New Release: Blackthorns Of The Forgotten by Bree T. Donovan

IFWG is pleased to announce the release of Bree T. Donovan's paranormal/romance novel, Blackthorns Of The Forgotten. While we have been known to publish books that are out of our normal genre/sub-genre matrix, we are particularly happy to support such a talented writers as Bree. If a reader opens this book, they will not get what they expected. This is not the run-of-the-mill paranormal novel - there are no vampires, zombies, werewolves and witches. There is no unrelenting action, mayhem and gore. And yet, this is not a standard romance either - in fact we struggled over the term 'romance', as it only barely touched on the definition. This novel has supernatural elements but they are secondary - they are a backdrop. This story is about love and sacrifice, about soul mates that transcend barriers that can only be depicted in a fantasy. It has tragedy but it is also an uplifting novel, set in the mystical land of modern-day Ireland.

There is a darkness that permeates much of this novel, and this is why we chose a dark, foreboding cover, with the symbolic blackthorn tree at its center.

Whoever reads this book needs to have an open mind, receptive to what soul-mateship is all about.

We in IFWG are proud to present this novel to the reading public.

Sneak Peak: The Sixth Precept by Larry Ivkovich

IFWG Publishing is very pleased to provide you with a sneak peak of Larry Ivkovich's urban fantasy, The Sixth Precept. It should be out in a week or so, and you will be spell bound by this detective-fantasy, set in modern US as well as feudal Japan - you'll need to read it to work out how this happens!

Wonderful artwork by Isaiah Stephens!

Story Quest Short Story Contest

For those who have been following this contest, the 3rd (and now annual) Story Quest Short Story Contest will open for submissions on 1 August 2011 and close on 31 October 2011. There are some changes that most of you will know of for this year, but we have one important addition:

1. The important one - we have decided to charge $5.00 per submission (to a maximum of 3). This is not a money making venture (believe me) but it helps defray some of the costs associated with administering the contest - in two ways: firstly, we have been getting a lot of submissions and this means that the revenue generated from the fee will help pay for our editors' time. Secondly, it will discourage frivolous entries and in effect, reduce unnecessary workload.
2. This year we have fully transitioned our contest to Speculative Fiction only. The web site discusses the scope of genre and styles in more detail.
3. This year we changed to an annual competition.
4. This year we have changed the prize to modest cash prizes and publishing in SQ Magazine - for the winner and runners up.

We encourage those of you who are specfic writers to submit to our contest in August. We enjoy reading the entries and helping elevate author profiles.