Month: September 2015

Indie Reads – September 2015

Indies Unlimited does not review books, but we do have a couple of renowned reviewers on staff. We thought a great way to celebrate indie writing would be to ask those reviewers for their top indie picks of the month. Here are this month’s top picks from our experts:

Sympathy for the Devil 120x177Sympathy for the Devil by Cathy Vasas-Brown

“It’s a riveting story, perfectly written; it’s gripping, penned with efficiency and clarity, peppered with just enough emotion.”

Read the rest of the review by Cathy Speight.

Sympathy for the Devil is available through Amazon.com.

Bailey Devlin Picked Up a Penny 120x177The Day Bailey Devlin Picked Up a Penny by Rebecca Forster

“…great characters, putting them in fun (and funny) situations, and in the process lead character Bailey is learning about life.”

Read the rest of the review by BigAl.

The Day Bailey Devlin Picked Up a Penny is available through Amazon.com.

The Garden of Unfortunate Souls 120x177The Garden of Unfortunate Souls by Eddie Mark

“…told with a poetically powerful voice that renders its characters as vivid as … in Ken Kesey’s Cuckoo’s Nest.”

Read the rest of the review by Sam Waite.

The Garden of Unfortunate Souls is available through Amazon.com.

Secrets of Ice Cream Success 120x177The Secrets of Ice Cream Success by AD Hartley

“AD Hartley does an amazing job of creating realistic characters overcoming adversity during their summer holiday.”

Read the rest of the review by Michael Thal.

The Secrets of Ice Cream Success is available on Amazon.com..

Diary of a Dead Guy 120x177Diary of a Dead Guy by Ty Hager

“This is a creative, unique, and entertaining tale that deserves five stars.”

Read the rest of the review by ?wazithinkin.

Diary of a Dead Guy is available at Amazon.com.

While You Were Writing: Tips and Tricks

IdeaIn case you’ve been too busy writing or watching cat videos to notice these small conveniences, I thought I’d round them up and bring them right to your eyeballs. Hopefully these tips and tricks will enhance your authorly productivity so you can go back to keeping up with the Kardashians and such. You’re welcome.

1. Google Chrome Tricks

Right-click on an image, and select “Search Google for this image.” Not only can you hunt for the original source of that image you intend to use on your blog, to make sure you have the necessary permissions, but you can try it on your book covers to see where else the image might be in use. It can avoid unpleasant surprises later, like finding out that image you’ve fallen in love with is being used on fifty other books in your genre. Continue reading “While You Were Writing: Tips and Tricks”

The 2015 RRofihe Trophy No-Fee Short Story Contest

Submissions are now being accepted for the 2015 RRofihe Trophy No-Fee Short Story Contest. Unpublished short stories between
3,500 and 5,000 words in length are considered.

Prizes: $500 cash, trophy, announcement & publication on anderbo.com
Deadline: October 15, 2015
Entry fee: Free

For more information and submission guidelines, 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.

Some Alternatives to Keep You Writing Happily Despite an Injury

writer with a broken arm can't writeI have tendinitis in my wrists, which has made typing — shall we say — a tad difficult. No typing meant I couldn’t even dream of meeting my word count goal of 1,500 words per day towards my latest novel.

After a week of Netflix bingeing, my husband was like, “You need to do some writing.” To which I responded, “I can’t.” To which he replied, “Why don’t you dictate it?” Well, that’s when I decided to look into some ways to create that didn’t involve me sitting at my computer typing.

Obviously, if the limbs you use for writing are injured — tendinitis, a broken arm, carpal tunnel — the best alternative is to learn to type with your feet. Kidding. The best alternative is probably to speak what you would have written. If you want to do that, there are two options: speaking into a recording device and having it transcribed or using speech-to-text software. Continue reading “Some Alternatives to Keep You Writing Happily Despite an Injury”