D is for Defamation and The Insecure Writer's Support Group: April 2017

For this year’s A to Z Challenge, I’m writing drabbles based on words I got from a random word generator.  A drabble is a short piece of fiction of exactly 100 words.

Enjoy!

Defamation

Panic bubbled up inside me.  “Take it back!” I demanded.  My fists were clenched at my sides, and my whole body trembled like a leaf in the wind.

Amy shook her head, her face disgustingly smug.  “No.  Everyone is going to hear about this.”

I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so helpless, and I didn’t know what to do.  “Don’t you dare!  You can’t tell anyone . . .  That’s defamation!”

She smiled.  “Yes, I can.  It’s not my fault you lied to everyone.  You said you hate Star Trek, but I have proof you love it.  I found your fanfiction!”

It's the first Wednesday of the month, and you know what that means!  Let's convene the next meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group.  Our leader Alex J. Cavanaugh has rounded up a wonderful group of co-hosts this month: Christopher D. Votey, Madeline Mora-Summonte, Fundy Blue, and Chrys Fey.

Be sure to check out the IWSG website!

I'm not feeling too insecure this month because I've gotten a lot of good things accomplished so far this year.  I've submitted three short stories, and I have two more short stories in the works.  I'm also a few thousand words into a YA science fiction novel that I've had rattling around inside my brain for a couple years.  I'm eager to see how the rest of my year goes.  If I can get the first draft of that novel done by the end of the year, I'll be really happy.

Now for the question of the month!

Have you taken advantage of the annual A to Z Challenge in terms of marketing, networking, and publicity for your book? What were the results?

In terms of marketing specific books, no.  However, I'd say the A to Z Challenge has been good to me over the years. Adam's Apple and the Infinite Regress wouldn't exist without it, nor would various other pieces of flash fiction. I've met a lot of great bloggers who've seen my writing thanks to the challenge, and that's great for networking.

For any of you who have used the A to Z Challenge to market one of your books, how did it go?  What advice would you have for your fellow authors?