Cool Contest Challenge

Here is the link to my winning entry in the Cool Stuff 4 Writers July cool contest challenge - FIRST SWIM. I got chills when I logged onto their site this morning and saw my name on the homepage. By chills I mean pleasant tingles of excitement. Chills are good. Remember folks, before you run off to read my winning story, the brief for the contest was to write a beach scene using purple prose. If you think the writing is bad, it is supposed to be. So bad it's good, yeah baby! While you're over there at Cool Stuff 4 Writers, have a look around. You'll be sure to find something of interest.

Cool news

Cave canem. Carpe diem. Caveat emptor. In vino veritas. Veni vidi visa.

Yes dear reader, I have been forced to eat my words - but oh, what a sweet taste they have! While I haven't woken up spouting Latin and looking like Shakira, I have won a competition that I thought was a sure fire rejection! I got great news this evening from the lovely Sandy at Coolstuff4writers that my submission to the July cool contest challenge has been selected as the winner! I'll have the link to my winning entry on the blog in a few days.

Coolstuff4writers is a wonderful resource for writers providing informative articles on all disciplines of writing and publication, an announcement board for news, interviews, incredibly cool stuff to buy to liven up your office and of course the monthly cool contest challenge, which has a $25 prize. The people at coolstuff4writers are really friendly and nice and the site is a fund of information so I can't urge you enough to drop by and look around. You will be amazed at what you find there. I would especially recommend the Book Dr's advice and the past winning entries of the cool contest challenge. I find the first a great resource and the second a valuable way to waste away five minutes when your brain needs a break.

August is turning out of be a good month for my writing with stories appearing in Alienskin magazine, Invisible Ink anthology 2, coolstuff4writes, Tiny lights and hopefully Afflicted hitting the shelves.

And here are some Latin phrases I learned today that I particularly like:-
1. cave laborem "beware of work" - my new motto
2. caveat lector "let the reader beware" - what I am going to print on the front cover of my books
3. cave nil vino "beware of running out of wine" - this one's for you Valpot
4. carpe noctem "seize the night" - who wants the day anyway?

and last, but not least...

5. cacoethes scribendi "bad habit of writing" - apparently means an insatiable urge to write. I like, I like (don't even think of asking me to pronounce it).