GiraffeCrafts

First off, what is the Tattered Slippers Collection? You possibly already know, but in case you don't, here's the rundown. It's not an anthology. It's not even a series. It's a set of authors who are banding together and publishing their books together at the same time as a means of cross-promotion. And every book will be a retelling of the beloved fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses. And your book doesn't actually have to feature tattered slippers, it merely must be recognizable  as  The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Is this a contest? No, it is not really. It is a promotional opportunity with limited slots. I'm more like an agent than a judge. Okay, so how is that going to work? Every book in the collection will be a story that was written or worked on as part of t he Arista Challenge . Authors interested will send me their stories, and I'll choose up to fifteen of them to be released together at the end of August. I'll assign each autho

First off, what is the Golden Braids Collection? You possibly already know, but in case you don't, here's the rundown. It's not an anthology. It's not even a series. It's a set of authors who are banding together and publishing their books together at the same time as a means of cross-promotion. And every book will be a retelling of the beloved fairy tale Rapunzel. And your book doesn't actually have to feature a Golden Braid, it merely must be recognizable as  Rapunzel. Is this a contest? No, it is not really. It is a promotional opportunity with limited slots. I'm more like an agent than a judge. Okay, so how is that going to work? Every book in the collection will be a story that was written or worked on as part of t he Arista Challenge . Authors interested will send me their stories, and I'll choose 10-15 of them to be released together at the end of November. It will be a five-day event, and I'll assign each author a day when their bo

And today I have the second semi-finalist to share with you guys, this time the not a contemporary. Instead, it's a Medieval Adventure. So, without further ado,  The Trouble with Abductions  by Olivia Ann. “It’s hot enough to cook breakfast right here on these stones,” Alejandro grumbled.             “Feel free,” Rhiannon replied, not moving her eyes from the track below their vantage point.  Unnecessary though it was, she couldn’t disagree with her partner’s observation.  Undulating heat – the kind that blurs sky and land into a watery mirage – lay fine upon their isolated surroundings.             The duo was nestled about ten feet above a narrow, little-used path cutting its way determinedly between two slabs of mountain.  Alejandro, as per usual, had found the hiding place: a surprisingly spacious hollow bordered by crags and outcroppings on three sides for a good half-mile each, opportunely blocking them from the view of any traveler who might wander into view.  This

So I just realized that I have not yet shared with you the semi-finalists and winning stories. I'm terribly sorry. I had life overwhelm me, and, coupled with Indie e-Con burn-out, I shut down. Anywho, I'm getting back on top of things (and will be emailing all of the winners shortly, finally), so let's plunge in. First off, we have the semi-finalist-by-default Higher Glyphs , which was not a Historical Fiction, but rather sci-fi. It was written by my mother, at the last minute, when she found out that I didn't have any submissions for this prompt. And then she sent me an edited document a few days later with a few edits. The first submission was the one judged, but this is the edited version. I hope you enjoy! Higher Glyphs Gabby gazed out into the desert, her eyes fixed on one of the “Great Wonders of the Ancient World” as the tourist guide droned on and on about them.   This man was said to know a great deal about these “Pyramids of Egypt”.   She chuckled