Abilene Writers Guild has an annual contest open to the public with small entry fees and significant cash prizes. For the 2007 contest, the fees were $5 for seven of the categories and $10 for three novel categories. Each of the ten categories has a first prize of $100, second of $65, and third of $35. Judging is done by qualified professionals, many of whom include comments and suggestions on each entry. Rules for the contest are posted early in the calendar year, and submissions are accepted during the month of July. Each year we have approximately four hundred entries from all over the world.
ABILENE WRITERS GUILD CONTEST 2007
WINNERS LIST
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Category - Poetry, Rhymed 35 Entries Judges - Western Poetry Society of Elko , Nevada | |||
| First Place | Mavericks | Rita Rasco | Abilene Texas * |
| Second Place | The Wilderness of Paradise | Yvonne Nunn | Hermleigh Texas |
| Third Place | Lady Spring | Lena Roach | Lake Charles Louisiana * |
| Honorable Mention | I Take Pen in Hand | Barbara Darnall | Abilene Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | Lament for Louisiana | Diane Dees | Covington Louisiana |
| Honorable Mention | Age Grabs the Reigns | Dorothy Sue Davis | Abilene Texas * |
| Category - Poetry, Unrhymed 68 Entries Judges - Western Poetry Society of Elko Nevada | |||
| First Place | Hundred Mile Prayer | Jim Wilson | Abilene Texas * |
| Second Place | The Death of my Life | Loretta Diane Walker | Odessa Texas |
| Third Place | Dolores | Karen Greene | Abilene Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | The Mirror | Barbara Darnall | Abilene Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | Shoeless Summer | Ginny Greene | Clyde Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | Harvest From the Great Plains | Carol Dee Meeks | Artesia New Mexico |
| Honorable Mention | Midday Sunset | Lena V. Roach | Lake Charles Louisiana * |
| Category - Children (Readers ages 3 to 8) 35 Entries Judge - Kimberly Griffiths Little, Author - Knopf | |||
| Third Place | Just a Saying | Greg Hare | Kinistino Canada |
| Second Place | The Land of the Crum-Crum Tree | John Payette | Surprise Arizona |
| First Place | Three Wishes | Sally Clark | Fredericksburg Texas |
| Honorable Mention | If it weren't for Gustabella | Jan Sherbin | Cincinnati Ohio |
| Honorable Mention | Surprise for Amelia | Katherine Kelly | Lubbock Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | Hey Diddle Diddle | Hugh Neld | Jacksonville Texas |
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Category - Middle Reader Novel 10 Entries Judge - Kimberly Griffiths Little, Author-Knopf | |||
| First Place | To Dingwall, Y'all | Barbara B. Rollins | Abilene Texas * |
| Second Place | The Return of the Mirage | Patti J. Kurtz | Minot North Dakota |
| Third Place | The Chronicles of Marvin Archibald Trekker: Boy Magician | Christopher (C.S.) Larsen | Rochester Minnesota |
| Honorable Mention | Territories of Trouble | Greg Hare | Kinistino Canada |
| Honorable Mention | Celia's War | June Venable | Georgetown Texas |
| Category - Adult Short Fiction 46 Entries Judge - Gretchen Craig/Author-Kensington | |||
| First Place | Dear God | Dixon Hearn | Huntington Beach California |
| Second Place | The Chair | JoAnne Horn | May Texas * |
| Third Place | Westward With Hope | Claudia Shelton | O'Fallon Missouri |
| Honorable Mention | Progress | Anna M. DeRosa | Abilene Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Just Business | Lynn Davidson | Abilene Texas * |
| Novel-Category 8 - Mystery/Adventure/Sci Fi/Horror 15 Entries Bobbie Christmas/Zebra Publications | |||
| First Place | Shuffle | Cher McHan and Gina DeVita | Bryan Texas |
| Second Place | Bleeding Hearts | Ash Krafton | Barnesville Pennsylvania |
| Third Place | Skagway | Maris A. Soule | Kalamazoo Michigan |
| Honorable Mention | The Araike | James T. Worlton | Argyle Texas |
| Honorable Mention | The Road to War | Andrew Miller | Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania |
| Novel - Category 9 - Mainstream/Romance/Western 23 Entries Bobbie Christmas/Zebra Publications | |||
| First Place | Boudica's Head | Brenda Bensch | Lehi Utah |
| Second Place | The Cost of Gold | Josiah McClellan | Beacon New York |
| Third Place | Shadows of the Past | Lena V. Roach | Lake Charles Louisiana * |
| Honorable Mention | A Dream as Big As Texas | Rita Rasco | Abilene Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | These Ancient Sounds | William Mays | Corpus Christi Texas |
| Category - Articles of General Interest 20 Entries Judge - Denise Vitola, Editor-Writing Coach, Author of Award-Winning Books | |||
| First Place | Parting Words | Lena V. Roach | Lake Charles Lousiana |
| Second Place | Butterflies Without Borders | Jan Carrington | Lake Coleman Texas * |
| Third Place | Frontier Life In Runnels County Texas | Ruth Sellers | Lawn Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | One is All...All is One | Cheryl Caruolo | Whitman Massachusetts |
| Honorable Mention | The Evolution of Cool | Debbie Conway | Conway Arkansas |
| Honorable Mention | Grow Your Own Greek Oregano | Harvest McCampbell | Hoopa California |
| Category - Memoir/Nostalgia 49 Entries Judge - Denise Vitola, Editor-Writing Coach, Author of Award-Winning Books | |||
| First Place | This is the Photo | Darla Curry | The Woodlands Texas |
| Second Place | Moon Children | Rosana Clarkson | Los Angeles California |
| Third Place | Imelda, My Friend | Sharon Ellison | Abilene Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | New Year's Day in Amman, Jordan | Lisa Ohlen Harris | Arlington Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Making Way for Miss Mary | Barbara Darnall | Abilene Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | Dance When the Brain Says No | Kathleen Price | Las Cruces New Mexico |
| Category - Inspiration 25 Entries Judge - Susan Denny, Author and Writing Teacher | |||
| First Place | Carhart Angels | Susan Turner | Rochester Texas * |
| Second Place | Valentines Day | Sally Clark | Fredericksburg Texas |
| Third Place | Protected | Pat Capps Mehaffey | Weatherford Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | Snapshot from the Other Side | Judy Lee Green | Mufreesboro Tennessee |
| Honorable Mention | Thanks in All Circumstances | Karen Witemeyer | Abilene Texas * |
| Best of Members Only Contests for 2007 - Saving Baby Ryan - Jan Carrington (Selected from the six monthly winners by Three of Our Contest Judges) | |||
*Members of Abilene Writers Guild
In addition to the annual contest, AWG Members participate in approximately six members-only contests through the year with a monthly prize of $25.00. Please join us so you can participate in these contests.
You are a winner if you entered the contest. You have a manuscript you can submit to a publisher, and quite likely the judge's comments will be helpful to you. (We cannot promise each judge comments on each piece.) The winners announced at noon on October 21 are:
| Articles of General Interest – 23 Entries | ||
| Contest Judge: John Starbuck, Editor, Merkel, Texas | ||
| 1st | Soldier | Elaine Jordan, Prescott, Arizona |
| 2nd | I Just Wanna Pay My Bills | Darla Curry, The Woodlands, Texas |
| 3rd | Those Boys Down There In Texas Could Really Play | Garner Roberts, Abilene |
| Honorable Mention | Stasney’s Cook Ranch, Shackelford County Legacy | Susan Turner, Rochester, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Butterflies Without Borders | Jan Carrington, Lake Coleman, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Texas Own: The Cowboy | Ruth Sellers, Lawn, Texas |
Children’s (Readers ages 3 to 8) – 37 Entries | ||
| Contest Judge: Kathryn Lay, Award-Winning Author, Arlington, Texas | ||
| 1st | Busy Day | Sally Clark, Fredericksburg, Texas |
| 2nd | Orilla, The Pajama Queen | Carmen Oliver, Round Rock, Texas |
| 3rd | My Name is Jenna | Laura Rath, Anthony, Iowa |
| Honorable Mention | Shoelace and Pudge in a Jam | Carmen Oliver, Round Rock, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Taylor Sue and the Mud Room Mystery | Inez Phillips, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Honorable Mention | What’s That on my Cat? | Jan Sherbin, Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Honorable Mention | Lights in the Deep Dark | Renee Huskey, Hillsboro, Oregon |
Short Fiction for Adults – 43 Entries | ||
| Denise Vitola – Editor/Award-Winning Author, Corpus Christi, Texas | ||
| 1st | Writing Practice | Kay Butzin, Fulton, Texas |
| 2nd | Gawdog It | Debra Gillette, North Richland Hills, Texas |
| 3rd | Center of the Universe | John Devine, Houston, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | An Everlasting Shine | Sandra Boike Cobb, Rockport, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Winter | Doug Pearson, Richmond, BC, Canada |
| Honorable Mention | Blood Ties | Jacquelyne Sandifer Strange, Bogalusa, Louisiana |
| Honorable Mention | HB451 | Mike Kerby, Caddo, Texas |
Memoirs/ Nostalgia – 64 Entries | ||
| Ross McSwain, Editor/Author/Publisher, San Angelo, Texas | ||
| 1st | Deliver Us from Shame | Michael Morgan, Tennessee Colony, Texas |
| 2nd | Long Live the Texas Tomboy | Jan Carrington, Lake Coleman, Texas |
| 3rd | Redemption | Jacquelyn Sandifer Strange, Bogalusa, Louisiana |
| Honorable Mention | The Great Bed-Switching Caper | Debby Seguin, San Antonio, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | The Iron Age | Judy Lee Green, Murfreesboro, Tennessee |
| Honorable Mention | The Last Olive | Sharon Ellison, Abilene, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | How to Eat Watermelon | Joan Rogers, Socorro, New Mexico |
| Honorable Mention | Lesson Learned at Auschwitz | Laura McBeth Thaxton, Abilene, Texas |
Articles of Inspiration – 20 Entries | ||
| Kathryn Lay, Award Winning Author, Arlington, Texas | ||
| 1st | Let Her Fly | Patricia Sanders, Foristell, Missouri |
| 2nd | The Choice | Audrey Cannady Massingill, Amarillo, Texas |
| 3rd | The Wish | Judith Finkel, Houston, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Gone With Katrina’s Wind | Jacquelyn Sandifer Strange, Bogalusa, Louisiana |
| Honorable Mention | Married One Hundred Years | Judy Lee Green, Murfreesboro, Tennessee |
| Honorable Mention | The Things He Didn’t Carry | Robin Allen, Canyon Lake, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Wedding Clothes | Karen Witemeyer, Abilene, Texas |
Novels – Category 9 – Mainstream/Romance/Western – 20 Entries | ||
| Gretchen Craig, Novelist/Kensington Publishers | ||
| 1st | Helena the Muse | Deanna Roy, Austin, Texas |
| 2nd | Sita | Ruth White, Socorro, New Mexico |
| 3rd | Fire By Night | Karen Witemeyer, Abilene, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Frayed Edges | Betty Pichardo, Houston, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | The Moons of Jinks | Betty Pichardo, Houston, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Wild Wind in Eden | JoAnne Horn, May, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | West of the Brazos | Lyn Davidson, Abilene, Texas |
Poetry – Rhymed, 54 Entries | ||
| Dr. Sarah Brown, Department of English/University of Mary Hardin Baylor | ||
| 1st | Fate’s Unjust Call | Yvonne Nunn, Snyder, Texas |
| 2nd | The Middle Child | Catherine De Laney, North Andover, Massachusetts |
| 3rd | Burning Hooch | Brandon Davis, Abilene, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | The Last Cowboy | Bob D. Billingsley, Live Oak, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Night Runners of Danfur | Rita Rasco, Abilene, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | This Lonely Choice Sestina | Barbara Rollins, Abilene, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Be Vine Tonight | Marie Averitt, Abilene, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | I Take Pen in Hand | Barbara Darnall, Abilene, Texas |
Poetry, Unrhymed – 97 Entries | ||
| Dr. Sarah Brown, Dept. of English/University of Mary Hardin Baylor | ||
| 1st | Grandpa Mac | JoAnne Horn, May, Texas |
| 2nd | Of Wine and Cider Time | Cherie (CJ) Clark, Hardy, Arkansas |
| 3rd | Winter | Barbara Darnall, Abilene, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | The Jester | Yvonne Nunn, Snyder, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Reading | Ginny Greene, Baird, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Along Interstate Ten | Loretta Diane Walker, Odessa, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | The Rinse Cycle | Loretta Diane Walker, Odessa, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Photograph, 1990 | Benjamin Vogt, Lincoln Nebraska |
| Honorable Mention | The Baker Hotel | Evanell Channel, Abilene, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Guadalajara! | Evanell Channel, Abilene, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | A Child on a New Orleans Bridge | John Devine, Houston, Texas |
Novels – Category 8 – SciFi/Horror/Fantasy – 20 Entries | ||
| Mitchel Whitington – Author/Editor – Jefferson, Texas | ||
| 1st | Barbara Rollins | The Devil’s Right Hand, Abilene, Texas |
| 2nd | The Sack | Gwen Peterson Choate, Nacogdoches, Texas |
| 3rd | Competition Killer | Virginia Green and Starley Thompson, Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Honorable Mention | Blood Dancer | Jo Anne Horn, May, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Not My People | Shaila Abdullah, Austin, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Murder on the Menu | Carol Z. Howell, Lexington, Massachusetts |
| Honorable Mention | Wild Horses | David Hilton, Austin, Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Virtual Golf | Dan Case, Denton , Texas | ![]() |
| Leroy's Hero | Evanell Ator Davis, Abilene , Texas | ||
| Guadalajara! | Evanell Ator Davis, Abilene , Texas | ||
| To Paint My Craving | Von S. Bourland, Happy , Texas | ||
| Marching Band | Miki Lynn Fryar, Lufkin , Texas | ||
| 3rd | Retrospect | Gwen Choate, Nacogdoches , Texas | |
| 2nd | Pointed Boots | Loretta Diane Walker, Odessa , Texas | |
| 1st | Ravel's Ruby | Evanell Ator Davis, Abilene , Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Killing Time | td align="center">Netta Hart, Merkel![]() |
| Fracture Frenzy | Rita Rasco, Abilene , Texas | |
| The Moon and Saturn Were Having a Little Race | Jim Wilson, Abilene , Texas | |
| The Desert Columns | Yvonne Nunn, Hermleigh , Texas | |
| The Six Stages of Man | Barbara Darnall, Abilene , Texas | |
| Moina's Afghan | Dorothy Sue Davis, Abilene , Texas | |
| 3rd | Reflection of an 18 Year Dream | Jan Powell, Abilene , Texas |
| 2nd | Just for One Day! | Rita Rasco, Abilene , Texas |
| 1st | Last Rites | Benjamin Vogt, Lincoln, Nebraska |
Sponsor: Star Toyota of Abilene1399 S Danville Drive, Abilene Texas 79605 | ||||
| Honorable Mention | Pinkie The Pot-Bellied Pig | Pat Drake, Abilene , Texas | ![]() |
| The Llama From Lometa | Jan Carrington, Abilene , Texas | ||
| Stripes | Doree O'Connell, San Luis Obispo, California | ||
| Puppy Power | Heidi Derks-Rehmann, Spruce, Michigan | ||
| A Sapling Grows Up | Jennifer L. Martin, Phoenix, Arizona | ||
| Lizzy the Lizard | Tracey J. Hayes, Phoenix, Arizona | ||
| 3rd | Scaredy-Cat Stephen | Kathryn Lay, Arlington , Texas | |
| 2nd | Open Sesame | Cynthia Wright, Allen , Texas | |
| 1st | Just Noah | Franci Rogers, Abilene/Waco , Texas |
| Honorable Mention | At Last! A Use for the Deadly Cliche | Gwen Choate, Nacogdoches , Texas | ![]() |
| A Duel Heritage | Laura Thaxton, Abilene , Texas | ||
| 3rd | Reunion | Sharon Ellison, Abilene , Texas | |
| 2nd | The Legend of the Death Bird | Ruth Sellers, Abilene , Texas | |
| 1st | Staged Illness: A Medical Teaching Tool | Phyllis M. Hanlon, Charlton, Massachusetts |
Sponsor: Alzheimer's Association of North Central Texas241 Pine St., Ste. 1C, Abilene Texas 79601 | |||
| Honorable Mention | And the Angels Carried Him | Dianne Tims,, Winnsboro, Louisiana | ![]() |
| Seeking Two Worlds | Emily Tipton Williams, Fort Worth , Texas | ||
| Patsy Sue, the Wrecking Crew | Jan Carrington, Abilene , Texas | ||
| 3rd | The Christmas Game | Gwen Choate, Nacogdoches , Texas | |
| 2nd | Fingers in the Sand | Karen Witemeyer, Abilene , Texas | |
| 1st | The Womb of God | Judy Lee Green, Murfreesboro, Tennessee | |
Sponsor: University Place1250 E.N. 10th Street, Abilene, Texas 79601 | |||
| Honorable Mention | The Day I Took A Gun to School | Dan Case, Denton , Texas | ![]() |
| Come On, I Want to Show You Something | Doug Sellers, Abilene , Texas | ||
| Damascus Loom | Lisa Ohlen Harris, Arlington , Texas | ||
| 'Bout the Same Age | Stan Johnson, Sweetwater | ||
| A Teacher's Reward | Emily Tipton Williams, Fort Worth , Texas | ||
| My Trip to Grandmotherhood | Emily Tipton Williams, Fort Worth , Texas | ||
| 3rd | Dawn Patrol | Doree O'Connell, San Luis Obispo, California | |
| 2nd | Grandma, You Never Held Him | Meta E. Lee, Weston, Florida | |
| 1st | A Beautiful Memory | Laura Thaxton, Abilene , Texas | |
| Honorable Mention | A Towering Sowball Toss | Mark K. Larsen | Eau Claire, Wisconsin | ![]() |
| Stronger than Snow | Jan Carrington, Abilene , Texas | |||
| Flying Free | Kathryn Lay, Arlington , Texas | |||
| White Dust | Sharon B Buchbinder, Baltimore, Maryland | |||
| I'll Just Tell It Like It Is | Barbara Rollins, Abilene , Texas | |||
| 3rd | Neighborhood Watch | Frances Johnson, Sweetwater , Texas | ||
| 2nd | The Phone Call | Louise Kantro, Modesto, California | ||
| 1st | Searching for Sardan | Wendy Koenig, New Sweden, Maine |
| Honorable Mention | Confessions of a Serial Bride | Melissa Lynn Baker, Burleson , Texas | ![]() Surrogate Winners |
| Slipping the Surly Bonds | Susan Haven, Bryan , Texas | ||
| Play Dead | Berniece Rabe, Denton , Texas | ||
| 3rd | Someone is Watching | Kelley Terrill, Royse City, Texas | |
| 2nd | Under Twin Suns | Wendy Koenig, New Sweden, Maine | |
| 1st | Hobo | David Hilton, Austin , Texas |
Sponsor: Coolflo Cooling and Heating, Inc.349 ES 11th St., Abilene Texas 79602 | |||
| Honorable Mention | Take a Back seat, Bronte Sawyer | Amy Laundrie, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin | ![]() |
| The Moons of Jinks | Betty Pichardo, Houston , Texas | ||
| Arden's Act | Elizabeth Wenning, Cedar Park , Texas | ||
| We'll Meet Again | JoAnne Horn Burks, May , Texas | ||
| 3rd | For No Apparent Reason | Shana Fimbres, San Diego, California | |
| 2nd | Best Interests | Laura Loomis, Pittsburg, California | |
| 1st | Star Struck | Diane McCartney, Burleson, Texas | |