Arrest Us! And The Winners Are... (Part 2)

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 GradyBryon QuertermousChris F. HolmHilary DavidsonCharles 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.

Nathan Scalia

Column by Nathan Scalia

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.

To leave a comment Login with Facebook or create a free account.

Comments

Angel Colón's picture
Angel Colón from The Bronx now living in New Jersey is reading A Big Ol' Pile of Books October 7, 2014 - 11:33am

Nice. Congrats to all the winners!

Scott MacDonald's picture
Scott MacDonald from UK is reading Perfidia October 7, 2014 - 11:44am

Great competition. A hearty well done to the winners with only the slightest touch of envy. All well deserved.

L.W. Flouisa's picture
L.W. Flouisa from Tennessee is reading More Murakami October 7, 2014 - 1:50pm

Congradulations to the winners, looking forward to seeing what competition is next.^^ Look forward to reading your work.

Liam Hogan's picture
Liam Hogan from Earth is reading Hugo Nominations October 7, 2014 - 3:54pm

Quickly dashes off to read the one I hadn't read before (Heart - too popular even from early on for my "hidden gem" search) - well done to the winners, all very highly rated stories. Enjoy seeing your work in print!

AbsolutelyKate's picture
AbsolutelyKate October 7, 2014 - 8:49pm

It appears Maxwell wasn't involved with his silver one if cool tough guy Liam Sweeny's "THE WRONG HAMMER" pounded down the competition ... judged and prized by such swanky folks.

Super Congrats to the wild wise man who drove me through the streets of Albany in last year's Bouchercon shadows. Likewise to Dan Fiore and Devin Robbins. I join gazillions of readers in anticipation ... wish Mr Nathan Scalia more breaks in his hot action . . . and naturally, tip my fedora to the Thug of all Lit -- Todd Robinson -- a gent I'll *clink* with at any authorly gathering.

~ Fan and Fanfare to y'all,

~ Absolutely*Kate
suspense author / intrigue promoter ... with moxie
( world needs more damn moxie )

Aud Fontaine's picture
Aud Fontaine from the mountains is reading Catch-22. Since like, always. October 7, 2014 - 10:06pm

The Wrong Hammer? For real?!? That is freaking awesome! That was the first story I read and reviewed and was actually the reason I decided to even do the contest! I mean, obviously congratulations to the other two, I loved both of those stories (and seriously, anyone who didn't think Heart was getting published was out of their damn minds) but I am bizarrely psyched for The Wrong Hammer. That story was what was up. It was wicked cool, hella inspiring and Liam gave me a damn fine review. This announcement completes my Arrest Us experience in the most satisfying way. Well done, people. Well done.

Chacron's picture
Chacron from England, South Coast is reading Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb October 7, 2014 - 11:13pm

Congratulations to everyone!

YouAreNotASlave's picture
YouAreNotASlave from Birmingham United Kingdom October 8, 2014 - 6:51am

Well done to the winners, massively enjoyed this competition

Dino Parenti's picture
Dino Parenti from Los Angeles is reading Everything He Gets His Hands On October 8, 2014 - 7:39am

Congrats, gentlemen! All great stories!

big_old_dave's picture
big_old_dave from Watford, about 20 miles outside London, Uk October 8, 2014 - 8:15am

Great work gents, well done and enjoy :)

SammyB's picture
SammyB from Las Vegas is reading currently too many to list October 8, 2014 - 9:53am

Congrats, winners!