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Congratulations Winners
of our Fifth Annual Novel Beginnings 1st Chapter Contest 2012
Judges Comments:
We enjoyed reading your entries this year—32 total—and
have selected the cream of the crop, but, please, don’t be discouraged if you didn’t make the list. Keep entering
contests, seek sound critique, and continue perfecting your craft. More than anything, if you have a passion for writing,
don’t give up!
Amy
1st place – NO BEND IN THE RIVER by Gerald O. Ryan of Elgin,
IL
2nd place – THE ATOM
BOMB KIDS by Benjamin A. Duffy of Granby, MA
3rd
place – SAWYN FARM by Judy B. Hurd of Eagle Point, OR
4th place – SIXTEEN TONS by Kevin Corley of Springfield, IL
5th place – BITE OF LIFE by Michael La Violette of Laurel, MD
6th place – BENJAMIN’S JOURNEY by Don McCullough of Dover, NH
7th place – THE RHINELAND
COWBOY by Benjamin A. Duffy of Granby, MA
8th
place – THE BEST KIND OF CHAOS by Abigail Cotter of Madison, WI
9th place – THE QUEST FOR THE GLASS SLIPPER by Ashleigh Cartmill of Vancouver, WA
10th place – THE AWAKENING OF JOSEPHINE WELLS
by Yolanda DeLoach of Wausau, WI
Notable Entries
(In no particular order)
THE FIRMA TWINS
AND THE PURPLE STAFF OF DEATH by Denise Harlow Timpko of Ashburn, VA
THE DOLOMITE
CHALLENGE by Tom Joyce of Washington, DC
THE
WANTING WORDS by Anna Gergen of Lakeville, MN
Prize checks, critiques, and
line edits emailed or mailed by the end of July. Thanks to everyone who entered our contest!
Congratulations Winners of our 2011
Burning the Midnight Oil Poetry Contest!
Judges Comments:
I was
pleasantly surprised this year. Not only did we get our usual crop of wonderful free verse, but we also received several underappreciated
forms, such as rondeau, villanelle, triolet, and echo sonnet! We had 33 entries, and not a bad one in the bunch. I found vivid
images, lyrical language, alluring alliteration (I couldn't resist) and captivating first lines. Great job to you, poets,
whether or not you placed in the contest. Keep sending your work out there! Amy
1st place - "Potluck Dinner" Faye Adams of De Soto, MO
2nd place - "Bad Luck Sings
the Blues" by Adrian S. Potter of Minnetonka, MN
3rd place - "My Sister's Husband" by Matthew
Pearce of Celebration, FL
4th place - "Daddy circa 1945" by Marcia Gaye of St. Charles, MO
5th place -
"Religion" by Matthew Pearce of Celebration, FL
6th place - "To Slam the Door" by Faye
Adams of De Soto, MO
7th place - "Eventually First May Come her Way" by Carol Dee Meeks of Tulsa, OK
8th
place - "Maybe if Someone" by Emily Yankowitz of Scarsdale, NY
9th place - "Sneak Peek" by Mary Langer
Thompson of Apple Valley, CA
10th place - "All the Prayers" by Marcia Gaye of St. Charles, MO Notable
Entries
(In no particular order)
"A Matter of Voice" by Emily Yankowitz
of Scarsdale, NY
"This tree" by Bolko Rawicz
"Butterflies Alive!" by Mary Langer Thompson of Apple
Valley, CA
Thanks to all who entered! Prize checks mailed in December. Critiques returned by the end of January.
Congratulations Winners
of our Fifth Annual
Amazing
Story Fiction Contest 2011 Judges Comments: The Amazing Story Fiction Contest didn't receive as many entries as we would have
liked--28 total--but the stories gave us much food for thought. Happily, I'm pleased at the consistent quality of the entries.
I can't think of a single story I would have put in the infamous "no" pile. The mechanics were good, so, again,
much of the decision-making boiled down to personal preference. I know I repeat this often, but please don't take not making
these lists as a sign that your work isn't good enough. Keep writing, keep submitting your stories. Be persistent in your
writing and equally so in marketing your work. Congratulations
to all who entered. You had a story to tell, and you followed through with the process. Next step-more contests and publications.
Pursue them diligently! Amy 1st place - "The Other Two" by Leo Madigan of Fatima, PORTUGAL
2nd place - "Bentley Claus" by John Leslie
of Los Angeles, CA
3rd place - "An Honorable
Death" by Katrin Saeva of Blagoevgrad, BULGARIA
4th
place - "Caresses" by Seema Bagai of Diamond Bar, CA
5th
place - "Looking Out From Behind the Wall" by Gary Clark of Oglesby, TX
6th place - "Wave-Hopping" by Sarah Weber of Dallas, TX
7th place - "A Busy Day for Ezra" by Fred Voss of Canisteo, NY
8th place - "Heads of Clay" by Medb Mahoney of Boston, MA
9th place - "Moving On" by Sarah Matson of Carver, MN
10th place - "Cubed" by Jackie Beynaerts of Frisco, TX Notable Entries
(In no particular order) "Autumn in the Playground"
by Mark Wagstaff of London, UNITED KINGDOM
"A Kiss Before
Paradise" by Gary Clifton of Mckinney, TX
"A Slice
of Rio" by Agnes Pokol-Hayhurst of Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL
"The
Dance" by Francine Garson of Englishtown, NJ
"Last
Supper" by Stephen O'Sullivan, Cheshire, UNITED KINGDOM Prize
checks mailed in October. Critiques and line edits emailed or mailed by the end of November. Thanks to everyone who entered
our contest!
Congratulations
Winners of our Fourth Annual Novel Beginnings 1st Chapter Contest 2011 Judges Comments:
What an interesting year it's been for the Novel Beginnings
1st Chapter Contest! We received a total of 52 entries on a wide variety of subjects, from kids at a fat camp to
a captain's assuming command of a ship in the throes of battle. We ran into some aliens and traveled back in time, hunkered
down in the jungle (twice, I might add) and stalked a shopper in a mall. In short, we had a blast!
First chapters are tricky to write-and even trickier to judge. I look for several
things in an opening chapter: compelling characters, enough conflict to drive a plot for hundreds of pages, solid writing,
and originality, to name a few things. Starting off with a scene rather than backstory is crucial.
What makes a first chapter stick out for all the wrong reasons? Too much expository
writing, changing tenses, characters that don't seem like real people, and telling rather than showing come to mind. The most
important goal of a first chapter is to entice the reader to go along on a journey that will last the length of novel.
Congratulations to all who entered, whether or not your name
appears on these lists. You've started something with this novel. Some have more work ahead than others, but don't give up
your dream!
Amy
1st place - DEAD OF NYTE by Jearl Rugh of Snoqualmie,
WA
2nd place - SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE by Jackie Beynaerts
of Frisco, TX
3rd place - UNRAVELING UTOPIA by Laura
Kenyon of South Salem, NY
4th place - THE DONOVAN
FILES by David Barclay of Cocoa Beach, FL
5th place
- DIMENSIONS IN EGO by R. F. Marazas of Belvidere, NJ
6th
place - K/T TREK by Gerald O. Ryan of Elgin, IL
7th
place - COME WINTER by Colin Gallant of Calgary, AB Canada
8th
place - IRON ARDEN by Patricia Ash of Dallas, TX
9th
place - STEALTH SEED CARTEL by George Amabile of Winnipeg, MB Canada
10th
place - KISSING BUTT IN UTOPIA Laura Kenyon of South Salem, NY Notable Entries
(In no particular order) LETTERS FROM THE DEAD by Mary Ann Kohenskey of Maryland Heights, MO
FELETIAN FAME by Kenneth Hart of Taylor, TX
A DOVE FOR
EDDY by Sherry Elliot of Jackson, MO
CODE BLOOD by Kurt Kamm
of Malibu, CA
GRANDMA, SPARKY AND ME by Gary Clark of Oglesby,
TX
CAMP TAKEOVER by Jackie Beynaerts of Frisco, TX
BORN TO MAKE THE KILL by Jearl Rugh of Snoqualmie, WA
Prize checks mailed first week of July. Critiques and line edits emailed or mailed by the end of July. Thanks to
everyone who entered our contest!
Congratulations Winners
of our First Annual Winter Flash Fiction Contest
Judges Comments:
Last year I was approached about adding a flash fiction contest to our lineup, and am I ever glad I did! If there
was a downside, it was that this was extremely difficult to judge. The entries were all well written. I will say it again-the
entries were ALL well written. So it came down to which stories stood out from the others for this judge. Yes, the process
was subjective. If your name did not appear on either list, don't let that stop you from entering other flash fiction contests.
These fiction entries were among the strongest I have ever received.
Persist. Thank you for being a part of our first
Winter Flash Fiction Contest. Amy
1st place - "In
the Form of a Question" by Marcia Gaye of St. Charles, MO
2nd place - "The Last Night" by Lisa Rose of
Farmington Hills, MI
3rd place - "Her Smile" by Gerald O. Ryan of Elgin, IL
4th place
- "Body Rondo" by Lisa Tiffin of West Henrietta, NY
5th place - "Hair in His Ears" by Jeanne Gulbranson
of Henderson, NV
6th place - "An Unmade Man" by Gerald O. Ryan of Elgin, IL
7th place - "Minerva's
Haunted House" by Marcia Gaye of St. Charles, MO
8th place - "Benny the Barber" by Henry Heitmann of Ft.
Myers, FL
9th place - "Everyone Needs a Porpoise in Life" by Jeanne Gulbranson of Henderson, NV
10th
place - "The Bond" by Jerrel Swingle of O'Fallon, MO Notable Entries
(In no particular order)
"Hors De Combat" by Jerrel Swingle of O'Fallon, MO
"An Annotated Version of Hell" by Adrian S. Potter of Minnetonka, MN
"On to the Next" by Katrina LaFond of Kankakee, IL
"Unseeing Eyes" by Sheila Siler of Greensboro, NC
"Window
Reflections" by Henry Heitmann of Ft. Myer, FL
"Alterra
Benavides" by Amy Pechukas of Watertown, MA
"The Last
Rescue" by Lisa Tiffin of West Henrietta, NY
"Primal
Wonder" by Ivy Rutledge of Greensboro, NC
"With Love
From Me to You" by Marcia Gaye of St. Charles, MO
"Into the Rest" by Erik Doughty of Boston,
MA
"The War" by Linda Fischer of Waverly Hall, GA
"The Visitor" by Ashley Blasland of New York,
NY
"Dissection of a Typical Indian Suicide" by Stephen Joseph of Bangalore, INDIA
Thanks to all who entered! Prize money mailed in April and critiques by the end
of May for those who requested them.
Congratulations Winners of our Fourth
Annual Dead of Winter Nonfiction Contest
Judges
Comments:
We received 32
entries for our nonfiction contest with such topics as birds and dogs, parents and parenting, journeys both physical and figurative,
autumn, illness and death, coaching little league and diving in the Caribbean. And I enjoyed reading every story! The quality
of the writing was particularly good across the board, which left this judge to choose stories that stood out in some way
from the rest.
This contest is a favorite of mine, and
writers, I want you to know that I appreciate your revealing parts of yourself through your writing. Whether or not you placed
in this contest, it's important that you continue to express yourself in words. Keep writing--because it matters. Amy
1st
place - "October" by Lisa Snider of Ojai, CA
2nd place - "A Sweet Goodbye" by Alice Muschany of Wentzville,
MO
3rd place - "Dance of the Sister Elk" by Amy Williams Wilson of Fairmont, WV
4th place -
"Snow Scenes" by Dawn Marsh Price of Cynthiana, KY
5th place - "St. Nicholas Cathedral--Russia" by
Mary Chandler of Reno, NV
6th place - "Home Economics 101" by Lisa R. Greiner of Indian Trail, NC
7th place - "A Wonderful Moment of Weakness" by Jim Barton of Huttig, AR
8th place - "The Pillars
of Hercules" by Sheree Nielsen of Wentzville, MO
9th place - "My Life of Medication Hasn't Hurt Me None"
by Kathryn Cureton of Bonne Terre, MO
10th place - "The Hypocrite and the Orphanage" by Stephen Joseph of Bangalore,
INDIA Notable
Entries
(In no particular order)
"Journeys to the Mountaintop" by
Marcia Gaye of St. Charles, MO
"The Flock" by Brenda Moffitt of Erlanger, KY
"How I Became a Pan
Jumbie" by Wilma Romatz of Saginaw, MI
"Hot Chocolate" by Ashley Blasland of New York, NY
"Stage
Right" by Michele Roach of St. Louis, MO
"Why
Do I Say These Things?" by Becky Povich of St. Peters, MO
Thanks to all who entered! Prize money mailed in April and critiques by the end of May for those who requested them.
Congratulations Winners
of our 2010 Burning the Midnight Oil Poetry Contest!
Judges Comments:
Wow! Poets, you blew me away again this year. So many great poems--52 entries received!
My job was truly difficult. Congratulations to those who made either list, but also to those who entered but didn’t
find their name posted below. I found in each entry lyrical phrases and passion for the form. Yes, I know I say this often,
but I will continue to repeat it—keep on writing!
Amy
1st place - "THE LORD GIVES AND…" by Sally Clark of Fredericksburg,
TX
2nd place - "Swimming" by Sheila Ann Dane of Earlysville, VA
3rd place - "A Very Fine House" by
Gerald O. Ryan of Elgin, IL
4th place - "How Strange, the Heart" by Faye Adams of De Soto, MO
5th place
- "No More Words" by Kausam Salam of Houston, TX
6th place - "Something New" by Tomas Urbanek
of Praha, CZECH REPUBLIC
7th place - "Ports Foreign" by Lilah Contine of St. Charles, MO
8th place - "Contentment
in Blue" by Ruth Gilbo of Kingsport, TN
9th place - "Stardust" by Sheila Ann Dane of Earlysville, VA
10th place - "Unto the Fourth Generation" by Yvonne Nunn of Hermleigh, TX
Notable
Entries
(In no particular order)
"Mold" by
Jordan Walker of Salt Lake City, UT
"The Circle Broken" by Marcia Gaye of St. Charles, MO
"Trouble
with Hats" by Carol Ayer of Hayward, CA
"Downsizing Nasty, Painful" by Carol Dee Meeks of Tulsa, OK
"Ethereality" by Valerie Moorer of Tampa, FL
"Masks" by Carol Clark of Aldan, PA
"Remembrance"
by Sandy Jordan of Neosho, MO
“The
Gourmet” by Robert Goldman of Brooklyn, NY
"Hurtin’" by Stephen Joseph of Bangalore, INDIA
“Thunderstorms and Tornadoes” by Marcia
Gaye of St. Charles, MO
“Through
Autumn Eyes” by Ruth Gilbo of Kingsport, TN
“Stuck on First Base” by Carol Dee Meeks of Tulsa, OK
“Jorro’s emancipation” by Stephen Joseph of Bangalore, INDIA
“Anniversary Angst” by Kausam Salam of
Houston, TX
“Poop by Any
Other Name” by Rosemary Mackin of Houston, TX
Thanks to all who entered! Prize money mailed in December.
Critiques returned by the end of January.
Past contest winners:
Novel
Beginnings 1st Chapter Contest 2009
FOR YOUR PROTECTION by Andrea Eaker
of Portland, OR
Dead of Winter Nonfiction Contest 2009
"Pale
Northern Legs" by Lydia Suarez of Verona, NJ
Burning the
Midnight Oil Poetry Contest 2008
"On Cowboys" by Kausam Salam of Houston, TX
Amazing
Story Fiction Contest 2008
"January
7, 1939" by Marjorie K. Petesch of Cary, NC
Novel Beginnings 1st Chapter
Contest 2008
ON THE HOLLOWAY
ROAD by Andrew Blackman
of London, ENGLAND
Burning the Midnight Oil Poetry Contest 2007
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