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Cactus Heart Call for Submissions

Cactus Heart PressCactus Heart, a new e-literary journal, seeks original poetry, fiction, nonfiction, art & photography.

They’re looking for spiny writing—writing that is sharp, relentless, coursing with energy and able to thrive in the harshest of places, all while maintaining a vulnerable, succulent interior.

Their inaugural issue – in full-color PDF format – is expected to go live May 15.

Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis,but must be received by April 15, 2012 to be considered for Issue #1.

For more information, visit their website.

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Indies Unlimited is pleased to provide this submissions information for the convenience of our readers.  We do not, however, endorse this or any magazine/contest/competition.  Entrants should always research a venue prior to submitting.[subscribe2]

Video Trailer: At the Sharpe End – by Hugh Ashton

When his business card is found in the pocket of a man who has died under the wheels of a train at Shinjuku station in Tokyo, Kenneth Sharpe’s life takes a turn for the worse. A freelance technology consultant usually has no business with burglary, kidnapping or murder, not to mention the overthrow of governments, but these all rapidly become disturbingly familiar parts of his life. The stakes start high, and rise higher, as Sharpe and his friends take on the might of the financial world against the backdrop of the 2008 Wall Street collapse, and the ruin of the global financial markets.

At the Sharpe End is available in print or Kindle format from Amazon, and as an e-book in multiple formats from Smashwords. Learn more at the website.

Inspiration Strikes at the Worst of Times

Author Greta Burroughs

by Greta Burroughs

For the last week, I have been sitting at my computer, wracking my brain trying to finish a short story. After seven days of madly typing away, only four paragraphs appear on the screen in front of me. The countless hours working on this one story and that is all I have to show for it? The right words elude me. I have deleted more material than I have saved. Where is my inspiration? Why won’t the words come to me? Have I lost my ability to write?

Desperation has set in. All I can think about is the stupid story. I need a distraction, maybe some housework. No, too close to the computer. How about yard work? Nope, I still look at the window of my office and the siren song from my computer lures me back inside. Continue reading “Inspiration Strikes at the Worst of Times”

Getting the Blurb Right by Ken Magee

Author Ken Magee
Author Ken Magee

You’ve just spent six hard months slaving over a hot computer. You’ve now written and polished your book, and then polished it a little bit more. It’s your baby and you love it. You spend another three months finding a publisher and a further three agreeing everything from the title to the cover design. So a year of your life is invested in a fantastic novel and now you’re ready to go… not quite, you need to sort out the blurb.

Is it important? YES, it is, in fact, one of the most important components of the whole book package. How can I be sure, well, I ran a poll on two well known sites for readers in the US and the UK. The poll was entitled “Top reasons for buying a book”. Once the voting was completed it was very clear what really mattered. High on both lists were things like genre, recommendations and read other books by the author. However, the blurb came number one in the US, and number two in the UK. That shows you just how important it is to get it right… your book will not succeed without a well written blurb. Continue reading “Getting the Blurb Right by Ken Magee”