Month: August 2014

Which Story Delighted You the Most?

Vote5Whose story about Raspberry Delight do you think deserves to win this week? There are so many good entries. We leave it up to you, IU readers, to choose which story should win the honor.

Remember, the winning entries will all be included in the next edition of the IU Flash Fiction Anthology.

Check out this week’s entries here. Make your decision, then use those share buttons at the bottom of the post to spread the word.

Voting polls close Thursday at 5 PM Pacific time.

Which flash fiction entry was your favorite?

  • K.L. Kelso (26%, 7 Votes)
  • necwrites (26%, 7 Votes)
  • AL Kaplan (15%, 4 Votes)
  • Jon Jefferson (15%, 4 Votes)
  • Mathoska (7%, 2 Votes)
  • Lorraine Marie Reguly (7%, 2 Votes)
  • Lois Nelsen Lewandowski (4%, 1 Votes)
  • Lisa Williamson (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 27

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NOTE: Entrants whose submissions exceed the 250 word limit are eliminated from the poll. ONE VOTE PER PERSON, please. Duplicate votes will be deleted. The results displayed above are unofficial until verified by administration.

Book Brief: Jimmy Mender and His Miracle Dog

Jimmy Mender and His Miracle DogJimmy Mender and His Miracle Dog
by Angelo Dirks & Leland Dirks
Genre: Fiction – Family Life
Word count: 65,000

Can a man you’ve only known for a week change your life?

Paul Young can’t forget Jimmy Mender, the Stetson-wearing cowboy and former Marine who smells of Old Spice. Jimmy Mender can’t forget that he’s got a past that could hurt anyone he loves. And when Jimmy disappears, Paul is heartbroken.

For years, Paul wonders what happened to Jimmy. Then, out of the blue, Paul receives a package from Alaska. In it is a note from a stranger informing Paul that Jimmy has died. Also enclosed is a stack of Jimmy’s journals and a notice that there are other things up in Alaska that Paul is welcome to if he wants to go there and get them.

And so, Paul embarks on a journey to the north. In the process, he discovers who Jimmy truly was, and in turn, learns a great deal about himself. Along the way, a Border Collie with a secret decides to help him out. Sometimes, falling in love with the wrong man can bring you exactly where you need to be in your life. Continue reading “Book Brief: Jimmy Mender and His Miracle Dog”

LinkedIn Fest

Don’t know how to find your URL? It’s easy. Click profile and see the screen shot above.

We don’t hear too much about LinkedIn these days, but despite that – it’s still going strong. Especially with the widespread dissatisfaction over diminishing visibility on Facebook – LinkedIn may end up picking up some of that slack. So come on down and join in the LinkedIn like-fest!

This is how it works: If you are an author, publisher, publicist, literary agent, book reviewer, librarian (or especially a book-lover), etc., in the comments below, paste in the link for your LinkedIn profile. Make sure you show some love to the profiles in the comments above yours, and check back throughout the day to catch up. to get your ID, merely go to your profile and copy the link next to the BIG pink arrow in the picture above (i.e. – http://www.linkedin.com/in/authorksbrooks).

Click on the person’s link in the comments section below, and you will go to their profile. Then click CONNECT. (See photo below.)

This should be fun and should generate a lot of exposure for everyone who plays. Let’s get the party started!

Stop the Chop: Writing Smooth Transitions

transitions8Have you ever read a book where the scene is progressing nicely, things are happening, people are talking and then … you’re somewhere else. From one paragraph to the next, you’ve gone from a moonlit beach to a crowded avenue. You were just starting to understand the relationship between John and Marsha and now suddenly you’re introduced to Tony.

“Marsha, hello,” John called brightly. He was obviously pleased to see her. His eyes shone at her with reflected moonlight.

“Hello, John.” Her voice was low, cautious. Her eyes darted nervously about the deserted beach, and she caught her lower lip in her teeth.

“How are you?” he asked as he stopped in front of her.

Tony cursed the Black Friday crowds while he shouldered his way down the sidewalk. He hated shopping.

Does this make you do a double-take? Do you have to go back and re-read just to make sure you didn’t miss something? In recent months I’ve read more than a few books that had trouble with transitions. Now I’ve yammered on before about how, when we write, we need to make sure the reader is flowing along with us effortlessly. Yes, there may be drama in the story and yes, there may be tension, but there shouldn’t be any of that in the reader’s efforts to follow the story. The reader may need to work at piecing out the story line in a thriller, may need to tease out the truth from the lies and misdirections in a mystery, but they should not have to work at following the writing. In my opinion, if the reader does have to work at that, we haven’t done our job well at all. Continue reading “Stop the Chop: Writing Smooth Transitions”