Tuesday, August 22, 2006

The "Lonely Moon" Short Fiction Contest (Featuring Anne Frasier, Author of Pale Immortal)


The breeze hushes, and light grows in the scalloped sky. You stand, afraid to spoil the dew-topped grass, as sleep scurries high over the darkened trees.
*********

My friends, welcome to the "Lonely Moon" Short Fiction Contest!! Tonight is a special night. Someone is waiting for us. USA Today bestselling author, Anne Frasier. I often see her out on a night like this.

    Jason: How are you Anne?

    Anne: Hi, Jason. Yes, I'm a night person, and it's impossible to stay inside with such a strange moon in the sky.

    Jason: This is a special time for you, isn't it? Your new novel, Pale Immortal, is being released on September 5, 2006. I've decided to throw you a little party to celebrate. Drinks are chilled, hors d'oeuvres will be out shortly. In the meantime, I thought we'd have a little fun. How about a contest! Are you game?

    Anne: You bet! I've been extremely impressed with entries in your prior contests, so I can't wait to see what kind of wonderful submissions a night like this will inspire!

    Jason: While folks are sharpening their pencils and charging laptop batteries, tell us about Pale Immortal.

    Anne: Here's my one-sentence pitch: A body is found drained of blood, and residents of Tuonela, Wisconsin, fear the return of the Pale Immortal, a vampire who has been dead a hundred years. The odd thing is that even though this story borders on fantasy and horror, it subconsciously mirrors my own life and comes much closer to reality than any of my previous books.

    Jason: I love your characters. I feel the weight of the world on them and all their past sufferings. Yet, they always trudge forward with courage and determination. Am I getting warm?

    Anne: You know that creeps me out when you do that!

    Jason: *laughing* Sorry. I can't help it.

    Anne: Well, yes, the main character, Evan Stroud, is afflicted with a disease that forces him to live in seclusion. Children fear him and call him a vampire. I think we all have some Evan in us. He’s the ultimate outsider, yearning for answers he will never find and for a life he can never have. Possibly even a love he can never have.

    Jason: Longing like that can have a special sweetness at the same time.

    Anne: You are so right. Yet he isn’t an outsider by choice. Maybe nobody really is. Pale Immortal also mirrors the isolation, loss of identity, and sense of displacement that’s so prevalent in society today. I think many of us long for roots, a heritage. Perhaps a life of welcome in a quaint town.

    Jason: Thanks Anne. I can't wait until September 5th!

    Anne: I'm pretty excited too. This is my favorite novel yet. In the meantime, let's get this contest rolling!

*********

Okay, you heard Anne. Using the photograph above for inspiration, compose a short fiction piece of no more than 250 words in any genre or style. Send your entry to me by email at jevanswriter at yahoo dot com before 11:00 p.m., Tuesday, August 29th (Eastern Time, United States). Attachments are fine. Each entry will be posted and indexed.

To make things interesting, the following prizes are on the line:

  • 1st Place: Autographed copy of Pale Immortal, $35 Amazon gift certificate, 8 x 10 print of the "Lonely Moon" photograph (signed by Jason Evans)
  • 2nd Place: Autographed copy of Pale Immortal, $25 Amazon gift certificate
  • 3rd Place: Autographed copy of Pale Immortal, $15 Amazon gift certificate
  • 4th Place: $10 Amazon gift certificate
  • 5th Place: $5 Amazon gift certificate
  • Readers Choice Award (chosen by you/rules to be announced): Autographed copy of Pale Immortal, 8 x 10 print of the "Lonely Moon" photograph (signed by Jason Evans)

But this is about more than prizes. I hope you take advantage of the opportunity to meet and interact with your fellow writers. Read and comment on the entries. Teach, and learn, from others. Also, please take this opportunity to chat with Anne! She will be commenting on each of your entries and sharing some writing and industry tips on her blog, Static.

As a special treat, after the contest is over and you and I are hard at work reading enties, Anne will share another chapter of her novel on her Pale Immortal blog!

You do not want to miss this one!

Let's make writing a less lonely process.

Rules:
  1. 250 words maximum.
  2. Titles are optional, but encouraged. Titles do not count towards your word count.
  3. One entry per person.
  4. Any genre or style is welcome.
  5. All rights remain with you, the author; however, you consent to the posting of your entry on this blog.
  6. Judging will be conducted by Jason Evans on the basis of pacing, entertainment value, technical use of language, storytelling, and voice.
  7. Please provide a name for your byline. If you have a website or a blog, I'd be happy to link your name to it. If you don't have a website or blog, feel free to include a short bio. A bio does not count towards your word count.
  8. At the close of the contest, I will announce the date and time for the announcement of winners.
  9. After the winners are announced, I will post what I liked most about each entry. Also, if you send a request to me by email, I would be happy to offer any constructive comments I might have. Constructive comments will be by private email.

Let me officially declare the contest open!

23 comments:

Ginny Warth said...

WOW! That is a beautiful picture, Jason! I am so excited to start writing. Wow.

Anonymous said...

Oooooo! This is so exciting! Love the eerily beautiful picture. Lots of ideas churning.

Great interview with Anne, Jason.

Anne your one sentence pitch for
Pale Immortal is captivating! Can't wait for Sept. 5.

Can't wait to read all the awesome entries here either.

Now....Let the games begin!
K. Lawson Gilbert

Anonymous said...

Jason and Anne
Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to include us.
What an interesting choice for the picture.
Linda Fort-Bolton

Jaye Wells said...

So exciting!

Stephen Blackmoore said...

That is an awesome shot. I am so there.

Anonymous said...

Little Puddle, you must have ESP! You caught me within 2 minutes of posting. ** I CAN'T WAIT to see your entry. :)

KLG, when I walked out one night and saw that scene, I ran back inside for the camera and tripod. Even if it was after midnight. So glad you're here!

Linda, does the picture say anything to you? Maybe a whisper?

Jaye, what can I get you? Maybe a brandy? The bar's open. Lloyd will take of you. (Why did I just think of The Shining just now??)

Stephen, my jaw dropped when I saw that sky. I was lucky enough to capture it. Can't wait to see what it evokes for you!

Bhaswati said...

Woohoo! Terrific contest. I agree with Little Puddle; the picture is amazing. Thanks, Jason and Anne for doing this.

anne frasier said...

that photo is incredible! jason sent me 3 or 4 -and they were all amazing in different ways. it was really hard to choose. thanks for the nice welcome everybody -- i'm so excited to be a part of this. my leg is bouncing as as type. really.

briliantdonkey said...

wooohooooo! Thanks Jason for what promises to be another great contest filled with a lot of awesome entries. Thanks to you too Anne for participating in this one as well. Kudos on a great interview to both of you and CONGRATULATIONS ANNE on the new book! I'm Your biggest fan! Sorry, guess the picture brought out the misery in me.

BD

anne said...

And another great contest opens...
Good luck to all and bon courage to you both...! :)

Anonymous said...

I always love your pictures, Jason. The story is already in my head. I'll start typing it up here momentarily (and then let it stew for a little bit).

Scott said...

Hey, alrighty then! I'm so glad you do these contests Jason, and am looking forward to participating again. Game on folks.

Anthony Rapino said...

Nice! I've been working through a dryspell the past weeks. I think this contest is going to help me out of it.

I can't wait to read all the submissions. The last contest was great; I have a feeling this one will be even better.

writingblind said...

I love the picture and the theme. I can't wait to read what everyone comes up with.

Anonymous said...

Yet another great contest, Jason! My rough draft is already written.

Robert Ball said...

Thank you for yet another challenge. Squeezing a story in 250 words is quite a task. I'm working on my draft already!

mr. schprock said...

Incredible picture, Jason. Truly inspiring.

anne frasier said...

* rubbing my hands. * i can't wait to see what everybody comes up with!

Jeff said...

Very nice photo, Jason. It should inspire some great stories.
Sept. 5 draws nearer, Anne. I'm predicting big sales for Pale Immortal.

Anonymous said...

Bhaswati, the contest is my pleasure. You're very welcome. :)

BD, you certainly do sound, um, miserable. Glad you're getting into it!

Anne, please please enter. That's all.

Jim, those stories are the best. The ones which leap to life.

Scott, thanks so much! I can't wait to see yours.

Anthony, yes, I declare that dry spell officially over.

Writing Blind, it speaks to me too.

Pete, a rough draft already? Wow, you are serious!

Robert, if one shoe doesn't do it, get your whole body into it. You'll crunch it down. :)

Schprock, thanks, my friend. I was lucky to capture that picture.

Anne Frasier, and so the fun begins! I just posted the first 5.

Jeff, thanks, my friend. :) I'm very optimistic about this one.

Chemical Billy said...

Jason, thanks so much for all you do to encourage writers out here in the cold world.

I fear contests, but just maybe I can scrape together 250 words...

Anonymous said...

"A little less lonely." What a great way to start a contest. I'm sending my readers your way, I look forward to reading the results...

Anonymous said...

Jason, excellent image to kick of a million ideas for a story.

I've just posted mine and I must say the quality of the writing I've seen so far is very intimidating. BUT the taking part is what counts, isn't it?