Month: August 2012

Sneak Peek: INZARED, Queen of the Elephant Riders

INZAREDToday, we feature a sneak peek of author L. Leander’s young adult historical fiction book, INZARED, Queen of the Elephant Riders.

Bertha Maude Anderson was born in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. Raised on a small farm, she lived a hard life far-removed from everything she craved. Misunderstood by her parents, her only confidante her brother Ezra, Bertha yearned for excitement. A Gypsy circus came to town and her world changed forever.

 Coaxed into joining the Romanoff Brothers Circus, Bertha’s name was changed to INZARED, Queen of the Elephant Riders. She learned to ride Cecil, the elephant, and the two forged an unbreakable bond. Inzared fell in love, learned to co-exist with the Gypsies, solved a mystery and grew into a woman, all the while searching for the life she had always dreamed of.

INZARED, Queen of the Elephant Riders is available on Amazon.com as an e-book.

Here is an excerpt from INZARED, Queen of the Elephant Riders: Continue reading “Sneak Peek: INZARED, Queen of the Elephant Riders”

How to Lose a Novel Writing Contest

See, everyone reacts differently. Reading a really bad manuscript doesn’t make me want to cry. It makes me angry. No, I’m not kidding. I wish I were. This article could also be called “How to Make Me Stop Reading Your Entry” because clearly you didn’t take the time or make the effort to have someone else read what you wrote first. Among other things.

Honestly, NOT having someone else read your first chapter before submitting it ANYWHERE is clearly insane. That first chapter is your hook…that first chapter is going to dictate whether the reader keeps reading…and in my case, if the judge keeps judging. Yes, I’m back on the novel writing contest again. Hopefully, someone will gain some sort of insight from the awful, awful things I’ve seen. My eyes! (Cue music from Gone with the Wind.) Okay, I may be exaggerating just a little bit. My eyes don’t actually hurt, my brain does.

Missing words and typographical errors should NEVER occur in a first chapter. Theoretically, they should never occur in a manuscript, but we’re all human and eventually it’s going to happen. But in a submission to a contest? Really? I don’t get that. Many agents and/or publishers will ask for the first chapter(s) in their submissions instructions. If you’re not self-publishing, and you’re trying to hook someone, you HAVE to have that first chapter stellar and pristine. Anything less is setting yourself up to lose. Continue reading “How to Lose a Novel Writing Contest”

Our Weekly Flash Fiction Poll

There are four fine entries in this week’s challenge. Now is the time for Indies Unlimited readers to choose this week’s winner. On behalf of the IU staff, we want to thank the entrants for doing such a great job with the writing prompt and the merciless constraints of the exercise.

You may review the entries here. Please spread the word and encourage your friends to vote by using the share buttons at the bottom of the post!

Who penned your favorite flash fiction entry in this week's challenge?

  • Renee Pierce Williams (60%, 62 Votes)
  • Dick C. Waters (33%, 34 Votes)
  • Virginia McKevitt (7%, 7 Votes)
  • Kathy Rowe (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 103

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The poll will be open until 5:00 PM (Pacific Daylight Time) Thursday

Following the Cookie Crumbs

I have finally finished my planning for Betwixt and am now entering my favorite part of this journey – writing the first draft!

It is so fun to get absorbed in the story. I find myself thinking about it throughout the day, writing constant notes as I go – ways to improve a scene, or a line of dialogue that will set something up for a future scene.

That’s what I want to talk about today. The set-up. Continue reading “Following the Cookie Crumbs”