Elise Abram wins the $500 prize and certificate for 2015!

Elise, who hails from Canada, has composed an elaborate time-travel fantasy based on Lewis Carroll's world-famous classic "Alice" books. Her book is entitled I Was, Am, Will Be Alice. Starting with her mysterious role in a school shooting, we follow the heroine as she grows up, seeking the identity of the shooter, traveling back and forth in time to encounter characters reminding us of a modernized conception of Wonderland. Well conceived and cleverly carried through. Congratulations, Elise Abram!

 

Honorable Distinction Certificates for 2016

are awarded to Mary Kabrich (US) for Once Upon a Time A Sparrow, a complex look at the effects of dyslexia on children and adults; and Averil Drummond (NSW) for Gloam, a wry, well constructed fantasy take on global warming.

 

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Penny Baird wins the $500 prize and certificate for 
A Strange Psychosis

Penny is English, resides in London, teaches piano, and has written one non-fiction book. Recently she decided to explore the wonderful world of fiction writing. A Strange Psychosis depicts a woman's revenge on an unfaithful husband, with an over-arching mega-twist: the woman is dead, but inhabits a younger woman's body -- one of those hospital switch stories, but with a psychic (or psychotic?) overlay that will keep you guessing along with the heroine. 

We congratulate Penny on her ​prodigious imaginative powers. Penny confides, "I feel that A Strange Psychosis would make a fair four part television drama but have never attempted that kind of thing." We agree -- and hope that our award will encourage Penny to move ahead with her plans to promote her multilayered creation.

 

The AWW Novel Contest 2014 Winner 

Penny Baird, A Strange Psychosis

 

Honorable Distinction Certificates 2014:

Naseem Jamnia for Neverland's Children

Joyce Pfeiffer for Colliding Fates

 

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The AWW Novel Contest 2013 Winner

Anneliese Schultz, Distant Dream

 

Though we only get to do this once a year, it’s always a great thrill when the decision has been made, and we can tell you about the new recipient of our $500 award for the novel judged best (among some amazingly good entries) in the Novel Competition.

This year, it’s Anneliese Schultz, for a young adult tale, Distant Dream, which will captivate adult readers, too; her story comes dripping and pelting out of the latest scary predictions about global warming. She has created a world-wide crisis scenario that is discouraging, frustrating and downright dangerous, especially if you are a fifteen-going-on-twenty-five-year-old female, stuck in the mud and longing for adventure after all your modern conveniences have drained away in the storms.

 

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The AWW Novel Contest 2012 Winner

Carmen Estevez Phelan, Checkout Girl Harassed by Love Struck Customer

 

Daughter of a Spanish father and an Irish mother, Carmen was raised in Ohio, USA. After encounters with varied cultures and a career as a classroom teacher, she has created fictionalized vignettes of some amazingly real-life characters, including the attractive, ambitious Annabel, a grocery clerk who is repeatedly visited by a mysterious but determined young admirer. Her novel deftly spans the brink between their separate but equally amusing lives; and the uncertain outcome of their star-crossed relationship excites our interest from the first page:

 

For the last month Annabel has been quietly and kindly dealing with a young man who has been coming to her register on a daily basis. Edwin (she had checked his name on his debit card.) has been making purchases, one at a time, every day since he first set eyes on the lovely Annabel. At first it was a Snickers Bar and when Annabel asked, as all salespeople usually do, “Anything else?” Edwin answered very softly, “Only you.”

 

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The  Novel Competition 2011 Winner

Kate Pascoe, Frog Hollow

 

This year the grand prize goes to Australian Kate Pascoe, who has written an evocative novel about a slum neighborhood, Frog Hollow, and the eccentric people who live there. Kate has this to say about herself and about A Woman’s Write: “I've lived in Sydney all my life and began writing at a very young age.  Some of my poems were published in the junior comic section of the Sunday newspaper and this would fill me with pride and encourage me to keep writing, much the same as the Novel Competition at A Woman's Write has done for me now. I am very much interested in local history; I find there is a never ending supplier of stories and characters to be dug out of old newspapers, diaries, and letters held in the city's archives, and from these I like to spin tales and place them in more contemporary settings, as I like the contrast of the old mixed in with the new. I have nothing but praise for A Woman’s Write and the Novel Competition.  It's rare to find a competition that offers to critique the work it receives. This is valuable feedback for budding writers, and can give them new eyes through which to see their work… AWW goes a long way to empower women to write and we need more of that in the world today.”

 

Honorable Distinction Certificates 2012

Jennifer Frank, Alison's Big Do-Over

Eugenia Consinschi, The Plan

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Truth to Tell 2011 Competition Winner

Cyndy Drew Etler, Straightling

 

Cyndy Drew Etler's harrowing memories of life as a teen held captive in a rehab facility is the basis for her current work with troubled teenagers. Her book Straightling is part of that endeavor. With a fourteen-year-old’s voice, the book takes readers on a first-person rollercoaster ride. It rips through my wide-eyed childhood, then on into my sixteen months locked in a building, singing preschool songs and being spit on by a hive of troubled teens.“As I slog through the process of submitting to agents—fidgeting through lag time and gnashing through heartbreak—this award from A Woman’s Write serves as glorious validation. What a boost for a striving author."

 

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The Novel Competition 2010 Winner

Margaret Rodenberg, author of Little Song

 

Little Song tells a twisty tale of a rogue ex-husband who returns, spends a week living with the heroine and her new husband, and gives everybody a chance to get some serious thinking done about the distinctions between love and romance:

 

Margaret says: "This work--the characters, story, setting, and words--are close to my heart so I deeply appreciate the recognition this award brings. I hope A Woman's Write continues giving encouragement to emerging women writers for many years to come."

 

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The Novel Competition 2009 Winner

Erna Mueller, Spencer's Tail

 

Erna says, "Spencer's Tail (working title) started out as a screenplay that won numerous awards. I adapted it into a novel and loved the process -- the generous use of words and getting lost in detail is a luxury you can’t afford in screenwriting."As emerging writers we should keep honing our skills and never give up on our dreams. Contests are a great device for getting your foot in the door and one step closer to getting published. The Novel Competition was very professional and encouraging which made for a wonderful experience. Thank you, Woman’s Write for giving us aspiring writers an opportunity to showcase our work."

 

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The Novel Competition 2008 Winner

Cynthia Parks,Houses

 

The chapters of my life are held in the houses—the physical structures where I have lived, and where we have lived, and I can’t tell my story any other way. If you want to know the way it was, you will have to know the houses. You will have to hear about moving ins and moving outs, about windows and ceilings and walls and floors. About yards and gardens and neighbors, furniture and fixtures. Because that’s the way I remember.

 

When she learned she’d won our prize, Cynthia wrote, “Obviously, I'm thrilled to have won the contest! I can't tell you how much this encouragement means to me and how much it energizes my desire to keep writing.“I am especially grateful to A Woman's Write for the opportunity it offers women to "test the waters," so to speak, with our work. The website offers clear directions about contests, encourages us with the success stories of others, and generally provides a useful and supportive environment for women who are serious about their craft.”

 

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Winners: Work in Progress Competition, Synopsis Competition, Query Letter Competition, January to May, 2008

 

Tina Schrier, Winner, Work in Progress ($150 and Certificate)

Michelle Gordon, Winner, Synopsis ($50 and Certificate)

Tempa Lautze, Winner, Query Letter ($25 and Certificate)

 

Thanks to all who entered these competitions. Our choices are never easy and we appreciate the support of creative women.

 

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The Novel Competition 2007 Winner

Thea Hughes, Buen Camino

 

Her novel, Buen Camino, concerns two pilgrims who meet on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Thea, who now resides in New Zealand, worked in South Africa with dysfunctional families and sexually abused children. She developed a program called Kidsafe, which she introduced to schools…

 

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The Novel Competition 2007 Winner

Alice Loweecey, Don't Look Back

 

Life in the year 2216 seems to be homespun and comfortable. Annie—cook, book fiend, and wife of the Kansas City leatherworker—was gearing up for a carnival while she waited for her husband to return from a supply trip. And then two hooded men kidnapped her and nailed her to a cross. Strangers pulled her down and healed her, but refused to reveal their identities or answer any of her questions. Now she’s searching for the reason the killers tortured her, but she'd better not stop to look over her shoulder. The killers are hunting her—to finish what they started.

 

A former Franciscan nun, Alice Loweecey was raised on classic horror films and post-nuke literature. She is an actor, musician, singer, teacher, gardener, and crafter. In other words, She Is Woman—see her multitask! 

 

"What a great website and opportunity! The chance to be evaluated by professionals was too good to pass up. I've recommended A Woman's Write to a dozen fellow (female!) writers, and I've received positive feedback about everything here. Thank you again for the opportunity and the thrill of winning. May we all soon be sharing shelf space in major bookstore chains!" -- Alice Loweecy

 

Honorable Distinction 2007:

Maura Hanrahan, Sheila's Brush

 

"After six years of working on Sheila’s Brush, I was just thrilled to receive an Honorable Distinction in the Novel Competition at A Woman’s Write. I’ve published several books in my native Canada but this encouragement from very accomplished women south of the border means a great deal to me. It’s wonderful that the women writers and editors at A Woman’s Write are so dedicated to the craft of writing. They deserve top marks for encouraging other women writers to develop their skills and aim for excellence. Thank you! " Maura Hanrahan

 

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The Novel Competition 2006 Winner

Erica Eisdorfer, The Wetnurse's Tale

 

The book concerns a young English woman in the 1800s, driven by necessity to become a wetnurse. In the course of her adventures, the heroine loses her first baby to her abusive father's avarice, and when she finds herself pregnant a second time, she determines to take charge of events, setting out on a dramatic, romantic, and sometimes bawdy adventure that ends in satisfaction for both heroine and reader. The book stands out for its tight plotting, believable characterizations, and the author's deft handling of foreign accent and setting, historical detail, and unusual subject matter.

 

"You can't imagine how I felt when I found your contest online. It seemed to me the perfect place forThe Wetnurse's Tale to make its first public (sort of) appearance. It wasn't just that the contest was for women and by women (whom I thought, for obvious reasons, might have an upfront (ha) kind of interest in my book), but in addition, the writing on the website is brisk and tight and clear and grammatical. I liked the whole package. I hoped to win the contest, of course. But I thought that even if I didn't win, I'd still like knowing that the judges were smart and pragmatic and interested in language for its own sake. I'm thrilled to have won the contest. I'm also very glad that I coughed up the extra paltry dollars for the professional critique. It was the best money I ever spent. Thanks so much for the platform and the opportunity and the validation."-- Erica Eisdorfer

 

 

Honorable Distinction 2006:

Lynn Veach Sadler, Intending to Building a Tower

 

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Winners, AWW Short Story Contests

 

November 2005

Seja Min, Elizabeth, "Homework Assigned"

Honorable Mention:

Gordon, Michelle, "Messages in the Sand"Scharfman, Susan, "Not So Wild a Dream"

 

May 2005

Pollman, Courtney, "Scent of a Warrior"

Sutton, Jane, "From the Mouths of Babes" 

 

January 2005

Watson, Anna, "Stray" 

 

April 2004

LeMay, Kathy "Lunch Money" 

 

August 2004

McCarty, Shannon, "Sweet Revenge" 

 

January 2004

Tracy K., Excerpt from Ropeless, a novel