Time to assume - and enter a writing competition!

Go for it! Writing competitions to enter from September 2014 to January 2015.  Writing a short story? Writing a full-length MS? Or wanting to, but just can't quite find the motivation?

  

Climbing to the top means starting off from base camp!

Competitions are are a great way to fire that inspiration and give the perhaps necessary boot up the backside to at last get things done! Several cool competitions are open to your work in September 2014 to January 2015 - a great way to get known and earn some money along the way. And the best thing - they're not reserved for the élite, but for little 'uns, dreamers, deservers, hopefuls and talented buds!

Bivouacs along the way...

1. The Mckittereck Prize, run by the UK Society of Authors. Prize: £4,000
2. The Historical Novel Society Award. Prize: $2,000
3. The International Rubery Book Award. Prize: £600 + publication in an anthology
4. The Rethink Press Award. Prize: Paperback and digital publication
5. The Harry Bowling Prize run by the UK Society of Authors. Prize: £1,000 + review by
    top industry critiques.
6. The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Prize: Grand prize of $50,000, 4 winner
    prizes of $15,000 and publishing contracts.

 Excited? Motivated? Then you know that all you have to do is.....

Results for the ESSEC Short Story Competition 2014

Congrats to all the authors participating in the 2014 competition. The award ceremony on 16th May gave the following results:

1st prize and winner: Joy Habib for her story "The Things God Does Not Forgive"

Joint runners up: Roman Palmieri for "90 Miles Away" and Anne-Caroline Gallimard for "Ready"

3rd place: Sarah Cotten with "Alfred".

Joy Habib wrote a beautifully crafted story of Yasmina, her family, and her lifelong relationship with her childhood friend Yara that interweaves the theme of identity on many levels. The author can only be encouraged to write a full-length novel version of this wonderfully poignant tale.

 

All 50 works can be read in the paperback collection published by ESSEC Business School.

The Kingdom of Emptiness gets first review

Published a month ago, The Kingdom has had its first reveiw from... Amazon.de!

"The writing is impeccable, astonishing and simply wonderful! It is a delight to read it and this story certainly lets you forget everyday life and restraints! You will be able to identify with one of the characters making the reading a great adventure! Go ahead and buy it! I would love to have it as a printed version!"

 

Many thanks to the reader - a true diamond - and glad you enjoyed the story so much!

Tom :-)

 

Tom Gamble / The Moodfield - You (the northern bay)

Identified as budding talent!

Young writers - the 2014 ESSEC short story competition

I've had the great (and serendipitous) honour to be a member of the review jury for the 2014 ESSEC Short Story Competition. The fifty or so submitted stories on the theme of Identity were of extremely high quality, some of them very promising material for full-length novels, and the task was indeed a hard one to hone the long and shortlists. Congrats to all.

The winners? Why not come along to the award ceremony at ESSEC Business School on Friday 16th May to find out? See you there!

  

And King Krule...

Music sometimes sparks off a golden idea for a book! This one from the young Londoner certainly sparked off a few memories for me. What it was/is all about to be a teenager - listen on and savour!
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRzlbh4or3c

Step back, suffer, and enjoy it while it lasts!

Tom offers some coaching tools and tips to make not only rejection slips, but also your key characters, work in your favour! And while you're at it, take your boots off and have a paddle somewhere different... @ Squidoo



Beating the publishing crisis!

You've got a story, believe in it, have had it read and received glowing reviews. BUT the publishers won't take a risk! Then... self-publish and see what happens!

I'd like to share the story behind the Kingdom of Emptiness - a saga in itself - and point budding authors towards an interesting alternative. Read all about it @ Squidoo

And keep on writing! ;-)

Back from adventure!

Travel has always been a source of inspiration for any story. Recently back from a "North-South trek" in the gorges of the Mgoun, Morocco, still hard to re-adapt but lots of ideas, colours, sounds and feelings from the beautiful and remote Atlas Mountains. A great group of fellow trekkers, an exceptional leader-guide in the form of M. Bakal, not to mention the master cook, Brahim and his super team of muleteers. Budding writers get out of your box and serendipity will play its part. Look up Terre d'Aventure http://www.terdav.com/ for a stunning experience! Photos taken from the phone - others coming soon...

A long road for great music!

Well, well... dunno if I'm early, late or simply lucky but if you've been waiting in vain since Oasis and Blur in the 90s for something great on the music scene, then here it is: a chance snippet on the radio while driving the old bus and then discovery - Alabama Shakes with a stunning song called "Hold On"! Kinda makes you believe again... Enjoy! :-) Please keep raw and God save you from the marketing machine...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le-3MIBxQTw