Name: Kendra Gale I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. The wind was blowing, and I`d gotten chilled from the walk home fromschool, so I’d taken my book into the parlor and curled up in the patch ofsunlight on the hardwood floor, up against the back of the big leatherchair that had Read more…
Name: Jenny Kaczorowski Emma hadn’t slept in three days. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the river again. Saw her again. She shuddered and forced herself to watch the mourners gathering around the grave at the base of the hill. The black-clad figures clung to one another, finding Read more…
Name: Laura Chapman In a few short hours, Elliot Lynch would find herself buried under a mound of work. She could hardly wait. She was home to work for Engagements, her family’s wedding and event planning business. Her sister had run the wedding side of the business for years, and Read more…
Name: Jesi O’Connell I wake up with a very small, very ticked off firedrake sitting on my chest. “Aw, crud,” I mutter. Sunlight stabs through the light curtains jigging in the breeze. I’ve overslept, big time. Sassy hisses in displeasure and taps me with an indignant foot. Luckily, her claws Read more…
Name: Melinda Williams My knuckles slam into the head cheerleader’s perfect nose. It feels great. Real great. Well, inside it does. My hand burns like hell. It’s halftime, and the gym reeks of boy—sweat, bad breath, and cheap cologne. Silence drums in my ear so loud it hurts. There are Read more…
Name: Susan Francino Caspric looked down at the servant blocking the door. “Why exactly can’t I come in?” “I have orders from Sir Drake that you’re not to be allowed.” “Oh really?” said Caspric, raising a dark eyebrow. “Well, although you take orders from Sir Drake–” He reached around the Read more…
Name: Shell Flower The Seventh Annual Rogue Valley Barter Faire was my seventh time in the hell of working my parents’ booth selling organic mushroom burgers as a front for my dad’s pot business and his brother’s psychedelic mushroom business. The barter fair is something most of the kids from Read more…
Name: Tonja Drecker“Dag nab it! Are you going to sleep all day? Those chickens got out again. I thought you done and take care of that!”Uncle Bob grumbled something about feathered birdbrains and goofy lamb tails…or maybe he said something else. It was difficult to understand anything over the thunder Read more…
Name: Ryann Kerekes Standardized testing in high school determines your future. And I scored a perfect 3100 on the test. That had only been done one other time. Okay, so truth be told, I might have cheated. Just a little. Or a lot. Depends on how you look at it. Read more…
The contest is closed. Please check back on Monday, December 12th to see the top 20 semi-finalists. Here’s how it’s going down … Post the first 250 words of your finished, or not quite finished, manuscript (any genre) to your blogs. This contest is about voice–whether or not your Read more…