Month: January 2015

Saturday Book Showcase: Unhinged

Unhinged by Al BoyleUnhinged
by Al Boyle
5.0 star average from 6 reviews
302 pages

Amy Dylan is the lone eyewitness to the brutal kidnapping of local teen Jared Chambers. The details she provides are too vague for the police to take action, but she’s not surprised.

She was twenty miles away when it happened.

Amy Dylan is a psychic with a loyal fan base on WXYZ-FM. She knows the first twenty-four hours in a missing person’s case are critical. The police have no leads, no suspects, and no persons of interest.

Amy approaches the Chambers family and is greeted with skepticism and hostility. Undeterred, she investigates on her own and produces the first lead, drawing the interest of the police department and dividing the Chambers family. She also draws the ire of Jared’s captor, who challenges her on the air, providing chilling proof that Jared is at his mercy.

For Jared to stand a chance of survival, Amy must put herself in harm’s way.

This book is available from Amazon.com and Amazon UK.

Excerpt from Unhinged by Al Boyle

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2015 Flash Fiction Challenge Rule Changes

flash fiction contest gavelStarting with the January 10, 2015 flash fiction prompt, Indies Unlimited will be instituting some changes as to how the winning entries will be selected. Please see the italicized text in the bullet points below for the new rules. All the other rules remain unchanged.

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Here are the parameters for the 2015 Flash Fiction Challenge:

  • Each Saturday, we will post a challenge, consisting of a picture and a  written prompt. Award-winning author and photographer K.S. Brooks has graciously extended permission for the use of her photos for this purpose.
  • Authors can participate by writing their entries in the comment section. The word limit for entries is 250 words. The word limit will be strictly enforced.
  • Each weekly exercise will accept entries until 5:00 PM the following Tuesday.
  • Tuesday night, a panel of judges will choose the top entries based on a) the quality of writing (grammar, punctuation, and style); and b) relevance to the written and photo prompts. Only the stories chosen by the judges will be included in the public voting.
  • On Wednesday, we will open voting to the public with an online poll for the best writing entry. Voting will be open until 5:00 PM Thursday.
  • ONE VOTE PER PERSON, please. Duplicate votes will be deleted. Results displayed in the poll are unofficial until verified by administration.
  • Each Saturday, the winner will be recognized as we post the the winning entry along with the picture as a feature.
  • In the event of a tie in the voting, the entry which posted earliest will be chosen as the winner.
  • At the end of the year Indies Unlimited will publish an eBook with all the photos and the winning expositions, adding one more credit to your portfolio.
  • By submitting an entry, the author agrees to these terms and grants Indies Unlimited the nonexclusive rights to publish the material submitted and waives any and all further consideration in return for acknowledgement as a contributing author to the final anthology.

We hope you will have fun, hone your chops, and call in all kinds of favors from your friends to get them to vote for your entry. Most of all, we hope to offer you one more way to reach a wider audience.

Bethesda Literary Festival’s Essay and Short Story Contests

Bethesda Literary Festival's Essay and Short Story ContestsBethesda Literary Festival’s Essay and Short Story Contests invites authors from Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia to submit essays of up to 500 words and short stories of up to 4000 words on any subject.

Prizes: First, second, third place, and honorable mention winners will receive prizes of up to $500 and publication in Bethesda Magazine. See site for details.

Entry fee: FREE

Deadline: Entry must be postmarked January 23, 2015.

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.

Vickie Johnstone Wins Flash Fiction Challenge

Vickie Johnstone is the readers’ choice in this week’s Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge.

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:

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