Day: January 5, 2014

AKC Family Dog Annual Fiction Contest

MrPish FlagAKC (American Kennel Club) Publications now accepting submissions for the 2013 Annual Fiction Writing Contest. They are looking for original, unpublished fiction featuring a purebred or mixed-breed dog (no talking dogs, please), maximum length 2000 words.

Prizes:  First place $500.00; Second place $250.00; Third place $100.00. Winning stories will be published as space allows.

Reading fee: None.

Deadline: January 31, 2014

For more information, please visit their website.

Indies Unlimited is pleased to provide this contest information for the convenience of our readers. We do not, however, endorse this or any contest/competition. Entrants should always research a competition prior to entering.

Video Trailer: Dead Burn

Dead BurnVigilante detective Emily Stone hunts down serial killers and child abductors, covertly and under the law enforcement radar, using her intrinsic skills of criminal profiling and forensic investigation. With Stone’s toughest case yet, an arson serial killer immediately crossed her path and sent her into the dark territory of a lethal pyromaniac’s mind – to the point of no return.

Dead Burn, the crime thriller by Jennifer Chase, is available from Amazon, Smashwords, and Amazon UK.

Don’t forget, you can cast your vote for trailer of the month on January 25, 2014 at 5 p.m. Pacific time.

Valid Criticism or Literary Snobbery?

Literary SnobberyGenre fiction, originally referred to as popular fiction, has been around as long as there has been literature.

The idea of ‘genre fiction’ versus ‘literary fiction’ probably began its modern history in the 19th century with such authors of popular horror fiction as Mary Shelly, Edgar Allan Poe and Bram Stoker, and popular science fiction authors like Jules Verne, H.G. Wells and Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Here we are at the beginning of 2014 and countless changes have taken place, many since the turn of this century. On the literary scene it would seem we are in a state of constant change; the publishing aspect alone has been undergoing radical change, so quickly that it is almost impossible to describe before it morphs into something different again.

Some of the other changes include the increasing number of genre labels that sometimes seem to me a little obscure, with the assignment to the various categories certainly more subjective than objective. At least we do seem to have some say in regard to the classification of those constantly splintering genres, with a degree of choice as to where we might look for those readers: the ones lurking in their enclaves, waiting to discover and, of course, appreciate our literary endeavours. As Indies, we are free to write across whatever genres we choose but, by pigeonholing our work, are we selling ourselves short? Continue reading “Valid Criticism or Literary Snobbery?”