In an effort to promote literacy and foster love for the written word among young writers and readers, I’ve teamed up with my publisher and five fellow Skycape authors to bring you:

Here’s your list of participating authors/judges:

• CHRISTINA FARLEY, is the author of GILDED and SILVERN, and currently lives in Clermont, FL. Visit her at www.christinafarley.com or @ChristinaFarley on twitter.
• JESSIE HUMPRIES, author of young adult contemporary thriller KILLING RUBY ROSE and RESISTING RUBY ROSE, lives in Las Vegas. Visit her at www.jessiehumphries.com or @JessieHWrites on twitter.
• LORI M. LEE is the author of young adult fantasy GATES OF THREAD AND STONE, and lives in Wisconsin. Visit her at lorimlee.com or @LoriMLee on Twitter.
• MEREDITH McCARDLE is the author of THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN, and lives in South Florida. Visit her at www.meredithmccardle.com or @MeredithMcP on Twitter.
• RYSA WALKER is the author TIMEBOUND, the first book in the CHRONOS Files series, which was the Young Adult and Grand Prize winner in the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. Time’s Edge, the second book in the series, is scheduled for release in October of 2014. Visit her at www.rysa.com or @RysaWalker on Twitter.
• CHUCK WENDIG, author of UNDER THE EMPYREAN SKY and BLIGHTBORN. He lives in Pennsylvania. Visit him at www.amazon.com/author/chuckwendig or @ChuckWendig on Twitter.

For all the details, please go to our website: www.skyauthors.com

Here’s the quick and dirty on the contest, but please be sure to see the website for full details.

Contest Rules

• Open to all students in grades 6-12 in the United States
• Any genre or theme (fantasy, sci-fi, romance, mystery, etc.)
• Maximum of 250 original words
• Inappropriate language or gratuitous violence is grounds for disqualification.

Submissions

• Send your 250 word first page of a story at our website: skyauthors.com
• Make sure to include your full name, high school, mailing address, email address, and a nomination for a teacher-mentor who helped you with your submission
• Submissions must be emailed by midnight on November 1, 2014

Prizes

• One winning student will win: One (1) contract to publish a short story and Two (2) Kindle Fires HDX (one for themselves and one for their nominated teacher-mentor).
• 2 runners-up will each receive: One (1) Kindle Paperwhite; One ($20 Amazon Gift Card); and all six (6) of the participating Skyscape’s authors books.
• 7 winners (1 per grade) will receive: One (1) Kindle Paperwhite; One ($20 Amazon Gift Card); and all six (6) of the participating Skyscape’s authors books.

Last but not least, the school with the most entries will win a pack of thirty (30) Kindle Paperwhites!

***Teachers/students/librarians: All authors will be doing limited visits/presentations (in-person and via Skype) so please contact the authors near your region for a spot before they all fill up!***

GO forth and spread the word!