Wow! Women on Writing - An eZine for women writers, authors, editors, agents, publishers, and readers

We're proud to announce our second contest has been an enormous success! We want to thank all of you who entered and wrote on the prompt. As the contest grows, so does the competition. Entrants consisted of first-time writers to published authors, all leveled to the same playing field by a string of words...otherwise known as the prompt. This is where we have to take other things into consideration: style, voice, plot, character, and most of all, originality. A writer can concoct delicious prose, but without a unique storyline, they may not get as far as you think. To keep things fair, all aspects of writing are considered. And as entries grow, our judging must get tighter, more organized, and well rounded. Who knows...if we ever get enough entrants to cover all of our contest fees, we may open another one!

We enjoyed reading your stories, each and every one of them. Although Beryl and myself do not judge the entries, we take time to read them all - we laugh, cry, and call each other on the phone to share in the experience. That's how much your stories touch us. We recognize names of previous contestants, now etched into our memory banks. We are getting to know you through your writing, and both of us have our own personal favorites we hold dear. Each one of you is a winner in our book. We hope that you continue to enter so we can watch you grow as writers and storytellers, because each season is a rebirth of opportunity.

Betsy did a wonderful job choosing the winners. It's not as easy as you may think! But she's a seasoned pro at judging flash fiction. Whim's Place has been holding flash fiction contests for years. That experience enabled her to provide us with winners in a timely fashion. Thank you Betsy for all your help and your expert eye!

Three-hundred dollars a month and a paid off car might have been something to celebrate, if JB hadn't just driven that paid off mini-van 800 miles to help her mother bring her step-dad home from the hospital.

The final payment was made automatically and would have completely slipped JB's mind if her brothers hadn't started reminiscing about the famous 1974 trip.

Sitting propped up in the hospital bed, their dad laughed, the slow hum of the oxygen machine almost smothering the quiet sounds of his once resounding voice.

As the others continued to share the story of the family vacation that had included all nine siblings, steps, halves and wholes, JB found herself staring at him. Her mind could not wrap itself around the idea that this man whom she had called father since she was six years old could possibly just not be there any more. Life had been all about making memories. Did the last memory of him have to be watching as he slowly wasted away?

"Let her talk Reb," he said, his raspy voice spoke his wife's pet name while he smiled at JB. "What do you have in mind?"

He stopped and looked at the T.V., which was still reporting about the life going on all around them, though no one was watching. "I've never been to Reno."

"We will wait and see if the pneumonia subsides and get an okay from the doctors, Mom."

"He has to take twenty medications, check his blood sugar, blood pressure . . ."

"You have to consider his comfort on such a long trip," Mark sent JB a 'have you gone mad' look.

"I will take care of everything," JB said, catching a look of hope and confidence in her dad's eye.

Three weeks later an old man walked slowly to his front door. His wife scurried around, quickly gathering up his medications, diabetic paraphernalia, blood pressure cuff, thermometer . . .

As he opened the door the bright rays of the sun glistened off a shimmering recreational vehicle.

"You see, Dr. Belcher, my problems all started a while back when I decided to celebrate making my final car payment by taking a vacation. I chose to go to a peaceful lakeside resort where I could get some much needed rest, enjoy the sunshine, and catch up on some reading."

"I thought it might be more fun if I took a friend with me. And that's what started this whole mess. If only I would have taken one of my friends! But, Beth talks too much, and I figured I wouldn't get any rest with her around. My friend Christy only wants to eat in expensive restaurants, and I can't afford that. Julia complains too much, and Kate is too bossy.

So I decided that instead of taking a person along, I would take my dog, Duke. That way, I could have things the way I wanted them, and still have company."

"The day started out beautifully. The weather was perfect and I was feeling great. Duke loves to ride in the car so he was real excited about going. We were about an hour into the drive, and I was listening to some music, when suddenly, Duke spoke. And I don't mean that he barked, I mean he said words."

Dr. Belcher cleared his throat and tried to appear undisturbed by the last comment. "And exactly what do you think it was that Duke said?"

"Duke said, 'Now don't jump out of your skin because I'm speaking, but I want you to take that next exit. I'm not eating this stinking dog food anymore, and I want you to get me an order to go from that steakhouse over there.'"

Duke why he had never spoken before. He said that until now, there was never much point. But now that he was taking his first vacation he was going to have it his way! Naturally we argued about that point, and I said that I was in charge of this trip. But then I caught myself."

"That's right. I told Duke we were skipping the vacation, and we would be heading straight home. I was going to call reporters and TV stations and tell them all about my talking dog. I would be rich and famous!"

"But then Duke said, 'Yeah, I don't think so. Because if I don't get my vacation and have everything exactly my way, when we get home I won't speak if anyone else is around. Then everyone will think you're crazy.'"

"You did the right thing coming to me for help," Dr. Belcher said reassuringly. "Are you ready for me to explain to you why you think your dog talks?"

Sandra held the sleek Jaguar XKE to sixty-five. She'd made the final payment. Her widowed neighbor, Ruby, dozed in the passenger seat, a gigantic flowered bag clutched to her bosom. Yellowstone, where Sandra's ex-husband never wanted to visit, was two days away. The Jag purred along I-84 out of Portland, toward Wyoming. Sandra checked the side mirror as she passed a semi. She looked again; an iguana was crawling out of Ruby's bag. Sandra jerked the wheel and the Jag swerved toward the guardrail.

Biggs Junction truck stop loomed ahead. Sandra cut in front of the semi and careened down the off ramp.

Sandra glared at Ruby over the rim of her coffee cup. "What's with the damn iguana?" she said.

"That's Puzzy, my dude magnet. Nothing breaks the ice like an iguana." Ruby pulled a pint of Jack Daniels from her bag and poured some into her coffee.

As if on cue, the iguana clambered onto the table, ran along the back of the booths and onto the counter, skittering across a state trooper's pancakes. A waitress dropped a stack of plates, a trucker swatted Puzzy with his baseball cap, the cook ran out of the kitchen, brandishing a greasy spatula.

The trooper jumped up and grabbed for the iguana, perched on the cigarette machine. The room fell silent. The grim-faced officer walked over to Sandra and Ruby. He held the animal in his left hand; its tongue flicked the trooper's nametag - J. Reed.

Officer Reed picked up Ruby's coffee cup and sniffed. "Ma'am, have you been drinking?"

He grabbed her arm, pulled her from the booth and marched her toward the door. Sandra followed, eyes downcast.

Officer Reed leaned into the Jag's window, reached across Sandra and handed Ruby a ticket. "Exotic animal possession and public intoxication. Animal control will confiscate the reptile." He looked into Sandra's blue eyes. "Unless you want to see my lights in your rearview mirror, keep it under sixty-five."

Half mile down the road, the women looked at each other and smiled. "Sorry about Puzzy, but you don't need a dude magnet. You're one foxy grandma," Sandra said.

That week, the two shared their stories and finished off the Jack Daniels under a Yellowstone moon.

It is the sincere desire of the contributors, listed below, that each writer will keep his or her focus. Be wholesouled, never give up. Because here's your proof that there are many, many people who want to see you succeed.

Congratulations to the runners-up! It was very close, and these stories are excellent in every way. Enjoy the read!

Each season we try and offer something different to contestants, so previous winners don't receive the same thing twice!

We love variety in stories as well as prizes; and considering how talented you all are, we knew if we armed you with an extensive supply of markets & resources... there would be no stopping you!

So, while you're waiting for your prizes to roll in via snail mail, you can have a quick fix of all-the-markets-you-could-ask-for delivered right to your e-mail inbox.

MASTER COMBO EBOOK PACKAGE: A $92.40 value if purchased separately! All of the Books Featured Below.

EBOOK SET: 3 e-books: Just Hit Send, Funds for the Fiction Writer, and Get Paid to Write Book Reviews!

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	*Just Hit Send* 230+ places to just hit your enter key and make a submission. Just think...no SASE and no postage. Updated every six months. $8.95 - ebook in PDF format (80 pages)
	*Laughing Markets* 170+ markets to send your writing humor. Editors who love to chuckle. $6.95 - ebook in PDF format (62 pages)
	*Short & Sweet - Markets for Fillers* Short on words and sweet on payment. Puzzles, jokes, anecdotes, little known facts, newsworthy snippets, book reviews, lists, recipes, even editorials pass as fillers. Some pay only $5 to $25, but the per word rate is way up there! Then there are the publications that pay $1/word. One little market in this book pays $3/word. 160+ markets that accept filler submissions and pay in cash. Learn what fillers are, what they pay, where they live, and how to mentally challenge your mind in writing them. The ideas for them exist all around you. $7.95 - ebook in PDF format (52 pages)
	*Markets for the Young Writer* You love to write with a passion! You write poetry that no one reads. You design stories that no one sees. You are a young writer, still in school, with no place to send your work other than English class or the school newspaper. Hope Clark raised teen writers. Hope mentors teen writers. Hope believes in teen writers, so she wrote this book. 232 markets and 118 pages of opportunity for you to get started with that writing hobby - maybe even a writing career! Markets for the Young Writer gives you guidance on what to expect when making submissions in the real world. Here you'll find more than enough help in getting started. $7.95 - ebook in PDF format (115 pages)
	*Publishers for Poets* You have written poems as long as you can remember. You wish you could display these visions to others, but where do you begin? You begin right here! Hope brings you 467 poetry markets for your verse, and all pay in cold hard cash or publisher's contract. $7.95 - ebook in PDF format (145 pages)
	*Funds for the Fiction Writer* You live to tell stories. From flash fiction to 50,000 words, you spin tales. Now you want to hold them in your hand with a byline screaming your name. Where do you start? And better, yet, how do you get paid doing it? Funds for the Fiction Writer comes to the rescue with 130 pages of 400+ listings from contests to literary journals; from publishers to magazines. Receive compensation for your words from $10 to thousands. There are enough places in this world paying for words so don't give your work away for free. Hope Clark offers opportunity here. You will be amazed. $7.95 - ebook in PDF format (139 pages)
	*Funds for the Essayist* Here is a compilation of markets you probably did not expect. But essayists love their craft! The thought of stating a case, fleshing it out, and proving a point is an addiction to some. Essays are often considered intellectual pieces and at other times considered just simply nonfiction. Either way, they are wanted in a good number of venues from literary journals to contests and magazines. And some like The New Yorker, pay pretty darn well. Funds for the Essayist contains 280+ listings for your opinion pieces. Never thought you could earn income from your essays? Think again. This ebook opens doors and proves that opportunity exists for the essay writer. $7.95 - ebook in PDF format (98 pages)
	*The No Fee Contest Book* You are a struggling writer trying to call the little money you make from your passion an "income." You'd give up your best pen to win a $1,000 writing competition, but the fee is $25. All of them charge fees, so you quit considering writing contests. Well - don't. C. Hope Clark comes to you with an alternative - The No Fee Contest Book . In her research through FundsforWriters, she's identified over 270 writing competitions that don't charge even a single dollar - your hard-earned dollar - for your contest submission. The contests, including available online links, comprise an ebook that not only includes these golden opportunities, but also contains Hope's usual opinion and advice on writing competitions. $7.95 - ebook in PDF format (93 pages)
	*Tis the Season* Twelve months of seasonal ideas for articles. Each month lists dozens of ideas on holidays, events, religion and off-the-wall ideas like Thomas Crapper Day. Following each chapter you find nine markets accepting seasonal type writing. A fun little book to spark your muse. That's 108 current markets - current PAYING markets - that seek writers. Not only do you get great seasonal ideas but you get over a hundred markets! Do not underestimate the power of this 68 page book. Tis the Season is a powerful tool for the freelance writer. Tis the Season is the perfect brainstorming guide for writers needing fresh material and those wanting a novel idea to use on those editors forever seeking unique angles. $4.95 - ebook in PDF format (64 pages)
	*Get Paid to Write Book Reviews* Sick of editors thinking a free book is ample paying for your book review? Here Hope Clark offers the serious book reviewer 70+ publications that pay for book reviews. Never look at book reviews the same again after you read this guide on submitting quality book reviews and book review pitches to editors. $7.95 - ebook in PDF format - 41 pages
	*Grants for the Serious Writer* 600+ grants aimed at writers. Attend conferences, gain project funds, or just earn money to write. All 50 states arts councils represented plus many more opportunities for grant seekers. Our most popular ebook in its 6th Edition. A must primer for writers who dabble in the grant world. This is not a nonprofit grant book. This book's message is directed at the individual writer seeking funds to meet a writing goal. This book caters to you. $8.95 - ebook in PDF format (175 pages)
	*The Shy Writer* - by C. Hope Clark, Founder of FundsforWriters As a shy writer you feel like you have to choose the lesser of two evils - marketing your words to hoards of people ogling at you, or putting your writing on the shelf and seeking other employment. Wrong! The Shy Writer gives you options - lots of options about meshing your personality with your dream of being a writer. You don't have to sell your soul to sell your words. Forget those people who tell you to change, to put on a dog-and-pony show, or to stand on your head to sell a book. Hope Clark gives you the support you need to be the person you are - The Shy Writer. $6.95 - ebook in PDF format (180 pages)

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(Note: You will receive an e-mail Wednesday, April 4th, with instructions on where to go and how to download your prize pack of e-books. Please download them within 48 hours, or they will expire. If you can't meet the deadline for download, please let us know and we'll work something out. We wouldn't want you to miss out!)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (In no particular order):

Congratulations to the Honorable Mentions! Your stories stood out and are excellent in every way.

This brings our Winter (and second-ever!) Flash Fiction Contest to a close. While we’re not able to send something to every contestant, we will always give you our heartfelt thanks for your contribution and for your part in making WOW! all that it can be. Each one of you has found the courage to enter, and that is a remarkable accomplishment in itself. We’re looking forward to receiving your entries for our/your Spring Contest. Thanks again.