Contest Circuit: January 21

Today's Circuit post has something for everyone. With four contests and sixteen creative, funny, or touching blog hops, it's hard not to find one to participate in. Anyone signed up for one of these already? Any I didn't mention?

Contests:

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. She still has three entry windows left on Jan 24, Jan 29, and Feb 1. Enter your query and first 250 in either of these windows to hopefully get past the "Bouncer Round." Chosen MS's will advance to the agent round. 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 A-Z Challenge will be in April. The sign-up list will begin on Jan 30. Last year, over 1700 participants joined.

Every Wednesday, YA Highway hosts Road Trip Wednesday. YA Highway posts a question for you to answer. After you post your answer, leave a note in their comments section with a link to your post. Then, you hop around and read other bloggers' answers. (Check each Wednesday for a new link of that week's and next week's questions).

VikLit of Scribblings of an Aspiring Author is hosting a weekly blog hop Celebrate the Small Things. Each Friday, post something you wish to celebrate achieving or doing that week. It can be life related, writing related, reading related - whatever you want to celebrate. I love the idea behind this. We could all use a little bit more celebration over the small stuff. 

Kazka Press puts out a monthly electronic issue full of Scifi, Fantasy and Horror short stories. They offer a theme for each month and accept submissions of stories between 713-1,000 words. They pay $10 per story. The next theme is for 713 Flash Fiction is "Spring Training." Submissions due by Feb 20 for the March 2013 issue.

To celebrate her book release, 18 Things, Jamie Ayres is hosting What Are Your 18 Things Blogfest. Blog about your bucket list.  She also has 18 prizes to give away to participants. Jan 17-24.

Sharon Bayliss is hosting The Worldbuilding Blogfest. In a series of five posts on Jan 28-Feb 1, you'll be asked to flesh out the details of your manuscripts make-believe or real life setting. Sharon will have a raffle for those who participate. She'll be giving away autographed copies of her upcoming novel, The Charge, which will come out March 2, along with a full manuscript critique, a partial critique and other fun books. 

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?

Annalisa Crawford and Kyra Lennon are hosting Imaginary Friend Bloghop on Feb 1. Share your imaginary friend stories. Participants have the chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card or a three chapter critique from Kyra. 

Jolie Du Pre from Precious Monsters is hosting Vampire Bite Blog Hop. Blog about vampires on Feb 14 and hop around to read other entries.

M.L. Swift is hosting Progressive Book Club. Read the book he's chosen about writing and post your comments about it on the third Wednesday of each month. The first book selected is one of my favorites, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.

Nick Wilford of Scattergun Scribblings is hosting his first blogfest. The theme is Overcoming Adversity (for something you believe in). Post on Feb 4 or 5. Keep your entry to 500 words. The coolest part about this is that Nick will be using the entries to compile an anthology. Proceeds from this anthology will be used to help Nick's stepson, Andrew, who has cerebral palsy, attend a college that would not only meet his needs, but also help him continue to excel. What a beautiful idea, Nick.

Misha Gericke is hosting The Word Master Challenge. Each month, she'll have a new theme to write about. January's theme: How Not to Write  Novel Beginning. Keep posts to 300 words. Post anytime in Jan. The winner will be announced Feb 8 and will win a voucher to an Internet book vendor or a 10 chapter critique from Misha.

Stephen Tremp, Mark Koopmans, Elise Fallson and C.M. Brown are hosting Re-Introduce Myself Blogfest on Jan 28. Simply take a moment to say something fun about yourself. 

Michelle from Writer-in-Transit and Elise Fallson are celebrating their blogoversaries with the She Said What? Giveaway Bash. On Feb 18, they will post two comic strips on their sites. You will need to select one and fill in the dialogue for your post on Feb 20. Winners will be announced on the 22nd.

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 his first blog hop on March 18 with details TBA.

Contest Circuit: November 5

Happy NaNoMo for those of you ambitious enough to participate! One post I came across that I wanted to pass on was Krista Van Dolzer's Two Writerly Ways to Help Those Affected by Superstorm Sandy. She mentions some great opportunities for a good cause. I'll be back for my dual post on Wednesday for IWSG and I'm Thankful for My Readers Blog Hops. Until then, let me know if I missed anything! 

Happy Monday!

Contests:

Miss Snark's First Victim her third annual Baker's Dozen contest with 13 agents. YA/MG submissions are Nov 6 and Nov 8. 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.

Writer's Digest is holding a Short Story competition. Enter your story by Nov 15 of 1500 words or less for a chance to win $3000, national exposure and a paid trip to the Writer's Digest conference in NYC.

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.

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.

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 It's Time to Give Back. They will be sharing details on November 19. Until then, they are keeping us all in suspense with their promises that this will be epic. Looking forward to learning more!!

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: October 1

Contests, Blog hops, and Giveaways:

Brenda Drake of Brenda Drake Writes...under the influence of coffee still has THREE upcoming contests. Novella Pitch to Month9Books on Oct 1: Pitch your novella (12K-20K) in five to six sentences to publisher Month9Books. A Super Secret Pitch Contest on Oct 15-19: Create a video of your elevator pitch and sign up for the blogfest. On Oct 15-17 judges will hop around and choose the top 30 pitches to be viewed by agents on Oct 18-19. Finally, Brenda is hosting Trick or Treat with an Agent with Kimberly Chase and Deanna Romito on Oct 24.

Miss Snark's First Victim is hosting her third annual Baker's Dozen contest with 13 agents. Oct 30.

Harper Voyager, the scifi/fant imprint of HarperCollins will be accepting unagented manuscripts from Oct 1-Oct 14. This isn't a contest, but it's too great an opportunity not to mention.

NA Alley is hosting Editor in the Alley, a pitch contest with Entagled Publishing's Editor Libby Murphy. Include the query and first 250 of your NA manuscript. The submission window will open Oct 3 at 8:00 amEST.

Deanna Romito, Summer Heacock and Kat Ellis are hosting Hook, Line and Sinker. This contest will accept entries in MG, YA and Adult and involves five agents. More details to come. The entry window opens at 11 a.m. EST on Oct 13.

Jamie Corrigan is hosting Spooktacular Pitch Extravaganza. She'll be taking submissions Oct 13-16. On Oct 17, she'll pull 50 names from a hat. Those entries will email her a 3 line pitch and your first 250 for agents Brittany Booker and Jordy Albert of Corvisiero Literary Agency to win your pitches. More details coming Oct 8. 

YATopia and Down Under Wonderings are hosting a YA pitch contest, Get Your Pitch On. Submit your pitch of 50-70 words and editor Marisa Pintado of Hardie Grant Egmont will be judging them on Oct. 15. They are even hosting workshops to prepare for it starting Oct 1.

Sharon Bayliss and Curiosity Quills are hosting The Haunted Writing Clinic and Contest. The blogfest begins Oct 8 with coaching and critiques. It ends Oct 31 with your submissions of queries and first pages to three editors from Curiosity Quills.

Jane Ann McLachlam is hosting the October Memoir and Backstory Blog Challenge. Blog 25 times in one month! Blog every day about a memory or event that took place during each year for the first 25 years of your life. Starts Oct 1.

Alex J Cavanaugh and Ciara Knight are hosting Did I Notice Your Book Blogfest on Oct 17. Post about a book you've noticed (not a NYT bestseller). Shout out on social media sites until the author finds his or her book. Don't tell the author you've mentioned him or her. When the authors find their books, leave a post for Alex and Ciara letting them know. 

Poisoned Pen Press is seeking submissions for YA mysteries (45K and 90K) to celebrate their new imprint The Poisoned Pencil.

 

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.

Adam Heine over at Author's Echo posts "First Impact Critiques" every Wednesday. Submit any material to him under 300 words and he'll critique it. Bloggers can also offer critiques. Doing so will put them in a monthly drawing for cool prizes.

Genre Favorites Blogfest and Contest Circuit: Sept 17

This week, my giveaway for Liz Norris's Unraveling ends on Thursday. My birthday is Thursday. What better way to celebrate than by giving away a fabulous book that I loved reading this summer! You can enter my going HERE.

Genre Favorites Blogfest:
Before I get to this week's contests, blog hops and giveaways, I'm participating today in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Blogfest. List your favorite genre of movie, music, books and a guilty pleasure from any of those categories.

Movie: I love action/thriller/drama movies. I love a good intense build up. I love twists and turns that keep me guessing. I love a good fight scene - hold the gore please. However, my action/thriller MUST have good characterization and some type of romance in it. I'm such a sucker for romance.

Music: Coffee House Rock. I'm convinced one of God's greatest creations is Pandora. I love my Damien Rice station. Ironically, I'm a bit burned out on Damien himself, but I love what Pandora offers me as his contemporaries.

Books: Young Adult. In the last few years, I've started reading almost exclusively YA, partly because I'm a middle school English teacher. But also because I've stopped wanting to read books about serious "adult" topics. YA books tend to have an element of hope and naiveté that keep them just a bit more lighthearted. Naturally, I especially love YA with an element of romance to it.

My guilty pleasure: Pretty much any story about young love, which often makes me feel like a literary cougar. I've found myself loving Peeta, Four, even Edward pre-Rob Pattinson. My other guilty pleasure involves whatever genre mash-up makes up Princess Bride, and lately Snow White and the Huntsman.

Contests, Blog Hops and Giveaways:
Krista Van Dolzer is hosting "An Agent's Inbox" with literary agent Victoria Marini. Entries include queries and the first 250 words of your MS. Ms. Marini will select the winners and announce the prizes after reading the entries. Submission window opens on Sept 17 at 1:00 EST.

Brenda Drake of Brenda Drake Writes...under the influence of coffee has worked really hard to put together FOUR upcoming contests. Seriously? She's amazing. 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.

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. Small Press Pitch Contest Call for Entries is Friday, Sept 28.

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.

Writer Therapy is having a first page contest. Enter your first pages for a chance to win critiques by literary agents Sara Crowe, Molly Ker Hawn, and Nicole Resciniti. Entries must be in by Sept 29.

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. Entries should be posted between Sept 15 and Sept 30.

Miss Snark's First Victim is hosting her third annual Baker's Dozen contest with 13 agents. Enter your first 250 and a log-line. Critique rounds begin Sept 24. The actual contest begins Oct 30.

Harper Voyager, the scifi/fant imprint of HarperCollins will be accepting unagented manuscripts from Oct 1-Oct 14. This isn't a contest, but it's too great an opportunity not to mention.

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.

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: 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.