Month: April 2013

Formula for a Bestselling Horror Novel

Of course, yes, I know you’ve been waiting for this. Who hasn’t been? I’ve already shared with you the formula for writing a blockbuster action/adventure bestseller, a knock-em dead romance bestseller, a spine- and pants-tingling romantic thriller, and a Young Adult Paranormal Romance. I know – that’s really benevolent of me, right? Despite that, you thought I left out a market with huge potential: horror. Well please, patience! I can only turn out one of these labor-intensive formulas each month. They’re quite draining, you know.

Speaking of draining, this book’s got it all: vampires, werewolves, zombies – a story destined to be a bestseller once you add your personal touch to it. How can you go wrong?

Follow my advice below, and you’ll be fighting off a legion of dedicated, zombie-like fans!

Formula for a best-selling horror novel: Continue reading “Formula for a Bestselling Horror Novel”

Flash Fiction Poll

The race is on! It’s that time again. Vote for your choice in this week’s Flash Fiction Challenge.

We had a number of great entries. Kudos to all the entrants. Now IU readers to choose: Who will be this week’s Flash Fiction Star?

Check out this week’s entries here. Vote for your fave then use those share buttons at the bottom of the post to spread the word.

 

Who wrote the best story for this week's flash fiction challenge?

  • Ed Drury (73%, 19 Votes)
  • William C. Busch (15%, 4 Votes)
  • Mandy White (8%, 2 Votes)
  • Michael James Gallagher (4%, 1 Votes)
  • J.P. Borrelli (0%, 0 Votes)
  • S.E. Springle (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 26

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Four Seasons In One Day

There is a song written by a kiwi band (Crowded House) called Four Seasons In One Day. It is so appropriate, especially for Aucklanders who seem to face varied weather on a constant basis. I guess that’s the price you pay for being a skinny country surrounded by water.

Anyway – I thought I would use the song title to lead into my discussion.

To me, writing works in seasons. You have your writing season, your publishing season, your marketing season and your social season. (There are probably more but I’m just going to stick with four for this analogy.) My favorite seasons by far are the writing and publishing ones. I love getting lost in a book. I wish I had more hours in the day to bury myself in my imagination and wander the worlds with my characters. I also love seeing the book come to life, finalizing the cover and, as much as I dislike blurb writing and formatting, it is cool see the book online or in paperback. Continue reading “Four Seasons In One Day”

Meet the Author: Dianne Greenlay

Born and raised on the Canadian prairies, Dianne Greenlay is the author of QUINTSPINNER – A PIRATE’S QUEST and DEADLY MISFORTUNE, Books One and Two in a fast-paced adventure series, set in the 1700’s, in the pirate-infested waters of the West Indies. While DEADLY MISFORTUNE is a brand new release, QUINTSPINNER has gone on to win multiple awards in Best YA (Writer’s Digest), Best Commercial Novel (Eric Hoffer), Best Historical (ReaderViewes) and Book of the Year ( Foreword Reviews) categories, and it has gathered nearly a half million reads on Wattpad in less than 6 months. Straying into the genre of humor/comedy, Dianne is also the author of THE CAMPING GUY, which is available as both a one act comedy (live theater script) and a short story. Continue reading “Meet the Author: Dianne Greenlay”