Top Ten Movie Countdown Blogfest

Today Alex J Cavanaugh is hosting the Top Ten Movie Countdown - something I thought would be easy when I signed up for this. Even though I've toiled over this list all weekend, I couldn't come up with a strong top ten. It's so much pressure and responsibility coming up with the best ten movies of all time that I blanked. In fact, I could only come up with two (1) The Princess Bride and (2) Life is Beautiful. So I cheated. I googled "top ten movies of all time" and found more to add to the list that I shall call my "close enough list." In no particular order:

1. Princess Bride
2. Life Is Beautiful
3. The Shawshank Redemption
4. Inception
5. It's a Wonderful Life - Here's where my cheating really pays off - I never would have thought of this one
6. Slumdog Millionaire
7. Forrest Gump
*And here's where it gets dicey*
8. Something from Disney - either Monster's Inc or The Little Mermaid because of the whole red-headed princess thing.
9. Some kind of action movie with a romantic interest (even better if it has humor and/or Matt Damon in it) The Bourne Identity perhaps?
10. I'm leaving this one blank with the hopes that Silver Lining Playbook (which is exactly my kind of movie) fills it. I've heard it isn't as great as I want it to be, but I love the idea of the plot and the characters so much, I have to keep a spot reserved for it - just in case.

Alright, which obvious ones did I miss? Anyone?

Contest Circuit: February 25

I came across Carissa Taylor's Pitch Factory post sometime in the last couple weeks. She shares several great resources for generating pitches, including the pitch generator. Similar to Mad Libs, you fill in a handful of info about your MS and it generates a pitch for you. I tried it, and while it didn't generate a stellar polished pitch, it did create a great starting place. If you're planning to enter Pitch Madness or Operation Awesome's Secret Agent contest, it's worth checking out!

Happy Monday!

Contests:

Brenda Drake is once again hosting Pitch Madness on March 26-28. Submission window opens on March 15. Get your 35 (max) word pitch and your 1st 250 ready to pitch.

Women on Writing is hosting a flash fiction contest due Feb 28. Open prompt should be 750 words or less. The contest will be judged by agent Jennifer DeChiara.

Operation Awesome is hosting their next Secret Agent contest on March 1 for PB, MG, and YA mysteries, historical and contemporary. Shine up your one sentence pitches for it.

Blog Hops, Flash Fiction and Giveaways:

The A-Z Challenge will be in April. The sign-up list is already up along with plenty of suggestions on how to survive it. 

Live to Read is giving away 100+ books this month of some incredible titles.

In addition to giving away weekly books, Natalie Aguirre and Casey McCormick of Literary Rambles are celebrating 3000 followers with a huge giveaway. Ends midnight March 9.

Daisy Carter is critiquing query letters and/or the first 250 of your WIP on her blog. To submit your work, send her an email which can be found on her site.

Kyra Lennon and Clare Dugmore are hosting The Bloghop of Joy on March 1. List small sometimes slightly unusual things that cheer you up.

Suze from Subliminal Coffee, Nicki Elson, and Mary Pax are hosting Back From the Future Blog Party on March 1. If you received a package one day from yourself ten years in the future, what would be in it?

Mark Koopmans will be hosting the Who's Your Paddy? "Got Green" BlogO'hop Version 2.0. Save the date. March 15. Details to come - already sounds like fun.

Alex J Cavanaugh will also be hosting Top Ten Movie Countdown Blogfest on March 18. List your top ten favorite movies.

Contest Circuit: January 7

Happy New Year! With the new year, I'm going to be switching things around a bit to accommodate for some big life transitions that 2013 is sure to bring. I'll only be posting on Mondays - except for the occasional blog hop and of course IWSG, which happens on the first Wednesday of every month. I'm planning on posting about contests, blog hops and giveaways every other Monday instead of every Monday like I did in 2012. That makes room for two Mondays a month for me to post about anything random. *insert evil laugh and twittling fingers* And of course, I'm hoping it frees up some much needed writing time as well.

Over break, I read a two part post from Dee of I Write for Apples about why contests are so fabulous. I couldn't have said it better myself...so I won't even try. Check out her blog instead. She's fabulous! Part One here! Part Two here!

I've been away from the blogosphere for so long, I'm sure I missed something. Feel free to add to this list in the comments section!

Contests:
Miss Snark will be hosting a Secret Agent Contest on Jan 14. Details go up on the 7th.

The ladies who brought you Pitch Wars will also be hosting a Twitter Pitch Party on Jan 25. Prepare your 140 character pitch AND include the hashtag #PitMad.

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest: Submit your MS in any one of their five categories. Send your MS of 50,000-150,000 words, an excerpt of 3,000-5,000 words, a pitch, and author bio info. Entries will be accepted between Jan 14-Jan 27.

Cupid at Cupid's Literary Connection is hosting Blind Speed Dating again this year in February. She's upped the competition this year by adding to the contest involving interns, authors and agents, an auction and a private writer's conference on "Mt. Olympus." AND a kissing scene competition AND "even more goodness iced with gooey epic frosting." It all sounds seriously awesome and fun. Check out her site for details. Entry is $10.

Women on Writing is hosting a flash fiction contest due Feb 28. Open prompt should be 750 words or less. The contest will be judged by agent Jennifer DeChiara.

Blog Hops, Flash Fiction and Giveaways:

The Geek Twins, LK Hill, and Just a Dash of Geek are hosting My Favorite Martian Bloghop on Jan 14. Post about your all time favorite aliens and why you love them.

The Peasants Revolt is hosting a Flashback Blog Hop. Sign up and share one of your posts from 2012 - something you're proud of or something that makes you ask "what was I thinking?" Participants are eligible for a $20 amazon gift card.

Alex J Cavanaugh will also be hosting his first blog hop on March 18 with details TBA.

The A-Z Challenge will be in April. The sign-up list will begin on Jan 30. Last year, over 1700 participants joined.

Lindsay Cummings is celebrating her upcoming book release with a huge giveaway of some ARCs and fabulous new releases. AND if her book gets 3K "to-reads" on Goodreads, her agent Louise Fury will give aways a critique of your first 3 chapters and query letter.  Giveaway ends Jan 8.

Romantic Friday Writers is hosting a flash fiction contest New Year! New Love! Post your flash fiction piece before Jan 21 and hop around to read other entries as well.

Contest Circuit: December 3

December...really? December already? How did that sneak up on me so quickly? I didn't have a lot of time to surf around for the happenings hitting the blogosphere this past week. If I missed something, let me know! 

Looking forward to IWSG this Wednesday!

Contests: 

Pitch Wars. 31 agented authors or industry interns "coaches" will be teaming up with aspiring authors. Nov 26 coaches will post the genres they are interested in working with. Dec 5 aspiring authors will apply to their 3 top choices for coaches. If picked, each coach will read and give comments about your entire manuscript and query. Jan 23-24 Agents will read pitches and make requests. See any of the coaches' sites for details like Monica B.W's site Love YA!

Jessa Russo and Tamara aka Feaky Snucker are hosting Holiday Pitchfest on December 4-6. They are having a workshop on Dec 4 to hone your pitch followed by a blog pitch party AND a Twitter pitch party the next two days. See THIS POST for a list of participating editors and agents.

Blog Hops and Flash Fiction:

Victoria Smith and Jaycee Delorenzo are hosting The Mating Game Blog Hop. Choose a couple from your MS. On Dec 3 hop around to five judges' blogs where they will have dating game type questions for your characters to answer. Then post those answers on Dec 10.

Romantic Friday Writers is hosting Holiday Spirit Blogfest. They are looking for excerpts of up to 800 words (fiction or nonfiction) that focus on a family tradition, unique family recipes, inspirational articles - anything that captures the holiday spirit of whichever holiday you celebrate. The linky will be open from Dec 12-31.

I'm a Reader Not a Writer and Oasis for YA are hosting their third annual Mid Winter's Eve Giveaway Hop. Sign up if you'd like to participate in the giveaway, or check out the list of 100+ bloggers already signed up to giveaway great prizes! Dec 21-27.

Morgan Shamy, Mark Koopmans, David Powers King and Stephen Tremp are hosting Cheers, Cavanaugh Blogfest on Dec 10-12. Pay tribute to rock-star blogger Alex Cavanaugh by answering questions that describe him: What does he look like? Who would play him in a documentary? Who does Alex remind you of? There is a bit of flash fiction fun and you can comment to Mrs. Cavanaugh for bonus points. Since Cavanaugh is such an enigma, these answers will be fun to read. The prize is one of the best parts... signed copy of CassaStar or a picture of Alex and a download of him playing his guitar (either of which are not to be shared online). The masterminding behind this one cracks me up. Well done Morgan, Mark, David and Stephen!

Emily R King and Tammy Theriault are hosting "And You Are...?" Blog Hop. For this clever and entertaining blog hop, Mrs. Claus is giving away three presents to three lucky people who answer David Spade's interview questions. Dec 3.

Word and Stuff is hosting Baby Faces Blogfest on Dec 2-3. For Trisha's first blogfest celebrating her blogiversary, post a picture of yourself as a baby/toddler or tell a story about yourself when you were a baby.

Tyrean Martinson and M. Pax are hosting Hobbit Fest. To celebrate the movie's release, Tyrean and M. Pax have four Hobbit related questions for you to answer. Dec 14.

Giveaways:

Smitten Over Books is giving away a pre-order for one of 11 upcoming new releases next year. Ends Dec 25.

Contest Circuit: November 26

What do David Spade, Alex Cavanaugh and the Hobbit all have in common? They make up the oh-so creative themes of December's blogfests! 

I hope you all had plenty to be thankful for this past week. Happy Monday!

Contests: 

Pitch Wars. 31 agented authors or industry interns "coaches" will be teaming up with aspiring authors. Nov 26 coaches will post the genres they are interested in working with. Dec 5 aspiring authors will apply to their 3 top choices for coaches. If picked, each coach will read and give comments about your entire manuscript and query. Jan 23-24 Agents will read pitches and make requests. See any of the coaches' sites for details like Monica B.W's site Love YA!

Operation Awesome is hosting a Mystery Agent contest on December 1. Enter your one sentence pitch for a chance to win a full MS request! The Mystery Agent is looking for YA and MG. See site for subgenres.

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.

Savvy Authors is hosting a Pitch Your Book opportunity to Kerri Nelson of Prism Book Group on Nov 30.

Scribophile is hosting a NaNo Spectacular First Chapter contest. Ends Nov 30. Cash prizes of $50 and $25 available. You must be a member, but membership is free.

Scribophile is also hosting a Haiku Break Contest for cash prizes. Ends Nov 30.

Blog Hops and Flash Fiction:

Victoria Smith and Jaycee Delorenzo are hosting The Mating Game Blog Hop. Choose a couple from your MS. On Dec 3 hop around to five judges' blogs where they will have dating game type questions for your characters to answer. Then post those answers on Dec 10.

Romantic Friday Writers is hosting Holiday Spirit Blogfest. They are looking for excerpts of up to 800 words (fiction or nonfiction) that focus on a family tradition, unique family recipes, inspirational articles - anything that captures the holiday spirit of whichever holiday you celebrate. The linky will be open from Dec 12-31.

I'm a Reader Not a Writer and Oasis for YA are hosting their third annual Mid Winter's Eve Giveaway Hop. Sign up if you'd like to participate in the giveaway, or check out the list of 100+ bloggers already signed up to giveaway great prizes! Dec 21-27.

Morgan Shamy, Mark Koopmans, David Powers King and Stephen Tremp are hosting Cheers, Cavanaugh Blogfest on Dec 10-12. Pay tribute to rock-star blogger Alex Cavanaugh by answering questions that describe him: What does he look like? Who would play him in a documentary? Who does Alex remind you of? There is a bit of flash fiction fun and you can comment to Mrs. Cavanaugh for bonus points. Since Cavanaugh is such an enigma, these answers will be fun to read. The prize is one of the best parts... signed copy of CassaStar or a picture of Alex and a download of him playing his guitar (either of which are not to be shared online). The masterminding behind this one cracks me up. Well done Morgan, Mark, David and Stephen!

Emily R King and Tammy Theriault are hosting "And You Are...?" Blog Hop. For this clever and entertaining blog hop, Mrs. Claus is giving away three presents to three lucky people who answer David Spade's interview questions. Dec 3.

Word and Stuff is hosting Baby Faces Blogfest on Dec 2-3. For Trisha's first blogfest celebrating her blogiversary, post a picture of yourself as a baby/toddler or tell a story about yourself when you were a baby.

Tyrean Martinson and M. Pax are hosting Hobbit Fest. To celebrate the movie's release, Tyrean and M. Pax have four Hobbit related questions for you to answer. Dec 14.

Giveaways:

The Giveaway of all Giveaways....Beth Revis is giving away nearly 50 signed books - and amazing titles at that. Seriously - go to her site just to see the list she's complied. Ends Nov 30.

Smitten Over Books is giving away a pre-order for one of 11 upcoming new releases next year. Ends Dec 25.

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.