Month: September 2013

Flash Fiction Voting Open

Who will be the next Flash Fiction Star? It’s time for IU readers to choose.

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.

Remember, all our winners will be included in the next edition of the IU Flash Fiction Anthology. So, support your fellow writers and participate in this week’s voting, then spread the word, bang the drums, and share the link to let everyone know the vote is on.

Polls close tomorrow at 5 PM.

 

Whose pixels aggregated into the best flash fiction story this week?

  • Leonard Little (42%, 38 Votes)
  • Chris James (37%, 34 Votes)
  • Jon Jefferson (14%, 13 Votes)
  • Rich Meyer (3%, 3 Votes)
  • T.D. McKinnon (3%, 3 Votes)

Total Voters: 91

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NOTE: Entrants whose submissions exceed the 250 word limit are eliminated from the poll.

The Critique Process

Before I published my first book, I decided that I wanted to be seen as a professional that produced top quality work. I want my readers to trust me. I want them to see my books and think, “Oh yeah, Melissa Pearl, she writes good stuff.”

In order to get that kind of response, I need help from those around me. I am a big believer in constructive feedback. For me, it’s the best way to ensure that I produce quality work for my readers.

Over the past couple of years, I have refined my process. I thought I’d share my current process in case any of you would find it helpful 🙂 Continue reading “The Critique Process”

The Historical with Romantic Elements

Guest post
by Frances Burke

I love ‘Historicals’, but in recent times this category has become divided into sub-genres, with the emphasis almost totally upon the emotional conflict. The old Historical Novel wasn’t intended to be a Romance, as such, but a novel set in a historical time frame with Romance as one, sometimes major element.

Today the term covers everything from erotica to sweet Regency, with some historical data thrown in. (Apologies to those writers who do their research, although still allowing the love story to overwhelm other aspects.)

I am proposing another, more specific category: “The Historical With Romantic Elements”. It would cover many genres – adventure, thriller, fantasy, paranormal, you name it. It would follow no pattern but the one in the writer’s mind, allowing her to bend rules and take flights of fancy, use any time frame and as many major characters as were consistent with the length of the novel and common sense. And the romantic element might be relatively small, or even relegated to a sub-plot.

A Historical With Romantic Elements (herein to be known as HWRE) would be distinct from Historical Romance and Historical Saga in that it tended to concentrate heavily on research, with the setting detailed and imprinted with colour and texture. Background would be all-important, with bonus points for an unusual setting. Georgian and Tudor times, for instance, are so well documented and used that research almost falls into the lap. With many other periods, it takes hard work to understand the intricacies of politics, wars and social upheavals and to weave these into a story without overloading the reader with detail. Continue reading “The Historical with Romantic Elements”

Book Blogger Spotlight: Random Reviews by Leanne

Leanne Herrera is the blogger behind Random Reviews by Leanne. She is a mother, wife, grandmother, artist and author. Leanne is also an author, currently working on her second book and reworking her first one. She also reviews and beta reads when she can. She says she is a fast reader and generally can go through several books in a day.

Leanne says she always loved reading. “The need to discuss books has always been overpowering to the point that I often nag friends and family to read the books so that we could discuss them. When I started my blog, I wrote about my life and the book I was working on. Then someone asked me to review a book and I realized that I could talk about books and help authors at the same time. I love that I can help and do something I enjoy at the same time!” Continue reading “Book Blogger Spotlight: Random Reviews by Leanne”