From My Mind to....

Oh-Mi-God

I'm the WYRM Gauntlet Champion!

Dang, I found out two days ago, and I still can't believe it.  That contest had some fierce competition.  My two fellow finalists, Lynn McKenzie and NickiD89 are awesome writers; I knew this last round would be a tough battle.  After submitting my finals story--I kept to the speculative fiction genre, which many of you know that is not my preferred genre--I read the other two submissions.  Right then I figured just making it to the finals would net me Third Place, not bad for this fabulous event.

For some reason that shall be lost to the mists of time, the judges selected my story as the winner.  Damn, thanks guys!

In case you're unfamiliar with this contest, the "Invalid Item"  (and no, I don't know what WYRM stands for) encompasses the best of both writing and in-depth reviewing.  Conducted in a tournament style, the Gauntlet consists of participating in Three Rounds and a Finals Round over a seven-week period.  The Gauntlet is open to all, and more than twenty folk signed up for this year's event.  When all was said and done, I had written two new stories (in a genre outside my comfort zone) and submitted two in-depth reviews for the consideration of said judges.  Oh, in case you're interested, the stories are:
Round Two:  A speculative fiction story to the prompt I can still see him burning.:

Memories   (18+) Today's my lucky day--gonna take care of that memory. #1598623 by JACE

Finals Round:  A story of any genre, any subject, any length, & any rating:

The Warlock's Circle   (18+) A thing cannot be obtained without giving up something in return. A WYRM Gauntlet entry. #1605118 by JACE

I must admit, it's been so long since I've had NO parameters of any kind in which to write, this was a very difficult task, indeed.  And I think you would enjoy the stories of my fellow finalists as well.

Invalid Item  This item number is not valid. #1604127 by Not Available.

When Opposites Attract  (18+) Pursuing scientific exploration trumps all in this spec-fi story. Entry: Gauntlet finals. #1607693 by NickiD89

My congratulations to these two fine writers, and to all who participated in this year's Gauntlet.

Different subject:  My auction, "Jace's Travel Guide Auction" , is still going on.  All the pertinent information is in my previous post, but I want to publically thank all who have donated so far--your generosity has exceeded both Meeple and my expectations.  "The Talent Pond"  and "SIMPLY POSITIVE GROUP"  will be greatly blessed by your support.

Don't forget--it will run until 23:59 WDC time on Monday, 19 October.  Tell your friends!

And a final topic:  I must get off and finish my article for the next "Invalid Item" .  If you haven't subscribed to it, consider doing so.  It's a great resource, and the editor and founder. Lorien is doing a fabulous job with it.  Off I go to discuss taboos about conjunctions and prepositions.

Please check out "Jace's Travel Guide Auction"  run by Meeple to benefit "The Talent Pond"  and "SIMPLY POSITIVE GROUP" .
We'll be returning home from our travels on Monday night, 19 Oct.