract a different audience from my routine weekly posts, so I think it’s OK to repeat a little. If you read my last post...

Jerald Crum’s and my hike in Ramsey Canyon is off to a good start.

Seen outside the entrance to Patagonia Lake State Park.

I’m off work this week, so I’ve been walking more. I saw these rock hearts on the Rillito River Park Trail here in and they made me smile.

It wouldn't be the end of the year without all the annual recaps, including mine. What were your 2023 highlights?

The 2023 Highlight Reel: Writing, Travel, and More - Janet Alcorn In which I share highlights from 2023, especially writing accomplishments and travel, as well as my goals for 2024.

My short story, "The Fourth Man" won second place in the Arizona Mystery Writers annual short story contest!

It's Thanksgiving, and Amanda Patrick is bringing her fiancé home to meet her mother. Her mother, former b-movie actress Victoria Patrick, is a traumatized drama queen with no filter who had a PI investigate Amanda's last boyfriend. What could possibly go wrong?

You'll have to read the story to find out--and you can read it free online.

"The Fourth Man" won a prize! - Janet Alcorn My story, "The Fourth Man," won second prize in the Arizona Mystery Writers annual short story contest--and you can read it for free.

In case you missed it the first zillion times I mentioned it - I was interviewed by John Pilate Mysteries for the Mysterious Goings-On podcast! This blog post includes more info about what we discussed, including how to get started writing fiction and how to use short stories to move your writing career forward. Check it out!

Writing Your Own Destiny (interview on the Mysterious Goings-On podcast) - Janet Alcorn In an interview on the Mysterious Goings-On podcast, I share advice for new writers and how to use short stories to help your writing career.

Tonight’s sunset from my front porch.

The weekly blog post is up - a look back at November. What were your highlights from last month?

The Mysterious Goings-On podcast, Seattle, and Sabino Canyon: the November recap - Janet Alcorn The November recap: my interview is live on the Mysterious Goings-On podcast, November travel, and links to some useful posts for writers.

Behold my new favorite Christmas meme.

Your daily dose of inspiration.

Happy Birthday to Callie Khouri! A screenwriter and director, she won the Oscar for Best Screenplay for "Thelma and Louise"!

My interview with John Pilate Mysteries for the Mysterious Goings-On podcast is live! We talk about getting started writing fiction and how short stories and writing groups can further your writing career.

Janet Alcorn on Writing Your Own Destiny Meet Janet Alcorn, a novelist and short story writer who is a medical librarian by day, author by night. We delve into the importance of taking that first audacious step into the realm of writing, the tactical advantage ...

The weekly blog post is up, with pics from a hike in Sabino Canyon and the usual mix of writing news and meme-y fun. Happy Monday!

A post-Thanksgiving hike in Sabino Canyon - Janet Alcorn Photos from a hike in Sabino Canyon, plus writing news (including a chance to win a book!) and a batch of lukewarm leftover memes.

"But each time my hip unseizes, it reminds me that this life is not going to go on forever, and that is what makes it so frigging precious." Anne Lamott brings the wit and wisdom yet again.

Opinion | At 33, I knew everything. At 69, I know something much more important. It becomes clearer as we grow older: “I don’t know” gives us a way to reach the richness inside us.

The weekly update is up. Come see what passes for cozy reading in my world :-)

Let's talk books! - Janet Alcorn The monthly book roundup, featuring short crime stories, books about serial killers, books about how to write better, and book memes.

Sunset at Sea-Tac. Heading back to the land of sunshine and cactus.

View from the Seattle Convention Center Summit building yesterday morning. I fly home tonight.

Good morning from Seattle! I’m here till Tuesday for the AAMC annual meeting. It’s fun to see how much has changed in the > 30 years since I went to grad school here.

With the slow-motion implosion of X-Twitter, I've been exploring other social media options. Here are some initial thoughts on Threads and BlueSky that I wrote for the Insecure Writers Support Group ( ) Blog hop.

Have you tried Threads or BlueSky? What's your experience been like?

Threads and BlueSky: New Social Media Options for Writers - Janet Alcorn Threads and BlueSky are two new social media options for writers interested in building their platforms. In this post, I share my experience with both.

Seen in a rural Arizona convenience store bathroom. LOL at “chocolate hostages.” Bigger LOL at “dookie castle.”

Just when I thought this state couldn’t get any weirder.

The weekly blog post is up! Check out pictures of the current installation at the Bellagio Conservatory and a little more about my upcoming podcast interview, going live 11/29. Oh, and there are memes. Halloween memes.

Interviewed for the Mysterious Goings On podcast + trip to Las Vegas - the October recap - Janet Alcorn The October recap, including being interviewed for the Mysterious Goings On podcast and a trip to Las Vegas. Plus Halloween memes.

Did you know that the European Space Agency has an office cat? And he has his own FB page? And now I've also learned that there's a subreddit called Cats With Jobs.

In entirely unrelated news, I will not be engaging in any productive activity for the rest of the day.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063548501408

Micky - The Space Cat Public figure

I'm prepping to talk about short stories on the Mysterious Goings On podcast with John Pilate Mysteries and ran across this excellent but disturbing article from earlier this year. Fun fact from the article: in Feb 2023, out of 1200 submissions received by Clarkesworld (a highly-regarded sci fi magazine), 500 were AI-generated. As if short story mags didn't have enough challenges already.

AI-generated fiction is flooding literary magazines — but not fooling anyone The stories are bad, and they’re coming in droves.

Tue morning I'm scheduled to record an interview with Alex Greenwood (author of the John Pilate Mysteries) for his wonderful Mysterious Goings On podcast! (https://mgopod.com/) As soon as I know the air date, I'll share it here.

Now I just have to figure out how to sound interesting :-)

The Mysterious Goings On Podcast Home of one of the genre's best podcasts and the acclaimed John Pilate Mystery Series.

I'm back from Vegas and back to blogging. Come see my newest obsession--Sphere--and the monthly book roundup. I've been reading a lot of short mystery fiction lately.

Pics of the Las Vegas Sphere - and books - Janet Alcorn The monthly book roundup--mystery short stories, Virgin River, and more--plus pics of Sphere in Las Vegas.

Seen at the Red Cross blood donation center in . I think they took a little too much from this guy. Seriously, give blood if you can. You might save a life.

My life, encapsulated in a meme. I’ve spent the last 3 days in Vegas, doing all the things. Looking forward to a 400-mile drive home tomorrow, after which I shall collapse into an inert lump for an indeterminate amount of recovery time.

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