PPW Fiction Contest Name Winner!

And The Winner Is...

The new name for the Pikes Peak Writers Fiction Writing Contest has been chosen and the winning name is: The Zebulon. This name was entered by two people, so the one that entered first has won the prize of a free submission to The Zebulon. That winner is Rob Bowman of Denver, Colorado. Congratulations, Rob!

A second prize winner of a free submission to The Zebulon was also chosen by random drawing from the 147 entries. That winner is Andrea Ruggeri of Towson, Maryland. Congratulations to Andrea, as well!

Now that the writing contest has a name, watch for details about submitting your work of fiction.

Thank you to everyone who entered.

Jeff Schmoyer

Contest Director

2012 PPW Fiction Writing Contest Winners

Announcing the winners in the 2012 Pikes Peak Writers Fiction Writing Contest!

CHILDRENS (ages 8-12)

1. Ceil Boyles, Parker, CO, for "Hooked"

2. Danelle Miller, CS/CO, for "David Hale in the Land of Up-Size Down"

3. Cheryl Dale, Yakima, WA, for "Word Swallowing"

YA (ages 12-18)

1. Beth Christopher, Broomfield, CO, for "Disappear"

2. Debbie Allen, Woodland Park, CO, for "The Undone"

3. Christine Devlin, Denver, CO, for "St. Vitus Academy Book One: The Lazarus Rock."

HISTORICAL FICTION

1. Cynthia Mines, Wichita, KS, for "Heaven in a Wildflower"

2. Elaine Powell, Manchester, England, for "The Canterbury Witnesses"

MAINSTREAM

1. Victoria Bell, Ottawa, Ontario, for "Letting Go"

2. Diane Owens, Austin, TX, for "Thin Places"

3. Robert Welshons, Cedar Falls, IA, for "Life is a Carnivore"

MYSTERY/SUSPENSE/INTRIGUE

1. Powl Smith, CS/CO, for "The Treasure of Seleucia"

2. Margaret Parks, Tijeras, NM, for "Murder in Madrid"

3. Georgeanne Nelson, CS/CO, for "Morning Edge"

ROMANCE

1. Andrea Stein, Breckenridge, CO, for "Marie Galante"

2. Michael Hope, Littleton, CO, for "Annabelle Returns"

SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY/HORROR

1. Lawdon, Centennial, CO, for "Would I Ly 2 You"

2. Kenneth Harmon, Ft. Collins, CO, for "The Amazing Mr. Howard"

3. Barb Nickless, CS/CO, for "The Quick"

SHORT STORY

1. Cynthia Ivers, Denver, CO, for "Biting Time"

2. Catherine Dilts, CS/CO, for "Georgia Peach"

3. Terri Weiss, Croton on Hudson, NY, for "By Order of the Synod"

Congratulations to everyone!

The Secret is Out! (Plus a Book Recommendation) by MB Partlow

If you happened to miss the September Write Brain, you’re probably wondering what the Super Secret Incentive is for entering the Contest early. And I’m here to tell you. How fortuitous is that?

Let’s see, where to begin.

·      2012 marks the 20^th Pikes Peak Writers Conference. (Keep that number, 20, in mind.)

·      Many people use the Conference as the ideal vehicle for pitching their manuscript to an agent or editor.

·      People who don’t interact with agents and editors on a regular basis (and even some who do) have been known to get nervous when it’s time to pitch that piece of their heart and soul known as their manuscript.

Aha! Everyone who enters the Pikes Peak Writers Fiction Writing Contest BY Oct. 15, 2011, will be entered in a very special drawing. The 20 lucky winners will each get a 20 minute one-on-one pitch coaching session with one of our experienced pitch coaches at the 2012 20^th anniversary Conference.

Isn’t it nice how that all falls together?

But wait! What if you win the pitch coaching session but for some reason can’t attend the Conference? We’ll still do the pitch coaching session via telephone, at a time mutually agreeable to you and your coach.

And what’s this about a book recommendation? At the Write Brain, the subject of Point of View came up. In the course of that discussion, I mentioned the “first person, plural” POV, which is written in the “we” voice.

This is probably the rarest POV, not to mention the hardest to write well. Someone asked for an example. I said, oh, I have the perfect example, a wonderful urban fantasy set in London. I then proceeded to forget the author, the title and even the main character’s name. But I did say I would find the information and make it available. The first book in the series is A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin, and it’s the first book in the Matthew Swift series. I don’t want to give away any plot details, because I thought the story was unique and impressive. But I will tell you the author uses both “I” and “we” POV for the same character, and by the end of page three I wasn’t sure where I was going but I knew I wasn’t going to stop until I found out. Since then, I’ve read books two and three in the series with equal enjoyment. If you’re looking for something unique, you might want to give this a try.

     -- MB Partlow, 2012 PPW Fiction Contest Coordinator

Countdown to the Contest (and Super Secret Bonus Prize) by MB Partlow

When I took on the job of Contest Coordinator for Pikes Peak Writers, I thought I would wave my arms a lot, wear a small but tasteful tiara and generally make Great Things happen with little to no effort on my part.

Then I woke up, no longer in Oz. Or Panem or Barryar or Jamie and Claire’s Scotland or the futuristic New York that belongs to Eve Dallas. I’m in the here and now, dancing as fast as I can as the opening of PPW’s Fiction Contest draws near.

The Contest will officially open on September 15^th and close on November 15^th.  The details are all laid out on the website, but we’re also hosting a WriteBrain on September 20^th that’s all about the contest. And guess what? There’s a super secret bonus prize being offered for people who enter in the first month of the contest! We’ll be announcing all the details at the WriteBrain, and on the website the next day.

Speaking of the website, have you visited lately? The Contest has its own tab now, thanks to the magical machinations of Ron Cree. You can find the rules, FAQs and a handy checklist there, all designed to make the Contest experience a rewarding one for everyone involved. (Translation: Follow the rules and you won’t piss off the judges.) We even have a document telling you how to keep your Contest Coordinator happy—although they wouldn’t let me say anything about foot rubs or my favorite kinds of tea or chocolate.

This website, already the embodiment of awesomeness, is not a static instrument. We’ll be adding updates, interviews, tips from Contest winners and Contest judges, and the all important VIP judges who rank the top scoring entries in each category. For anyone who struggles with the synopsis (and who doesn’t?), we’ll be adding a winning synopsis from a previous year’s Contest. (Why, yes, the entry went on to become a published novel. Thanks for asking.)

If you have any questions or comments about the Contest, please feel free to email me at pgcontest@gmail.com. I hope to see a lot of you at the WriteBrain on the 20^th (held in the Celebration Place at Citadel Mall, 6:30-8:30 p.m.). If you haven’t already met me, I’ll be the one in the front of the room, sans tiara, waving my arms as I talk.

MB Partlow

2012 PPW Contest Coordinator

About the Writer:  MB Partlow abandoned a promising career as a toenail model to pursue writing fiction. She believes fiction is currently hiding behind an incorrigible Siberian Elm in her backyard, but might be lured out with the proper application of P.G. Tipps and chocolate cookies. She's an active member of PPW, and believes that the Conference every year is like a brief but necessary trip back to her home planet. This is her first year as Contest Coordinator for PPW, so treat her kindly and avoid sudden moves and loud noises. You can read her blog at http://partlowspool.wordpress.com.