Contests

As promised, here is what I've been working on lately: contests, contests, contests! They are fun and keep my writing skills sharp. And they've given me a break from editing my latest novel, Murder in the Family.

I entered the 79th Annual Writers Digest Writing Competition - what I refer to as "The Big One." The grand prize is $3,000 and a trip to New York, where a Writer's Digest editor will accompany you to meet with up to four editors or agents. So exciting! My daughter the screenwriter also entered, and when one of us wins, we've agreed to take the other with us.

I got over-exuberant this year and entered four short stories: French Braid (Inspirational); He Always Tells Me He Loves Me and Everything in its Place (Genre); and Sometimes a Bribe was all a Mother Had (Mainstream). Normally, I write genre stories (horror, mystery, horror, some light romance - no heaving bosoms, please! - and horror), so French Braid and Sometimes a Bribe were completely different experiences for me. Both stories just came to me out of the blue. French Braid is about loss while Sometimes a Bribe is about redemption. He Always Tells Me is a kind of "Outer Limits" meets "Twilight Zone" meets anything by Nora Roberts. Everything in its Place is sci-fi all the way, the first such effort. Also a story that just came to me. I entered it in the 2007 Yosemite Writer's Conference Contest and won second place, so I thought I'd swing for first this time. It could happen, right?

More about the other contests I've entered - as well as those I plan to enter or are thinking about entering - in my next post.

Writing short stories has always been fun for me, but now it's time to get back to the novel. Happy writing!