July Contest Update

Happy July! Welcome to another Seekerville contest update.

Today's update also includes the opportunity to win a copy of
Break Into Fiction: 11 Steps to Building a Story that Sells by Mary Buckham and Dianna Love.

Just post in the comments to be entered into the drawing. We'll announce the winner in the Weekend Edition.







July is typically a slower time on the contest circuit, due to the RWA National Conference; but here's what's coming up.


Unpublished Contests:


Golden Rose: Submission Deadline: August 1st 2009 Midnight PST. An electronic contest.
First three chapters or up to 50 pages maximum. A prologue may be included with the first chapter as long as the entry does not exceed 50 pages. No synopsis is required with initial entry. A maximum of a 2-page synopsis will be requested if you final; however it will not be judged.

• Long Contemporary Series :Wanda Ottewell, Senior Editor, Harlequin
  
• Short Contemporary Series:Melissa Jeglinski, Agent from The Knight Agency
  
• Single Title Contemporary:Megan McKeever, Assistant Editor, Pocket Books
  
• Historical:Esi Sogah - Assistant Editor - Avon for the Historical category
  
• Novel with Strong Romantic Elements: Amberly Finarelli, Literary Agent/Andrea Hurst Literary, Management
  
• Paranormal/Futuristic:Alissa Davis, Dorchester
  
• Romantic Suspense:Leis Pederson, Assistant Editor, Berkley Publishing Group
  
• Young Adult :Andrea Somberg, Agent, Harvey Klinger, Inc.

Write Hook Query Letter Contest: Deadline for receipt of check and query letter is August 1, 2009. This year’s Grand Prize Winner will win the opportunity to send his or her full manuscript to Allison Brandau of Berkley Publishing. With your check, include a SASE large enough and with enough postage for us to return your letter and three score sheets.
Your e-mailed query letter will become “active” when your check is received and you will be notified via e-mail.

Time to step into the water! A great contest to get your feet wet with a nice final prize!





Heart to Heart:Electronic only. Deadline August 15. Entries will be accepted in four categories in digital format only. The top three finalists in each category will have their entries read by three final judges: a print editor, an e-pub editor, and an agent. Submission is the first 15 pages. Each entry will be judged by four first—round judges, one of whom is a published author. The lowest score received is dropped and the three highest scores are averaged to constitute a final score.


* Paranormal
Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency
Print Editor: Esi Sogah, Avon Books
ePub Editor: Raelene Gorlinsky, Cerridwen Press/li>
* Contemporary
Agent: Elaine English, Elaine P. English, PLLC
Print Editor: Shauna Summers, Bantam-Dell
ePub Editor: Bethany Morgan, Samhain Publishing
* Historical
Agent: Barbara Poelle, Irene Goodman Literary Agency
Print Editor: Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks
ePub Editor: Patricia Tanner, Wild Rose Press
* Erotica
Agent: Roberta Brown, Brown Literary Agency
Print Editor: Susan Swinwood, Harlequin Spice
ePub Editor: Theresa Stevens, Red Sage



The Golden Pen: Contest Opens June 1. Entries must be emailed to the appropriate Category Coordinator. Payment and entry form also must be received by Contest Coordinator no later than August 15, 2009. Entry shall include a synopsis plus manuscript pages, together totaling not more than 55 pages.

Each entry will have three first-round judges, including at least one published author, one Golden Heart finalist, and one PRO. The lowest of the three scores will be dropped, giving entrants a final total from their two highest scores. If you final in any category, you will have the opportunity, FOR ONE WEEK ONLY, to edit your manuscript based on the preliminary comments, before your manuscript is sent to the final judges.

• Series Contemporary Romance: Susan Litman, Editor, Harlequin
• Single Title: Jennifer Enderlin, Executive Editor, St. Martin's Press
• Historical: Allison Brandau, Assistant Editor, Berkley
• Paranormal: Kerry Donovan, Associate Editor, NAL
• Romantic Suspense: Megan McKeever, Associate Editor, Pocket Books
• Inspirational: Melissa Endlich, Senior Editor, Steeple Hill
• Young Adult: Regina Griffin, Executive Editor, Egmont USA
• Novel with Strong Romantic Elements:Valerie Gray, Executive Editor, Mira

While the e-deadline is August 15. This contest has a limit on entries (150) and you can reserve your spot by sending in your entry form now and your entry later. BTW, our own Glynna Kaye sold directly from an editor request, when she won the inspy category of this contest in 2008.

Just for Fun:

WOW: Women On Writing Fiction Quarterly Contest: June - August 31st, Midnight (Pacific Time). "WOW! hosts a (quarterly) writing contest every three months. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity, communication, and well-rewarded recognition to contestants. The contest is open globally; age is of no matter; and entries must be in English. We are open to all styles of writing, although we do encourage you to take a close look at our guest judge for the season and the flavor of our sponsor, if you are serious about winning. We love creativity, originality, and light-hearted reads. That's not to say that our guest judge will feel the same... so go wild! Express yourself, and most of all, let's have some fun!"

Maximum: 750--Minimum: 250 The title is not to be counted in your word count. We use MS Word's word count to determine the submitted entry's word count.Open Prompt: Open to any style and genre. From horror to romance!

Entry Fee: $10.00 We are limiting the amount of entries to a maximum of 300 stories. Please enter early to ensure inclusion. If we reach 300 entries, we will disable the PayPal buttons.

Check out the great prizes, including cash! Final judge is Literary Agent, Melissa Jeglinski.

I (Heart) Presents! Keep your eyes on the web page for the upcoming 2009 writing contest. The competition will be aimed at Harlequin Presents and Modern Heat editorial, and they will be asking for first chapters and synopses again.





Story Contest: Past Loves Day 2009. Deadline August 16. No entry fee.

Nearly everyone has memories of a former sweetheart. Write your true story of an earlier love, in no more than 700 words. Tell us about someone whose memory brings a smile or a tear, or both. What did she or he mean to you? In particular, how did that person's presence in your life change you, and what do you still carry with you? Your story may be heart-warming or humorous. Just tell it as if you were talking to a good friend.

First Prize: $100
Second Prize: $75
Third Prize: $50
Honorable Mention(s)

Winning stories will be posted (anonymously, if requested by author) on the website.

Leisure Fresh Blood

Leisure Books, the company “leading the way in publishing paperback horror,”* is partnering with Rue Morgue magazine in association with horror fiction web site ChiZine, to present “Fresh Blood,” a new writing contest specifically for unpublished horror authors. The winner will receive a contract for publication in Leisure’s 2011 lineup, as well as a contract from ChiZine Publications for a limited-edition hardcover release, also in 2011.

Entries should be sent to Submissions@dorchesterpub.com by September 30, 2009. “Fresh Blood” must appear in the subject line of the email.

Leisure is looking for finished horror novel manuscripts, either supernatural or non-supernatural, of 80,000 – 90,000 words. A panel of experts, including Leisure Executive Editor Don D’Auria and editors at ChiZine, will judge entries. The finalists will be announced in November 2009.

From December 2009 through July 2010, monthly competitions in categories such as “Best Summary,” “Best First Line,” “Best Title,” and “Most Frightening Scene” will run on ChiZine.com. Readers will have the opportunity to vote for their favorites, and after each deadline, entries with the fewest votes will be eliminated.

The winner will be announced in August 2010 at Rue Morgue’s Festival of Fear in Toronto, Canada, as well as on the Leisure and ChiZine web sites.

Good Housekeeping's Short Story Contest
Enter your fictional story for a chance to win $3,000 and be published in the May 2010 issue of Good Housekeeping.

E-mail your story (no longer than 3,500 words) with "GH Short Story Contest" in the subject line to ghshortstory@hearst.com. Your story should focus on the lives of women today. Your submission must be an original work of fiction, not previously published, or a finalist for any other prize or award.

Eligibility: The contest is open to anyone, age 21 or older, who is a legal resident of the United States or District of Columbia.

Deadlines: Manuscripts will be accepted beginning June 5, 2009. All entries must be received by September 15, 2009. Only one entry per person allowed. Submitted material cannot be returned or acknowledged. Winners will be notified in December 2009. Decisions of the judging panel are final.

Prizes: One grand-prize winner will receive $3,000 and possible publication of the winning story in the May 2010 issue. Two runners-up will each receive $750 and may have their stories published on GoodHousekeeping.com.

Guest judge: Jodi Picoult, author of My Sister's Keeper, Nineteen Minutes, Handle with Care, and other best-sellers.