Enter this Debbie Macomber-Inspired Writing Contest by Avon Books

You may have heard of the recent death of best-selling author Debbie Macomber's son. I have to begin this post by saying how much my heart hurts for Debbie. My prayers go out to the family and friends of the Macomber family.

I just came across a contest hosted by Avon Books. It is the FAMILY AFFAIR contest, which Avon is dubbing "A Debbie Macomber-inspired online writing contest. If you are an aspiring romance writer, this contest is for you!



 Prizes

• Each of the three finalists will receive a collection of Avon Romances. Approximate retail value: $100
• The Grand Prize Winner will also receive a cash payment of $500
• Total approximate prizing value for contest: $800 

Stories must meet these requirements:

• The story must be in the Romance genre and have a low-level of sensuality without any explicit love scenes.
• The story must not have been previously published in any form or media, including posting in any manner on the internet.
• Prose romantic fiction only; poetry, plays, screenplays, and non-fiction are not acceptable.
• English language only.
• No less than 20,000 words and no longer than 25,000 words.
• No images or illustrations of any kind.
• No curse words or depictions of vulgar behavior.
• An original work created solely by you without any material that violates or infringes another's rights, including but not limited to material that violates privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright infringement.
• The story must be in a Word or PDF file when submitted.

A submission that does not satisfy all of the above requirements will be disqualified. After the entry period concludes on September 30th, three finalists will be selected by a panel of Avon editors based on Plot (40%), Character Development (30%), and Literary Style (30%). Finalists will be selected on or about October 15, 2011.

Debbie Macomber herself will then select the grand prize. The winner will be announced on or about November 15, 2011.

You must enter using the online form on the Avon website. For complete rules, guidelines, and to enter, go HERE.

Good luck!