WRITING CONTEST

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a prologue to, um, explain this picture.

Here's the basic outline of the story (after all, a prologue is supposed to be a vital SUPPORT to the story and be RELATIVE, right?):

Carl and Mary Paddington recently moved their family to Ridgeview Hills.

Carl is the new sales manager for Custom King Bakery, responsible for a six-state region. It's the third job he's had in the last two years.

Mary pretends she has more money than she knows what to do with, but of course, she doesn't. She works part-time for a local dentist and tells everyone it's to "keep busy."

Mark, their oldest, is not adjusting to the move at all and is depressed and outwardly cruel.

Cecelia (known as Cissy) is wildly popular with tons of friends and a full social schedule.

And that leaves us with Carmichael. Carmy has been a member of the family for the last six years. He has a favorite, but he would never tell because he loves the attention he gets from every member of the family.

This morning, one of them (obviously not Carmy) was brutally murdered.

Contest Rules: Maximum length 500 words (please indicate your word count at the beginning). Entry is made through the Comments section--one entry per person, so make it your best. In the event of cyber-space fistfights between the judges (who are my critique partners and my friends) I will be the determining judge. Only one person to feel vitriolic toward, ;-). Deadline: January 15th.

But seriously, this is all in fun. So let's have it!

What You Will NOT Receive: A line edit or critique. What your three judges will be evaluating is simply the sizzle and draw of your prologue--in addition to making sure it's valid.

What The Winner WILL Receive: The winner (and this is very, very special) will receive my very own personal copy of Without A Trace, Book One in Colleen Coble's Rock Harbor Series. This popular series featured another dog, Samson. Unlike (well, I think unlike) Carmy, Samson is a Search and Rescue dog.

Please feel free to invite your friends to participate. I've told my crit partners we'll probably have twenty-five to choose from. They laughed at me.

It' all better with friends.