Winning The GalleyCat Vampire Re-Mix Contest

I am pleased to announce that I am the grand prize winner in the GalleyCat Varney The Vampire Re-Mix Contest. I had an absolute blast re-writing a section of history and am honored to have been chosen. Special thanks to Jason and all the folks at a href=”http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/”>GalleyCat for throwing this together.

If you would like to read my winning entry, you can drop by the GalleyCat Tumblr page. There will be a free eBook with ALL the creative scribings. Soon, you’ll be able to read the whole story! More to come on that. 🙂

Here’s how my portion begins:

“There is some one concealed there.”

“Marchdale” rolled his eyes. Eleven o’clock on a Saturday night. Wasn’t rehearsal over yet? “Varney’s gonna bite you. WOOOOOOOOO…”

“Pay attention, Marchdale,” Henry Bannersworth said, wagging his cane. “We film tomorrow!”

“Whatever.” Marchdale shrugged his shoulders and pulled out a flask out of his suit. “Where the hell’s George, anyway?”

“It’s his day off.” Henry smoothed out his coiffed hair. Even when they weren’t filming, the actor was such a prima donna. “Thanks for ruining the twenty-third take.”

“Can’t help it,” Marchdale whined, collapsing into an ornate chair. If he didn’t need the money, he never would have signed on for such a boring film. “Guess I’m still not feeling the creep factor.”

Bannersworth pulled out an ivory pipe and lit it. No doubt, the Victorian relic was authentic. If it wasn’t for Henry’s strong whiskey, he’d tell the jerk to save it for the camera. Hell, the actor even insisted they stay in character. What was that about?

— Behind the Scenes, GalleyCat’s Varney the Vampire Re-Mix. Written by Monica Valentinelli


November 15, 2012
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Win Free eBooks from FlamesRising.com

Celtic Wheel

A short overly-enthusiastic update today, for I am stuck in the wilds of well, the wilds and there’s really nothing to be done except write my way through it. So here goes:

Interested in free eBooks? (I hope, if you’re reading my website, that you are. . .) If you’re answer is “YES, PLEASE!” then visit this link at FlamesRising.com to add your favorite snippet of writing advice and celebrate NaNoWriMo.

There are already a few contestants who’ve proffered their glorious pieces of encouragement, but there’s still time to enter. . . The contest ends on Midnight CST, November 15th — that’s this Thursday!

Huzzah!

(Back to it then.)

    Mood: Yessssssss? May I help you?
    Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Ask me later.
    Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Bendy, twisty-related activities.
    In My Ears: You don’t want to know. Seriously.
    Game Last Played: Dragon Age: Origins
    Movie Last Viewed: MirrorMask
    Latest Artistic Project: In progress!
    Latest Release: “Fangs and Formaldehyde” from the New Hero anthology through Stone Skin Press
November 12, 2012
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GalleyCat, Vampires, and Yours Truly

Vampire Avatar

What does one of the most popular blogs about writing/publishing have in common with Varney the Vampire? Well, pull up a chair and listen closely, for you, too, can feel the scare, the absence of breath, and sharp fangs sinking deep into your neck.

GalleyCat has hosted a contest of indeterminable size — hundreds of writers, including myself, are re-writing sections of Varney the Vampire in a variety of flavors. My particular taste of choice happens to be inspired by a stellar vampire flick: Shadow of the Vampire.

Each entrant was assigned a chapter. Now, many of you know how I feel about wasted words — and my entire section was about the decision (or not) to pick up weapons and where to meet next.

So, I had a little fun. Hee. What better way to highlight the sordid decision and the absurdity of (the equivalent of) half-an-hour’s worth of conversation than to drag Hollywood, kicking and screaming, into the mix?

Ah, yes. I am evil, but I’m not the only one! GalleyCat is doing the entrants proud, by publishing each section on both their blog, which is available here, and their Tumblr account. (The book will also be available in its entirety later on. More to come on the new tome.)

Grand fun! And so far, the entries have thrilled me with their creativity in both form AND function. regardless of who wins or loses, and I got to write about a vampire who closely mirrors that which I know in my heart to be true – a blood-sucking fiend, a predator who can easily mimic its mortal counterparts for his/her own nefarious desires. But to what end?

Well, read my section and find out! There are two ways to do that, visit GalleyCat on Tumblr or be sure to keep up-to-date on the GalleyCat blog.

P.S. — I’ll likely blog about this later, but FlamesRising.com is hosting a NaNoWriMo contest. Comment there to win!

    Mood: Nom nom. Nom. Nom nom nom.
    Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: More water than caffeine. WHAT HAVE I DONE?
    Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Strollin’ through the dog park.
    In My Ears: Nuts and honey.
    Game Last Played: Dragon Age: Origins
    Movie Last Viewed: MirrorMask
    Latest Artistic Project: In progress!
    Latest Release: “Fangs and Formaldehyde” from the New Hero anthology through Stone Skin Press
November 5, 2012
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Girl Geek Week: The Freaking Fabulous Contest!

Since no week of geek would be complete without a fabulous and fun contest, I’m having one…with prizes!

Both DriveThruComics.com and DriveThruRPG.com have offered to sponsor a prize and I’ve decided to provide one or two of my own.

Winners get to pick the prize they want!

The Freaking Fabulous Contest

To be a part of The Freaking Fabulous Contest, all you have to do is write a blog post about something you enjoy.

Doesn’t matter who you are or where you hail from, all I ask is that you speak up about what you’re passionate about. (And no, you do NOT need to be a girl geek, either.)

A link back to my website would be appreciated, but I am not requiring that you do so to win the contest.

When your post is live, please leave a comment on this post linking to your entry and indicate what prize you want to be considered for. To make it easier to find the post, the contest will be hyper-linked on my sidebar. Prizes, along with the nitty gritty details, are listed below. Winners will be chosen at random.

Contest Details

    Monica Valentinelli will be giving away one of the following prizes:

  • a twenty-five dollar digital gift certificate to be used on DriveThruRPG.com or DriveThruComics.com
  • a signed copy of The Zombie Feed Volume One and a handmade necklace and bracelet she designed based on the story
  • a digital copy of The Queen of Crows and a handmade set of bracelets she designed based on the character of Mahochepi

    • Please read the fine print below to find out how you can win!

      1. One Entry Per Person – Please post one entry per person, so that your fellow geeks can have an equal chance of winning a prize.
      2. Entries That Will/Won’t Be Considered – By keeping these simple guidelines in mind, you will increase your chance of winning.

        What Will Be Considered – Only entries posted from Tuesday, June 28th through midnight, Tuesday July 5th will be eligible to win. There is no limit or restriction on topics, the only requirement is that it’s something you’re passionate about.
        What Won’t Be Considered – Previously-published posts and entries that are full of harsh or foul language, overly graphic/sexual depictions or discriminatory/slang comments will be disqualified.

      3. Valid Email Address Required – When you post your comment, there’s a field to enter your email address. In order for Monica to notify the winner, please include a valid email address. This email address will not be posted publicly. She will not use your email address for any other reason other than to notify you if you’ve won.
      4. Valid U.S. Mailing Address Required – Once she’s contacted you, she will need a valid U.S. mailing address to send you your prize if you choose the prize from her. Monica will pick up the cost of shipping. If you are located outside of the U.S. and still want her stories, she’ll be happy to figure out an alternate prize that can be delivered digitally.
      5. Prizes and Notification – Monica Valentinelli will provide whichever prize, as listed above, the winner chooses within two weeks of notification. Based on the number of entries, she may award random prizes as well. Contest winners will be notified via email within one week after the contest ends.

    Good luck!

    June 28, 2011
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    On Facebook Contests

    Yesterday, GalleyCat released an informative article about how Facebook is restricting contests on author pages. The reason why I wanted to point this out to you is to let you know that while this is not a new initiative, they are cracking down on this. Facebook first introduced contest rules restrictions back in November 2009 and they evolved a year afterward. Not following their guidelines will get your page canceled without notice. Why?

    BlogHer has a really good article from 2010 called Keep Your Company and Your Blog Out of Trouble: The Scoop on Facebook Contests that examines what this means from a liability perspective.

    So what is new? Two things: a release form and the further clarification has to be hosted on a tab or an app. What’s happening now, is that the popularity of Facebook (and the fact that it’s free) has caused many authors to flock to the tool. This time around, the changes in this policy are an amalgamation of what already existed.

    What’s the bottom line? I would keep the new guidelines in mind. As I’ve mentioned numerous times before, you always take a risk whenever you use a tool you don’t own. While many free tools are highly-trafficked, in part because they’re free, you might want to consider looking at what you do have control over — your own website — first.

    If you are looking for places to run contests besides your own website, there’s several excellent sites out there devoted to readers that would love an author’s support. I know Facebook is important to a lot of people, but there are other ways to reach your fans, too.

    if you operate a contest, create content, or use functionality on a site you own,

    May 13, 2011
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    Looking for Monica’s books and games that are still in print? Visit Monica Valentinelli on Amazon’s Author Central or a bookstore near you.

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