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The 2020 Short Story Award

March 13, 2020 by in category From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group tagged as , , , ,

It’s time!

The 2020 Short Story Award is now open!

Bethlehem Writers Roundtable seek animal stories (broadly interpreted) of 2000 words or fewer.

First Place winner will be considered for publication in their newest “Sweet, Funny, and Strange” anthology:


Fur, Feathers, & Scales: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Animal Tales

The latest of their “Sweet, Funny, and Strange” Anthologies

See Submission Guidelines

The 2020 Guest Judge

Peter Abrahams is the Edgar Award winning author of thirty-eight novels including The Right SideThe FanA Perfect Crimeand the Echo Falls series for younger readers.

Under his pen name, Spencer Quinn, he writes the New York Times best-selling Chet and Bernie series, as well as the Queenie and Arthur series for younger readers.

Abrahams was born in Boston, graduated from Williams College, and lives on Cape Cod.

You read an interview of Mr. Abrahams here.


Previous BWR Short Story Award Judges

2012–Jonathan Maberr
2013–Hank Phillippi Ryan
2014–Rebecca Forster
2015–Curtis Smith
2016–Marisa A. Corvisiero
2017–Carrie Vaughn
2018–Kimberly Brower
2019–John Grogan

To submit a story

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OCC Proudly Presents Two Contests for 2020

February 24, 2020 by in category Writing Contest tagged as , ,

Book Buyers Best Contest

Open to works of romantic fiction published in 2019.

Contest opens January 15, 2020

Deadline for receiving manuscripts is April 15, 2020

Hello published writers!

We wanted to let you know that OCC/RWA is running our annual Book Buyers Best Contest for any author who has published a work of fiction any time during 2019 (traditional or self-published). The contest is open now and closes on April 15th. We welcome you to submit to our contest.

Here is the link describing the contest rules.

Please email us if you have any further questions.

—————————–
Cathleen Armstrong and Nancy Brashear
BBB Coordinators
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The 37th Orange Rose Contest for Emerging Authors

Open to unpublished fiction in all genres.

Contest opens January 15, 2020

Deadline April 15, 2020

For more information or to enter the contest follow this LINK


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OCC Proudly Presents Two Contests for 2020

February 8, 2020 by in category Writing Contest

Book Buyers Best Contest

Open to works of romantic fiction published in 2019.

Contest opens January 15, 2020

Deadline for receiving manuscripts is April 15, 2020

Hello published writers!

We wanted to let you know that OCC/RWA is running our annual Book Buyers Best Contest for any author who has published a work of fiction any time during 2019 (traditional or self-published). The contest is open now and closes on April 15th. We welcome you to submit to our contest.

Here is the link describing the contest rules.

Please email us if you have any further questions.

—————————–
Cathleen Armstrong and Nancy Brashear
BBB Coordinators
——————————


The 37th Orange Rose Contest for Emerging Authors

Open to unpublished fiction in all genres.

Contest opens January 15, 2020

Deadline April 15, 2020

For more information or to enter the contest follow this LINK


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Spotlight on Jaclyn Roché

January 24, 2020 by in category Pick Six Author Interviews, Spotlight tagged as , , , , ,

Meet Jaclyn Roché

Jaclyn lives in the woods of Maine on a Mountain next to a lake. She shares her version of utopia with her husband, two sons, and furbabies! She’s a recovering English teacher who loves digging in the garden, but seems to kill everything she plants and cooks daily, but burns more dinners than she can count. Good thing she knows how to write!

Follow her on social media:

Website
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest

Are there any words of inspiration on your computer, in your office or in your mind when you write?

Funny you ask this! I never did until this year when a fellow author mentioned that she likes to form her writing year around one word to define her year. So, I decided that I would give this Word of the Year a try and this year it’s Create. To remind me that is my goal and what I am driven to do. Create stories. Create an engaging author platform to connect with readers. I want to share the worlds I am creating and the stories I weave from those worlds. I’m finding that this word is driving me to produce not only books, but also create ways to engage readers in my life and get them interested in my work. It’s also forced me to create a network with other authors so we can help each other and learn from one another.

Last night, I decided another word needs to be in my office and life too. UNPLUG. I’ve been so driven to create I can’t forget about the other things in my life that need attention too. So, I’ve started turning off my mobile and other electronics so I can create and maintain meaningful relationships where I am present and engaged.

What are you working on now? Can you tell us about your next project?

I am finalizing edits on my debut – Dark Legends: Curse Breaker that will be released on March 15, 2020.

It’s a novella about the Goddess Isis who is reborn into this century in the body of Kalissandra Doe though Kali doesn’t know it yet. She must travel across the world to a remote Island and break a curse to free not only herself but also the man of her dreams.

Kalissandra Doe has a to-do list worthy of the reincarnated goddess she could be.
Break a curse, or die.
Raise a long-dead god, or die.
Reassemble the Osiris Stone…or die.
But when she comes face-to-face with the man, she has literally dreamed of all her life,
Kali realizes that much more than her life is at stake.

The other project I have in the works is called Charming.-
It will be featured in the limited edition Once Upon Another World: A Twisted Fairy Tale Box Set on October 6, 2020.

It’s a re-imagined take on some of your favorite fairy tales with some wicked twists. If you were a fan of Once Upon Another Time, you’re going to love this series. Charming is about a runaway princess who escapes a dark fate by being transformed into a boy. She hides as a servant in a brothel, where she has a chance meeting with a charming prince who persuades her to follow him on a quest. Will they escape the clutches of evil, break curses, and find their happily ever after?

What’s the best thing about being an author?

When I was little the best thing in the world to me was a bookstore. I called them my mecca and being there was heavenly for me.

At 11 years old, I’d walk over two miles from my house just to go sit and read crossed legged in the aisles of the closest bookstore being transported to the many different worlds the author’s crafted. Every detail of that store is etched into my memory; including the way it smelled of freshly printed books and promises of adventure. I’d always buy a book or two with any money I saved up, but there were so many I wanted. I could, and probably, did spend hours choosing the right ones. I traveled the world and through time as a knight, a princess, evil queen and many more in that store.

When it closed, I was sad. There wasn’t another bookstore within walking distance. No longer could I stop in after school or spend almost every weekend with new books to enjoy. That is until I learned how to drive of course. 😉

That’s the best thing about being an author. The potential to one day to be that, do that, for a reader. Inspire them to walk distances and sit on a hard floor for hours reading the worlds I craft. With all the technology now, that looks different than when I was younger, but the sentiment is the same.

Do you listen to music when you write?

Yes, I listen to custom created playlists on Spotify. I have one’s I listen to for each work in progress and a general #amwriting playlist.

When I am distractible and need to concentrate I listen to Ambient Sound Mixer. I love their Scottish Thunderstorms channel and the Ravenclaw lounge. Fun fact – when I was writing Curse Breaker, I exclusively listened to a channel I made myself.

What sound or noise do you love?

I love the sound of a Diesel Engine most specifically a Diesel Train.
I used to live on Long Island and commute by train 2 hours to Manhattan. I would wake up at 4am getting to work an hour early every day and leaving a half hour later just to take the Diesel train. The whole truth is that I couldn’t nap on the electric trains. Something about the rumble of the Diesel makes me sleepy to this day!!

What does a perfect vacation look like?

My husband and kids on the beach. Sand, sun, fun and no electronics or responsibilities. Just hanging out, being present, and making memories with them.

Readers can pre-order both of Jaclyn’s books below. While you’re waiting for them to arrive, you can read two of Jaclyn’s stories for free. Kiss Me I’m Irish , is a flash fiction short story she wrote last year for Charmed Writers and is available here on A Slice of Orange. Another piece of flash fiction, Harvest of Memories, is available in Charmed Writers Presents Flash Fiction 2019. This collection of short stories will only be available for a short time, so down load your copy today.



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Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC January Featured Author of of the Month

January 14, 2020 by in category Contests, Featured Author of the Month tagged as , , , , , , ,

The Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC (BWG), founded in 2006, is a community of mutually supportive, fiction and nonfiction authors based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The members are as different from each other as their stories, spanning a range of genres including: children’s, fantasy, humor, inspiration, literary, memoir, mystery, paranormal, romance, science fiction, women’s fiction, and young adult.

BWG has published five anthologies. Each anthology has an overall theme—broadly interpreted—but includes a variety of genres, and all but the first anthology include stories from the winner(s) of The Bethlehem Writers Short Story Award. Their first anthology, A Christmas Sampler: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales (2009), won two Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Best Anthology and Best Short Fiction.

Besides anthologies and yearly writing contests, the group publishes a quarterly literary journal, The Bethlehem Writers Roundtable, and hosts twice monthly writing workshops and a critique groups for local members.  You can see the schedule of BWG meetings and events, including author signings  here.


Next up for BWG

BWG is working on their sixth anthology, Fur, Feathers, & Scales: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Animal Tales. 

In connection with this anthology, they are hosting The Bethlehem Writers 2020 Short Story Award

The 2020 Short Story Award opened on January 1, 2020.  The theme will be Animal Stories, broadly interpreted. Stories of 2,000 words or fewer about WILD ANIMALSPETS, or IMAGINARY BEASTS will be welcome (so long as an animal is an important character or element of the story).

The winner will receive $200 and may be offered publication in the above mentioned upcoming anthology. The 2020 Guest Judge is Edgar Award winning and NYT best-selling author Peter Abrahams/Spenser Quinn.

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