Month: June 2014

It Matters Radio Independence Day Contest

It Matters Radio LogoIt Matters Radio is seeking short stories (under 600 words), flash fiction (under 250 words) and poetry from writers and musicians. Tell them what independence means to you. It doesn’t matter if you reside in the US or live in other parts of the world – independence is something we have all fought to preserve.

Prizes: Winners will be part of the July 3rd live broadcast which airs at 9PM ET US.

Entry fee: None.

Deadline: June 15th, 2014.

For more information, please visit their website.

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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.

What’s our Ceiling?

sanibel_island_doc_fordsEach of us has our own idea of success in writing. I’ve found that out the past few weeks in the comments on my past few blog posts for Indies Unlimited. Some are in it for the pleasure; others are in it for the dough. By no means does that represent every reason for pursuing our passion for writing, but I believe that it does provide for the two bookends of our main reasons for what we do. The question is … have we really thought about how far we can take this thing? Continue reading “What’s our Ceiling?”

Featured Book: Jonestown

JonestownJonestown: A Novel
by Ryan Roy
Genre: thriller, suspense, historical fiction
Available from Amazon.

Jonestown is a historical thriller about a father determined to free his son from the compound of cult leader Jim Jones. The novel allows readers to glimpse the sadistic governance of the Peoples Temple, and it carries them along the path of the congressional delegation whose inspection of Jonestown in 1978 led to the shocking climax.

Excerpt:

Jim Jones stepped onto the pavilion stage and looked out at the ocean of faces gazing in his direction. His followers packed the benches, shoulder to shoulder. They looked to their leader.
Maria handed the reverend a microphone. The congregation hushed to a perfect silence—so quiet that the sounds of the jungle two hundred yards away seeped through the open pavilion. Jones gazed longingly at his people. Every minute of instruction, every sermon, every lesson, every session of catharsis and every instance of discipline had prepared them for this one moment. Jones saw in those faces the indomitable spirit of the Cause—a people who had been marginalized and besieged by entities of evil in positions of political power, and yet a people willing to fight back, willing to purchase the attention of the world with the currency of their lives.
Jones settled into the cushioned chair overlooking the crowd. He raised the microphone to his lips.

What others are saying:
“Roy’s ability to create and sustain suspense combined with the thorough research and knowledge of Jonestown is a recipe for an amazing read.” – Robert J. Stephens, Jr.

Print Book Formatting: Myth or Truth?

BookshelfI’m a lurker, not in real life, of course, but on the internet. When researching how to self-publish I spent hours creeping through discussion fora and searching for answers. Some of the answers brought up more questions, like this exchange on a popular writing site:

Person 1: “Always start chapters on an odd page.”

Person 2: “Why?”

Person 1: “Are you a moron? Haven’t you ever read a book? Chapters always start on an odd page. You call yourself a writer and you don’t even know that?”

I swear I’m not making that up. While I wasn’t the moron asking the question (I was the moron lurking in the shadows wanting an answer), I was a little taken aback by the pile-on. The thread continued for at least three pages with authors insisting “real” books through “traditional” publishers always start chapters on an odd page. Continue reading “Print Book Formatting: Myth or Truth?”