Day: May 21, 2014

Every drunken man’s dream is a book

Anna Castle
Anna Castle

Guest post
by Anna Castle

Every month or so we get another outcry against self-published fiction. Some are aimed at the Beast of Amazon, destroyer of standards and scourge of literature, like George Packer’s bitter lament in The New Yorker (“Cheap words,” February 17, 2014) or Thad McIlroy’s anxious number-crunching on his blog (“How amazon destroyed the publishing ecosystem,” March 12, 2014.) Others, like Donald Maass, rail against self-publishing in general, on the grounds that it produces far more chaff than wheat (Writer Unboxed, “The new class system,” February 5, 2014.)

This dire transformation, this destruction of literature, is blamed on new technologies which have made it far too easy to produce a book, drastically lowering the necessary barriers to publication that have kept the riff-raff out for centuries.

I’m talking about the Internet, right? Continue reading “Every drunken man’s dream is a book”

Time for the Flash Fiction Vote!

Pish ClockIt’s Wednesday already. That can only mean it’s time once again to make your choice for the flash fiction challenge.

Remember, the winning entries will all be included in the next edition of the IU Flash Fiction Anthology.

Check out this week’s entries here. Make your decision, then use those share buttons at the bottom of the post to spread the word.

Voting polls close Thursday at 5 PM Pacific time.

Which author wrote your favorite flash fiction story this week?

  • Victoria Ann Carr (43%, 91 Votes)
  • Ed Drury (42%, 90 Votes)
  • Yvonne Hertzberger (4%, 8 Votes)
  • Jon Jefferson (3%, 6 Votes)
  • Lois Nelsen Lewandowski (2%, 5 Votes)
  • Lynne Cantwell (2%, 4 Votes)
  • Melissa Bowersock (1%, 3 Votes)
  • John Kenny (1%, 3 Votes)
  • AL Kaplan (1%, 2 Votes)
  • MathoSkaCikala (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 212

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NOTE: Entrants whose submissions exceed the 250 word limit are eliminated from the poll.

More May Releases

Just in time for the long Memorial Day Weekend, here are some hot new books to take wherever you’ll be going.

Bone Girl 120 x 177Bone Girl by Annette Drake

A lonely girl learns to play the trombone. An abused stallion learns to trust. Together, they save their world.

Bone Girl is available is available from Amazon, Smashwords, and Amazon UK.
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Dark and Disturbed 120x177Dark and Disturbed by Morgan Winters

A collection of 25 dark, disturbed, and demented flash fiction stories, complete with full-color photographs, awaits the brave reader.

Dark and Disturbed is available on Amazon.com and Amazon UK.

Suicide Supper Club 120x177Suicide Supper Club by Rhett DeVane

Four tormented Southern women band together to forge “the easy way out,” but life has a twisted way of changing misdirected plans.

Suicide Supper Club is available from Amazon.com and Amazon UK.
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The Experiment 120x177The Experiment by Cristian A. Solari

The Experiment is about a highly advanced community that struggles to deal with a civilization that emerges from one of its own experiments.

The Experiment is available at Amazon.com and Amazon UK.
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ultimatewolfcover 120x177The Ultimate Wolf by Nancie Paz

Kevin, a werewolf hunted by the U.S. government is about to be captured. Amanda reluctantly helps him. Can they possibly find love again?

The Ultimate Wolf is available through Amazon and Amazon UK.