Celebrating Independent Authors
This week’s vote resulted in a tie between T.D. McKinnon and Alexandra Palmer (The happy Amateur). As set forth in the rules, the win goes to the earlier entry. The winning entry is rewarded with a special feature here today and a place in our collection of winners which will be published as an e-book at year end.
Without further ado, here’s the winning entry:
Continue reading “The Happy Amateur Wins Flash Fiction Challenge”
Guest Post
by Donna Fasano
I’ve been an avid romance reader for years, devouring love stories since my early teens. Listen up, guys! You’ll earn more points by giving your Valentine a romance novel than you will bringing her chocolates. But then, who knows what wonderful things might happen if she receives both?
Many people hear the term “romance novel” and immediately cringe. They believe all romance books are stored on the same shelf as those old-fashioned “bodice-rippers” famous in the 70s. This phrase describes the archetypical scene where a man is so taken with passion he literally rips open the bodice of a woman’s dress. But, come on, we’re all intelligent people. There’s nothing romantic about rape, and these books have since become identified as offensive. Romance novels of today feature strong heroines—independent women on a quest to find themselves. And the sub-genres abound! You’ll find everything from sweet and funny, to tissue-worthy dramatic, from contemporary to historical, from suspenseful to the sweeping family saga. Readers will find two commonalities: a story packed with emotion, and an ending that’s satisfying.
Why are romances so popular? Because these books allow us to revisit that frenetic feeling of falling in love for the first time. We buckle ourselves in for a roller-coaster adventure that fulfills our deep need for enchantment.
Here are 10 of my favorite emotionally-charged romance novels that never fail to charm my socks off. Continue reading “Bestselling Author Donna Fasano Picks Her Top Ten Romance Books”
Thank you for finding Indies Unlimited.
Here at IU, we do our best to provide helpful information to indie authors of all levels. Our goal is to provide the knowledge they need to make intelligent decisions about writing and publishing. We are not, however, a watchdog site, nor do we try to be. There are other sites out there, such as Writer Beware and Preditors and Editors, which dedicate their resources to identifying scammers.
Despite all the efforts to make authors aware of predators looking to make money off of them, the best tool is actually knowing how to spot a scam. That knowledge will enable authors, no matter how often the scammer changes its name, to avoid being taken advantage of.
Thank you again for finding Indies Unlimited.
– The Admins
In the last installment of this series we took some baby steps, discussing how to write a short review that gave your opinion of a book and a reason or two why. Since then you’ve completed your homework assignment by writing and posting a short book review on Amazon, right? Don’t tell me your dog ate your homework. That might have worked when your homework was on paper, but it doesn’t in today’s electronic world. Continue reading “Reviewing 101 – Part 3”