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.

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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!

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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!