Forget Transylvania and the Deep South, there are spookier, more enchanting lands to draw your inspo from.The lush hills and misty moors of the Westcountry, England, are saturated with myths of witches, ghosts and goblins, whilst mermaids are often said to be spotted from its cliffs. The region is also home to many mystical monuments, and is even the rumoured location of King Arthur's Camelot and grave.So, this is why OwainGlyn and I are hosting this prose and poetry competition; to celebrate the region and all its folklore, and to read some exciting new tales.
RULES/GUIDELINES:
Opening Date: May 3rd
Closing Date: May 31st (end of the day, so midnight wherever you are in the world)
Finalists announced: June 10th
Winner announced: June 20th
The entry: A piece of prose or poetry, which is centred around westcoutry folklore (I shall be posting some famous myths in this book over the next week should you need inspiration). It doesn't really have to specify that it is set in the region, so long as it very well could be. You are also welcome to make up your own myths too.
Max length: 2,000
Minimum: 1,000 (only for prose, for poetry there is no minimum word count)
Poetry: Poetry not to include Haiku or Senryu.
Previously published: Yes, these will be accepted.
Short story or Novel: Yes, short story, or you can submit favourite extract from one of your novels, both within word limit.
How to enter: follow OwainGlyn and/or Jos1eDemuth, share a link to your story on the comments section of this page and tag #westcountryfantasycontest (in story settings)
NOW THE EXCITING STUFF:
The judges: We have the most amazing judges joining us on the panel - RobMay, LittleCinnamon and sandiwardbooks. The five of us will whittle the entries down to five finalists, and then our celeb judge, the incredible author and LonCon/NYCWattCon host JayVictor will pick the winner.
THE PRIZES:
Finalists: Your stories/poems will be made into a collection on Owain and Josie's profiles, and promoted. Your judge will give your work a shout out, and then over to Vic...
Finalist: Your work will get a shout out from all judges (reaching all our tens of thousands of readers), and Jay Victor will leave you a comment and give you a shout out. There will also be some surprise giveaways for all finalists!
Good luck, and remember, the more weird and wonderful, the more Westcountry!