We are down to the final 2 months before The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts is officially released. Time to kick off the Tell Me Your Ghost Story contest!
I’m a huge fan of flash fiction writing contests, so I’ll start things rolling by telling you a 150 word or less ghost story from my life.
When I lived on Wall Street, one night in that haze between dreaming and fully awake, I saw people dressed in clothes from another era and exuding an eerie bluish light at the end of my bed. I felt like they wanted to tell me something. I have no idea how, but in my bones, I just understood that they were ghosts.
I freaked and threw the covers over my head because, as we all know, that protects us from the supernatural. By the time I’d gathered enough courage to look again, I was completely awake and they were gone. It turns out there were some horrible fires that destroyed buildings down there. I think when people die tragically something of them remains.
How the Contest Works
This contest is open to anyone 12 years old and up. (On Wattpad, 13 years old and up due to Wattpad’s terms of use.)
From June 1, 2015, at 7 a.m. EST to July 15, 2015, at 11:59 p.m. EST, I’ll be running the Tell Me Your Ghost Story Contest here on my blog and via Wattpad. It’s a flash fiction writing game with awesome prizes.
To enter, all you have to do is tell me your ghost story by commenting on this blog post before July 15, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Your comment must include your name, email, and your ghost story. The entire ghost story must be 150 words or less. (Note: Your title doesn’t count toward the 150 word count.) It can be based on your own ghostly encounter or can be a scary ghost story you make up.
Each contestant is allowed up to 3 entries. So if you can’t narrow it down to your favorite ghost story, you can post your top 3 ghost stories.
The story should be PG-13. It can fall into mystery/fantasy/paranormal/horror categories, but it must prominently feature a ghost. If it is longer than 150 words, it won’t be eligible for this contest.
If you are entering via Wattpad, please make sure to tag your story with: #TGWIGcontest #wpcontests so that I can find it and add it to the entries. Here’s the link to the contest on Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/41168308-tgwig-writing-contest
I will select the top ten best ghost stories based on spookiness and quality of writing. Then I will send them to my editor, Jessica Jernigan, who has graciously agreed to judge them for 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize in the contest.
The Prizes
3rd prize: A critique from K.C. Tansley of the first ten pages of your short story or manuscript + a query letter critique + an ebook copy of The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts + author goodies. Total value: $50.
2nd prize: A one hour Skype visit with K.C. Tansley for you, your book club, your school, or your community. You can ask me any writing questions you’d like or chat about books with me. It’s your hour to pick my brain on anything writerly. If you want to pass pages by me for review, I can give you instant feedback during that hour. You’ll also receive a signed copy of The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts + author goodies. Total value: $70
1st prize: A gorgeous limited edition sterling silver replica of the Radcliffe ruby necklace. There are only three in existence and they were hand crafted by Marina A. Raye. You will also receive a signed copy of The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts + author goodies. In addition, I will publish your winning story on my blog + sing your praises on social media. Total value: $150.
Announcement of Winners
Winners’ names will be posted on my blog and on Wattpad by August 5, 2015 11:59 p.m. EST. I will also email winners to request their mailing address by August 7, 2015 11:59 EST.
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