We’re through the dark days of January – hurrah!
Louise Walters is promoting my novella In the Sweep of the Bay as her Book of the Month in February – both paperback and ebook are available from her website at reduced prices and the ebook is 99p/99c everywhere for the whole of the month – paperbacks will be signed and each comes with a free flash fiction story, one of my Untold Stories of Ted and Rene.
To coincide with this I’m running a flash fiction competition. The winner will have their story published here on my website AND (courtesy of Louise Walters) will receive a copy of my book, or, if they already have it, can nominate a friend to receive a copy..
Here are the rules:
- Write a flash fiction of no more than 500 words, not including the title (no minimum).
- Include the words bay, gull, pot and bicycle in the story.
- End the story with a sentence that is 4 words long.
- Follow the usual rules about content – nothing defamatory please.
- One story per entrant.
- Send your story to me at cath.barton@talktalk.net by midnight (UK time) on Sunday 13th February.
- Attach the story as a .doc or .docx document. No pdfs or other formats, please.
- In the subject line of your email type the words Submission: Bay competition. Nothing else.
- Do not put the title of your story anywhere in the email – all stories will be anonymised before judging.
- Entries are welcome from writers anywhere in the world.
- I will choose and publish an anonymous shortlist by Sunday 20th February, and a winner and one or two runners-up by Sunday 27th February.
- I will contact shortlisted writers before publication of the shortlist, and the winner and runner(s)-up before I announce them.
- The winner will be offered online publication of their story, plus a copy of In the Sweep of the Bay – paperback or ebook in the UK, but ebook only elsewhere.
- I will acknowledge receipt of all entries.
- Any entry that does not follow these rules will be disqualified.
- Sorry, I cannot offer feedback on unsuccessful entries or enter into correspondence about them.
- Sorry this all sounds so formal – the rules are to ensure fairness.
I encourage you to use the prompt words imaginatively – have fun with the challenge and I look forward to reading your stories.
Cath Barton 