Guest blogger: Jennifer Slattery
Sometimes Clash of the Titles highlights great talent. Other times we get to "discover it." This is exactly what happened with our speculative fiction unpub'bed clash.
Join me in welcoming Chawna Schroeder to the COTT family!
There's nothing like discovering great talent before it goes to print! And I have a feeling we're going to see our latest COTT champion's books on bookshelves very soon. When we do, we can all say, "We saw her on COTT first!" And this clash--a battle for best speculative fiction unpub'bed--was even more exciting because the winner has been invited to submit a full proposal to Asraea Press for immediate review!
Her winning excerpt was pulled from the pages of Metamorphosis, a gripping tale of a Beast and her master:
Once upon a time there lived a Beast…
Not in a shining castle, but among a pack of dogs.
For as long as Beast can remember she has lived among her master’s dogs. With them she sleeps. With them she eats. With them she fights and struggles to survive. But through hunger and cold, she dreams of one day becoming Master’s favorite, earning bones with meat and a place beside the fire.
Then strangers attack. Her pack scatters. Fire eats the village. And Beast knows: Master is no more.
Alone and unprotected, Beast tries to defend herself against slavers scavenging for any leftovers. But she is only one, and they are strong.
Tracked by men, sold as a monster, is Beast only prey to be hunted…
…or something more?
A few comments from readers:
"I enjoyed both excerpts! I am curious about the world created in A, but B really got me in the gut."
"Great job! Keep writing!"
"God has given you a gift. Your TRUE fans will always be there for you!! Never give up and follow your dreams!!! I am sending up a prayer for you and your family!!!"
Join us March 19-23 for a fun Flash Clash!
Sometimes Clash of the Titles highlights great talent. Other times we get to "discover it." This is exactly what happened with our speculative fiction unpub'bed clash.
Join me in welcoming Chawna Schroeder to the COTT family!
There's nothing like discovering great talent before it goes to print! And I have a feeling we're going to see our latest COTT champion's books on bookshelves very soon. When we do, we can all say, "We saw her on COTT first!" And this clash--a battle for best speculative fiction unpub'bed--was even more exciting because the winner has been invited to submit a full proposal to Asraea Press for immediate review! Her winning excerpt was pulled from the pages of Metamorphosis, a gripping tale of a Beast and her master:
Once upon a time there lived a Beast…
Not in a shining castle, but among a pack of dogs.
For as long as Beast can remember she has lived among her master’s dogs. With them she sleeps. With them she eats. With them she fights and struggles to survive. But through hunger and cold, she dreams of one day becoming Master’s favorite, earning bones with meat and a place beside the fire.
Then strangers attack. Her pack scatters. Fire eats the village. And Beast knows: Master is no more.
Alone and unprotected, Beast tries to defend herself against slavers scavenging for any leftovers. But she is only one, and they are strong.
Tracked by men, sold as a monster, is Beast only prey to be hunted…
…or something more?
A few comments from readers:
"I enjoyed both excerpts! I am curious about the world created in A, but B really got me in the gut."
"Great job! Keep writing!"
"God has given you a gift. Your TRUE fans will always be there for you!! Never give up and follow your dreams!!! I am sending up a prayer for you and your family!!!"
Join us March 19-23 for a fun Flash Clash!
3 comments:
Thanks, Michelle, for posting this.
You're welcome, Chawna! It's great to have you with us. I wanted to ask you, how do you pronounce your name? My mom's name is Shawn, is yours pronounced with a soft "sh" sound too? Congrats on your win. =)
Yes, just like your mom's name--soft "sh" and all--except with the "a" at the end. My mom liked the name "Shawna," but wanted my initials to match my older sister's. So I became "Chawna."
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