The midnight hour is here…and so is our new contest, as promised.

PRESENTING:

VAMPIRES SUCK!

(Do you find that a little hard to swallow?)

Casual Friday at A Word with You Press

What is it with girls and children of the night?

We’ve kinda noticed a trend in our contests and that trend is bloodsuckers. For every conceivable contest we’ve conceived, you clever literati have created a suitable vampire. We first thought we would create a vampire-free zone for the next contest, but realized it would all be in vein.  So we decided to go with the flow.

The stakes are high this time (we know, we know). Every post (again with the puns) must count(stop!). Straight off the bat (stop, please), here’s how it will fly…

1. We want vampires, yes we do. But not your common or garden varieties – surprise us, astound us – give us a new vampire transfusion. Make us laugh.  Make us cry.  Make us bleeeeed!

2. 144 episodes of Buffy the Vampire slayer TV series + 73 years Bela Lugosi lived = 217 words.  (I say he still lives, but what do I know) Write exactly that many words.  217,  One more or one less and there will be van Hellsing to pay. Word count (or countess) excludes title. Submit your stories anytime between now and August 28th–the night of a full moon.  For our part, we are only going to post your stories between midnight and one a.m. California time regardless of the time they come in.Yes, the dead of night.

3) But NO zombies, werewolves, poltergeists, or congressmen or senators (oh, wait!  Senators and congressmen are fair game!  Bloodsuckers!)  This is about VAMPIRES!  Vilified, vituperate , voluptuous, vegan vamps.  Those with viscosity in their veins!

4) Entries must be on a separate word attachment, with the title of your piece and name and contact info on each page.  By submitting your story, you are giving A Word with You Press rights to publish your story on line and one time rights to publish as part of hard copy and/ or ebook anthology, at out our option.  Send copy to thorn@awordwithyoupress.com, and indicate Vampires Suck in the subject line.

5)  Our judge for the contest will be Kyle Katz, who just won The Thousand Word Contest.  But we will get an occasional comment along the way from none other than that vampwriter Chris Marie Green, a.k.a Chrystal Green, a.k.a Chris Cody.

Why so many AKAs? She’s on the lamb.  Vampires from the past and future are out for her, well, blood! Only she controls their destiny.

Passing wind at A Word with You Press

Christine Cody is the author of the new post-apocalyptic supernatural Western Bloodlands series.  The first book, Bloodlands, launched July 26, 2011, and will be followed by Blood Rules (August 30) and In Blood We Trust (September 27).   She is also the author of the urban fantasy Vampire Babylon series (written as Chris Marie Green) from Ace Books.  Until about eight years ago,(she would have us believe!) she was an eighth-grade teacher, but she became a full-time author who has published over thirty-five books under this name as well as the pseudonym Crystal Green.

www.bloodlands.net Twitter: twitter.com/ChristineCody

Here is Gabriel’s story, as told by Christine Cody:

“Gabriel is looking for his lover—a woman who mysteriously deserted him for the New Badlands.  He finds trouble out there, as well as a bunch of survivalists who take him in when he’s wounded.  This includes Mariah, the most reluctant of them all.  Like most Western gunslingers, Gabriel has lost his soul—but this is literal because he’s a vampire.  When a monster hunter appears, Gabriel and his protectors need to decide whether or not it’s worth “outing” him to save themselves, and Gabriel even wonders if giving himself will help him regain what he remembers of his humanity…”

But what is Your story? Educate and entertain us, and know that the professional vampire inspire-er will help umpire the vampire empire.  Who knows–your vampire might end up immortalized in one of her future books! (Oh, wait!  Vampires are already immortal)

And for your efforts!

Everyone who enters or posts a comment on another writer will be eligible for a random drawing for a $20 gift card to Barnes and Noble.

A signed copy of Bloodlands to all our finalists.  For the winner, a copy from the last century of Bram Stoker’s Dracula with a signature forged by the editor-in-chief of A Word with You Press (Moi)  AND a trophy!

Here is the strange part.  I photographed the trophy to display on line, and the image came up blank!  However could that be?  I will try again, during daylight hours as the trophy sleeps.

In the meantime, munch on some garlic, etch out those tales!  And spread the word!  Broadcast this on your facebook and invite your friends to enter.  I personally believe the judge can be swayed by pubic opinion, so by all means invite comments from the un-dead among your friends.

Renfro!  Where’s my cape?

best wishes and good luck!

Thorn

not-yet-ready-to-go-down-for-the count-in-chief
ps.  A special thanks to Julie Cohen and Mac Eagan for making suggestions for this and future contests. We shall see!