Month: February 2012

Indies Unlimited W.E. #6 – Harbinger

Photo by K.S. Brooks

The brig makes for port under full sail. What cargo and passengers does she carry and from whence does she sail? Is the sight of the ship a comfort or a curse to the denizens of the port town?

In 250 words or less, tell me a story incorporating the elements in the picture. The 250 word limit will be strictly enforced.

Use the comment section below to submit your entry. Entries will be accepted until 5:00 PM Mountain Standard Time on Tuesday, February 7th, 2012.

On Wednesday morning, we will open voting to the public with an online poll for the best writing entry accompanying the photo. Voting will be open until 5:00 PM Thursday.

On Friday morning, the winner will be recognized as we post the winning entry along with the picture as a feature. Best of luck to you all in your writing!

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Photograph by K.S. Brooks, used here with the photographer’s permission. Copying or reproduction of any kind without express consent is prohibited. All rights reserved.

For a more detailed explanation of the contest & its workings, please see the post called “Writing Exercises Return with a Twist” from 12/24/11.

By participating in this exercise the contestants agree to the rules of the contest and waive any and all further considerations or permissions otherwise required for any winning entries to be published by Indies Unlimited as an e-book, showcasing all the photos and with the winning expositions credited appropriately and accordingly.

Review: How about some non-fiction?

Reviewer Cathy Speight

Why do we read? For all sorts of reasons: to learn, for pleasure, for relaxation, for inspiration, or for stimulation. What do we read to furnish us with these delights? Fiction? – thrillers, sci-fi, romance, erotica, horror? To each, his/her own – we all have our own ‘fixes’. So where do non-fiction, true-life accounts figure in all this? Personally, reading for me is balm for the soul and fiction is what provides it. However, two books came my way, each written by a woman who had undergone an extraordinary, near-fatal, life-changing illness. I wouldn’t normally pick up a book written by the sufferer of a particular disease or illness unless I too was suffering from the same condition, but these two books were compelling reads.

The first of these books is Heartaches and Miracles by Greta Burroughs who relates her experiences of a blood disorder called ITP, an autoimmune disease. Greta writes children’s books, two of which have been published. The second is In a Flash – Miracles Here and Beyond by Kim Justus, who survived an aneurysm. Kim works in the Financial Services industry and writing and photography are amongst her many hobbies. Continue reading “Review: How about some non-fiction?”

Video Trailer: My Funny Valentine

You forgot Valentine’s Day was coming, didn’t you?  Well, since you’ll be in the dog house if you forget, you might as well have a laugh at your own expense.  Here’s the video trailer for My Funny Valentine: America’s Most Hilarious Writers Take On Love, Romance, and Other Complications, edited by Linton Robinson.

My Funny Valentine: America’s Most Hilarious Writers Take On Love, Romance, and Other Complications is available on Amazon.com, and most online bookstores. You can learn more about the cast of contributing authors on the book’s web page.   [subscribe2]

A-Team to X-Men

David 'Wolverine" Antrobus

Like most of us, I write out of a compulsion that shares many of its qualities with mental illness. Not only voices, but entire imaginary lives being led inside the confines of my head. Horrible wracking self-doubt. Insomnia. Substance abuse. Inappropriate outbursts. Depression always waiting around the next corner, its collar turned up, lighting a cigarette… hunched and grinning.

For an activity that is predicated on communication, writing is pitifully lonely, sometimes.

You wrestle with an idea, you get some early words on the page, you can’t stop thinking about it for days, possibly weeks, until maybe it begins to take some kind of shape. You hone it, you tease it, you poke at it, you beat the living crap out of it. It beats you back. Hurts you. You live and breathe it. Then one day, it’s ready. The “market” is ready. All of a sudden, you are forced into the harsh daylight of commerce and consumerism, and you have to be able to handle that, too. Or your baby will be stillborn. Continue reading “A-Team to X-Men”