YA Flash Death Match November Winner!

This month, we sampled NaNoWriMo excerpts from three great authors!  This month's winner is Amber Polly for the excerpt of her story, Sleepwalking.  Thanks to everyone who participated, read, and voted! 

Read and Vote for November's NaNo Death Match!

Okay everybody, National Novel Writing Month is well underway, and most of you, if you have not run out of time (like me), energy, or plot, you're probably still typity typing away.  Time to take a quick coffee break and read some of what your fellow NaNoers have to offer. 

This month, in honor of NaNoWriMo, our contestants will be competing with the first (roughly) 1,000 words of their YA NaNo piece.  These are raw and unedited, so be kind!  Read on and see which one grabs you!  Be sure to leave a comment and vote no later than Wednesday, November 24th at Noon CST. 

After I stuff myself with turkey on Thursday, I'll count up the votes for a Friday announcement of the winner!  You'll probably just be getting back from the Black Friday sales, so be sure to check in!

This month, we have three great contributors:

Stay Close, Don't Go by Candace Taylor

Untitled NaNo Fantasy by Elaine Karnes

Sleepwalking by Amber Polly

Stay Close, Don't Go by Candace Taylor

Prologue


Late



Clare



Ryan was late; and in the eight years I had known him, Ryan had never been late. I knew the old axiom—there’s a first time for everything; but my heart sped in time with my breathing and my muscles began to twitch with my nerves. If he wasn’t here already, there was a very good reason why.

My phone buzzed, making me jump like a paranoid criminal. I wasn’t a criminal, though; far from it, in fact. At fourteen years old, the most dangerous thing I had ever done involved a temporary tattoo in the shape of an orchid and a pair of clip-on earrings. Don’t ask.

The message on the screen was typical Ryan; short and to the point.

two minutes

Untitled NaNo Fantasy by Elaine Karnes

“There comes a point in everyone's life where they come to a crossroads, where the decision they make will take their life in one direction or another. Sometimes the direction you choose is to shorten your life by using evil ways. Magic that comes unbidden to you and through deliberate actions you use this evil to rob and harm those who support and care for you. The path to the gods you abandoned, you did not come to the temple when you felt the first stirrings of this power when you could have been saved, redeemed. Instead, you chose to revel in these powers, you chose to walk the path of evil and magic. Now, the end of the path is nigh and you find the reward that comes with your path choice.”

November's Death Match

I've been scratching my head for the last couple weeks, trying to figure out how to get people to compete this month. It's November (which you probably know) and most of my writing friends are, like myself, wrapped up in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I'm thinking they're all so busy, they aren't going to be in any mood to write a new flash piece for this month's competition.


So I had an idea.


Compete with your novel.


Whether your a NaNo participant or just happen to have an awesome novel you'd like to throw into the ring, this is your chance! This month, submit the first 1,000 words (you may finish a sentence/paragraph if necessary) of your NaNo novel or non-NaNo novel. Any topic allowed, it must, however, be a true YA piece. No need to edit, keep it nice and raw, in it's original state. We'll all understand.


If you'd like to compete this month PLEASE read through the rules to make sure you've got it right.


IF you have a blog, post it to the blog by Wednesday, November 17th at Noon CST and send the link to karlykirkpatrick@gmail.com. Make sure to put FLASH LINK in the subject.


IF you DON'T have a blog, but would like to participate, email me your story by Wednesday, November 17th at Noon CST and I'll post it to the YA Flash site. Email it to karlykirkpatrick@gmail.com with the subject FLASH STORY.


All stories will be posted for voting on Thursday, November 18 and will remain open until Wednesday, November 24th at Noon CST. Only votes that fall between those dates/times will count. No anonymous votes can count.


Prizes: If we get 10 or more entries, I will announce the top 3 as winners and they will be invited to join the YA Death Flash Anthology ebook. The Grand Prize Winner (the one with the top votes) will also get a signed copy of the paperback, Into the Shadows, my debut novel. I will announce the winners on Friday, November 26th.


Now's your chance to put your baby out there and see if your story and writing has what it takes! Tell your friends, family and followers to stop by from November 18-24 to cast their vote! Good luck!