Laurel Anne Hill

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"The Grave of Mario Bandini" by Laurel Anne Hill (A Short Story)

Have you ever noticed a patch of ground where nothing ever seems to grow?  My teen characters, Howie and Frank, encounter such a place in my creepy new short story, "The Grave of Mario Bandini."  The inspiration for "The Grave of Mario Bandini" came from my friends Donna and Jon.  When I was eleven or twelve years old, Donna speculated that a patch of wet earth (where nothing grew) near the local mortuary was really quicksand.  In 2009, Jon Cory (author of "A Plague of Scoundrels") suggested I write a short story about a patch of soil where nothing grows.  I recalled what Donna had told me many years ago.

To listen to my 30-minute story (for free!) go to my podcasting site:

http://laurelannehill.libsyn.com/index.php?post_year=2010&post_month=02

This story also is available on iTunes.  Please note that "The Grave of Mario Bandini" contains some profanity.

Laurel Anne Hill

(author of "Heroes Arise," http://www.laurelannehill.com)

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Looking for a writing contest? More News About the "HEROES ARISE" Science Fiction/Fantasy Award

I posted an announcement recently about new writing contests at the 2010 San Mateo County Fair.   Please note that the literary contests at the San Mateo County Fair are open to all California residents.    There is no age restriction to enter any of the adult fine arts competitions.  However, once youth enter an adult division contest, they are not permitted to go back and compete in the youth division.  Professional as well as amateur writers may compete.   The deadline is 7 pm, Friday, April 30, 2010.  Registration to compete may be done online but manuscripts must be snail-mailed (postmarked no later than April 25) or hand delivered.  For more information about all the writing contest divisions, contact Bardi Rosman Koodrin at artika@earthlink.net.  Note that the San Mateo County Fair usually has a variety of short story categories, including one for science fiction/fantasy.  The "Heroes Arise" Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel Award is new. 

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Looking for a writing contest?  The annual San Mateo County Fair includes contests for literary prizes.  In addition to the short story, poetry and essay divisions, there will be four new contests this year.  I'll be sponsoring one of these new contests:  The "Heroes Arise" Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel Award.  Preliminary details about the new contests are listed below.  Watch for additional information on the fair website (www.sanmateocountyfair.com) or contact Bardi Rosman Koodrin (artika@earthlink.net), the Literary Director.

Best of luck in the competition!

Laurel Anne Hill (Author of "Heroes Arise")

http://www.laurelannehill.com

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COMPETE FOR LITERARY PRIZES AT THE SAN MATEO COUNTY FAIR, JUNE 12-20, 2010

SHORT STORY, POETRY, AND ESSAY DIVISIONS — PLUS 4 NEW CONTESTS!  One of the new contests is as follows:

 The "Heroes Arise" Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel Award

Sponsored by Laurel Anne Hill (Author of "Heroes Arise," http://www.laurelannehill.com)

Awards Offered:  $100 first prize; $50 second prize; $25 third prize

Eligibility:  Submit chapter one (maximum 7,500 words) of your unpublished science fiction or fantasy novel according to the entry guidelines for literary contest submissions.  Please do not include a synopsis or a prologue.  Use standard manuscript formatting.

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San Francisco Nostalgia: "Gloved for all Reasons" by Laurel Anne Hill

How many of you recall the San Francisco of yesterday and the importance of wearing gloves downtown?  For a dose of San Francisco nostalgia, please listen to my personal true story, Gloved for all Reasons.  Gloved for all Reasons relates my life-long relationship with that basic accessory.  Go to http://laurelannehill.libsyn.com.  My complete podcast–including music, introduction and reading–lasts approximately 9 minutes.

And don't forget to visit my website if you haven't done so lately: http://www.laurelannehill.com.

Thank you,

Laurel Anne Hill

(Laurel Anne Hill is the author of "Heroes Arise," a book about breaking the cycle of vengeance, about reaching into one's own personal darkness to find the light of reason.)

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The New "Heroes Arise" Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel Award at the San Mateo County Fair

Looking for a writing contest?  The annual San Mateo County Fair includes a competition for literary prizes.  In addition to the short story, poetry and essay divisions, there will be four new contests this year.  I'll be sponsoring one of these new contests:  The "Heroes Arise" Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel Award.  Preliminary details about the new contests are listed below.  Watch for additional information on the fair website (www.sanmateocountyfair.com) or contact Bardi Rosman Koodrin (artika@earthlink.net), the Literary Director.

********** 

COMPETE FOR LITERARY PRIZES AT THE SAN MATEO COUNTY FAIR, JUNE 12-20, 2010

SHORT STORY, POETRY, AND ESSAY DIVISIONS — PLUS 4 NEW CONTESTS!

 The "Heroes Arise" Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel Award

Sponsored by Laurel Anne Hill (Author of "Heroes Arise," http://www.laurelannehill.com)

Awards Offered:  $100 first prize; $50 second prize; $25 third prize

Eligibility:  Submit chapter one (maximum 7,500 words) of your unpublished science fiction or fantasy novel according to the entry guidelines for literary contest submissions.  Please do not include a synopsis or a prologue.  Use standard manuscript formatting.

 

San Francisco/Peninsula Writers Club: Most Promising Writer of the Year Award

Award Offered: One (1) free year’s membership in the San Francisco/Peninsula chapter of The California Writers Club, a $250.00 value.

Eligibility:  Submit short story, poem (three (3) poems required for this contest), or essay according to the entry guidelines for literary contest submissions.

 

The Verna Dreisbach “Why We Ride” Nonfiction Award: 

Award offered: $100 for the winning piece 

Eligibility: Submit between 2,000 (minimum) to 3500 words maximum.  Open to all writers.  Tell us about that special horse in your life.

 

The National Association of Memoir Writers: The Power of Memoir Award

Awards offered: $100 first prize, $50 second prize, $25 third prize

Theme: The Light of My Life: A Mentor Who Showed me the Way

Eligibility:  Submit maximum 3,000 words of your unpublished memoir story. Write about someone who changed your life, and how he/she has helped you keep the faith. Submit according to the entry guidelines, using standard manuscript formatting, double- spaced.

 

Deadline is 7 pm, Friday, April 30, 2010.  Registration to compete can be done online, but no literary entries via email or website (www.sanmateocountyfair.com)will be accepted; written material can be mailed (must be postmarked by April 25th) or delivered to the office.

Contact Bardi Rosman Koodrin for more info: artika@earthlink.net

 

Best of luck to all of you.

Laurel Anne Hill (Author of "Heroes Arise," http://www.laurelannehill.com)

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"Reaching for Rainbows" (by Laurel Anne Hill), a story for Martin Luther King Day

Here's a great Martin Luther King Day story:  "Reaching for Rainbows."

"Reaching for Rainbows" is a story of a ten-year-old girl coping with homelessness, a school assignment about Martin Luther King, and the narrow line between reality and imagination.  To listen to this award-winning piece of fiction, go to:  http://laurelannehill.libsyn.com/index.php?post_year=2009&post_month=10.  Scroll down past other entries to reach my homelessness awareness story, which I recorded in three parts .  Remember to start with part one.  Each episode of "Reaching for Rainbows" is approximately 9-10 minutes long.

People of all colors need a place to live and some hope for the future.  To give additional meaning to Martin Luther King Day this year, please consider donating to a shelter for the homeless or to a disaster relief effort, such as the one for Haiti. 

Warm wishes,

Laurel Anne Hill (Author of "Heroes Arise")

http://www.laurelannehill.com

"Heroes Arise" is an award-winning novel about breaking the cycle of vengeance, about reaching into our own personal darkness and finding the light of reason.

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Band-Aids for the Gaping Wound of Homelessness (by Laurel Anne Hill)

In 2004, KQED-FM (NPR, San Francisco) broadcast "A Handful of Band-Aids," my perspective on the plight of homeless families in Contra Costa County, California.  I had written "A Handful of Band-Aids" in the latter part of 2003.  Now I've posted a slightly longer version of the piece used by KQED-FM.  To listen, go to my podcast site at http://laurelannehill.libsyn.com.  In this podcast, I also include information about the Winter Nights Rotating Family Shelter, a worthy nonprofit organization operating in Contra Costa County.  Winter Nights is a project of the Social Justice Alliance of the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County.

Needless to say, I'm a supporter of Winter Nights.  In fact, I used the debut of my science fiction/fantasy novel, "Heroes Arise," to raise funds for the Winter Nights Family Shelter.

For more information about the Winter Nights Shelter program, go to http://cccwinternights.org.

For more information about me or my novel, "Heroes Arise," please visit my website at http://www.laurelannehill.com.

Warm wishes,Laurel Anne Hill (Author of "Heroes Arise") 

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