IWSG: Is It Real or Is It AI?

I’m excited to be co-hosting Insecure Writers Support Group this month along with Kim Lajevardi, Natalie Aguirre, and Diedre Knight, and especially looking forward to visiting with many of you. AND because of our September question:

September 3rd Question: What are your thoughts on using AI, such as GPChat, Raptr, and others with your writing? Would you use it for research, story bible, or creating outlines/beats?

I’ve been in the writing game for so long I wrote my first manuscript by hand then typed it on a manual typewriter and had my then husband run it through their copier at work. I’m proud of every word I put on those pages and of the fact that every one of them was MINE. When technology caught up to me, I fought it as long as possible but finally gave in to invest in a new word processor that would store up to a page in memory! Then finally, I treated myself to a cutting-edge machine with a memory large enough to maintain eight pages. Bonus: It would edit up to a paragraph for spelling errors! I was in author heaven!!

My next upgrade was a computer that made my life SO much easier. But with it came temptations. I could copy and paste and edit freely. I could compare documents side by side. AND I could request it to edit my work. What a dream come true! Or was it?

After updating several chapters via the AI Assist, the material produced didn’t seem quite . . . right. Oh, everything was correct, but it was somehow . . . flat. Artificial, just like that program. The flavor was missing. The words weren’t mine. As my critique group looked the pages over, they declared them . . . lifeless. Just like the program that twisted the originality out of them.

Use AI to create? No. Never again. As for doing corrections (I’m a terrible speller!), it can correct and serve but not in a creative capacity. For research, it’s an awesome tool, providing sources it would have taken me weeks to find.

I know my resistance to change makes things harder for me, but that choice was and is mine. And the words in my books - those choices were mine, too. And I’m proud of them! I’ll leave artificial to my sugar packets and let my creativity have its own way.

How about you? Can’t wait to see how you younger folk deal with today’s “helpers”!

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. The awesome co-hosts for the September 3rd posting of the IWSG are Kim Lajevardi, Natalie Aguirre, Diedre Knight and Me!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

  

To join the IWSG Blog Hop and view the List of Hop Participants!

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IWSG Unethical Practices - Rights

Our IWSG question for August 6th is: What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?

Boy, do I have some opinions on this one! I was first published in NY waaay back in the late ‘80’s when authors were working out of their homes totally isolated from each other. There were no chat groups, no industry magazines, no Internet! I’d never met another writer! Many agents (not all!), if you could get one, were found in an outdated hardcover compilation in the public library and were more interested in catering to the publisher than fighting for their own author’s interests. At that time, the majority of newbie authors felt as though they were working for the agent instead of the other way around, that if you didn’t tow the line, the agent would fire YOU! I know I did.

Then came my first national romance writer convention where I met walking, talking, writing folk just like me!! Did they ever set me straight! I had the chance to talk to my heroes in the industry, authors I’d read and adored (and they’d actually read MY books!), forging connections that still stand strong. I found a new agent to partner with and went home with the card of an editor who would buy dozens of my Dana Ransom/Rosalyn West historical romances. And for the first time, I felt like I was in control of my career.

And when I conferenced in New York, I got to meet my historical editor, who took me to their downtown office where I got to see my next cover being developed and met the cover model who was working on my next book. What a Cinderella moment. In my opinion, that’s what all we authors should experience.

Allowing ourselves as the creative force behind the industry to think we’re second-class citizens is a grievous wrong to our psyche and our bank accounts. Something that social media and assessable in-person gatherings are still working to overcome. The ability to self-publish was a huge milestone for many of us, giving writers an opportunity to bring their dreams to a fully realized life on their own. I like keeping a foot in both worlds.

As our industry continues to evolve and change, it’s up to us to inform ourselves so we can ride out those sometimes unwelcome surprises and take advantage of new and exciting prospects. And as always, Writer Beware. If it sounds too good to be true or too easy to believe . . . do your homework!

Until next month . . . Write On!

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. The awesome co-hosts for the August 6th posting of the IWSG are Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Natalie Aguirre, Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen, and Olga Godim!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

  

To join the IWSG Blog Hop and view the List of Hop Participants!

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IWSG: That BIG Book

Happy already summer! I confess, I’m not a big fan. Give me the mid-70s, a porch swing, and a beverage of choice—the perfect combination for the creation of that next writing project. Ahhhh! But since that sweaty ship has sailed, I might as well address our IWSG question for this month in my air-conditioned home office.

July 2nd question – Is there a genre you haven’t tried writing in yet that you really want to try? If so, do you plan on trying it?

After having 80 romance-genre books published during my almost 40-year career, there are few writing universes that I haven’t explored since my non-traditional Regency, SWEET TEMPEST debuted for Zebra Books in 1987. Suspense, contemporary, historical, paranormal (everything but sweet romance) from New York Big Five to self-pubbed, I’ve enjoyed writing them all for some of the best editors in the industry. Of course, my dream was to get that BIG book sale, the one that would launch me from genre to single title shelves . . . but my first agent convinced me to stay in mass market for the quick turnaround of contracts. After the romance boom began to calm, my favorite editor, who’d by then retired, told me her biggest regret was never taking my books up to that next level. I never got that BIG book published with a Single Title launch.

Of course, I’m not done . . . yet.

Looking forward to finding out what new worlds in writing you’re anxious to explore!

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. The awesome co-hosts for the July 2nd posting of the IWSG will be are Rebecca Douglass, Natalie Aguirre, Cathrina Constantine, and Louise Barbour!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

  

To join the IWSG Blog Hop and view the List of Hop Participants!

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IWSG: Flights of Fantasy . . .

IWSG: Flights of Fantasy . . .

Happy Spring!! I’ve just finished planting a dozen flats of porch plants (I’ll never get that potting soil out from under my nails!) and am ready to sit in my comfy office chair instead of crouching over endless containers waiting to be filled. Not complaining – it’s my favorite time of year. I love watching things grow . . . everything from flowering starts to new plots. Which brings me to today’s question:

“What were some books that impacted you as a child or young adult?”

Though she absolutely loathed the nonsense of Dr. Seuss, I was blessed with a mother who said if I could reach it in the library or bookmobile and understand it, I could read it (much to the consternation of my elementary and middle school teachers who called her in more than once because I was reading books like Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy instead of “age and gender appropriate” books! She told them if it was in the library, I could read it. Thanks, Mom!!). I LOVED sci fi and series books, devouring everything I could find, and was rooted in front of Lost In Space and Star Trek. I wanted to follow the Hardy Boys, not Nancy Drew (though I DID read through the entire series one summer and thoroughly enjoyed them because she was more than just a girlie girl!). But my favorite of all time series from early years was The Black Stallion. I loved horses (the idea of them more than the sore butt and smelly reality of riding them on trails).

In middle and high school study hall and sometimes in class, instead of doing homework, my friends and I would spin a continuing story about buddies on adventures—usually with me coming up with the story line. Then, we started writing them out. The day my science teacher snatched up one of them and marched me to the office was the best day of my life. Instead of punishment, I found myself sitting with the guidance counselor who told me in no uncertain terms that my future was in writing fiction. How right he was!

Eighty titles later, my main goal is still to share a flight of fantasy with my reader. And if that reader wants more . . . my job is done!

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. The awesome co-hosts for the June 4th posting of the IWSG will be are PJ Colando, Pat Garcia, Kim Lajevardi, Melisa Maygrove, and Jean Davis!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

  

To join the IWSG Blog Hop and view the List of Hop Participants!

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IWSG: Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself . . .

Our Question for May covers all our neurotic bases in one powerful word – FEAR. It can push us to great heights or paralyze us . . . yet it’s something we can control and USE to become better writers!

May 7th question: Some common fears writers share are rejection, failure, success, and lack of talent or ability. What are your greatest fears as a writer? How do (did) you manage them?

I grew up painfully shy. Getting called on in class and having all the eyes turn to me was paralyzing-literally. Then, in 5th grade, the teacher everyone was afraid of picked two anonymous selections from essays we’d turned in – one she consider promising but needed work and one that was perfect. As she read the first one, the class was restless, but a few students offered helpful suggestions – including me. Then the second work was read. It was mine! As I sat paralyzed, I realized that there wasn’t a sound from the class. Everyone was . . . listening. Then came the comments – ALL were overwhelmingly positive. When the teacher asked for constructive criticism, there was silence. Then the boy I had a crush on, (of course!) said he was mad . . . because there wasn’t more of it!

I was stunned!

Then came college. My dream was to become a journalist. Imagine being asked as the only underclassman to join the university newspaper staff . . . until I realized it meant actually going out of my comfort bubble and initiating interviews with - strangers. My first deadline came and went. Concerned, the editor actually came to my home to find out what the problem was, because he just loved my work. When I confessed it was a people problem, he gave me another avenue to consider . . . fiction writing (another class he taught!), where I had control and could be my own boss on the bigger canvas I deserved. A light bulb moment. I had a huge historical novel sitting in a manuscript box. His words convinced me to send six copies out into the scary world of NYC. They all came back. One had a brief note. “This didn’t work for us. Do you have anything else you can send for our upcoming historical romance line?”

Romance was a brand-new genre. Short or long. Sweet or steamy. Present day or historical. All the avenues this writer had dreamed of. What I thought was a traditional Regency became one of the first two Regency-set historical romances - the first of my 80 (!) published novels to come in multiple genres from NYC and small press to self-pubbed.

Don’t let fear stop you! Don’t allow statistics to build a wall too high to climb. Publishers buy books every day! Midlist houses take new authors. Self-publishing isn’t as forbidding as it once was. There is a path for you and your book of the heart.

Don’t be afraid to take it!

And don’t forget to peruse the other offerings from our IWSG this month!!

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. The awesome co-hosts for the November 6th posting of the IWSG will be are Feather Stone, Janet Alcorn, Rebecca Douglass, Jemima Pett, and Pat Garcia!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

  

To join the IWSG Blog Hop and view the List of Hop Participants!

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IWSG: CHEERS! What fantasy character would you like to tip a glass with?

(Sorry I’m late with today’s post! I have no excuse except spring fever.)

The April 2nd IWSG Question is What fantasy character would you like to fight, go on a quest with, or have a beer/glass of wine with?

Though it was my first love as a young reader, I haven’t slipped into the fantasy realm for a long time. Not since I discovered the paranormal. I always thought of fantasy as dreamy and paranormal as the gritty stuff of nightmares. I guess I prefer to walk the edge of the dark side. The mid-‘60s horror soap opera DARK SHADOWS sealed the deal for me . . . I was paranormal all the way! Sigh, Barnabas Collins, the original tragic hero/villain. I’d tip a glass with him anytime . . . as long as I was wearing a silver cross and the content of the glass wasn’t red. And then there was his werewolf cousin. Quinton. Le sigh . . . I’d tip a pint with him in the foggy burg of Collins Port.

Since there was no PNR when I grew up, I devoured whatever darkish fantasy I could find. A WRINKLE IN TIME sold me on the genre because they fed my active imagination. Then came the Vampire Academy books . . . Because I was young(ish) back then, I never actually wrote more than snippets in the genre to entertain my friends at school. But when I became a published author that desire to sink my teeth into the dark side of romance became too powerful to deny and I approached my editor with what would become one of the two first mass market paranormal books, MIDNIGHT KISS in the mid-‘90s. So, I guess I am a trailblazer.

I plan to start a list of What to Read in Fantasy after checking out your posts . . .

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. The awesome co-hosts for the April 2nd posting of the IWSG are Jennifer Lane, L Diane Wolfe, Jenni Enzor, and Natalie Aguirre!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

  

To join the IWSG Blog Hop and view the List of Hop Participants!

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Goodreads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group

IWSG: If I Could Be Anything/Anyone . . .

Our March 5th IWSG question is: If for one day you could be anyone or any *thing* in the world, what would it be? Give me a minute or a lifetime to think about that . . .

When I was five, that would have been an easy answer – I wanted to be like everyone else! When I started elementary school as the youngest of three girls, my middle sister was three grades ahead. She and my eldest sister had gone to the local elementary in our neighborhood which was mostly middle class. Then, a new shiny school was built in the area’s wealthiest neighborhood. Being on the edge of the district, we had the choice: stay at the old building or go to the new school.

To my mom, education was everything – the doorway to any future we could dream of. So that meant a mile walk or bike ride in every kind of weather to sit in a shiny classroom where we were . . . different. While we were hardly poor, we stood out in our homemade/hand-me-down clothes. Our dad wasn’t a doctor or a lawyer. My mom didn’t stay at home watching soap operas. She worked part-time and took a bus. I shared a bedroom with my middle sister and fought tooth-and-nail to get a storebought outfit to wear to a middle school field trip so I wouldn’t feel . . . less. I dreamed about being MORE. And those imaginings poured out in fantasy stories I shared with my friends - where I was a queen or a famous writer or the savior of the planet. Those fictional worlds were my escape . . . and my future as a multi-published author of 80 titles. I never became ‘famous’ or wealthy, but I was something better than that – a steady provider for my family by doing something I love and there for them whenever I was needed.

So, what else would I be for a day if I could be other than who I am? In my books I’ve been a warrior, an explorer, the savior of the dang planet! I’m good.

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. The awesome co-hosts for the March 5th posting of the IWSG are Ronel Janse Van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, and Liza @ Middle Passages!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

  

To join the IWSG Blog Hop and view the List of Hop Participants!

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IWSG: Back in Time

Our Insecure Writers Support Group question for February 5th is: Is there a story or book you’ve written you want to/wish you could go back and change?

This is a tough question because of the sheer volume of backlist I’ve amassed in the nearly thirty years since I first sold – 80 published books if you need a number, along with dozens of finished but not contracted or begun but never completed novels.

As a rule, I didn’t, and still don’t, do a lot of rewriting, mainly because my contracts were so close together I didn’t have infinite time to spend with any one book. I submitted an outline, wrote the first draft, did the necessary edits (which, with the exception of my very first Regency, were usually either minor or nothing I felt strongly enough about to object to), sent the finished book in, then moved on to the next project. While working on any one of those titles, there was nothing but that work filling my concentration (even when working on several books in various stages of publication at a time!).

I saw each book more as a film than as a novel, with characters and plots weaving through a very visual backdrop of emotions and motivations. If, when finished, I could sit back with a satisfied sigh, the hows and whys of how I got there were immaterial. Being blessed with a great critique group and fabulous editors who were awesome cheerleaders was HUGE.

At this point in my career, I’ve gotten back the rights to the majority of my early works, so when getting them reissued I’ll have the luxury of time and the ability to make changes if I feel they’re needed. And I’m looking forward to that challenge!

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. The awesome co-hosts for the February 5th posting of the IWSG will be are Joylene Nowell Butler, Louise Barbour, and Tyrean Martinson!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

  

To join the IWSG Blog Hop and view the List of Hop Participants!

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Goodreads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group

IWSG: The Strong, Silent Type – My First Hero

Our January 8 Insecure Writers Support Group question hit home with me for many reasons, many of them not realized until later in life – that understanding that comes with age and experience:

Describe someone you admired when you were a child. Did your opinion of that person change when you grew up?

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. When you’re young, you see just the surface things – like they’re one of those stars in your favorite TV show – larger than life, always in the know, always there, always right . . . and perfect. With the advance of years and knowledge, those opinions change, for better or worse as relationships and roles grow stronger or fade away.

My dad was my hero – the original handsome strong silent type. In a household of three daughters, each of we girls found our own way to relate to him – when he wasn’t working, fishing, hunting, motorcycle riding or building us a cabin up in Michigan’s north woods. My dad was a man’s man, an admirable figurehead to me as a child, whose response when approached was always, “Go ask Mommy” . . . until I was old enough to move out into my first apartment. After helping me drag things up three flights of stairs, I made him a Chinese meal from scratch in my new pans to thank him, something far-flung from the bland fare we got at home due to his ulcer. And, for the first time, we talked as adults. And we really, really enjoyed it.

Imagine my surprise that instead of not wanting to be bothered by we girls, he LOVED to tinker and tote and talk. Where had this quiet, funny, interesting man been all my life? He was uncomfortable because we’d all been educated far beyond what he’d been able to achieve having grown up one of five kids on a working farm, enlisting early in WWII shortly after getting married, and working two jobs to support us thereafter. He was afraid we were embarrassed by him. Jaw drop!

Due to complications from rheumatic fever as a child, improperly treated shrapnel wounds from the war, and smoking like a chimney since a teen, he never got to walk me down the aisle, to help me garden in my first backyard, or meet my sons. They would have loved him! At least I have albums of black and white photos, an American flag from his funeral, and memories to share with my grandson.

My dad was . . . and still is! . . . my hero.

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. The awesome co-hosts for the January 8th posting of the IWSG will be are Rebecca Douglass, Beth Camp, Liza @ Middle Passages, and Natalie @ Literary Rambles!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

  

To join the IWSG Blog Hop and view the List of Hop Participants!

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Goodreads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group

IWSG: Don’t Leave Me Hanging!

Toss me a line, someone! Don’t leave me hanging after I’ve invested my time and money. Don’t leave me stranded at the end of your story. If you do, you can be sure I won’t bother to grab the following work . . . because you’ve lost my trust.

Our December question is about the gift you get but aren’t allowed to fully enjoy because the most important part is missing:

Do you write cliffhangers at the end of your stories? Are they a turnoff to you as a writer and/or a reader?

Would you take a wild ride in your car when there is no destination? Would you pay for a haircut that’s half finished? Think of those TV series in which you invest your time and your heart . . . only to have it cancelled without the final episode. Noooooo! We don’t like to be denied the payoff! Give us closure!

The exception is a series with an overarching mystery/plot – as long as the individual episodes have a satisfying ending. I’m impatient. I don’t like to be teased. If you dangle story threads then don’t tie them up in a pretty (or even an ugly) bow . . . eventually, I won’t read you again.

Sometimes, circumstances are out of your control, i.e. your line folds, your contract is cancelled, or (god forbid!) the joy of writing escapes you. Deliver what you promise with that glossy cover, that tantalizing blurb, that breath-suspending back cover copy that teases of more to come. Don’t leave your characters falling off a cliff along with our hopes and anticipation of answers/resolutions. Just don’t without forewarning. If there is no conclusion at the end of the book, let the reader know right up front that it will come in later installments, then allow the buyer to decide if they want to invest their money and time.

It may not be Happily Ever After forever in that first book, but for happy readers, give them the gratification of ‘for now,’ at least.

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. The awesome co-hosts for the December 4th posting of the IWSG will be are Ronel, Deniz, Pat Garcia, Olga Godim, and Cathrina Constantine!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

  

To join the IWSG Blog Hop and view the List of Hop Participants!

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Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube | Goodreads | Amazon

Goodreads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group