Winners - First Campaigner Challenge (Fourth Campaign)

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Well, the votes and judging for the First Campaigner Challenge are now in, and I'm really excited to be able to announce all the winners in this post! With 210 awesome entries in the Challenge, and hundreds of people voting on those they liked the best (not to mention the fantastic work by the judges), it's been an awesome few weeks. I hope you've all had a great time too!

As with previous Challenges, Winners have been chosen in three categories:

1. People's Choice Awards - chosen by you in the voting (by clicking "Like" on the entries);
2. Places awarded by the judges, who've done an absolutely fantastic job of winnowing 210 entries down to the top 10 under the supreme organizational genius of Michael Offutt; and
3. Random prizes (chosen by Mr. Random.org).

Before I reveal the winners, I'd love you all to offer up a huge thanks to five awesome people who helped me out with this First Campaigner Challenge. Michael Offutt, who single-handedly organized the legion of judges through three rounds of judging and brought order into the depths of chaos - I couldn't have done this without him! And Ozlem Yikici, Steph Schmidt, and Kathleen Doyle, who've done an amazing job administering the prizes and communicating with the prize donors.  I'd also like to thank K.T. Hanna, for all her awesome help with the Campaigner Notice-Board.

To thank them for all of their help, I'd love them to accept this Campaign Appreciation Badge :)

And now to the winners...*drumroll* (We have heaps of prizes, so if by chance you receive a US only prize but you live internationally, email me asap and we'll see what we can come up with).

People's Choice Awards

First Place: Kevin Hiatt (120 votes)
Second Place: Jessica McKendry (108 votes)
Third Place: Carrie Butler (48 votes)
Fourth Place: David Powers King (42 votes)
Fifth Place: Alynza (37 votes)
Sixth Place: Morgan Shamy (33 votes)
Seventh Place (tied): Alyssa McKendry (30 votes)
Seventh Place (tied): Rachel Morgan (30 votes)

Congratulations guys!!! And as for what you've won, here it is:

In First Place, Kevin Hiatt has won:

1. A full manuscript critique, donated by Carl Duzett. Carl says: “I will provide a critical read of a full-length work. The winner must contact me via email with their work attached. My feedback will be honest and geared towards improvement, not towards validation. Allow a 2-3 week turnaround on the critique.” 
2. ARCs of Anna Carey's EVE (YA Dystopia), Martha Southgate's A TASTE OF SALT (Contemporary Fiction), and Jennifer Castle's THE BEGINNING OF AFTER and/or AMERICAN DERVISH, donated by Jenn Baker-Henry (US/Canada only). 

In Second Place, Jessica McKendry has won:

1. A critique of the first five chapters/twenty pages of your manuscript (whichever is longer) or a complete short story. In addition I will offer a critique for the overall design of your book cover and advice on artistic direction, donated by Ozlem Yikici.
2. ARCs of INTERRUPTED by Rachel Coker (release March 2012), NUMBERS INFINITY by Rachel Ward (Release May 2012), and ONCE by Anna Carey (Release July 2012), donated by Alison Miller.

In Third Place, Carrie Butler has won:

1. A detailed 20 page critique (double-spaced) or first chapter critique (whichever is smaller), and a $15 Barnes & Noble voucher (by email), donated by K.T. Hanna.
2. An ARC of LIVING VIOLET by Jaime Reed, and a copy of HEREAFTER by Tara Hudson, donated by Akossiwa Ketoglo (US/Canada only).
3. A copy of the ebook CURSE OF ANCIENT SHADOWS (YA Fantasy) by Rod Tyson, donated by Rod Tyson.

In Fourth Place, David Powers King has won:

1. A partial critique (up to 30 pages) of a manuscript and/or query letter donated by Jenn Baker-Henry .
2. A signed copy of Holly Black’s WHITE CAT, donated by Celesta (US only).
3. The first three books in the Sefuty Chronicles by Alberta Ross (e-books from Smashwords, in the format the winner prefers), donated by Alberta Ross.

In Fifth Place, Alynza has won:

1. A query and first chapter critique, donated by Mark Koopmans.
2. A TOUCH MORTAL by Leah Clifford, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis, SNITCH by Allison van Diepen, donated by Liz (US only)
3. Book Swag (for ORACLE by J.C. Martin) including postcard, bookmarks, and magnet, donated by J.C. Martin.

In Sixth Place, Morgan Shamy has won:

1. A first chapter or first 2000 words critique, donated by Lynda R. Young.
2. An ebook copy of URCHIN KING (YA Historical Fantasy) by Katherina Gerlach (Smashwords voucher or directly via email), donated by Katherina Gerlach. 

In Seventh Place, Alyssa McKendry has won:

1. A first chapter critique, donated by Amymarie
   

In Seventh Place, Rachel Morgan has won:

1. A 10 page critique of a manuscript, donated by Jenny.

Judging Round

The prizes below have been awarded based on the standard of your entries, as judged by our awesome judges! Once the judges had determined the top 10 Finalists, I decided which place each Finalist would be awarded. And boy was it hard, the entries were all SOOOO good!

Here are the Finalists and their prizes:

1. First Place: Kevin Hiatt (and congratulations on winning both first places!) 
2. Second Place: Sher A Hart 
3. Third Place: Angeline Trevena 
4. Fourth Place: Brooke R. Busse 
5. Fifth Place: Carrie Bastyr 
6. Sixth Place: Kerri Cuevas 
7. Seventh Place: Sarah Pearson 
8. Eighth Place: Esther Spurrill-Jones 
9. Ninth Place: Andy Brokaw 
10. Tenth Place: Tara Tyler 

Congratulations, you all really deserve it!!! 

In First Place, Kevin Hiatt has won:

1. A $20 Amazon/Kindle giftcard, donated by Melissa.
2. A signed copy of BRISTOL bOYZ STOMP by Doreen McGettigan and a 100 page critique, donated by Doreen McGettigan.
3. A copy of HOOKED: WRITE FICTION THAT GRABS READERS AT PAGE ONE AND NEVER LETS THEM GO by Les Edgerton, donated by Christine Tyler (USPS media mail - US only).

In Second Place, Sher A Hart has won:

1. A book of the winner’s choosing up to a $15 value on Amazon, donated by David P. King.
2. A 5K or 20 page critique (whichever comes first), donated by Melissa.
3. A signed copy of each of the current books in the MEANT TO BE series (MEANT TO BE and THE COUPLES) by Richard Alan (and a free download via Smashwords coupon of both books), donated by Richard Alan (US/Canada only).
4. An ebook copy of OPRESSION (CHILDREN OF THE GODS #1) by Jessica Therrien, donated by Jessica Therrien.

In Third Place, Angeline Trevena has won:

1. A query and first 20 page critique, donated by Cortney Pearson.
2. A $10 e-giftcard to Barnes & Noble, donated by Komal Lewis.
3. An ARC of GRIMM by Anna Waggener, donated by Anna Waggener (US/Canada only).
4. An ebook copy of CURSE OF ANCIENT SHADOWS by Rod Tyson, donated by Rod Tyson.

In Fourth Place, Brooke R. Busse has won:

1. A $10 Amazon gift card, donated by Lady Gwen.
2. A signed copy of ARTICLE 5 by Kristen Simmons and a first chapter critique, donated by Julie Maughon.
3. A copy of DARK MIND by Jennifer Chase, donated by Jennifer Chase (US/Canada only).

In Fifth Place, Carrie Bastyr has won:

1. A $10 e-gift card to a national coffee shop chain, donated by Jenn Baker-Henry. 
2. A ten page critique and a signed copy of ERAGON by Christopher Paolini, donated by Kate Coursey (US/Canada only).



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3. An ebook copy of HOW TO DATE AN ALIEN by Magan Vernon, donated by Magan Vernon.

In Sixth Place, Kerri Cuevas has won:

1. A critique of a first chapter (up to 10 pages or 3000 words) OR query critique,
2. donated by Julie Daines.
3. A copy of BESTEST.RAMADAN.EVER by Medeia Sharif, donated by Medeia Sharif (US/Canada only).

In Seventh Place, Sarah Pearson has won:

1. A 15 page critique, donated by Avery Marsh.
2. An ebook copy of VOODOO DUES and a copy of the follow-up VAMPIRE BLUES by Stephany Simmons, donated by Stephany Simmons.

In Eighth Place, Esther Spurrill-Jones has won:

1. A query critique OR a critique of the first ten pages of a manuscript, donated by Susan Francino.
2. A signed copy of THE DRAGON AND THE CROW by T.B. McKenzie, donated by T.B. McKenzie

In Ninth Place, Andy Brokaw has won:

1. A detailed critique of first 15 pages, donated by Margo Kelly.

In Tenth Place, Tara Tyler has won:

1. A critique of 2500 words, donated by Jodi Su Tharan.

Random Prizes

And just because I can, I'm awarding 7 random prizes, chosen by Mr. Random.org! The winners (and prizes) are:

1. Cortney Pearson - A book cover design or blog banner, donated by Shelley Koon and a one page critique, donated by Cherie Reich. 
2. Roland Yeomans - A $10 Barnes & Noble gift card, donated by Miranda Hardy (US only) and a one page critique, donated by Cherie Reich. 
3. Synithia W - A signed copy of DEPRESSION COOKIES by Tia Bach, donated by Tia Bach.
4. Siv Maria - A copy of the ebook CURSE OF ANCIENT SHADOWS by Rod Tyson, donated by Rod Tyson.
5. RaeAnn - A critique of winner’s query, donated by Nancy S. Thompson.
6. Sylvia van Bruggen - An ebook copy of BLUEBERRY TRUTH by Ute Carbone (in a format preferred by the winner), donated by Ute Carbone. 
7. Megan Orsini - A one page critique, donated by Cherie Reich.

Congratulations to all the winners, you've done such a great job in this Challenge!!! Remember, you've been chosen from 210 entries - how awesome is that! We'll be asking the donors to contact you directly regarding your prizes in most cases, but some donors have asked some winners to get in touch with them - if that is the case, we'll send you an email to let you know. If you have any questions/concerns about your prize, please email me.

And don't forget, the Second Campaigner Challenge is now taking place, so make sure you enter before 11.59pm EDT on Friday.

 

Campaigner Notice-Board (Friday, February 24th, 2012)

Hey guys, another week of my Fourth Campaign has now passed :)

The First Campaigner Challenge is going fabulously, and we've just hit the magic 200 entries!!! There's still time to enter, though only a few hours left until 11.59pm Friday, EDT, so get in quick! "Like" voting will be open for another week for those making their way through all the awesome entries. The judges are hard at work (thank you judges!) on judging your entries, and we're sorting out and allocating prizes as we speak.

Make sure you come back for the Second Campaigner Challenge on Monday, March 5th. I'm putting the finishing touches on the Challenge now, and it'll be much harder *grins* (though there'll be easier options too for those of you who wish to take them). Here's a clue:

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And, of course, check out these great blogfests, contests, and other announcements:

• From K.T. Hanna at K.T. Hanna – The Scribble Muse: March 2012 is a #writemotivation Goal-Check Month! "The point of a #writemotivation Goal-Check Months is not about competition or getting first or second place - the only competition is with yourself and that damned writer’s ego. There will be rewards in the way of critiques, betas, and perhaps technical blog help for those who achieve their personal goals. Sign Up closes Feb 28 11:59pm CST. Check it out here! 
• From Callie Kingston at Callie Kingston: Blog Tour for Undertow runs Feb. 16 through March 13th. Giveaways at each stop, plus entry to grand prize drawing. Drop by my blog and take a look! 
• From Mark Koopmans at Aloha, and Hi! from Hi!: As I was born and reared in Dublin, Ireland, I'm mad excited for my Blog O'Hop with the theme of Got Irish - Get Pinched If You Don't Post! The linky list will officially open from March 12 to March 16, with the invitation to post the next day, which is, of course St. Patrick's Day :) 
• From Daniel R. Marvello at The Vaetra Files: If you have published a fantasy book that includes magic, consider joining your peers at The Magic Appreciation Tour and Book Sale. This is a unique Web-site is specifically for fans of magical fantasy, where readers find books and authors find friends. The Magic Appreciation Tour includes other Campaign alumnae (Roger Eschbacher and Katharina Gerlach) and the current Campaigner Vanna Smythe.
• From Daisy Carter at Fresh as a Daisy: In honor of the campaign, Daisy Carter is having a multiple books GIVEAWAY! Enter by March 5th for your chance to win! Check it out here! 
• From Alison Miller at Left Brained all Day; Write Brained - All the Time: Alison Miller is giving away ARCs of Wanderlove, I Hunt Killers, and more. Contest ends March 2. Check out this post! 
• From A.E. Martin at A.E. Martin: I'm giving a way a signed copy of Jessica Spotswood's debut novel Born Wicked. Follow my blog and leave a comment for a chance to win! Giveaway closes 2/29/12. 
• From Komal at Komal Lewis: I'm holding a giveaway to celebrate reaching 100 followers! Head on over for your chance to win e-gift cards for Barnes & Noble or Amazon! Check it out here! 
• From Amanda at Born Bookish: Do you love novels in verse? Amanda's hosting a novels in verse reading challenge. Click here to learn more. 
• From Jessica Therrien at Jessica Therrien - From Imagination to Publication: The Kindle edition of my debut novel, Oppression (Children of the Gods #1), is available for only .99 cents on Amazon! 
• From Kathy McKendry at Imagine Today: Join the Knights of Micro-Fiction, the last Monday of every month, in our quest to spark the creative genius in us all! Check it out here! 
• From Tina Moss at Tina Moss | Urban Fantasy & Romance Author: Twitter-Sized Pitch Contest from today Friday, Feb. 24th until Friday, March 2nd. Three winners will receive a query and first five page critique from me and my agents at Literary Counsel. The details are here! 
• And don’t forget to sign up for my Beta-Match (an opportunity for you to find critique partners and/or beta readers).

If you have a blogfest, a contest, or a something-or-other you want me to let people know about, fill out this form and I'll run your announcement in the following Friday's post. Make sure you include all the details please. If your announcement is for a continuing event that you want included in other Notice-Boards, you'll need to fill out the form again each week.

First Campaigner Challenge (of my Fourth Campaign, February 2012)

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The time has come for my First Campaigner Challenge, woot!!! The Challenge is:

Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “Shadows crept across the wall”. These five words will be included in the word count. 

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), do one or more of these:

• end the story with the words: "everything faded." (also included in the word count)

• include the word "orange" in the story

• write in the same genre you normally write

• make your story 200 words exactly!

Feel free to use the picture to inspire you, or else see how whacky, creative, and original you can get :)

Once you’ve posted your Challenge post on your blog, pop back here and link directly to it in the Linky List below. Please make sure you include the direct URL link to your post, not just the link to your blog! Otherwise we won't be able to find your entry.

I've also set up the Linky List so you can "Like" entries, so make sure you come back here and vote for the People's Choice Awards!!! Like voting will remain open for the week after the Challenge ends, so you can take your time reading some/all of the entries and voting. As the like voting is not a popularity contest, it is only intended that people taking part in the actual Challenge should vote. So please don't go out and get your family/friends/other bloggers to vote for you. If you only have time to read/vote for a few entries, consider randomly selecting entries or starting at the end rather than at the beginning, so that the people at the end have their entries read and voted on as well.

Entries in the First Campaigner Challenge will close on Friday, February 24th (at 11.59pm EDT), so make sure you get your post in the Linky List before then. As usual, while everyone is very welcome to take part in this Challenge, only Campaigners will be eligible for prizes.

Thank you so much to all the Campaigners who have volunteered to judge one or more of the Challenges. I'm amazed by your generosity—you all rock!!! In terms of judging, Michael Offutt from SLC Kismet will be in touch about that very soon. If you don't hear from us this Challenge, we may contact you to judge the Second Challenge (there are more judges than we need though, so it's possible we might not need your help this time, though we would love to take you up on it in my next Campaign in August). I'd love you all to take a moment to pop over and follow Michael, to say thanks for all his hard work in co-ordinating the judging.

There will be a stack of prizes awarded this Challenge (and the Second Challenges), both for the entries that are judged the best (by the judges and by yourselves) and through Random.org. We're talking ARCs, books, critiques, and other items galore! I'll be announcing the winners in the weeks after the Challenge finishes, so keep an eye out.

And as to that, thank you so much to everyone who donated the dozens of prizes we'll be awarding in the Challenges. I'm blown away by your generosity! Ozlem Yiciki or Steph Schmidt will be in touch over the course of the Campaign to discuss details of your prize donation. And would everyone please take the time to follow Ozlem and follow Steph as a sign of your appreciation for their help - without them, I wouldn't have been able to offer prizes.

So, all that remains is to enjoy. Leave a comment to let me know you're doing the Challenge. Have fun writing your post, then pop round to the other entrants, check out their posts, follow and comment, and decide which entry or entries YOU like the best!

And don't forget to add your name and post link to the Linky Link below before 11.59 pm this Friday!

IMPORTANT: DON'T PUT YOUR NAME IN THE LINKY LIST UNTIL YOU'VE WRITTEN YOUR POST - THEN LINK DIRECT TO THAT POST PLEASE (ie, insert the complete URL to your Challenge post, not your blog address/URL)

Winners - First Campaigner Challenge

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Thanks so much to all who took part in my First Campaigner Challenge! With 384 awesome entries, and hundreds of people voting on those they liked the best, I've had a fantastic time. I hope you all have too.

The time has come to announce the winners, woot! Winners have been chosen in three categories:

1. 4 People's Choice Awards - chosen by you in the voting (by clicking "Like" on the entries);
2. 12 places awarded by the judges, who've done an absolutely fantastic job of winnowing 384 entries down to the top 12 under the supreme organizational genius of Michael Offutt; and
3. 5 random prizes (chosen by Mr. Random.org).

Before I reveal the winners, I'd love you all to offer up a huge thanks to three awesome people who helped me out with this First Campaigner Challenge. Michael Offutt, who single-handedly organized the legion of judges through three rounds of judging, and brought order into the depths of chaos - I couldn't have done this without him! And Trisha Leaver and Sarah Ketley, who've done an amazing job administering the prizes and communicating with the prize donors. To say thank you, would you please pop over to Michael's, Trisha's, and Sarah's blogs and follow them if you haven't already :)

I also want to give all my thanks to those Campaigners who've generously donated over 130 prizes for my Campaigner Challenges (wow!) All I can say is, you guys rock, seriously!!! Wait until you see the awesome prizes below, and we've still got 2 Challenges to go :D

And now to the winners...*drumroll*:

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People's Choice Awards

First Place: Jessica Therrien (46 votes)
Second Place: Erin L. Schneider (45 votes)
Third Place: 1000th.monkey (41 votes)
Fourth Place: Claire Hennessy (38 votes)

Congratulations guys!!! That was such a close call, particularly between First and Second Place!

Oh, what was that? You want to know what you've won? Well...*grins*...

• In First Place, Jessica has won: 

1. ARCs of THE NAME OF THE STAR, THE SCORPIO RACES, FLYAWAY, and BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY, donated by Elana Johnson 
2. A free social media consultation to discuss blogging and social networking and assist in building your platform, donated by Mina Burrows (Mina works in this field, so I can imagine how useful this will be!). The prize also includes a $10 office gift card.
3. A $10 Gift card to Barnes and Noble, donated by Kimberly Krey 
4. A blog critique and a short guide to a better blog, donated by Marci Richards 

• In Second Place, Erin has won: 

1. A prize pack of three YA novels plus a signed bookmark of THE BODY FINDER by Kimberly Derting, donated by K.M. Walton. The YA novels are a signed copy of I WAS A NON-BLONDE CHEERLEADER by Kieran Scott, a signed copy of THE YEAR OF MY MIRACULOUS REAPPEARANCE by Catherine Ryan Hyde, and a copy of WTF by Peter Lerangis
2. Full manuscript critique, donated by Kelly McClymer  

• In Third Place, 1000th.monkey has won: 

1. A 10-page manuscript critique, donated by Alana Saltz (freelance editor)
2. An ARC of SLIDING ON THE EDGE, donated by C. Lee McKenzie 
3. An ebook copy of his contemporary mystery, DEAL WITH THE DEVIL (in a format readable by the winner), donated by J. Gunnar Grey 

• In Fourth Place, Claire has won: 

1. A 5-page critique by Jessica Aspen (contest judge and coodinator for CRW's AOE 2012 published author awards)
2. Either a copy of Laura Pepper Wu's book WOW! GLOWING BRIDE IN 30 DAYS or a $10 Kindle giftcard sponsored by LadiesWhoCritique.com
3. An eBook version of her debut novel, Purple Knot, donated by Raquel Byrnes 

Judging Round

The prizes below have been awarded based on the standard of your entries, as judged by a panel of 68 judges! Once the judges had determined the 12 Finalists, I decided which place each Finalist would be awarded. And boy was it hard, the entries were all SOOOO good!

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Here are the Finalists and their prizes:

1. First Place: M.C. Rogerson
2. Second Place: Juliana L. Brandt
3. Third Place: Barbara V. Evers
4. Fourth Place: Jessica Therrien
5. Fifth Place: Jocelyn Rish
6. Sixth Place: Christine Tyler
7. Seventh Place: 1000th.monkey
8. Eighth Place: Candy Fite
9. Ninth Place: Leah Denman
10. Tenth Place: Christine Rains
11. Eleventh Place: Alynza Smith
12. Twelfth Place: Chantele Sedgewick

Congratulations, you all really deserve it!!! Your prizes are:

• In First Place, M.C. Rogerson has won: 

1. A premium membership to QueryTracker.net, donated by Kimberley  
2. A full manuscript critique, donated by Michael D Young, a published author with editing experience
3. A $20 Amazon gift card (emailed), donated by Christine Tyler

• In Second Place, Juliana L. Brandt has won:

1. A signed hardcover of POSSESSION, donated by Elana Johnson 
2. A book on writing, winner's choice (eg, The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell), donated by Linda Gray. International postage 
3. $25 Amazon Gift Card, donated by Angela Kulig 

• In Third Place, Barbara V. Evers has won:

1. A first-25 page critique, donated by Gabriela Pereira 
2. A signed copy of his book RING OF FIRE, a young adult fantasy novel, donated by The Dark Myth 
3. Swag (THE AETHER CHRONICLES buttons), donated by Suzanne Lazear 

• In Fourth Place, Jessica Therrien has won: 

1. A 30-page manuscript critique, donated by debut author (2012) Sangu Mandanna 
2. A signed copy of her MG novel NEW BEGINNINGS (international postage), donated by Rebecca Emin 

• In Fifth Place, Jocelyn Rish has won: 

1. Copy of her upcoming book, TEMPESTUOUS TALES (either PDF or paperback) OR a free 480x60 web banner for the winner, donated by Kandie Delley 
2. A copy of Divergent (US/Canada only), donated by Catherine M. Johnson 

• In Sixth Place, Christine Tyler has won: 

1. A query or first page critique and a paperback copy of her novel THE SECRET OF SPRUCE KNOLL, donated by Heather McCorkle
2. A Smashwords coupon for a free ebook, donated by Amanda Leigh Cowley 

• In Seventh Place, 1000th.monkey has won: 

1. $15 Amazon gift card (emailed), donated by Janet Johnson 

• In Eighth Place, Candy Fite has won: 

1. An eBook copy of his debut novel CASSASTAR, donated by Alex J. Cavanaugh 
2. A copy of her debut novel THE ADVOCATE (US/Canada only), donated by Teresa Burrell 

• In Ninth Place, Leah Denman has won: 

1. First three books in his ISLAND OF FOG series, in either print form or electronic .epub format, donated by Keith Robinson. Keith says, "I can send signed paperbacks directly to winner for free if the winner is in USA, otherwise I can send to Canada or anywhere international if the winner pays for the postage (usually about $13.00). Obviously there's no cost if the books are electronic." 

• In Tenth Place, Christine Rains has won: 

1. A signed copy of A.S. King's Please Ignore Vera Dietz, donated by Sommer Leigh 
2. A Halloween MG/YA anthology (US only), donated by Natasha Hanova 

• In Eleventh Place, Alynza Smith has won: 

1. A paperback copy of A LOVE REKINDLED (US only), donated by Myne Whitman 

• In Twelfth Place, Chantele Sedgewick has won: 

1. First chapter critique, donated by Allison Miller 
2. A free copy of one of her ebooks, donated by Angelina Rain 

Congratulations again to all 12 Finalists!!!

Random Prizes

And just because I can, I'm awarding 5 random prizes, chosen by Mr. Random.org!

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The winners (and prizes) are:

1. Sarah Pearson - A full manuscript critique (max. 85,000 words), donated by 1000th.monkey
2. Jamilia Jamison - An ecopy, winner's choice, from her stories, donated by Nicole Zoltack AND a copy of DESPERATE SURRENDER (international postage), donated by Hildie McQueen 
3. Nellie - Book of the winner's choice from TheBookDepository.com (International shipping), $15 max value, donated by Erin L. Schneider
4. Theresa Milstein - A copy of THE SALEM WITCH TRYOUTS (international postage), donated by Kelly McClymer 
5. Kate L. Lineberger - A critique of the first 15 pages of a manuscript or a short story under 15 pages, donated by Jocelyn Rish

Congratulations to all the winners, you've done such a great job in this Challenge!!! Remember, you've been chosen from 384 entries - how awesome is that! We'll be asking the donors to contact you directly regarding your prizes, but if you have any questions/concerns, please email us at thirdcampaign[at]gmail[dot]com.

And don't forget, the Second Campaigner Challenge will begin on September 22nd, so pop back then if you want to take part - there'll be more awesome prizes and you'll be able to vote for your favorite entries too!!!

First Campaigner Challenge Wrap-up (and the Campaigner Notice-Board)

So, um, 352 entries in my First Campaigner Challenge so far. Wow!!! That's such an awesome response - I'm loving seeing you all so keen to join in and challenge yourself, even if the little task I set is outside your comfort zone. And the quality of entries is so high, well done to all of you. I don't know how the judges are going to decide!!!

The Challenge is still open, though the Linky List will close at 11.59pm EDT Friday, so hurry and get your entry in if you haven't yet. You'll be able to "Like" entries for the next week, to give you time to get through some/all of them. If you haven't started going through them yet, think about starting at the bottom of the list, where fewer people have read/commented.

I'll be announcing the winners on Monday, September 19th, so make sure you pop back then :)

And don't forget to come back for the Second Campaigner Challenge on Thursday, 22nd September!!!

Campaigner Notice-Board

Check out these great blogfests, contests, and other announcements:

1. From Sangu at Echoes of a Wayward Mind: I'm having a contest to get to 300 followers and would love it if people stopped by and entered! I will be giving away prizes like critiques and Amazon vouchers. Detail here. 
2. From Nadja Notariani at Nadja Notariani: An Author's Adventures: My first novel, Claiming The Prize, is now available, and for this week, I'm offering a free coupon on my blog page! Stop by here to celebrate with me and grab up a free book!  
3. From Leah at Leah Writes Pretty Fierce: Campaigners can choose to join up in a fun little tag to stretch their writing muscles a little and get to know each other at Leah Writes Pretty Fierce. Campaigners can participate by filling out the "Don't Be a Stranger" tag, participants are listed up at the blog every Friday. Check out the details here.
4. From Clar at clarbojahn: Contest for free signed copy of book give away by commenting on book review post of "Another Bad Dog Book" by Joni Cole. Contest starts September 13th ends September 23rd, winner announced September 24th on my blog. Other contests coming up soon. Stay tuned.
5. From Dafeenah at Finding the Hidden Treasure Within: Inviting all those in my groups (memoir, nonfiction, short story1) to do guest post on every Friday during the entire Campaign challenge. Email me if you're interested in doing a guest post on my blog. My email is dafeenah (at) gmail (dot) com or here’s my contact link. 
6. From K. M. Walton at Some Things I Think: Starting this past Thursday I did a post called “Campaigner Spotlights.” I plan to do one each week of the Campaign. I will spotlight five of my fellow Campaigners from either of the groups I'm in. I put up a photo, a little bit about the blogger and link to their blog - all in an effort to shine the spotlight on some new bloggers.
7. From Juliana at Aspire to be: Mid-October I will be hosting the Warm Fuzzies blogfest. For four weeks we'll celebrate being a writer! Check it out here. 
8. From Ruth Schiffmann at Out on a Limb, Shy Writer Goes Social: In celebration of my daughter launching a brand new book blog, I'm giving away YA & MG books. Check out the details here.
9. From Alex J. Cavanaugh at Alex J. Cavanaugh: The Insecure Writer's Support Group - posts the first Wednesday every month. Connect, encourage, and share with other writers! Check it out here.
10. From Jess Byam at Jest Kept Secret: Jess Byam runs a feature on her blog called "Before They Were Published" (BTWP), where she interviews unpublished authors. If you are interested in being interviewed, please email her at jestkeptsecret at gmail dot com and let her know. Details here.  
11. From Alana Garrigues at writercize: In celebration of my 100th writing exercise post, I'm inviting people to invent a fun pizza name and topping for a chance to win a family meal from a local Los Angeles pizza chain (L.A. area residents) or Starbucks giftcard (out of L.A. - U.S. residents). Contest open through Tuesday, Sept. 13. Check it out here. 
12. From Theresa Milstein at Substitute Teacher's Saga: I'm hosting a contest, where you can win 1 of 4 books. 2 books are signed! Details here.  
13. From Cristina Dos Santos at Once Upon a Time...: To celebrate my 100th post and all the amazing writers I'm meeting through the Campaign, I'm doing a giveaway, writerly style. Enter here to win a copy of "Plot and Structure" by James Scott Bell.  
14. From Melodie at rewrighter: This Friday-Saturday, I'm hosting a Twitter pitch/two-line pitch event with debut YA author Jolene Perry. Leave your pitch in the comments for others to marvel at/critique and by doing so, enter the drawing for a critique by Jolene. Check it out here.  

If you have a blogfest, a contest, or a something-or-other you want me to let people know about, fill out this form and I'll run your announcement in the following Friday's post. Make sure you include all the details please.

Happy Campaigning!!! :)

First Campaigner Challenge

The time has come for my First Campaigner Challenge, woot!!! The Challenge is:

(Source)

Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “The door swung open” These four words will be included in the word count.

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), use the same beginning words and end with the words: "the door swung shut." (also included in the word count)

For those who want an even greater challenge, make your story 200 words EXACTLY!

Once you’ve posted your Challenge post on your blog, pop back here and link directly to it in the Linky List below (please make sure you include the direct link to your post, not just the link to your blog!).

Entries in the First Campaigner Challenge will close on Friday, September 9th (at 11.59pm EDT), so make sure you get your post in the Linky List before then if you want to be eligible for a prize! As usual, while everyone is very welcome to take part in this Challenge, only Campaigners will be eligible for prizes.

Thank you so much to all the Campaigners who have volunteered to judge one or more of the Challenges. I'm amazed by your generosity—you all rock!!! In terms of judging,Michael Offutt from SLC Kismet will be in touch about that very soon (and if you don't hear from us this Challenge, it's because we're hoping you'll judge the Second or Third Challenges instead). I'd love you all to take a moment to pop over and follow Michael, to say thanks for all his hard work in co-ordinating the judging.

There will be a stack of prizes awarded this Challenge (and future Challenges), both for the entries that are judged the best and through Random.org. We're talking ARCs, books, critiques, and other items galore! My thanks go to everyone who has volunteered to donate prizes. You're all awesome!!! Either I or someone in my team will be in touch over the course of the Campaign.

I've also set up the Linky List so you can "Like" entries, so make sure you come back here and vote for the People's Choice Awards!!!

I'll hopefully be announcing the winners on Monday, September 19th (the same day as my Campaign Beta Match post).

So, all that remains is to enjoy. Leave a comment to let me know you're doing the Challenge. Have fun writing your post, then pop round to the other entrants, check out their posts, follow and comment, and decide which entry or entries YOU like the best!

And don't forget to add your name and post link to the Linky Link below before 11.59 pm this Friday!

IMPORTANT: DON'T PUT YOUR NAME IN THE LINKY LIST UNTIL YOU'VE WRITTEN YOUR POST - THEN LINK DIRECT TO THAT POST PLEASE (ie, insert the complete URL to your Challenge post, not your blog address/URL)


"Like" voting is now over, please don't vote any more, thanks!