And here we are. The final leg of Arrest Us!. The big winners get their due.
Before we get into those, we want to give a hearty thanks to the folks who helped make Arrest Us! so much fun. First, let's recognize the awesome publishers who sent out prize packs to our best reviewers. Each winner got a bunch of free books and other swag.
Mullholland Books * Hard Case Crime * Broken River Books * MysteriousPress.com
Next up, we have the celebrity critiquers who graciously donated their time and talent to five contestants who won a free review of their submission.
James Grady * Bryon Quertermous * Chris F. Holm * Hilary Davidson * Charles Ardai
Finally, let's give a big thank you to the man who is providing the grand prize. Publication is the desired end result for every story, and earning a spot in a quality publication is the desire of every writer. Thuglit is one such quality publication, and the editor, Todd Robinson, generously offered to read through the top-rated stories and pick three to run in the magazine.
You all are writers; I don't need to explain how awesome of a prize publication is. After all, you're reading this to see who earned these spots. So let's just get to it, shall we?
Drum roll please...
Make a drumming noise on whatever's nearby. If you're reading this on a phone, then squat down and bang your phone on the ground in a drumming rhythm. If things are still too calm, then quickly look at more art, because here are the winners:
"Heart" by Dan J. Fiore
"Alchemy and Atrophy" by Devon Robbins
"The Wrong Hammer" by Liam Sweeny
Each one of the selected stories will be highlighted in a separate issue of Thuglit. So one story will be featured in Issue 14 in November, followed by issues 15 and 16, due to be released in January and March. Todd will be in contact with the winners to sort out edits and pub dates.
Keep your eyes peeled for these (don't worry, we'll remind you), and make sure you give these three a big hand for their incredible achievement. They've earned it.
Alright, that's a wrap. I'm incredibly pleased that this contest went so well, and want to thank you guys for making this such an awesome experience. Make sure you let us know how it went, and provide any suggestions for future contests.
Meanwhile, I'm being told I can have a five minute break, then I have to get back to my desk and start working on the next Big Thing. I have no idea what this Big Thing is; all I know is that there is a very large box with air holes on my desk, and it's growling at me. The word "Work" is written on it in orange crayon. So yeah, the fun never stops around here. See you all again very soon.
About the author
Nathan Scalia earned a BA degree in psychology and considered medical school long enough to realize that he missed reading real books. He then went on to earn a Master's in Library Science and is currently working in a school library. He has written several new articles and columns for LitReactor, served for a time as the site's Community Manager, and can be found in the Writer's Workshop with some frequency.
