Middle Grade Mystery Short Story Contest

MG Mystery Short Story Contest

Posted: 28 Feb 2012 08:00 AM PST from the SCBWI WWA Chinook Blog

Children's Writer is having a middle grade mystery short story contest. First prize is $500 and publication. Submissions are due April 30.

Current Contest:
Middle-Grade Mystery

The contest is for a well-constructed fictional mystery that will engage readers 9 to 12, to 900 words. Entries will be judged on structure, appeal for the audience, use of the best elements of the mystery genre, and an interesting protagonist.
Among the possibilities are a scary but age-appropriate story, a puzzle the reader is asked to solve using problem-solving skills, or a mix of mystery with another genre, such as historical, inspirational, or humorous fiction. The judges will look for originality, and publishability.

For more information visit their website (go to the writing contest tab and read through the criteria- there is a $15 fee for non-subscribers that will get you an 8 month subscription to the online magazine). Thanks to Lois Brandt for sending the link!

And the winner of Moonstone is...

Congrats to Carl! You won my signed copy of Moonstone by Marilee Brothers. Please check your email.

Book Review- Fugitives- Escape From Furnace #4 by Alexander Gordon Smith

The fourth book in the Escape from Furnace series, Fugitives, is here! Written by Alexander Gordon Smith, it will hit shelves on Feb. 28, 2012.

The Story: Alex is out. He has escaped the Warden, but now, the evil Mr. Furnace is after him with a whole host of berserkers.

Trapped in the city nearest the prison, Alex desperately tries to reach safety with his friends and a new girl interest. Unfortunately, the city is put into lock down and the police are searching for all the escaped teenagers. If it was just the police, Alex might stand a chance, but due to the break out, Mr. Furnace has sped up his evil plans of world domination, and sent Black Suits and Berserkers out to take over the city, killing everyone in sight.

The only way to fight back is for Alex to delve deeper into the dark, ingesting a newer and stranger form of the black starry solution that causes change.

My Thoughts: Wow, another gory thriller from Smith. It’s nice see Alex on the outside, but honestly, I can’t see where the series is headed. Everything is so dark. I fear the final story might not have an ending I like.

 But, about this particular novel, I couldn’t put the book down. The reader is dragged along for all of Alex’s adventures, kicking and screaming. The question to his destiny always hovers just out of reach. Full of action and tension, this book is a worthy sequel. However, just like the others in this series, it is for mature readers. There is a lot of violence, gore and disturbing images.

Book Review- A Girls' Guide To Dating Zombies by Lynn Messina

Welcome to this stop on The Girls’ Guide To Dating Zombies tour! Written by Lynn Messina, The Girls’ Guide to Dating Zombies is an adult fantasy/humor book. Want a chance to win some money? Leave a comment on this post and you will be entered in a drawing hosted by Novel Publicity!

The Story- Hattie Cross, author of The Girls’ Guide to Dating Zombies, is a journalist on a tabloid newspaper. She lives in a world that has been devastated by a virus that turned 99% of the male population into zombies. Luckily, these zombies only eat animal brains. So, what’s a girl to do with no men around?

How To Hook Your Reader

And now for a little writing advice from my favorite book doctor, Jason Black  http://www.plottopunctuation.com/  .This post is taken from a session he gave at the summer 2011 PNWA conference, entitled, How to Hook the Reader.

There are four parts to hooking your reader:

1. Show your characters.

2. Put them in conflict.

3. Foreshadow catastrophe.

4. Include interesting context.

And the winner of Lenobia's Vow is...

Congrats to Jordan! You won my copy of Lenobia's Vow by PC and Kristin Cast. Please check your email. I will be running to the post office this Friday with the last two winners books :)

YA Giveaway- Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala

Barnes and Noble chooses Don't Breathe a Word as Top Teen pick this month!
http://www.hollycupala.com/2012/02/bn-chooses-dont-breathe-word-for-top.html

Go Holly! To celebrate I'm giving away a SIGNED copy of Don't Breathe A Word. Just fill out the rafflecopter form below. If you don't see it click 'read more'.