First, let me thank everyone who pitched their stories in the mini-contest. We enjoyed reading them. You're all so talented, which made it very hard for myself and the other mentors to choose only three winners. There has been much deliberating and discussing over the past two weeks about the pitches we were posted.
Before I announce the winners, I think it's important for me to say a couple of things. Writing is hard. Most day it is rewarding and fun, but some days it is hard and defeating. Like many of our favorite characters in book or the characters we write in our own book-we embark on journeys that will see us succeed and fail several times over. What is important to remember through it all is that words matter-your words matter. They are the most powerful of magic and the deadliest of weapons.
Your worlds and characters can be the rock a stranger needed to stand on when their world was crumbling. It can become their escape, their friend, their shelter, etc. So, these little contests, while they are fun and helpful-they do not define. They won't tell you if you're a "good" writer. If you write then you are a writer. Embrace your successes and your failures. Learn and grow. Be proud of yourself and be proud of your other writer friends.
Now, I'll get off my soap box and announce these winners like you've been waiting for me to from the beginning.
The three winning pitches:
Fire and Ice by katelynmwhite
When Graham Ryan and his obnoxious hockey friends cause elite figure skater Scarlett James to lose her balance and fall, Graham enlists himself as her personal helper until her back is healed. After a few weeks with Graham by her side, Scarlett can't help but fall for the boy with abnormally warm hands, and a seemingly matching heart.
Nomvula by Milomaia
Nomvula, a famously pacifist Queen with a bloody past, is handed an ultimatum by her allies: Wage war against a common enemy or watch her allies join them against her. Now, she must leverage her land, her values, and even her children to prevent a war not even her most legendary ancestors could win.
To Dance with Foxes by nmdean
Nineteen-year-old Katia is the first successful test subject in a sinister experiment that combines magical and mechanical methods. Now a fugitive, she unites with a soldier-turned-circus-performer in order to escape a military force that seeks to make her a weapon.
Thank you everyone who entered! If you didn't win this time, don't worry this won't be your only chance to win cool opportunities before the actual submission window opens for the mentorship challenge. Keep you eyes open for the next Mini-contest. [Just a reminder the mentor wishlists will post Dec 1st]