Historic House Short Story Writing Competition

Today I'm sharing details of a short story writing competition...

Historic House Short Story competition Max 2,500 word story inspired by or set in a historic house (real or imagined). Run by Corazon Books in partnership with the Historic Houses Association (HHA). Free entry. First prize: £150, private tour and afternoon tea with owners of Levens Hall, Cumbria. Double Friends Membership to the HHA. Two runners-up prizes of Double Friends Membership to the HHA. Deadline: September 26th 2014. Full details and entry at: www.catherinegaskin.com

Full details:

Historic House Short Story Competition

Publisher Corazon Books has partnered with the Historic Houses Association to launch a special short story competition with fantastic prizes. Writers are invited to submit a short story which is either inspired by or set in a historic house.

Ian Skillicorn, publisher of Corazon Books, says: "We are looking for a compelling tale with lots of atmosphere. It can take place in the past or present, in either a real or fictional setting, so writers can let their imaginations take them, and us, whenever and wherever they wish!"

The competition is being run to celebrate the publication of The Property of a Gentleman by Catherine Gaskin. This modern classic by the bestselling "Queen of Storytellers" has recently been reissued by Corazon Books in ebook format, in time to celebrate its 40th anniversary. It is the first of Gaskin's novels to be published digitally. The Property of a Gentleman is a tale of intrigue, mystery and romance, set in a fictional earl's ancestral home, in the dramatic landscape of England's Lake District.

The competition's unique prizes are in keeping with its theme. The winning writer and a guest will be treated to a private tour and afternoon tea with the owners of Levens Hall in Cumbria. The winner will also receive a cash prize of £150, and a double Friends membership for the Historic Houses Association. Two runners up will each receive a double Friends membership to the Historic Houses Association. Corazon Books also plans to publish an ebook anthology of the best entries, with each writer receiving royalties for their published story.

Richard Compton, President of the HHA, says: "A HHA Member property will offer great inspiration for budding writers and will make a fantastic setting for a short story. We look forward to partnering with Corazon Books and reading the entries in this unique competition."

Catherine Gaskin

Susie Bagot of Levens Hall says: “The Bagot family is very pleased to be associated with the Historic House Short Story Competition and looks forward to welcoming the winner to Levens Hall and telling them the story of this fascinating ancient house and garden.”

The competition will run from March 10th to September 26th 2014, and the winner will be announced during National Short Story Week (17th to 23rd November 2014). There is no fee to enter the competition.

Enter the competition at: www.catherinegaskin.com

Sophie King - Second Time Lucky - Guest post & Writing competition

Today I am pleased to share an author guest blog post by writer Sophie King, plus news of a romantic fiction short story writing competition!

Guest blog post by Sophie King

AM I THE ONLY ONE to have secrets from my children? I do hope not.....

The other day, my newish husband (who knew me as a friend for thirty years before we married), let slip that I had smoked during my university days.

The effect on my three children was electrifying.

'But you've always told us not to,' spluttered my youngest.

'You said you'd be furious if we tried it,' said the middle one, her eyes narrowing with suspicion at me.

'Why didn't you tell us?' demanded the eldest.

All three nodded vigorously. 'Why didn't you tell us?', they chorused with crestfallen faces.

In vain, did I try to explain that I only smoked for six months and that I haven't had so much of a whiff since (apart from sniffing my eldest son's jacket when he's been out for the evening).

No. It was the fact that I had omitted to tell them that I had done something which I've spent years advising them not to.

Their faith in me had been dented and I felt gutted...

Then I got thinking. How much should we tell our children about our previous lives? Isn't it, after all, our own affair? Not long after the smoking bust-up, I read a problem page letter (don't you just love them?) in which the writer, a grandmother, was deeply distressed because her ten year old grandson had found some revealing pictures of her from her teenage years, hidden in an old shoebox at the back of her wardrobe.

'He'll never see me in the same light again,' she'd wailed. I could almost hear her pain through the page. 'What should I do?'

It was one of those problem pages where readers are invited to write in with their solutions for the next issue so I don't know what was suggested. But I nearly wrote in myself to point out that actually it wasn't the grandson's business. If his gran had had a bit of a wild life in the past, good on her. In fact, if she hadn't, maybe the grandson wouldn't be there now...

Personally, I think we're entitled to some secrets, no matter how old we are. I wouldn't dream of checking anyone's text messages in our family. That, in my book, is as bad as reading your daughter's diary - something that my own mother did when I was 17. As a result, she insisted that I broke up with my then boyfriend. I was made to feel shameful, even though I was, by today's standards, extremely conventional.

Still, it's all good material for my novels. In fact, secrets play a big part in SECOND TIME LUCKY. And no - I can't reveal what they are or they wouldn't be secrets!

What's the biggest secret you've hidden from your children and why? Write to me at sophie@sophieking.info and you could win a prize. Look forward to hearing from you!

Look out for more AM I THE ONLY ONE posts on my blog at http://blog.sophieking.info

About the novel

Second Time Lucky by Sophie King

Second Time Lucky: Another engaging tale of love and life from Sophie King, the bestselling author of The School Run. Meet the residents of Bridgewater House, once a grand stately home, but now converted into apartments which house a host of colourful characters, each with their own desires and secrets.

Louise thought she had everything, then suddenly finds herself as a single mum with an uncertain future. Can she build a new life for her and her children? And has real happiness been right under her nose all along?

Roddy was once the heir to Bridgewater House, but now he's a drunken lord who's fallen on hard times. Can he prove to his ex-wife that he has cleaned up his act, or is he about to risk everything in a desperate scheme to show how much he loves his kids?

Molly is a famous actress, coming to terms with retirement and the recent death of her actor husband Gideon. But dare she tell anyone that Gideon still comes to visit her? And how will she react to some unexpected messages from beyond the grave?

American Marcie always fantasised about marrying an English gentleman, just like one of her Jane Austen heroines. But will two resentful stepchildren, and failed attempts to have a baby of her own, get in the way of her dream happy ending? And what would her husband David make of her secret shame from the past?

As each of these neighbours faces their own challenges, their lives are about to become entwined in ways they never could have expected.

Second Time Lucky – doesn't everyone deserve a second chance? 

Romantic fiction short story competition! 

The Sophie King Prize

This romantic fiction short story competition aims to discover a great new romance short story. The winning story will be chosen by best-selling novelist and short story writer Sophie King.

The competition is free to enter, and is open to both published and unpublished writers worldwide. The winning story will be recorded by a professional actor, and broadcast from a dedicated online audio player. The winner will also receive a pair of Silver-Plated Life Long Champagne Chalices and £50 (approx $79) gift voucher courtesy of www.handpickedcollection.com. One runner up will receive a £25 (approx $39) gift Handpicked Collection voucher.

The Sophie King Prize is now open for entries. Entrants must submit a short story of between 1,500 to 2,500 words with a romantic theme. The submissions deadline is January 10th 2014 and the winner will be announced on February 14th 2014. To enter, go to: www.thesophiekingprize.com

Tales from the Heart - Sophie King

This newly compiled ebook exclusive is a collection of twenty stories written by author Sophie King, which have been brought together in this format for the first time. The stories have previously appeared in various well-known women's magazines like Woman's Weekly and My Weekly. At their heart, the stories all concern themselves with things that lie at the heart of all our everyday lives - love, relationships, families and friends, and are written with warmth and humour, and sometimes with a twist in the tale.

I enjoyed reading this collection, and I found that it was lovely to be able to just pick it up and read a couple of stories, then come back to it again later, and read some more, with each story being a satisfying and complete read within itself. Short stories are not a format I read regularly, but I found these light, entertaining and engaging. 

Sophie King is adept at writing tales in this format; she quickly paints a picture, draws characters and sets a scene with enough information for us to grasp and enjoy the scenario being played out yet staying within the boundaries of a short story. I liked many of them, including Card Making for Beginners, which deals with a father son relationship and the theme of acceptance, whilst injecting humour through the card making session.

Sophie King has also written full length novels, and within this collection of short stories there is also the first two chapters of Sophie's new novel Divorce for Beginners. She is also a creative writing teacher.

Published by Corazon Books, as an ebook.

Find out more here - Great Stories with Heart.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ebook of these stories to read and give an honest review.

You can find out more about Sophie King by visiting her website here and follow her on twitter @sophiek_writer


The full list of the twenty tales included is as follows:

Other People's Children
Eating In
The Party
Holiday with a Difference
May I Take Your Picture?
I'm Sure I Put it Somewhere
What's Her Name?
I've Got Something to Tell You
That One is Mine!
Mental Striptease (For Older People Who Should Know Better)
Scattering Bert
Card Making for Beginners
No Presents Please
Here's One They Made Earlier
Bedroom Talk
Odds and Sods
Just One More Coffee
Under My Feet
Best Before
All Wrapped Up