Happy New Year, Dear Readers!
This New Year’s Eve I invited neighborhood friends to dinner, and each brought their favorite side dishes grown from their gardens. The smell of all those fabulous recipes had my tastebuds overflowing with anticipation of our veritable vegetable feast, and the roasted pork and sauerkraut, our tradition to bring luck in the upcoming year, tasted even better with so many flavorful combinations. Best of all, my stewed tomatoes were a hit!
During the meal we made resolutions. Mine is to enter writing contests to see how my short stories fare compared with other writers. The prize money would help to order something new to plant in the garden, as the seeds saved from last season grow the plants for the next. My tastebuds from the feast steer me to spaghetti squash as they paired well with the stewed tomatoes, maybe a few artichoke plants, and new trellises, too.
An email to my writing group floods my inbox with context to find contests. One member suggests searching Duotrope.com, and another, Submittable.com. Someone else mentions Chillsubs.com, and the free site, authorspublish.com. They are easy enough to navigate, even with my lack of information technology, and the free trials allows me to peruse the sites.
One contest, the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable 2024 Short Story Award, opens New Year’s Day. A holiday story, only 2,000 words, with a deadline on March 31! Rubbing my hands together, I can already taste those new vegetables.