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• RT @BNBuzz: Jodi Picoult’s “House Rules” is on sale today! http://bit.ly/c2hnFp #
• RT @MonicaOnline: Paulo Coelho – "You may only live once. But if you do it right, once is enough." #
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• @basserman I got hooked eons ago with Silva's 1st book The Unlikely Spy. I love the Gabriel Allon series and have read them all. #

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The last ten years have seen a cornucopia of titles about vampires and their slayers. But before the advent of all the new series, there was Dracula, Salem’s Lot, and the Vampire Chronicles.

Here are my top ten favorites:

1. Dracula by Bram Stoker
The original. The classic. Though there have been many film versions, these two movies are my favorites.

2.  Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice
Before she found God, Anne Rice wrote the popular Vampire Chronicles about Lestat, Louis, Claudia, Armand, Memnoch, and the Vampire Queen Akasha. Who can forget Brad Pitt’s portrayal of the tormented Louie?

3. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
In fall 2004, in a Seattle bookstore, I discovered Sookie Stackhouse by stumbling into a display of paperbacks. I finished the Dead Until Dark on the flight from Seattle to Washington, DC. Now you can watch it as True Blood, a popular series on HBO.

4. Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
The second book published by the master of horror. This story is unforgettable.

5. Guilty Pleasures by Laurell Hamilton
The first 8 or 9 books are good. Unfortunately, the plot and characters go downhill with book 10, Narcissus in Chains.

6. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame Smith
Surprisingly very, very good. Great even!

7. Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Neil Gaiman says it better than I can… “Sunshine is a gripping, funny, page-turning, pretty much perfect work of magical literature that exists more or less at the unlikely crossroads of Chocolat, Interview with the Vampire, Misery, and the tale of Beauty and the Beast.”

8. Death by the Drop by Timothy Massie
Not your typical vampire. Refreshing.

9. Black Dagger Brotherhood: Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
A paranormal romance between a pure blood vampire and a half human. Dark and brooding.

10. The Vampire Within: The Beginning by Drew Silver

Be on the look out for Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth out on May 18, 2010.

Which books are stacked by your night table?

Poets & Writers has an excellent database of writing awards, grants, and contests. Here’s a list of writing competitions through April 30:

Deadline March 12
Colorado Review’s Nelligan Prize
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Colorado Review is given annually for a short story. All entries are considered for publication.

Deadline March 15
Arts & Letters Journal of Contemporary Culture - Arts & Letters Prizes
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Arts & Letters Journal of Contemporary Culture are given annually for a group of poems, a short story, and an essay.

Bellday Books – Bellday Poetry Prize
A prize of $2,000 and publication by Bellday Books is given annually for a poetry collection.

Bellingham Review Literary Awards
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Bellingham Review are given annually for works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.

Del Sol Press Poetry Prize
A prize of $1,200 and publication by Del Sol Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Joel Brouwer will judge. Submit a manuscript of 50 to 100 pages.

Grub Street Poetry Book Prize
A prize of $1,000 will be given annually for a recently published poetry collection by a writer living outside New England who has published at least one previous book.

Noemi Press Book Award For Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Noemi Press will be given annually for a poetry collection. The editors will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 70 pages.

The Pinch Literary Awards
A prize of $1,000 and publication in the Pinch is given annually for a single poem; Beth Ann Fennelly will judge. A prize of $1,500 and publication in the Pinch.

Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation Poetry Prize
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a single poem. Mark Doty will judge. Submit up to three poems of no more than three pages each.

Slope Editions Book Prize
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Slope Editions is given annually for a poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of 40 to 80 pages.

Tusculum Review Poetry Contest
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Tusculum Review is given biennially for a group of poems. Allison Joseph will judge.

University of Nebraska Press - Prairie Schooner Book Prizes
Two prizes of $3,000 each and publication by University of Nebraska Press in the Prairie Schooner Book Prize Series are given annually for collections of poetry and short fiction.

Writers’ League of Texas Book Awards
Up to three prizes of $1,000 each are given annually to honor books of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction by U.S. writers published in the previous year.

Deadline March 20
Fish Publishing One Page Prize
A prize of 1,000 euros (approximately $1,450) and publication in the annual Fish Publishing anthology will be given annually for a short short story.

Deadline March 30
Fish Publishing Poetry Prize
A prize of 1,000 euros (approximately $1,450) and publication in the annual Fish Publishing anthology is given annually for a poem. All entries are considered for publication.

Deadline March 31
Black Lawrence Press Hudson Prize
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Black Lawrence Press will be given annually for a collection of poetry or short stories. All entries will be considered for publication.

Elixir Press Antivenom Poetry Award
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Elixir Press is given for a first or second poetry collection. Jane Satterfield will judge. Submit a manuscript of at least 48 pages.

FutureCycle Press Book Prize
A prize of $1,000, publication by FutureCycle Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The editors will judge.

Gemini Magazine Short Story Contest
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Gemini Magazine will be given annually for a short story. The editors will judge.

Glimmer Train Press Fiction Open
A prize of $2,000 and publication in Glimmer Train Stories is given quarterly for a short story. Submit a story of 2,000 to 20,000 words.

Lotus Press Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award
A prize of $500 and publication by Lotus Press is given annually for a poetry collection by an African American poet.

Narrative Magazine Winter Story Contest
A prize of $4,000 is given annually for a short story, a short short story, an essay, or an excerpt from a work of fiction or creative nonfiction.

Stephen F. Austin State University Press Poetry and Fiction Prizes
Two prizes of $1,000 and publication by Stephen F. Austin State University Press will be given annually for a poetry collection and a short story collection or a novel.

Deadline April 01
Passaic County Community College Paterson Fiction Prize
A prize of $1,000 is given annually to honor a novel or short story collection published in the previous year.

Deadline April 11
Warren Adler Short Story Contest
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Warren Adler Web site is given annually for a short story. Warren Adler will judge. Submit a story of up to 2,500 words.

Deadline April 15
Indiana Review Poetry Prize
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Indiana Review is given annually for a single poem. All entries are considered for publication. Aimee Nezhukumatathil will judge.

Deadline April 30
Camber Press Fiction Chapbook Award
A prize of $1,000 and publication as a chapbook by Camber Press is given annually for a short story. Chuck Kinder will judge. Submit a story of up to 10,000 words.

Cave Canem Foundation Poetry Prize
A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of Georgia Press will be given annually for a first poetry collection by an African American poet. Elizabeth Alexander will judge.

Crab Orchard Review Literary Prizes
Three prizes of $1,500 each and publication in Crab Orchard Review are given annually for a group of poems, a work of fiction, and a work of creative nonfiction.

DIAGRAM Chapbook Contest
A prize of $1,000, publication by New Michigan Press, and 25 author copies is given annually for a chapbook of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or mixed-genre work.

Dylan Thomas Prize
A prize of £30,000 (approximately $48,000) is given annually to honor a book of poetry or fiction that “displays creative, imaginative, and innovative use of the English language”.

Glimmer Train Press Family Matters
A prize of $1,200 and publication in Glimmer Train Stories is given biannually for a short story about family. Submit a story of up to 12,000 words.

Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Marsh Hawk Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Anne Waldman will judge. Submit a manuscript of 48 to 70 pages.

Nimrod Literary Awards
Two prizes of $2,000 each and publication in Nimrod are given annually for works of poetry and short fiction.

University of Iowa Poetry Prize
Publication by University of Iowa Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of 50 to 150 pages.

Writecorner Press E. M. Koeppel Short Fiction Award
A prize of $1,100 and publication on the Writecorner Press Web site is given annually for a short story. All entries are considered for publication.

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Writer’s Digest is accepting entries for it’s 79th annual writing competition with more than $30,000 in cash and prizes. The submission deadline is May 14, 2010.

The Grand Prize is a trip to New York City for two to meet with four editors or agents and $3000 in cash.

This year’s 10 categories are:

• • • • • • Inspirational Writing (Spiritual/Religious)
          • Memoirs/Personal Essay
          • Magazine Feature Article
          • Genre Short Story (Mystery, Romance, etc.)
          • Mainstream/Literary Short Story
          • Rhyming Poetry
          • Non-rhyming Poetry
          • Stage Play
          • Television/Movie Script
          • Children’s/Young Adult Fiction

For complete guidelines or to enter online please visit the Writer’s Digest Rules.

Since most of us are still buried in snow thanks to the Snowcopalypse that affected almost every state in the union, there is no excuse to miss these deadlines.

Brew the coffee, turn on the laptop, and get writing.

Deadline March 31

Bristol Short Story Prize
Submit stories of 3,000 words or less.

Spokane Prize for Short Fiction
Send a book-length manuscript of no less than 98 pages with no fewer than 3 stories. $25 entry fee.

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I sat in the back of a taxi, stuck in traffic, going over all the errands I needed to get through when I caught a scent.

The car was idling in front of the Washington Monument and someone had just cut the grass. If only I could bottle that smell… sweet and fresh as a childhood memory.

I leaned my head back, closed my eyes and remembered cartwheels on a warm summer day, a column of ants on a hot rock, collecting lady bugs in my dress pockets, cold peppermint tea in tall glass, and shouts of “Marco Polo” mingled with splashes from the pool.

And after those few blessed minutes, we moved with the traffic past that remarkable perfume with the power to make me forget about our troubled economy, negative campaigns, looming deadlines, and the many appointments I had to keep