Entries Tagged 'Contests' ↓

Welcome today to Phoebe Matthews! We’re glad to have you with us. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I was a contributing editor for an astrology magazine for several years, writing three or four articles each month.  My urban fantasy series, Mudflat, grew out of that background and is set in the Seattle area where I live.  Yes, I like to visit the zoo, and no, I don’t go camping.  My one attempt, to please friends, ended in a miserable case of poison oak. Possibly that wasn’t quite as life threatening as the camping trip taken by the heroine in the first Mudflat book Tarbaby Trouble, but almost.

How many EPIC’s e-Book Awards/EPPIE finalists do you have? How many winners?

Three finalists and one of them was a winner.  These were the first three books in the Mudflat series.

Which books in what years and which categories?

Winner: Tarbaby Trouble, Mudflat book 1, 2009 EPPIE for Best Fantasy

Finalist:  Welcome to Mudflat, Baby, Mudflat book 2, 2009 paranormal romance

Finalist: Mudflat Toy Boy, Mudflat book 3, 2010 fantasy/paranormal

Tell us about your current year finalists/winners.

Mudflat is a Seattle neighborhood where magic runs in families.  As the genetics grow weaker, they attract outside forces who try to take control.  In this book outside evil meets inside stupidity.

What are you looking forward to entering next (if you plan on entering again)?

I have two new Mudflat novels out this year from BookStrand.

Tell us about the other awards you’ve won…

The EPIC entries were my only contest entries so far.  I have now entered another contest that will close later this year.

What genre/s do you write?

My writing crosses genres but is primarily contemporary urban fantasy, heavy on plot and mystery, light on romance, and described by one reviewer as off-the-wall humor.  I like to combine a strong fantasy story with a true crime story.  In Mudflat the true crimes are the sort where TV reporters say, “How could anyone be that dumb?”

Where would you like to see an EPICon held?

Washington state or Oregon would be wonderful.

Where did you get the inspiration for your finalist/winning book?

The story grew out of several ideas and then came together when I remembered Joel Chandler Harris’s classic Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit stories. Tarbaby was the bait used to catch the rabbit, and in my book the blonde guy on the cover is Tarbaby and the girl is the rabbit.  Everyone knows what happened to the fox and  the rabbit, but what happened to Tarbaby?  Okay, you have to read the book to find out.

What is the best reader or reviewer comment you’ve ever received?

From Nancy Eriksen at ParanormalRomance.org, who has reviewed all the Mudflat books, the fourth book brought this lovely comment: Every year I wait to hear from our dear Dee that Phoebe has written another Mudflat book. This one is as good if not better than the last three.

I guess I should also mention that the second book was reviewed in the April 2010 RT Book Reviews and given a 4.5, which was pretty exciting and brought some fun fan mail.  4.5 is RT’s highest rating and they identify that rating as “Fantastic – Keeper.”

What are your writing goals? Where do you want to be in a year? Five years?

Probably lazy of me, but the thing is, I write because I love writing.  It’s exciting to have a new idea and then see what I can do with it.  The only goal I set for myself is to do the best job I can with each book.  I write and rewrite and polish and keep going back to the beginning until I can’t find one more thing to re-do.

Also, for fun, I write a weekly Fortune Cookie on the Claire’s Prediction Page of my website.  Claire is the Mudflat astrologer.

Give us your backlist… with all publishers

All of the following titles are available now in ebook from the publishers or as ebooks or print from Barnes&Noble or Amazon.

Tarbaby Trouble, 2008 BookStrand

Welcome to Mudflat, Baby, 2008 BookStrand

Mudflat Toy Boy, 2009 BookStrand

Mudflat Spice and Sorcery, 2009 BookStrand

Goldilocks in Mudflat, 2010 BookStrand

Deja Vu Lover, 2008 The Wild Rose Press, a reincarnation romance

Also, I have a short story in the July 2009 Crossed Genres magazine and two short stories in The Cupid Diaries Anthology, 2010 Classic Romance Revival Publishers, available in the US in ebook only.  For more order information, check my website.

Tell us about releases you expect within the next year..

I am working on the sixth Mudflat book, and also on another series, but I don’t know when they will be ready to go.

 Give us your URLs (web site, MySpace, Facebook, blog, etc.)

 Website is http://phoebematthews.com and includes my Blog and email address for reader comments or questions    

Twitter me at http://twitter.com/mudflatbks

Facebook is http://www.facebook.com/people/Phoebe-Matthews/1644604709

Myspace is http://www.myspace.com/phoebematthews

Marilyn Meredith is the author of nearly thirty  published novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, the latest Dispel the Mist  from Mundania Press. Under the name of F. M. Meredith she writes the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series, An Axe to Grind is the latest from Oak Tree Press.

She is a member of EPIC, Four chapters of Sisters in Crime, including the Internet chapter , Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. Visit  her at http://fictionforyou.com and her blog at http://marilymeredith.blogspot.com

How many EPIC’s e-Book Awards/EPPIE finalists do you have? How many winners?

Four finalists.

Which books in what years and which categories?

Kachima Spirit 2002

Deadly Trail 2003

Judgment Fire 2007

No Sanctuary 2010

All mystery.

Tell us about your current year finalist.

No Sanctuary is about two churches, two ministers, two wives and a murder.

What are you looking forward to entering next?

I’m not sure if I’ll enter another Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery or a Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery.

Tell us about the other awards you’ve won…

Bloody Dagger Award for Intervention, Best Mystery from American Author Association for Wing Beat, Golden Quill Award for Judgment Fir, Best Thriller from American Author Association, and Best Horror from USA Books for Wishing Makes It So.

What genre/s do you write?

Now, only mystery, but I’ve written historical family sagas, horror, and Christian horror.

Are there any genres you’d like to try but haven’t?

No, I think I’m pretty set in my ways.

If you’ve attended EPICon, what did you enjoy about it?

I’ve attended every EPICon but one. Meeting people in person that you feel like you know because of the Internet and seeing those you only see once a year. It’s also been great fun going places I’d never been before. Staying in a haunted hotel and the haunted Queen Mary are truly highlights.

Where would you like to see an EPICon held?

It would be great if it moved to the West coast again.

Where did you get the inspiration for your finalist/winning book?

I’ve been a member or visitor in many churches over the years, friends with ministers, their wives, church secretaries, etc., and I just thought it would be fun to write about a murder than involved all these people.

What is the best reader or reviewer comment you’ve ever received?

I’ve had some wonderful reviews over the years, but one of the most charming for my latest Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery, An Axe to Grind began, “Who ever thought reading about a decapitated corpse couldn’t be funny hasn’t read, “An Axe To Grind.” And another, “I loved this book from the first few pages! Nothing like a good decapitation to get the vibes and imagination rolling.”

What’s your favorite part of being a writer?

Finding out what the characters in my head are going to do next. Because I write two different series with a cast of characters I really know as well or better than members of my own family, I’m always anxious to see what scrapes they will get into, what mysteries they will solve, and how their personal lives are doing.

What advice would you give a new writer?

Read the kind of books you want to write, learn as much as you can about the writing process, write, write, write, then edit, edit, edit. When ready to submit, follow the publishers’ guidelines exactly. Once you begin the submitting process, start writing another book.

What are your writing goals?

Two finish two books a year, one in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series and one in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series.

Where do you want to be in a year? Five years?

I hope I’m still doing what I’m doing now, and more people have become acquainted with my books.

What book, if you have written several books, is your favorite and why?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / PERMISSION TO FORWARD GRANTED

Twelfth Annual EPIC EBook Competition (July 15-Aug. 15, 2010)
EPIC’s ebook competition, the oldest continuing competition honoring ebooks and the e-publishing industry, is a premier event for authors and publishing houses. It opens for submission entries on July 15, 2010, accepting entries through midnight (CST) August 15, 2010. Entries must be e-published between June 1, 2009 and May 31, 2010. The Competition Guide will be on EPIC’s website (www.epicauthors.com) on June 1.

Judges consist of active EPIC Members and guest judges, all of whom are either published authors or publishing professionals. Entries are judge in two rounds, with finalists announced during the first week of November 2010.

The 2011 New Voices Young Writers Competition (Aug. 1 – Oct. 20, 2010)
EPIC’s membership supports ebook education within public, private, and home school environments with this popular global competition for young authors. The New Voices Young Writers Competition opens for submissions from August 1, 2010 through October 20, 2010, and introduces young authors to the exciting world and possibilities of ebooks and e-publishing – the wave of the literary future.

We invite middle school- and high school-aged authors, ranging in ages from thirteen through eighteen years old, to submit essays, poems, and short stories in this growing competition. If you are a young writer, with a desire to fine-tune your craft with constructive feedback from industry and education professionals, please consider entering our competition. The guidelines will be found on the New Voices website: http://newvoicesyoungwriters.com/ in July 2010.

If you are a parent, teacher, or librarian, you may request brochures by email from epic.competition.chair@gmail.com. Please supply your name, mailing address, best email contact, and contact phone number as well as the quantity you desire. Mailing takes about 3 weeks, so please be patient.

EPIC’s 2011 Art Competition (Nov.1 – Nov. 15, 2010)
Also in its twelfth year is a competition that honors the finest selection of cover art for electronically published books. Details will be available on the EPIC website (www.epicauthors.com) the first part of October 2010 with entries accepted from November 1, 2010 through November 15, 2010.

Covers go through two rounds of judging by EPIC’s membership, with finalists (in category) awarded the Ariana before moving on to the final round. The ultimate winner, the artist whose work receives the most membership votes, is celebrated with EPIC’s highest honor for art – the Quasar.

EPICon Conference (March 10 – March 13, 2011 in Williamsburg, Virginia)
All awards, other than those for the New Voices Young Writers competition, will be presented during EPIC’s 2011 EPICon conference’s gala award ceremony March 13, 2011 in Williamsburg, Virginia. The New Voices Young Writers awards ship to winners, and their indicated schools/libraries, within six months of EPIC’s conference.

The 2010 New Voices Competition for young writers is under way. Encourage and promote writing for young authors by sharing the news!

Viewpoints are rapidly changing in the publishing industry and our school systems regarding e-publishing. EPIC’s members have been on the forefront of the literacy fight, speaking at schools and conferences, and encouraging evocative and expressive writing from young writers.

EPIC established The New Voices Competition to encourage reading and writing within school systems and libraries. This contest is an opportunity to educate young writers on the e-publishing world, as well as the variety and versatility of e-books. It urges up-and-coming authors to spread their wings, offering the possibility of turning dreams into reality.

–from the New Voices Handout

New Voices is for middle school and high school students between the ages of 11 and 18. The contest is free and awards winners from Grand Prize to Third Place.

A new website is under construction. Visit last year’s page at: http://www.epicauthors.com/newvoices.html

For more information, a current brochure or entry guidelines, e-mail newvoices.chair@gmail.com

Please spread the word about the 2010 New Voices writing competition. Follow us at Twitter as EpicNewVoices.

http://bit.ly/Nqq8q

Learn more about Zetta and enter for a chance to win an autographed copy of her debut novel, MESSALINA – DEVOURER OF MEN.

Support the 2010 New Voices competition by following us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/epicnewvoices
Help spread the word!

From Zena Wynn: “Head’s Up! A contest. You can win a free book. I entered True Mates. Feel free to forward and get the word out. Have fun and go win some books.!!! Details below:

The contest opens today and runs through June 1st. There are two main pages involved in the contest. The first is the contest page itself: http://moirarogers.com/?q=node/347

You’ll find all of the book covers and the form for entering the contest there. Please link there! When people fill out the form it directs them to: http://moirarogers.com/?q=node/348 where they’ll find info on how to help out by sharing the contest (and a small contest for that, too!)

Didn’t get to RT in Orlando this year? Let award-winning romance author Leigh Ellwood send you the best of RT! Enter today and you could win all the promotional goodies collected over the week. Tote bags, signed cover flats, pens and calendars, and of course free books are yours for the taking. The bag giveaway drawing is available to US residents – a second drawing will be held for our international friends to receive a $20 gift certificate for Phaze Books!

No purchase necessary to win. Due to the nature of some of this promo, you must be 18 or over to be eligible for either drawing. To enter, visit http://tinyurl.com/LeighsRTBag and fill out the form completely. A winner will be drawn Sunday night, May 3. Good luck!