Day: November 18, 2014

Technical Improvements

Technology. You gotta love it.
Technology. You gotta love it.

Here at Indies Unlimited, we’re glass-half-full types. We don’t like to say technical “difficulties,” especially when that’s not really what we’re having.

Last night, we upgraded to a super-duper, lightning-fast, bionic web hosting server. Because our IU readers deserve it. And because the DeathStar was getting just too big for the server we were on. Pretty cool, huh?

So, for the next couple of days, your ISP may need some time to adjust to this new technological awesomeness. Don’t worry, any glitches you are seeing are just temporary. We promise.

Discipline in Writing: Necessary or Overrated?

discipline-clipart-clipart-bootcampWe’ve all heard about the authors who sit down at the computer and crank out 1,000 words a day, every day. Or write 50 or 100 pages, every day. Maybe some of you reading this are just that kind of writer. You believe in discipline. You believe in practicing your craft every minute of the working day. I’ve heard some say that it doesn’t even matter if what you write is good; it only matters that you write. Continue reading “Discipline in Writing: Necessary or Overrated?”

Book Brief | Skylar Robbins: The Mystery of Shadow Hills

SHADOW HILLS FRONT COVERSkylar Robbins: The Mystery of Shadow Hills
by Carrie Cross
Genre: Middle Grade, mystery
60,650 words

Thirteen-year-old sleuth Skylar Robbins plans to become a private detective like her grandfather. Stuck at her bullying cousin Gwendolyn’s Malibu estate for the summer, Skylar brings her detective kit, portable spy tools, and her journal for taking notes in secret code. She had no idea how dangerous the summer would prove to be.

On the first day of summer school an odd classmate named Kat passes a note in backward writing, introducing Skylar to the secret world of witchcraft. Practical Skylar didn’t believe in magic  — until the spells they perform in an abandoned garden actually appear to be working.

When Kat tells her that a mysterious group is doing wicked things up in Shadow Hills at night, she can’t help but investigate. The teen sleuth uses the tools in her detective kit and faces her most embarrassing fear to find the truth.

Skylar Robbins: The Mystery of Shadow Hills is available at Amazon.com, iTunes, and Amazon UK. Continue reading “Book Brief | Skylar Robbins: The Mystery of Shadow Hills”

Self-Publishing Book Expo 2014 Wrap-Up

Screen shot 2014-11-16 at 4.13.54 PMWhat a difference a year makes. New York’s Self-Publishing Book Expo, now entering its sixth year, has followed alongside the evolution of indie publishing, more or less. It’s a unique show designed to help self-published authors network with service providers and learn how to navigate the marketplace to publish and promote their books more effectively. But the most recent show, from the exhibitors to the presenters to the audience, had some huge differences—some good, and some that made me want to punch a wall. Continue reading “Self-Publishing Book Expo 2014 Wrap-Up”