WHODUNNIT? A Mystery Contest Sponsored by Sleuths' Ink

WHODUNNIT?

A MYSTERY CONTEST

sponsored by

SLEUTHS' INK MYSTERY WRITERS

Springfield, MO

 

Join the ranks of mystery writers and try your hand at writing a mini-mystery. If you've never written this genre, we suggest you read Woman’s World magazine, which publishes a new mystery weekly. The mysteries are located near the back, are always 700 words, and a solution is provided.

These mysteries are fun and interactive. And who doesn’t like to solve a whodunnit? Put on a Columbo trench coat and try your hand at this genre.

 

Guidelines and Word Count:

Simply write a short "solve-it-yourself" mystery of 700 words. That count must include the narrative and the solution. Stories should be fun and entertaining with an ending that challenges to the reader to figure out whodunnit or howdunnit. 

Submission information:  

Send your entry to Sleuthsink95@gmail.com. Write "Contest Submission" in the subject line.

 

Payment information:

Include a $5 entry fee per entry. (You may enter as many times as you want, but you’ll need to mail $5 for each entry.)

You’ll need to mail your entry fee to

Shirley McCann

4750 S. Ridgecrest Drive

Springfield, MO 65810

 

You will receive a confirmation once we’ve received your entry and your fee.

 

 

Prizes:

$65  First prize

$25  Second prize

$10  Third prize

 

Additionally, all entries will receive feedback by at least two published WW authors! What have you got to lose?

 

Deadline: May 31, 2013

(winners will be announced in early July)

 

Note: This is a contest sponsored by Sleuths' Ink Mystery Writers, and has no affiliation with Woman’s World Magazine. We do, however, encourage you to submit your finished story to WW. Remember, you are eligible to win cash prizes, plus your stories will be judged and critiqued by at least two published Woman’s World authors.

 

Questions? Email us at Sleuthsink95@gmail.com and good luck!

April Speaker - Ron Yoder of Southwest Missouri Forensics

Wanna know what to look for at a crime scene? Do you know how to determine time of death? Can you define Lividity and Livor Temperature?

If you have questions about Crime Scenes and Au-topsies, you won’t want to miss Saturday’s meet-ing.

Not only is Ron the former Greene County Deputy Medical Examiner, and now owns Southwest Mis-souri Forensics in Nixa, Missouri, but he’s also been an honorary member of Sleuths’ Ink since he first spoke to our group many years ago. You won’t want to miss this infor-mative meeting, as well as Ron’s delightful sense of humor. As our President, Wanda Fittro, has said, Ron makes death "fun".

 

JANO 2013 RESULTS ARE IN!

If you didn't participate in JANO 2013, stay tuned for 2014. Not only will one lucky Sleuths' Ink member win a KINDLE in December of this year, but the following people were also winners of various prizes.  Remember you DO NOT have to be a member of Sleuths' Ink to win any of these other prizes. But we'd love to have you.

 

OUR JANO 2013 WINNERS

 

The top three to 50,000 were :

1st  Sharon Smith,    2nd - Lynn Fredrickson, and    3rd - Cindy Blackburn.

A total of six people completed 50,000 words during JANO 2013.

Best Blurb: Sharon Davis.
Best Title: Susan Keene.
Best first line: Allison Merritt.
Best First page: Allison Merritt.

And a BIG THANK YOU TO Kelly Henkins for chairing

JANO 2013.

 

 

JANO is less than one week from completion. People from all over the world have signed up for this 4th annual event.

Our JANO party year is scheduled forf Saturday February 2, 2013 at The Event Center on Republic Road in Springfield, MO.  Looks like seventeen of our 50 participants will be able to attend this event.

Prizes will be awarded at this time. The following categories are:

1^st Person to reach 50,000

• 2^nd Person to reach 50,000
  3^rd Person to reach 50,000
  FICTION:
  Best Title
  Best First Sentence
  Best First Page – This is read at the JANUARY 12^th, meeting
  Best Blurb – 100 words or less
  　
  SHORT STORY COLLECTION:
  Best Title
  Best Blurb – 100 words or less
  　
  NON-FICTION:
  Best Blurb – 100 words or less

Also, check out the poem by JANO participant Cindy Blackburn. It's appropriately called Lightning Writing.

Happy Writing.

JANO 2013

Sleuths’ Ink Presents

JANO 2013

 

Join us January 1^st  for the 4th Annual JANO

 Modeled after the popular NaNoWri in November, JANO participants write a 50,000 word novel in January.

Three reasons January is the perfect time to write a novel:

1.    You get one extra day in January, making your daily writing goal 1613 words.

2.    The HOLIDAYS ARE OVER!

3.    We celebrate with a PARTY in February where we give away PRIZES!!!

 

For more details, check out our JANO 2013 page at the right.

 

SIGN UP AT janowriters-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

November Speaker/Shirley McCann

Shirley McCann’s fiction has appeared in Woman’s World, Alfred Hitchcock, The Forensic Examiner, and many confession magazines. But her FIRST break into published writing was in a small obscure magazine.

Shirley will share her knowledge of the short story markets, as well as her experience with e-publishing collections of her short stories.

Also, be prepared for a quick tutorial on Goodreads, and why it can be a great marketing tool for writers

October Speaker Beth Carter Talks About Marketing

Beth Carter is the author of two picture books, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE? and THE MISSING KEY. Her short stories and poems are published in three ECHOES OF THE OZARKS anthologies, as well as A Bad Hair Day anthology. Carter’s six-word memoirs were published in IT ALL CHANGED IN AN INSTANT, alongside famous authors and celebrities and SIX WORDS AT WORK, another six-word memoir collection.

In marketing for over 20 years in the fields of healthcare, banking and green heat, Carter has received awards for her writing and was previously a bank vice president. After 16 years of being a single mom and working in corporate America, Carter happily shed her bank suits, heels, and 8 a.m. meetings and now writes from home in her pj’s. She fully admits to a slight obsession with T.J. Maxx, skinny vanilla lattes and guacamole (though, not at the same time).

Carter lives in the Midwest and is a member of Ozarks Romance Authors, Sleuths’ Ink Mystery Writers, and Ozarks Writers League. She founded the one-month writing challenge, JANO, for Sleuths’ Ink in 2009 and served as vice president of Sleuths. Follow her at http://banterwithbeth.blogspot.com, on Facebook at Beth Carter or Author Beth Carter and on Twitter at bethsbanter.