Fiction Contest Results
We had six judges for the fiction writing contest and 7 entries. Our judges included three published authors, a teacher, a journalist and a reader in her early 20s who works with 4-H kids.
Each judge read every story individually, without knowing the name of the author. Stories were judged in three areas: technical aspects, creativity/readability and story development. The highest score a story could earn from each judge was 30 points.
Once all of the stories were judged by all of the judges, the scores were added together. The highest total score a story could receive was 180 points.
We are very thankful you shared your talent with us. We hope you all continue to write and wish you the best of luck in achieving all of your publishing dreams!
2016 Fiction Contest Results
1st Place = Cassandra Den Hartog = No Regrets = 157 Points
2nd Place = Glenda Faye Mathes = Splintered Image = 155 Points
3rd Place = Sarah Thompson = The Leap = 153 Points
Rebecca Bailey = The Alliance = 142 Points
The Dive Bar & The Hoody Man = 131 Points
Two Sister’s Secret = 123 Points
The Business Card = 113 Points
Each judge read every story individually, without knowing the name of the author. Stories were judged in three areas: technical aspects, creativity/readability and story development. The highest score a story could earn from each judge was 30 points.
Once all of the stories were judged by all of the judges, the scores were added together. The highest total score a story could receive was 180 points.
We are very thankful you shared your talent with us. We hope you all continue to write and wish you the best of luck in achieving all of your publishing dreams!
2016 Fiction Contest Results
1st Place = Cassandra Den Hartog = No Regrets = 157 Points
2nd Place = Glenda Faye Mathes = Splintered Image = 155 Points
3rd Place = Sarah Thompson = The Leap = 153 Points
Rebecca Bailey = The Alliance = 142 Points
The Dive Bar & The Hoody Man = 131 Points
Two Sister’s Secret = 123 Points
The Business Card = 113 Points
| 2016_1_no_regrets.pdf |
| 2016_2_splintered_image.pdf |
| 2016_3_the_leap.pdf |
Conference Presenters
Barbara Barrett spent her professional career as a human resources analyst for Iowa state government and that training has stayed with her in her writing of contemporary romance fiction. Now retired, Barbara spends her winters basking in the Florida sunshine and returns to her home state of Iowa in the summer to “stay cool.” Married to the man she met her senior year at the University of Iowa, they have two grown children and seven grandchildren. Seduction on Wheels (August 2015) is her sixth romance novel published by The Wild Rose Press and her second in the “Matchmaking Motor Coach Series.” Her previous works include: And He Cooks Too, Driven to Matrimony, Saved by the Salsa, The Sleepover Clause, and Tough Enough to Tango.
Debra L. Butterfield is the editor for CrossRiver Media Group as well as a freelance writer and editor. She began her writing career as a junior copywriter for Focus on the Family. Debra is the author of Carried by Grace and Mystery on Maple Hill. She has contributed stories to Miracles and Moments of Grace: Inspiring Stories of Survival, 2014 Penned from the Heart, and The Benefit Package. Her magazine credits include CBN.com, Live, Susie, and The Vision. She writes a blog for writers at DebraL Butterfield.com. Oddly enough, Debra likes the smell of skunks, enjoys the outdoors, and reading. Now living in Missouri, Debra has three adult children and two grandchildren. You can contact Debra at: [email protected].
Tim Bascom’s newest book, the memoir Running to the Fire (University of Iowa Press, 2015) is about his missionary family leaving a small town in Kansas to return to Ethiopia during a Marxist revolution. It follows on the heels of an earlier memoir, Chameleon Days: An American Boyhood in Ethiopia, which won the Bakeless Prize in Nonfiction from Breadloaf Writers Conference. Bascom has published a novel and collection of essays as well, and his essays have won Editor’s Prizes from The Missouri Review and Florida Review, being selected for Best American Travel Writing and Best Creative Nonfiction. He completed his MFA at the University of Iowa and now teaches at Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa.
Brooke Williams is a former radio announcer/producer and script writer turned freelance writer and author. When Brooke’s first daughter was born in 2009 she left her full time radio career to stay home. Eventually, she realized she could fulfill her lifelong desire to write while her daughter napped and she then entered into the freelance writing world. As her business grew, she took on clients from all over the world and began to dabble in fiction writing once again. Brooke has several books on the market including her first novel, “Someone Always Loved You” and the thriller “Beyond the Bars.” Her romantic comedies include “Wrong place, Right time”, “Accept this Dandelion”, “Mamarazzi”, “Dandelions on the Road”, “After the Final Dandelion” and the short story “Backwards Christmas”. She also has two children’s books on the market, “Shower in the Rain” and “Baby Sheep Gets a Haircut.” She looks forward to her next publishing venture with BQB Publishing. Together, they will put out “The Leftover” in June 2017. Brooke has two young daughters, ages 7 and 3, and has been married since 2002.
Stacy Green is the author of the Lucy Kendall thriller series and the Delta Crossroads mystery trilogy. ALL GOOD DEEDS (Lucy Kendall #1) won a bronze medal for mystery and thriller at the 2015 IPPY Awards. TIN GOD (Delta Crossroads #1) was runner-up for best mystery/thriller at the 2013 Kindle Book Awards. Stacy has a love of thrillers and crime fiction, and she is always looking for the next dark and twisted novel to enjoy. She started her career in journalism before becoming a stay at home mother and rediscovering her love of writing. She lives in Iowa with her husband and daughter and their three spoiled fur babies. Stacy loves to hear from readers! Visit her website at stacygreenauthor.com, or Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StacyGreenAuthor.
Anna Loan-Wilsey lives in a Victorian farmhouse in the Iowa countryside with her patient husband, inquisitive six year old daughter and old yellow dog. She was born and raised in Syracuse, NY but has lived in Finland, Canada and Texas. She have a BA in Biology from Wells College in Aurora, NY and a MLIS from McGill University in Montreal. She’s a biologist, librarian, information specialist and now with the Hattie Davish Mysteries Series, a novelist. Anna is also a proud member of Sleuths In Time, Mystery Writers of America and Sisters-in-Crime.
Debra L. Butterfield is the editor for CrossRiver Media Group as well as a freelance writer and editor. She began her writing career as a junior copywriter for Focus on the Family. Debra is the author of Carried by Grace and Mystery on Maple Hill. She has contributed stories to Miracles and Moments of Grace: Inspiring Stories of Survival, 2014 Penned from the Heart, and The Benefit Package. Her magazine credits include CBN.com, Live, Susie, and The Vision. She writes a blog for writers at DebraL Butterfield.com. Oddly enough, Debra likes the smell of skunks, enjoys the outdoors, and reading. Now living in Missouri, Debra has three adult children and two grandchildren. You can contact Debra at: [email protected].
Tim Bascom’s newest book, the memoir Running to the Fire (University of Iowa Press, 2015) is about his missionary family leaving a small town in Kansas to return to Ethiopia during a Marxist revolution. It follows on the heels of an earlier memoir, Chameleon Days: An American Boyhood in Ethiopia, which won the Bakeless Prize in Nonfiction from Breadloaf Writers Conference. Bascom has published a novel and collection of essays as well, and his essays have won Editor’s Prizes from The Missouri Review and Florida Review, being selected for Best American Travel Writing and Best Creative Nonfiction. He completed his MFA at the University of Iowa and now teaches at Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa.
Brooke Williams is a former radio announcer/producer and script writer turned freelance writer and author. When Brooke’s first daughter was born in 2009 she left her full time radio career to stay home. Eventually, she realized she could fulfill her lifelong desire to write while her daughter napped and she then entered into the freelance writing world. As her business grew, she took on clients from all over the world and began to dabble in fiction writing once again. Brooke has several books on the market including her first novel, “Someone Always Loved You” and the thriller “Beyond the Bars.” Her romantic comedies include “Wrong place, Right time”, “Accept this Dandelion”, “Mamarazzi”, “Dandelions on the Road”, “After the Final Dandelion” and the short story “Backwards Christmas”. She also has two children’s books on the market, “Shower in the Rain” and “Baby Sheep Gets a Haircut.” She looks forward to her next publishing venture with BQB Publishing. Together, they will put out “The Leftover” in June 2017. Brooke has two young daughters, ages 7 and 3, and has been married since 2002.
Stacy Green is the author of the Lucy Kendall thriller series and the Delta Crossroads mystery trilogy. ALL GOOD DEEDS (Lucy Kendall #1) won a bronze medal for mystery and thriller at the 2015 IPPY Awards. TIN GOD (Delta Crossroads #1) was runner-up for best mystery/thriller at the 2013 Kindle Book Awards. Stacy has a love of thrillers and crime fiction, and she is always looking for the next dark and twisted novel to enjoy. She started her career in journalism before becoming a stay at home mother and rediscovering her love of writing. She lives in Iowa with her husband and daughter and their three spoiled fur babies. Stacy loves to hear from readers! Visit her website at stacygreenauthor.com, or Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StacyGreenAuthor.
Anna Loan-Wilsey lives in a Victorian farmhouse in the Iowa countryside with her patient husband, inquisitive six year old daughter and old yellow dog. She was born and raised in Syracuse, NY but has lived in Finland, Canada and Texas. She have a BA in Biology from Wells College in Aurora, NY and a MLIS from McGill University in Montreal. She’s a biologist, librarian, information specialist and now with the Hattie Davish Mysteries Series, a novelist. Anna is also a proud member of Sleuths In Time, Mystery Writers of America and Sisters-in-Crime.