Do you have “the author” in you?
Last month, I received an e-mail from The Wolfe Pack with the following message, and thought I would pass it on to you all. (And, yes, the Awards Chair is Jane K. Cleland, author of the Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery Series!)
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May 31 is the
Submission Deadline
for the 2013
Black Orchid Novella Award
Call for novellas! Please submit your novella for the seventh annual Black Orchid Novella Award (BONA). We are looking for original works of fiction in the tradition of the ratiocinative detective, as exemplified by Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe. Your entry must:
- Emphasize the deductive skills of the sleuth
- Contain no overt sex or violence
- Not include characters from the original series
First prize: $1,000 plus publication in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.
Entries must be 15,000 to 20,000 words in length, and must be postmarked by May 31, 2013. The winner will be announced at The Wolfe Pack’s Annual Black Orchid Banquet in New York City, December 7, 2013.*
Please visit www.nerowolfe.org for official rules and procedures to submit your novella. For questions, contact the Awards Chair, Jane K. Cleland, jane@janecleland.net.
* If no acceptable candidates are received, AHMM and The Wolfe Pack reserve the right to declare no winner in any given year.
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So, if you think you have an author hiding deep inside of yourself, then stop reading this entry, and go grab yourself a pen and paper >>> Somehow grabbing a computer keyboard doesn’t sound as “author-y” to me.
Maria (BearMountainBooks) says
Thanks for posting this! Novellas of that type are “notoriously” hard to write. Sounds like some authors are going to have some fun trying their hand at solving a mystery!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Maria, all of you authors have your work cut out for you!
Donna says
Wow, what a great opportunity! Thanks for posting this, Danna. Maybe between now and May I can come up with an idea. 😉
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Donna, that would be absolutely great – if you win…
Donna says
Oh well, I don’t really think my little story could win. In all honesty, I just enjoy polishing my skills and giving it a try, and once in a while a kind editor returns a manuscript with an encouraging word or two scribbled along the top so I try, try again. My respect for authors has greatly increased since attempting to become one! They must be tenacious as well as talented.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Donna, you will never know unless you try… It must be frustrating >>> until you get the right editor.
marion says
Donna, you sound very modest. Check out Earlene Fowler’s website about ‘Fool’s Puzzle’. It was something she wrote for a class and look where she has ended up. I would be proud to say I knew you when. I really admire people who can write. My desire to write was always modest and graduate school totally wore out any enthusiasm I ever had but I love to read. If nothing else, I’m sure your writing is a dandy hobby.