Another fabulous contest produced sixty winning authors bound for our seventh edition of FWA’s Collection – Revisions: Stories of Starting Over. Increasing the length of the contest from three-and-a-half months to four months, January 1st through April 30th, resulted in a total of 176 entries. This year 131 authors sent in one entry and 46 authors sent in two. Woohoo! We had ten poems entered into the contest. We are excited and pleased to announce two new records achieved in this year’s collection contest. Bob Hart – that’s right – BOB HART, again, not only became one of the sixty winning authors for the seventh time, but his short story, Two, was the highest scoring entry of all 176 entries!
Congratulations Bob! Great Job!
Every year, our Collection contest features a Person of Renown who chooses his or her ten favorite stories from the sixty winners. This year, Marie Bostwick, New York Times bestselling author of her Cobbled Court Quilt series, has made her Top Ten Picks. FWA proudly presents those authors here.
We’re so impressed by the talent and enthusiasm of FWA members, it makes our jobs very rewarding.
Thanks to our members’ participation, the Collection team remains happily busy.
FWA is pleased to announce and celebrate Marie Bostwick’s Top Ten Picks, followed by the fifty winning authors (in alphabetical order by author) and their entries.
Marie Bostwick’s Top Ten Picks
1. Jason Bonderoff, The Cypress Tree’ Apprentice
2. Kamesa Evette Carter, A Teen Mom Starts over
3. Linda Kraus, Single
4. Frank T. Masi, Clopin Clopant
5. Phyllis McKinley, Your Mother is No Longer Theresa
6. Al Perrin, The Human Singularity
7. Faun Joyce Senatro, The Molding of Rudy
8. J. H. Weis, Three Shades of Gray
9. Jeff Boyle, “Twenty-two”
10. Lynn E. Welsh, 365 Beds
50 Winning Authors (alphabetically by author)
Kelly Abell, Broken
Robert Alan, The Sword and the Pen
Ernie Audino, The Ashes of the Martyrs
Susan Bartlett, Reshuffling
Diane M. Boilard, Mostly Blind
Cindy Farrar Bryan, The Replacements
Bria Burton, Empty Girl
D. J. Cantillo, Miranda
Patricia Crumpler, A Perfect Companion
Terri Hoffman Curtis, The Plan
Ian Darling, Operation Fresh Start
Vic DiGenti, No Prom Like an Old Prom
Karen Dillon, What Happens in Vegas
Allen Gorney, The Son in the Telescope
Guttery, Patrick, A Time to be Born
Chris Hamilton, My Bathroom Door
Bob Hart, Two
Veronica Helen Hart, Poisonberry Wine
Robert Z. Hicks, Career Revisions – Starting Over
Christine Holmes, The Smile
John Hope, The Drive
Sharon E. Johnson, Coming to America
Beda Kantarjian, Author
Colleen Jeffery Kastner, Catching My Breath
Jade Kerrion, Always a Part of You
Bruce H. Kubec, Melted Ice
Peggy Lambert, Help Wanted
Stephen Leitschuh, Ira’s Bride
Christopher Malinger, The Sweet Scent of Spring
John Mallon, Colonial Midwife
Doris Manukian, Coming to America
Robert E. Marvin, The Party
Mark McWaters, Reset
John Charles Miller, Taking the Bait
Diane Mutolo, Blossoming Popularity
Bettie Nebergall, Jumping the Fence
Jean Axtell Nelson, Marigolds
Kate Newton, Come to Papa
Joan North, Fresh Step
Sheila Marie Palmer, A Rose by Any Other Name
Elaine Person, Happy Dazed
R.M. Prioleau, When I Grow Up…
Pat Rakowski, Together
Dale Simpson, Seven-Eighths
Kristen Stieffel, Immolation
Tom Swartz, Twelve Steps Forward
Aimee Taylor, Let Him Go
Dee Ann Waite, A Soul Revised
Sharon K. Weatherhead, Kitchen Magic
Judy Weber, The Forgiveness Test
The next exciting announcement is the publication, in this Collection volume, of the second FWA Youth Writers Collection. We are proud to have seven winning youth writers who will be published in our adult Collection. The youth contest, modeled after the adult Collection, carries its own theme, Starting Over, and also has Marie Bostwick as its Person of Renown. We are pleased to join with Marie to announce her favorite youth stories, by age group.
Marie Bostwick’s Favorite Youth Stories, by Age Group, by Favorite
Age Group 10-13
1st Place: Sarina Patel, Remembrance
2nd Place: Jaina Hope, The Wise Cherry
3rd Place: Yasmin Vuong, Emotion Chaos
Age Group 14-17
1st Place: Mikaela Bender, Terminated
2nd Place: Tyler Vest, Midnight
3rd Place: Jade Browne, Me, Myself, and Time
Honorable Mention: Kira Lieb, Hope for a New Year
More information on both Collection contests can be found here.
CONGRATULATIONS WINNING AUTHORS!