Contest Circuit: October 29

Happy Halloween Week! There are lots of fun blog hops helping us celebrate the scary holiday. For those of you joining NaNoWriMo next month, Cupid is going to be helping keep people accountable by sharing your results as you go. Click HERE for details!

Contests:

Miss Snark's First Victim her third annual Baker's Dozen contest with 13 agents. Oct 30. Submissions include the first 250 of your MS. 

NA Alley is hosting Agent in the Alley with Julia Weber for NA manuscripts on Nov 7. Include a blurb about your book (no more than 200 words) and the first 250-300 words.

Women on Writing is hosting a flash fiction contest due Nov 30. Open prompt should be 750 words or less. The contest will be judged by agent Jessica Sinsheimer.

Blog Hops and Flash Fiction:

Tara Tyler of Tara Tyler Talks and Vikki of Scribblings of an Aspiring Author are hosting I'm Thankful for my Readers blog hop on Nov 5-8. Post a thanks to your readers during those dates in any creative way you can think of. They will also be offering incredible prizes for the most creative and the most heartfelt posts. Prizes include a blog banner design and MS critique. 

Andrew Leon, Matthew MacNish and Alex J. Cavanaugh are hosting "Oh, How I Miss You Blogfest" on Nov 16. List bloggers you miss who you haven't heard from in a while as well as 1-3 bloggers you would miss if they ever stopped blogging.

ScifiMedia is hosting Scare Me Blogfest on Oct 31. Write about the scariest book or movie you have watched or share a ghost story of your own.

Dani at Entertaining Interests and Jackie at Bouquet of Books are hosting Spooktoberfest. This flash fiction blogfest must use 5 mandatory words and be under 300 words. Oct 26-29.

Cally Jackson is hosting The Year I turned 18 Blogfest to celebrate the release of her New Adult novel The Big Smoke. Post about something from the year you turned 18. Pictures are encouraged! Oct 29-Nov 2.

Tim Brannen of The Other Side is hosting Montrous Monday on Oct 29. Write about a monster you like/hate/love or one you created in your own book.

I Am a Reader Not a Writer and The Diary of a Bookworm is hosting the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop. Host your own giveaway and link up to spread the word. Oct 24-Oct 31.

Giveaways:

Confessions of a Bookaholic and A Life Bound By Books is having a huge Haunted Halloween giveaway of signed books, ARCs and swag for each day in October. There are still plenty of chances to win some really great prizes.

 

Contest Circuit: October 22

Just spent a fun, pretty perfect weekend gearing up for Halloween - exactly what is needed heading into a stressful week ahead. I would LOVE to hear some of your happy thoughts to keep the positive energy going. Please feel free to leave them. And, as always, let me know if I'm missing something.

Happy Monday.

Contests:

Brenda Drake of Brenda Drake Writes...under the influence of coffee is hosting Trick or Treat with an Agent with Kimberly Chase and Deanna Romito on Oct 24. Send in a three sentence pitch along with your first 200 words. There are also a couple questions to answer. For a list of the costumed agents, click here.

Miss Snark's First Victim is hosting a Secret Agent Contest on Oct 22. Submissions include the first 250 of your MS. her third annual Baker's Dozen contest with 13 agents. Oct 30.

Ben Chiles of Story Multiverse is hosting a contest called Narrate This! From Oct 21-27, Ben will be taking up to 50 entries of your first 750 words and a 500 word synopsis. From those entries, he'll choose one winner and two runners up to win part of their manuscript narrated by Ben. The winner will receive 3000 words (can be anywhere in your MS) narrated by Ben. Runners up will receive 750 words each. I love this unique opportunity! 

Women on Writing is hosting a flash fiction contest due Nov 30. Open prompt should be 750 words or less. The contest will be judged by agent Jessica Sinsheimer.

Blog Hops and Flash Fiction:

Tara Tyler of Tara Tyler Talks and Vikki of Scribblings of an Aspiring Author are hosting I'm Thankful for my Readers blog hop on Nov 5-8. Post a thanks to your readers during those dates in any creative way you can think of. They will also be offering incredible prizes for the most creative and the most heartfelt posts. Prizes include a blog banner design and MS critique. 

Jenny Matlock at Off On My Tangent hosts Saturday Census, a flash fiction blog hop. Writers respond to a prompt, writing style and word count. She also hosts Alphabe-Thursday, a blog hop featuring posts on each letter of the alphabet.

Dani at Entertaining Interests and Jackie at Bouquet of Books are hosting Spooktoberfest. This flash fiction blogfest must use 5 mandatory words and be under 300 words. Oct 26-29.

To celebrate the upcoming release of her novella, Kyra Lennon is hosting the Letting Go Bloghop. Post about a time when you had to let go of someone or something. This can true or it can be flash fiction. Must be under 500 words. The most touching entry will get a $10 Amazon gift certificate. If nothing else, stop by to check out her beautiful cover to NA novella If I Let You Go. Oct 22.

Cally Jackson is hosting The Year I turned 18 Blogfest to celebrate the release of her New Adult novel The Big Smoke. Post about something from the year you turned 18. Pictures are encouraged! Oct 29-Nov 2.

I Am a Reader Not a Writer and The Diary of a Bookworm is hosting the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop. Host your own giveaway and link up to spread the word. Oct 24-Oct 31.

Giveaways:
Rebecca Taylor is giving away a free Kindle!! See her blog for details!

 

Contest Circuit: Sept 10

For my entry in the GUTGAA Pitch Polish Blog Hop, please go HERE.

To sign up for my Unraveling Giveaway, go to the bottom of my interview with the lovely Liz Norris HERE.

Contests and Blog Hops:
Deana Barnhart has done a spectacular job of putting together GUTGAA (Gearing Up To Get An Agent). If you haven't checked this out yet, you should. She has contests and workshops scheduled for six weeks. Agent Pitch Contest Call for Entries is Friday, Sept 14. Small Press Pitch Contest Call for Entries is Friday, Sept 28.

Brenda Drake of Brenda Drake Writes...under the influence of coffee has also worked really hard to put together FIVE upcoming contests. Seriously? She's amazing. After the Madness Twitter Pitch Party on Sept 13; Critiques by a Teen Intern on Sept 17; Novella Pitch to Month9Books on Oct 1; A Super Secret Pitch Contest on Oct 15-19; and Trick or Treat with an Agent on Oct 24.

Karen Wojcik Berner of Bibliophilic Blather is hosting Fright Fest 2012, a flash fiction contest. Entries should be 1,000 words or less. Due Sept 21.

Women on Writing is hosting a flash fiction contest due Nov 30. Open prompt should be 750 words or less. The contest will be judged by agent Jessica Sinsheimer.

Writer's Digest is hosting a contest for YA fiction of 4,000 words or less. $500 cash prize and promotion in an upcoming Writer's Digest issue among other prizes. Due Sept 14.

Jessa Russo is celebrating her book release with Ghosts and the Girls Who Love Them, a flash fiction blog hop and giveaway of amazing prizes including signed books and critiques. Check out the list - it's pretty incredible. Flash fiction entries should be about ghosts and should be between 300-1,000 words. Sign-ups for the blog hop are until Sept 15.

Laura Eno, M. Pax, Brinda Berry, and Ciara Knight are hosting "What's Your Chocolate" Blogfest. Post about your favorite chocolate - what it means by you, where and when you indulge, a favorite memory - anything chocolate-related. Sept 10. 

Alex J Cavanaugh will be hosting Genre Favorites Blogfest on Sept 17. List your favorite genre of Movie, Music, Books and a guilty pleasure from any of those categories.

Contest Circuit: August 13

Contests and Workshops:
The Reading Room is hosting a contest for the first 450 words of your completed manuscripts. A panel of experts including Catherine Drayton will be judging them. The best five entries will be featured at WriteOnCon. Those entries will collect votes through Sept 5. The winner will receive $1,000. Submissions must be in by Aug 12 at midnight EST.

Mother. Write. Repeat is hosting "An Agent's Inbox." Submit your query and first 250 words of your completed MS. Submissions are for Adult in a variety of genres and YA fiction (all subgenres). A mystery agent will comment on all of the entries and offer prizes as he or she sees fit. The contest window opens at 10 EST on Aug 13 and will accept 20 entries.

Miss Snark's First Victim is hosting a Secret Agent contest on August 13. Submissions are for the first 250 words of your manuscript. Submission windows are open from 9:00-11:00 AM EDT for the first 25 and 7:00-9:00PM EDT for the second 25. Submissions are asking for adult manuscripts.

Brenda Drake is hosting a Query Letter Workshop. She has invited several writers and editors to help her critique 40 query letters. Enter the Rafflecopter on her site by Aug 17. The workshop will take place Aug 20-24.

Unicorn Bell is hosting the School's In Query Contest. Submit your query for your complete manuscript. On Aug 13-17, they will host a Study Hall session. Aug 20-24 they will host a workshop session. Then on Aug 27-31, four editors will be judging them and asking for submissions. See post for more details.

DL Hammons is hosting WRiTE CLUB. Anonymously submit any type of 500 word writing sample. Each week, for twelve weeks, two randomly selected samples will go head to head. Winners will be selected by readers via their votes. Victors will move on to the championship round. The winner of the final round will be picked by a panel of agents, editors, marketers, and published authors. DL Hammon's line up for this is phenomenal. Stop by his site to check it out! 

WOW! Women on Writing is holding a Flash Fiction contest with guest judge, Literary Agent Marie Lamba. $10 entry fee with fun cash prizes. This contest has an open prompt. Deadline is August 31.

Writer's Digest is sponsoring a YA fiction contest for manuscripts of 4,000 words or less. $500 cash prize and promotion in an upcoming Writer's Digest issue among other prizes. Deadline is Sept 14.

Reader's Realm is hosting a flash fiction contest. Respond to the prompt about "bringing home fluff" using select words. Must be 600 words or less. Winner gets $25 Amazon gift certificate. Deadline Aug 20.

WriteOnCon is this week. It's an online Children's Writers Conference featuring keynote addresses, agent panels, lectures and a critique forum. Sign ups are free. Aug 14 and 15.

Bloghops:

Morgan Shamy, Leigh Covington, Mark Koopmans, and Cassie Mae are hosting "What If" Fairy Tale Madness Blogfest. Put a spin on your favorite fairy tale and rewrite a scene. This blogfest is filling up fast and will take place August 13-17.

Deana Barnhart's Gearin' Up To Get An Agent Blog O Rama is quickly approaching. The month long party will start September 3. For one month, Deana will be focusing on one agent-grabbing element (platform building, learning the craft, the novel and queries) in an interactive way. She will be giving away plenty of critiques. The blogfest involves agents, authors and a whole host of other fun twists.

Melodie Wright and Emily R. King are hosting Fact of Fiction Bloghop. On Sept 3 and Sept 5 you'll post one of two stories about the summer (this summer or past summers). One story will be true, the other will be false. Then hop around to the other participants and try to guess which is which. Prizes will be awarded for posts and comments.

Laura Eno, M. Pax, Brinda Berry, and Ciara Knight are hosting "What's Your Chocolate" Blogfest. Post about your favorite chocolate - what it means by you, where and when you indulge, a favorite memory - anything chocolate-related. Sept 10. 

Alex J Cavanaugh will be hosting Genre Favorites Blogfest on Sept 17. List your favorite genre of Movie, Music, Books and a guilty pleasure from any of those categories.

Contest Circuit: August 6

Authoress and her ongoing contests are now responsible for over twenty success stories. Need to feel inspired? Need to be talked into scouting out a few good contests or blog hops below? Check out Miss Snark's First Victim Blog Hop. From Aug 1-15, writers will share their inspiring success stories!

Then stop by Brenda Drake's blog for L.L. McKinney's success story.

Ready for a few good contests now (and blog hops, book giveaways, and critique giveaways)?

Contests:

NA Alley is hosting a pitch contest with Lauren Hammond for (NA) New Adult entries. Entries will include a brief summary (the meat of your query) and your first 250. Contest begins at 12:01 A.M. EST on Aug 8.

Miss Snark's First Victim is hosting a Secret Agent contest on August 13. Submissions are for the first 250 words of your manuscript. Submission windows are open from 9:00-11:00 AM EDT for the first 25 and 7:00-9:00PM EDT for the second 25. Submissions are asking for adult manuscripts.

DL Hammons is hosting WRiTE CLUB. Anonymously submit any type of 500 word writing sample. Each week, for twelve weeks, two randomly selected samples will go head to head. Winners will be selected by readers via their votes. Victors will move on to the championship round. The winner of the final round will be picked by a panel of agents, editors, marketers, and published authors. DL Hammon's line up for this is phenomenal. Stop by his site to check it out! The first WRiTE begins July 30, but you can sign up after July 30.

WOW! Women on Writing is holding a Flash Fiction contest with guest judge, Literary Agent Marie Lamba. $10 entry fee with fun cash prizes. This contest has an open prompt. Deadline is August 31.

Unicorn Bell is hosting the School's In Query Contest. Submit your query for your complete manuscript. On Aug 13-17, they will host a Study Hall session. Aug 20-24 they will host a workshop session. Then on Aug 27-31, four editors will be judging them and asking for submissions. See post for more details.

Writer's Digest is sponsoring a YA fiction contest for manuscripts of 4,000 words or less. $500 cash prize and promotion in an upcoming Writer's Digest issue among other prizes. Deadline is Sept 14.

Reader's Realm is hosting a flash fiction contest. Respond to the prompt about "bringing home fluff" using select words. Must be 600 words or less. Winner gets $25 Amazon gift certificate. Deadline Aug 20.

Bloghops:

Morgan Shamy, Leigh Covington, Mark Koopmans, and Cassie Mae are hosting "What If" Fairy Tale Madness Blogfest. Put a spin on your favorite fairy tale and rewrite a scene. This blogfest is filling up fast and will take place August 13-17.

Jeremy Bates is hosting Dog Days of Summer Blog Fest. Sign up on the linky, answer one of three prompts about your summer, and hop around to as many blogs as you can to make new friends (ideally while enjoying a backyard BBQ).

Deana Barnhart's Gearin' Up To Get An Agent Blog O Rama is quickly approaching. The month long party will start September 3. For one month, Deana will be focusing on one agent-grabbing element (platform building, learning the craft, the novel and queries) in an interactive way. She will be giving away plenty of critiques. The blogfest involves agents, authors and a whole host of other fun twists.

Giveaways:

Eileen of Singing and Reading in the Rain is hosting a Follower Appreciation Giveaway now through Sept 3. One winner will choose a book from a list of over twenty fabulous new releases. 

The Teen Book Guru is celebrating 1,000 followers by giving away a book of your choice from a list of over twenty new releases to five winners. 

I Am A Reader Not A Writer is hosting a Summer Giveaway Hop with a list of over 160 blogs. Aug 1-7.

Dianne K. Salerni of In High Spirits devots her first three posts each month to First Impressions - short crits of first pages submitted by you. She's teaming up with Marcy Hatch of Mainewords for this feature. 

Contest Circuit: July 30

I'm over at Falling For Fiction today with Hope Roberson, a very talented writer and friend. This is my first interview - ever. Lucky for me, Hope is both a gracious and fun host. Virtual smileys and/or high fives absolutely welcome and encouraged. *bites nails and smiles sheepishly* 

I'll be back on Wednesday for Insecure Writer's Support Group and on Thursday for a fabulous blogger interview with the lovely Amy Sonnichsen, of The Green Bathtub. Other than pure genius, find out just what inspired that blog name! ;)

Contests:

Krista Van Dolzer (Mother. Write. Repeat.), Authoress (Miss Snark's First Victim) and Brenda Drake (Brenda Drake Writes...under the influence of coffee) are hosting a phenomenal contest with the teens of Teen Eyes Editorial. Each of these bloggers will be having one of the three teens judge entries consisting of one sentence pitches/first 250, query letters and/or 35-word pitches. Each site will hold a different type of entry. Prizes include 20,000 word in-depth critiques and a $100 to an editorial service. Contest begins at 8:00a.m. on July 31.

Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency is hosting a contest for crime, thriller or mystery novels. Submit your first 8,000 words with a synopsis, an introductory letter, and a 250-word bio of your central character. The winner will receive offer of representation. Runners up will receive editorial feedback. Submissions must be exclusive. Contest ends July 31.

Operation Awesome is hosting their next Mystery Agent contest on August 1. This contest involves a one sentence pitch for your manuscript. 

NA Alley is hosting a pitch contest with Lauren Hammond for (NA) New Adult entries. Entries will include a brief summary (the meat of your query) and your first 250. Contest begins at 12:01 A.M. EST on Aug 8.

DL Hammons is hosting WRiTE CLUB. Anonymously submit any type of 500 word writing sample. Each week, for twelve weeks, two randomly selected samples will go head to head. Winners will be selected by readers via their votes. Victors will move on to the championship round. The winner of the final round will be picked by a panel of agents, editors, marketers, and published authors. DL Hammon's line up for this is phenomenal. Stop by his site to check it out! The first WRiTE begins July 30, but you can sign up after July 30.

Novel Novice is hosting a Steampunk genre mash-up contest. Combine any genre with Steampunk in 300 words to enter. Ends July 31. Winners receive a copy of INNOCENT DARKNESS by Suzanne Lazear.

WOW! Women on Writing is holding a Flash Fiction contest with guest judge, Literary Agent Marie Lamba. $10 entry fee with fun cash prizes. This contest has an open prompt. Deadline is August 31.

Unicorn Bell is hosting the School's In Query Contest. Submit your query for your complete manuscript. On Aug 13-17, they will host a Study Hall session. Aug 20-24 they will host a workshop session. Then on Aug 27-31, four editors will be judging them and asking for submissions. See post for more details.

Bloghops: 

Alex J Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group is this Wednesday - the first Wednesday of every month. Not only are there over 230 blogs that participate (aka plenty of bloggers to meet and/or "all the cool kids do it"), but it's also incredibly validating - regardless of what stage you're at as a writer. 

Morgan Shamy, Leigh Covington, Mark Koopmans, and Cassie Mae are hosting "What If" Fairy Tale Madness Blogfest. Put a spin on your favorite fairy tale and rewrite a scene. This blogfest is filling up fast and will take place August 13-17.

Jeremy Bates is hosting Dog Days of Summer Blog Fest. Sign up on the linky, answer one of three prompts about your summer, and hop around to as many blogs as you can to make new friends (ideally while enjoying a backyard BBQ).

Deana Barnhart's Gearin' Up To Get An Agent Blog O Rama is quickly approaching. The month long party will start September 3. For one month, Deana will be focusing on one agent-grabbing element (platform building, learning the craft, the novel and queries) in an interactive way. She will be giving away plenty of critiques. The blogfest involves agents, authors and a whole host of other fun twists.

Giveaways:

Portable Magic's Katharina Brendel, an intern of Rhemalda Publishing, is giving away 3 paperback or ebooks and 3 critiques for the first 15-20% of your completed fiction MS! Contest runs through Aug 19.

Maji Bookshelf is hosting multiple giveaways. Enter to win one of twelve 2012 debuts (fabulous titles listed) or one of their other four ongoing giveaways for books/ARCs they've reviewed.

And once again, if you like giveaways, Candace's Book Blog and Pure Imagination offer a linky each week where bloggers link up their weekly reviews and giveaways. The idea is brilliant! AND this week currently showcases 84 different giveaways for various books. Stop by to check it out! 

Contest Circuit: July 23

Contests:
Miss Snark's First Victim is hosting a Secret Agent contest on July 23. Submissions are for the first 250 words of your manuscript. Submission windows are open from 9:00-11:00 AM EDT for the first 25 and 7:00-9:00PM EDT for the second 25. Submissions are asking for MG, YA and NA except for fantasy, paranormal, and romance.

Author Kat Murray is hosting a contest where she's giving away a chapter critique by her agent Emmanuelle Morgen. Go to her site, read the first chapter of her book and answer one of two questions she asks in the comments section. She'll be picking one winner on July 23, at 11:59PM EDT.

Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency is hosting a contest for crime, thriller or mystery novels. Submit your first 8,000 words with a synopsis, an introductory letter, and a 250-word bio of your central character. The winner will receive offer of representation. Runners up will receive editorial feedback. Submissions must be exclusive. Contest ends July 31.

Operation Awesome is hosting their next Mystery Agent contest on August 1. Contests usually involve a one sentence pitch or the first sentence of your manuscript. Look for details about this contest a few days prior to August 1.

Novel Novice is hosting a Steampunk genre mash-up contest. Combine any genre with Steampunk in 300 words to enter. Ends July 31. Winners receive a copy of INNOCENT DARKNESS by Suzanne Lazear.

WOW! Women on Writing is holding a Flash Fiction contest with guest judge, Literary Agent Marie Lamba. $10 entry fee with fun cash prizes. This contest has an open prompt. Deadline is August 31.

Unicorn Bell is hosting the School's In Query Contest. Submit your query for your complete manuscript. On Aug 13-17, they will host a Study Hall session. Aug 20-24 they will host a workshop session. Then on Aug 27-31, four editors will be judging them and asking for submissions. See post for more details.

Bloghops:

Morgan Shamy, Leigh Covington, Mark Koopmans, and Cassie Mae are hosting "What If" Fairy Tale Madness Blogfest. Put a spin on your favorite fairy tale and rewrite a scene. This blogfest is filling up fast and will take place August 13-17.

Deana Barnhart's Gearin' Up To Get An Agent Blog O Rama is quickly approaching. The month long party will start September 3. For one month, Deana will be focusing on one agent-grabbing element (platform building, learning the craft, the novel and queries) in an interactive way. She will be giving away plenty of critiques. The blogfest involves agents, authors and a whole host of other fun twists.

DL Hammons is hosting WRiTE CLUB. Anonymously submit any type of 500 word writing sample. Each week, for twelve weeks, two randomly selected samples will go head to head. Winners will be selected by readers via their votes. Victors will move on to the championship round. The winner of the final round will be picked by a panel of agents, editors, marketers, and published authors. DL Hammon's line up for this is phenomenal. Stop by his site to check it out! The first WRiTE begins July 30!

Giveaways:

This week Literary Rambles is giving away THE ROCK OF IVANORE (July 28), UNRAVELING (July 28), THE SELECTION (July 28) and SHADOW AND BONE (Aug 3). I've heard amazing things about all of these books! 

The Writing Nut is giving away copies of Alex J. Cavanaugh's CASSASTAR and CASSAFIRE for leaving a comment about why you'd like a copy of the book. Creativity is encouraged and could earn you extra entries. Ends July 31.

Last but not least, if you like giveaways, Candace's Book Blog and Pure Imagination offer a linky each week where bloggers link up their weekly reviews and giveaways. The idea is brilliant! AND this week currently showcases 84 different giveaways for various books. Stop by to check it out! 

Contest Circuit: July 16

Speaking of fun contests around the blogosphere, I'm participating today in the Hookers and Hangers Blogfest. Click HERE for my lovely hookers. If you'd like to participate, see details below.

On Thursday, I'll be sharing my interview with the fabulous Hope Roberson, the creative mastermind behind this fun blogfest! Stop back and check it out!

Contests:
Brenda Drake of Brenda Drake Writes is hosting a pitch contest with Entangled Publishing on July 16! Again, post your 35 word pitch. Brenda will accept the first 200 entries. Even if you don't get picked for a request, her planning partner Adrien-Luc Sanders will be critiquing ALL 200 pitches.

Savvy Authors hosts MULTIPLE pitch contests with fabulous agents. Agents in July's upcoming pitch contests include Jill Marsal of Marshal Lyon Literary, Laurie McLean of Larsen Pomada Literary Agency, Peter Knapp of Park Literary Group, Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency. You need to be a member to participate, but basic membership is free.

Miss Snark's First Victim is hosting a Secret Agent contest on July 23. Submissions are for the first 250 words of your manuscript. 

Operation Awesome is hosting their next Mystery Agent contest on August 1. Contests usually involve a one sentence pitch or first sentence of our MS. Look for details about this contest a few days prior to August 1. 

WOW! Women on Writing is holding a Flash Fiction contest with guest judge, Literary Agent Marie Lamba. $10 entry fee with fun cash prizes. This contest has an open prompt. Deadline is August 31.

Candilynn Fite hosts a Flash Fiction contest each month. Write 300 words based on a picture prompt she has posted. Deadline is June 20. Winner's received a copy of Catherine Stine's FIRESEED ONE.

Novel Novice is hosting a Steampunk genre mash-up contest. Combine any genre with Steampunk in 300 words to enter. Ends July 31. Winners receive a copy of INNOCENT DARKNESS by Suzanne Lazear.

Bloghops and Giveaways:
Falling For Fiction is hosting a Hookers and Hangers Bloghop. On July 16, you post your "Hookers" - aka the first sentence from a chapter. Then on July 18, you'll post your "Hangers" - the last line from a chapter. Winners will receive a 10 page critique!

Morgan Shamy from Inner Thoughts of a Redhead Writer is hosting "What If" Fairy Tale Madness Blogfest alongside Leigh Covington, Mark Koopmans, and Cassie Mae. Put a spin on your favorite fairy tale and rewrite a scene. This blogfest is filling up fast and will take place August 13-17.

Deana Barnhart's Gearin' Up To Get An Agent Blog O Rama is quickly approaching. The month long party will start September 3. Sign ups begin today, July 16. For one month, Deana will be focusing on one agent-grabbing element (platform building, learning the craft, the novel and queries) in an interactive way. She will be giving away plenty of critiques. I believe it also involves agents, authors and a whole host of other fun twists.

Gracielou is hosting a giveaway of MCV Egan's THE BRIDGES OF DEATH. Sign up with Rafflecopter to win a copy of the book or a $50 Amazon gift certificate. 

Contest Circuit: So Many Contests, So Little Time

This week's list is so exciting, I had to post a little early. Several of these contests happen over the next couple days - including today. Make sure you hop over to these sites and take advantage of them!!

Contests:
Ruth Lauren Steven and Michelle Krys are hosting Christmas in July on July 9th with ten agents! On July 9th send in your query and first 500 in hopes that you'll be picked to be a finalist! Head over to either of their sites NOW and submit your entry!!

Writerly Rejects is hosting a 3-5 sentence pitch contest on July 9th. They will pick their 20 favorite pitches to send to Claire Anderson-Wheeler at Anderson Literary Management. Of them, Claire will choose one to receive a FULL MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE!!

YAtopia is hosting a New Adult Pitch Contest judged by super-agent Sara Megibow and Managing Editor at Entangled Publishing, Heather Howland. Include your 35 word pitch on July 10 to win a request from these ladies!

Brenda Drake of Brenda Drake Writes is hosting a pitch contest with Entangled Publishing on July 16. Again, post your 35 word pitch. Brenda will accept the first 200 entries. Even if you don't get picked for a request, her planning partner Adrien-Luc Sanders will be critiquing ALL 200 pitches.

Savvy Authors hosts MULTIPLE pitch contests with fabulous agents. Agents in July's upcoming pitch contests include Jill Marsal of Marshal Lyon Literary, Laurie McLean of Larsen Pomada Literary Agency, Peter Knapp of Park Literary Group, Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency. You need to be a member to participate, but basic membership is free.

KT Hanna is celebrating her one year Blogiversary with a critique contest featuring literary agent Judith Engracia of Liza Dawson Associates. Enter the Rafflecopter for a chance to win. Contest ends July 10.

Deanna Romito from I Write For Apples is having a contest where you could win a first page critique or a query critique from Amanda Lewis of the Doe Coover Agency.

Writer's Digest is hosting a short story competition. Write about your best summer tales or fictional stories in 1,200 words or less. Winning stories will receive a $25 gift certificate to the Writer's Digest store and promotion on WritersDigest.com. Ends July 15.

Giveaways:
Elizabeth Norris, author of UNRAVELING (my newest book obsession - I can't stop thinking about it!), is giving away her favorite July read SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY by Suzanne Dennard. Ends July 20.

Courtney Vail at Gotta Have YA is giving away a $25 gift certificate and copies of Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER and LAMENT. Ends July 10.

Ingrid Paulson is giving away an ARC of her debut novel VALKYRIE RISING, which comes out in October 2012. Contest ends July 12.

Blog Hops:

Sharon Bayliss and Courtney Young are hosting the Buccaneer Blogfest, an event designed to help bloggers build their platform and create connections. This will run from July 9 - August 3 with three prompts per week.

Falling For Fiction is hosting a Hookers and Hangers Bloghop. On July 16, you post your "Hookers" - aka the first sentence from a chapter. Then on July 18, you'll post your "Hangers" - the last line from a chapter. Winners will receive a 10 page critique!

Contest Circuit: This Week's Contests

Happy 4th of July! For those of you celebrating in the states, I hope you all enjoy a fabulous holiday week! I have some new opportunities to share and some old ones to remind you of. I've been trying to feature new sites each week in hopes of introducing you all to other blogs you might not know about. If any of you have any blogs worth checking out for contests, giveaways, blog hops or other great opportunities, please feel free to pass them along. Leave a note in the comments section!

On Thursday, I'll be posting my interview with Katie Mills - a.k.a. "Creepy Query Girl."I hope to see you back then!

Also CONGRATS to the winners of my first giveaway for signed copies of Veronica Roth's INSURGENT and Elizabeth Norris's UNRAVELING. Ladies - send me your address when you get a chance!

Cordelia Fitzgerald and Tasha

Bloghops and Blog Opportunities:
Morgan Shamy from Inner Thoughts of a Redhead Writer is hosting "What If" Fairy Tale Madness Blogfest alongside Leigh Covington, Mark Koopmans, and Cassie Mae. Put a spin on your favorite fairy tale and rewrite a scene. This blogfest is filling up fast and will take place August 13-17.

Sharon Bayliss and Courtney Young are hosting the Buccaneer Blogfest, an event designed to help bloggers build their platform and create connections. This will run from July 9 - August 3 with three prompts per week.

Falling For Fiction offers Thursday Critiques. Submit ANYTHING up to 250 words for public critique and help from these ladies.

Agent-judged, Editor-judged and Flash Fiction Contests:
YAtopia is hosting a New Adult Pitch Contest judged by super-agent Sara Megibow and Managing Editor at Entangled Publishing, Heather Howland. Include your 35 word pitch on July 10 to win a request from these ladies!

Brenda Drake of Brenda Drake Writes is hosting a pitch contest with Entangled Publishing on July 16. Again, post your 35 word pitch. Brenda will accept the first 200 entries. Even if you don't get picked for a request, her planning partner Adrien-Luc Sanders will be critiquing ALL 200 pitches.

Ruth Lauren Steven and Michelle Krys are hosting Christmas in July on July 9th. They revealed the ten agents involved in this contest today! On July 9th send in your query and first 500 in hopes that you'll be picked to be a finalist!

Author Lauren Oliver is hosting The Collaboration Writing Challenge. She starts a middle grade story and asks for submissions for the next 200 words. She picks the best one, posts it and asks for the next 200 words. She'll repeat this until a full story of 5,000 words is complete!

Giveaways:
Chayse Sundt of Book Reaper is hosting a Mid-Year Reads Giveaway. Enter for a chance to win THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green and MONUMENT 14 by Emmy Laybourne. Ends July 7.

Author Kate Evangelista is giving away a copy of her book TASTE. Contest ends August 1.

Wrighty Reads is giving away a copy of STRUCK. Ends July 13. (I just won this one from Natalie at Literary Rambles - I'm very excited about it!)

Rachael Allen of Rachael Allan Writes is giving away copies of LARKSTORM by Dawn Rae Miller and LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green.

Contest Circuit: This Week's Contests and Giveaways

I'm really excited to share this week's contests, book giveaways, and writing opportunities. Before I do, I came across two blog posts regarding contests that I thought were really insightful. Jennifer Laughran of Andrea Brown Literary Agency posted "On Contests, and Being a Sneaky Agent" on her blog. Julie DeGula posted "Interview with Krista Van Dolzer" on her blog.

Be sure to stop back later in the week for my Literary Circles Blogger Interview with Matthew MacNish!

Can't miss opportunities:
Ruth Lauren Steven is helping match crit partners. This seemed like too good an opportunity not to mention.


The Fiction Diaries was an exciting find for me this week. Among this blog's features are Monday Critiques. Katie Conigliaro critiques 500ish word excerpts sent to her. She also hosts The Writer in You Blog Hop! Every Saturday she posts a prompt that participants respond to and post on their blogs. Then other participants blog hop and respond. It's a great way to meet other bloggers and get feedback on your writing. Check out her site!


Now for some contests and giveaways:

Tall Tales and Short Stories is giving away a 2pg critique from agent Gemma Cooper from The Bright Literary Agency. Just leave a comment on her blog post here! This contest ends June 4th (midnight UK time).

Jamie Ayers posted an interview with author Jamie Rush. If you leave a comment by Wednesday, June 6, you could win a 2pg synopsis or query critique by Jamie Rush. You can also win a copy of Rush's book, Darkness Becomes Her.

Shane Morgan from Itching for Books has a fabulous interview with one of my favorite authors, Lauren Oliver. She is also giving away 2 signed copies of Oliver's books Delirium and Pandemonium. Ends June 6.

Tara Dairman interviews author Ernest Hebert and is giving away a copy of his book Never Back Down. Just leave a comment about the interview. Ends June 6.

Brenda Drake of Brenda Drake Writes is giving away a copy of Eyes of the Seer. Leave a comment answering her question.

Karis Jacobstein of YA Litwit is giving away a signed hardcover copy of Hourglass by Myra McEntire. Ends June 9.

Kathryn Cooper of Clean Teen Fiction is giving away an ARC of Endlessly by Kiersten White. Ends June 7.

Realm of Fiction is giving away Angels Eyes by Shannon Dittemore. Ends June 8.

Katie's Book Blog is starting a monthly giveaway. For every comment you make on her blog, you get one entry. The winner gets to pick from her box of giveaway books, many of which are ARCs!

Courtney Young is having a Wilde's Fire Swag Giveaway to help celebrate Krystal Wade's new book Wilde's Fire. Ends June 8.

Last, but not least...these two sites, Writer's Relief and Stephie Smith, list a whole array of contests.

For ongoing agent-judged contests, giveaways, and flash fiction contests, check here.

If you know of any other contests, please leave them in the comments. I'd also love to know if you enter any!!

Good luck and enjoy!!

Contest Circuit: This Week's Contests

Happy Memorial Day! I hope all of you enjoyed a lovely weekend and were able to celebrate both the service people you know and those strangers who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms.

This week I will posting my first Literary Circles entry, a blogger interview with the fabulous Melodie Wright of Forever Rewrighting. How perfect is her blog title for her? If you've never visited her blog, stop in, say hello, and follow her. She's witty, charming, and helpful. Look for that at the end of this week.

Below are a few new contests I discovered. Most of them take place this week!

Novels During Naptime: To celebrate her recent book deal, Karin Akens is giving away a Full MG/YA Manuscript Critique. In addition, her agent, Victoria Marini will also critique the first three chapters of your MS. For 20 extra entries, you can make a tax-deductible donation to her friends who are trying to adopt a child from Bulgaria. You can read more about their story on her website. This contest ends June 1.

Marisa Cleveland is an Agency Intern at The Seymour Agency. She's hosting a contest for a first page critique by Nicole Resciniti. Contest ends June 1.

Confessions of a Twenty Something Fiction Writer: Victoria Smith is giving away 3 NA ebooks to celebrate reading 500 followers. Contest ends June 1.

Kristi Helvig is hosting a Creative Curse Word Contest - this one just makes me laugh. Whoever gives her the most creative curse word will win a YA book of their choice. If nothing else, stop by just to read over the entries! Ends June 1.

Unicorn Bell: The writers at Unicorn Bell call for submissions each Monday. Submissions are usually 250-300 words. Entries are then posted anonymously for critique. This may not be a typical contest, but it's too wonderful an opportunity not to mention! This week's critique calls for submissions that include dialogue. Email submissions by Thursday, May 31.

We Do Write: Dorothy Dreyer is hosting an agent-judged contest called the Three Two One Pitch Contest. Post your three sentence pitch on June 7&8. A mystery agent will pick the winner for a full manuscript request.

Last week's post also mentioned several contests with a deadline sometime this week.

For a list of ongoing agent-judged contests, query contests, flash fiction contests, and giveaways, click here or go to my Contest Circuit tab.