Day: March 28, 2015

Saturday Book Showcase: The Spider and the Stone

Spider and the Stone by Glen CraneyThe Spider and the Stone:
A Novel of Scotland’s Black Douglas
by Glen Craney
Genre: Historical Fiction
433 pages

As the 14th century dawns, Scotland’s survival hangs by a spider’s thread. While the clans scrap over their empty throne, the brutal Edward Longshanks of England invades the weakened northern kingdom, scheming to annex it to his powerful realm.

But one frail lad stands in the Plantagenet monarch’s path.

The beleaguered Scots cherish James Douglas as their “Good Sir James.” Yet in England, his slashing raids deep into Yorkshire wreak such terror that he is branded the Black Douglas with a reward placed on his head.

As a boy, James falls in love with the ravishing Isabelle MacDuff, whose clan has long inaugurated Scottish monarchs on the hallowed Stone of Destiny. But James’s world is upturned when he befriends Robert Bruce, a bitter enemy of the MacDuffs. Forced to choose between love and clan loyalty, he and Isabelle must make fateful decisions that will draw the opposing armies to the bloody field of Bannockburn.

The Spider and the Stone: A Novel of Scotland’s Black Douglas is available at Amazon.com, Smashwords, Amazon UK, and most online booksellers.

Exclusive excerpt from The Spider and the Stone by Glen Craney

Continue reading “Saturday Book Showcase: The Spider and the Stone”

Flash Fiction Challenge: Take the Money and Fall

2014 May Day 5 Crater Lake steep Flash Fiction Prompt
Crater Lake photo copyright K. S. Brooks. Do not use without attribution.

When the chute opened, the harness tightened and yanked against the wound in Paul’s shoulder. The pain caused him to lose his grip on the satchel, and the money went plummeting to the earth ahead of him.

He tried to watch for where it landed, but he couldn’t pull on the cords with his left arm at all to guide his descent in that direction. Worse yet, the plane he’d just been kicked out of was circling back…

Welcome to the Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge. In 250 words or less, write a story incorporating the elements in the picture and the written prompt above. Do not include the prompt in your entry. The 250 word limit will be strictly enforced.

Please keep language and subject matter to a PG-13 level.

Use the comment section below to submit your entry. Entries will be accepted until Tuesday at 5:00 PM Pacific Time. No political or religious entries, please.

On Tuesday night, judges will select the strongest entries, and on Wednesday afternoon, we will open voting to the public with an online poll so they may choose the winner. Voting will be open until 5:00 PM Thursday.

On Friday afternoon, the winner will be recognized as we post the winning entry along with the picture as a feature. Then, at year end, the winners will be featured in an anthology like this one. Best of luck to you all in your writing!

Entries only in the comment section. Other comments will be deleted. See HERE for additional information and terms. Please note the rule changes for 2015.

The Sun Magazine Is Accepting Submissions

the sun magazineThe Sun Magazine publishes essays, interviews, fiction, and poetry. They tend to favor personal writing, but are also looking for provocative pieces on political and cultural issues. They rarely run anything longer than seven thousand words; there’s no minimum length.
.

Deadline: None stated.

Entry fee: None noted.

Payment: $300 to $2,500 for nonfiction, from $300 to $1,500 for fiction, from $100 to $250 for poetry, and from $1,000 to $2,000 for interviews. Contributors also receive a complimentary one-year subscription to The Sun.

For more information, please visit their website.

*     *     *     *     *

Indies Unlimited is pleased to provide this contest/submissions 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.