I've been officially published!!! Well, sort of. Several months ago, The Literary Lab issued a challenge (and you know how I am with those). They wanted to pit the best short stories of every genre against each other in a battle of epic-ness. And then publish them all side by side. So none of this "Best of Sci-fi Anthology" nonsense. We can be buddies, right? So thus it was, in the aptly-named Genre Wars contest.And guess what? I got picked!!!
No, I didn't win in my category, but I was only one of five chosen for inclusion in the anthology. What I did was completely for fun. I wanted to play around with language and see just how well I could weave words together, ala Neil Gaiman type style. Apparently, something about that worked. :)
The best part is that this anthology is completely non-profit (no, I didn't get paid for this, but that is really alright for me in this case). All proceeds go to WriteGirl, a non-profit organization that helps women and girls gain self-confidence through writing. I think that is amazing, and I am so glad I could contribute to such a worthy cause.
The book itself is surprisingly cheap: $13.00 (honestly, I was expecting something close to $20.00). It's paperback and is just over 200 pages with 29 short stories (and the grand prize winner was for the YA/Children's/MG category. Rock on!). All entries had to be under 2,000 words, and let me tell you, writing an entire story in 2,000 words is not easy. It really is a worthwhile venture. What better way to make yourself feel better than to know you are helping girls gain confidence through writing? And you get an awesome book out of it to boot.
I'm heading over there right now to order a copy. And if you do buy a copy, look in the back under my biography. You get to see me touting my skills as an undercover superhero. ;)
P.S Mine is called "A Story More" about a strange man who tries to convince a young woman she has amnesia and that she really belongs to another world, and he has come to take her home. Oh yeah and he loves her, by the way. :)
Whoa! Congrats darlin'
ReplyDeleteCongrats! I feel like I know someone famous :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! That's so great!
ReplyDeleteOh, cool! Congratulations on the anthology inclusion, good lady. I'll second the recommendation for everyone to go buy the book, 'cause one of my stories is in it too... ;)
ReplyDeleteGood for you. And thanks for reminding me I should blog about this. :)
How cool ! Congratulations Heather ! Your story sounds fab. xxx
ReplyDeleteJust so ya know...I'm going to be buying this whole book just so I can skip to your story!!
ReplyDeleteWoo-hoo!! Congrats on your accomplishment, Heather. :-D
ReplyDeleteWoo-hoo!! Congrats on your accomplishment, Heather. :-D
ReplyDeleteCongrats Heather! *Happy dances* That is so awesome!
ReplyDeleteAnd you are right about the difficulty of telling a story in 2000 words. MY current-too long MS satrted as an entry for a 1500 word short story contest--proof that I am incapable of being concise.
I hope you're celebrating!!!!!
Congratulations!!! So glad I will be able to say I knew/read your blog when.... I can't wait to read the book :D
ReplyDeleteYay congrats! I love it when awesome things happen to such sweet good natured people! :-)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! So many comments. You guys are all so kind. I can't wait to tell you when I have a REAL book deal!
ReplyDeleteJennifer - Thank you!
Juju - You called me "darlin'" That makes it even sweeter. Thank you.
Heather - Haha, not yet. But here's hoping.
NotNessie - Thank you so much! I love seeing your comments, especially with a blog as prestigious as yours.
Simon C. Larter - it's good to see a fell compatriot over here (I knew you got in. I've been meaning to congratulate you about that).
Charlotte - Thanks so much! I'm glad you like it especially. :)
Beth - Really? Beth, that is so incredibly sweet of you! And cool. Yes, very cool of you. :)
Nonie - Thanks so much, Nonie!
Shannon Messenger - Hahaha! Really? I have a friend like that. I want to see you do flash fiction sometime. I think I'll make that a dare. You owe me one for that Katniss costume.
MissAttitude - Ari! It's so good to see you over here. You'll always be tight with me in my book. ;)
Frankie - Oh, you called me sweet. AND good natured. I'm getting a lot of compliments today. I think I may have to hide soon. All this attention... wow.
Thank you guys again so much! You are ALL so incredible!