Book Review: Amazing Things Are Happening Here

Jacob Appel Is a Master at Balancing Contrasts   In the eight short stories that make up Amazing Things Are Happening Here, Jacob M. Appel’s characters will entangle you in typical, relatable dilemmas, yet all of them very different. They struggle with contrasts such as right and wrong, good and evil, and life and death. […]

The Rise of Short Stories

Pause and Reflect On Short Stories by V. Jolene Miller In today’s hectic world, few things give time for pause and reflection. Though some might say tragedy, illness, and new love are reason enough, dare I suggest, short stories make it on that list?  Many believe short stories are on the rise because of a […]

Book Review: Before We Died

by Joan Schweighardt The Danger and Drama Will Keep You On the Edge of Your Seat Baxter and Jack were pushed to their physical and mental limits every day as dock workers in the shipyards of Hoboken, New Jersey. As sons of Irish immigrants who came seeking the American dream at the turn of the […]

Book Review: Little Lovely Things

by Maureen Joyce Connolly That Which Doesn’t Kill Them Just May Have Made Them Stronger Claire and Glen Rawlings are your typical couple and parents of typical girls, who together, make up a typical family. Claire is studying to become a doctor, while Glen is a teacher and a volunteer high school football coach. With […]

Interview with Melissa Marr

Author of self published Tales of Folk & Fey: A Wicked Lovely Collection.  by Sara Grochowski Melissa Marr’s young adult first novel, Wicked Lovely, was published in 2007 by HarperCollins and she’s since published standalones and series for adults, the middle grade audience, and children. In recent years, Marr has continued to publish through traditional […]

Debut Short Story Collections by Indie Authors

By V. Jolene Miller As writers, we give poignant thoughts, an opportunity to escape, to relax, to travel abroad while sitting still. In the process, we take a little too. Meet five emerging independent authors of short story collections and discover what they’re taking from those who allow their stories to swallow them whole.  Clarissa […]

2019 Indie Best Award Long-List: On Life and Meaning: 100 Essays Inspired by 100 Guests.

Shelf Media hosts the annual Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Competition for best self-published or independently published book. In addition to prizes, the winner, finalists, long-listed, and more than 100 notable books from the competition are featured in the December/January issue of Shelf Unbound. In On Life and Meaning: 100 Essays Inspired by 100 Guests, […]

2019 Indie Best Award Long-List: The Weight of a Moment.

Shelf Media hosts the annual Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Competition for best self-published or independently published book. In addition to prizes, the winner, finalists, long-listed, and more than 100 notable books from the competition are featured in the December/January issue of Shelf Unbound. The Weight of a Moment is a beautiful story about the […]

2019 Indie Best Award Long-List: The Spanish Papers.

Shelf Media hosts the annual Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Competition for best self-published or independently published book. In addition to prizes, the winner, finalists, long-listed, and more than 100 notable books from the competition are featured in the December/January issue of Shelf Unbound. World War II—Hitler is obsessed with gathering ancient knowledge and artifacts […]

2019 Indie Best Award Long-List: The Biggest Moonshiner.

Shelf Media hosts the annual Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Competition for best self-published or independently published book. In addition to prizes, the winner, finalists, long-listed, and more than 100 notable books from the competition are featured in the December/January issue of Shelf Unbound. The Biggest Moonshiner is a story of unconditional love, triumph over […]