Contest Results Revealed! And the Winner IS…

(Ooo, don’t you just love a fun contest??)

“A comfort zone is a beautiful place — but nothing ever grows there.” — Unknown

Well! I don’t know how it was for you, but man, December flew past in a blur and here we are! We passed the contest entry deadline, and the extended one, too, and blink! It’s New Year’s Eve!

Another year almost ready to be tucked into bed.

And time to announce the winner of our fun contest!

First … I have to say … Witchy and I want to offer a hearty “Thank you!!” to all of you brave souls who took the plunge into her world and participated in this contest. As far as we know, this was absolutely not the normal sort of writing any of you would do.

So we were delighted and surprised to see so many entries to this contest!! It’s been such fun to receive them and to see writers let loose with their imaginations and creativity in this way.

Therefore, we have decided to run another one, which will be announced in this Tuesday’s (Jan. 2/24) “newsletter-ish.” Witchy has been hiding out in the woods, “being thinky,” she says, as she works on coming up with a new theme for the next one.

Heaven only knows what it might be … 🤭

Tough Choices

I’ve gotta tell you, with such a variety of great entries, you sure didn’t make it easy for the judges! We took various factors into account, such as writing-related aspects like storytelling ability, how well edited they were, ease and flow of reading etc.

And of course, imagination and creativity were a priority. For example, storyline, how clearly defined the characters were, which stories made us laugh the most, and other bits, such as whether they were quirky, clever, and so on. Ohhh, we had so many of those!!

I was wishing we didn’t have to choose a winner!

But we did.

We ended up with a handful of great stories that we thought ticked all or most of those boxes and then had to go back to the drawing board and select from that group that were in the running for “the win.”

Here’s where we landed:

First, the runners-up or “honourable mentions” (in no particular order):

Ben Ulansey — oh, how I love Gerald … and the sweet friendship and sense of solidarity that blossom in this little story with a hint of existential angst. And I love Ben’s personal note at the end about his father saying a story could be written about a pencil if you put your mind do it. Apparently, Ben discovered that he was right.

TzeLin Sam — funny characters, lots of giggles, and such a clever story — and there’s even a delightful twist at the end! Definitely entertaining!

Trisha Faye — fabulous personalities, fun storyline, and a knack for distinctive conversation! It kept the judges engaged and chuckling throughout.

The Winner and a Very Close Second …

Gosh, I’ve never run a contest before and I’ve gotta tell you, it’s tough to pick a winner — especially when receiving such great entries!

It came down to the top two entries. These were by Grace Delphia and Anne Emerick.

Grace kept the judges laughing with her brilliant imagery, “in-your-face” quips and puns, and an interesting story — with the very last bit making us crack up!

Anne’s was a compelling story with both heart and humour.

On the surface, it’s a simple story that offers the sweetness, banter and minor grumpiness that are part of friendships.

And it is also a much deeper and complex story that speaks to today’s all-too-common feelings of disconnection and isolation.

For example, this poignant passage:

(Spoken to a pen) “You should be grateful Susan took you. She’s kind and gentle with her touch,” said Green Felt Tip.

“Who can remember her touch?” asked Bic. “Susan used to write lists with me. Now she says, ‘Alexa, add sugar to the shopping list. Alexa set a reminder to call the dentist.’ I can barely remember being touched. The warmth of fingers. The gentle pressure,” Bic sighed.

In our increasingly disconnected world, thanks to devices and other technology that keeps us separate from one another, who can’t relate to “Bic”?

Further, this story is a commentary on the disposable nature of our society. It addresses what many people today view as important, meaningful and valuable, as well as how these opinions impact self-worth, and how easy it is to miss — or dismiss — the value in the imperfect.

This piece also demonstrates the importance of kindness, and of offering hope and comfort in times of fear.

There are so many layers to this thought-provoking story …

It even manages to cover this publication’s themes of Hope, Healing and Humour in unexpected, sweet, and deeply moving ways.

Which is why it has been chosen as the winner — with Grace’s delightful entry being a very close second.

And to think that when Anne saw this contest, she thought, “Nah … pass.” This quote comes to mind:

Comfort is the enemy of achievement. — Farrah Gray

We’re so glad you had a change of heart, Anne, and stepped out of your comfort zone! Congratulations! Please let me know your PayPal email or ko-fi link and I’ll fire off your prize ASAP!

Thanks so much again to everyone who entered! Watch for Tuesday’s announcement of the next contest for HHH writers. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the lucky winner of $50 USD!

Tagging our beloved Pub Family!

Kris Bedenian Rodney Brazier Patti Murray Voncannon Carrie Kolar Croix Sather Deb Fiore Dina Alexander DL Nemeril Donnette Anglin Loren Lieberthal Jimmy Misner Jr. Judy Millar Julie Gaeta Pene Hodge Karen Schwartz James Knight Dr. Preeti Singh Radhika Iyer Sam Branstner Umme Salma Tamil T Mann Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles Lion~ Wendy S. Bradfield Yana Bostongirl Jo An Fox-Wright Maddox Suma Narayan Penny Walsh Shameem Anwar Irene Fassler Sandy Peckinpah Trista Signe Ainsworth Slow train Ashley Nicole B.R. Shenoy Carolyn Hastings Christina Christine Vann, MSc. Ellie Jacobson Isabel Young Kaz Rochford Nia Simone McLeod Nicole Hilbig Patricia Wright Pam Winter Jodian Marie Thomas, MS, Bsc, Asc L Burton Danielle Hestand Sahil Patel Malky McEwan Barbara Cook Tyra Jaide Eko BP Drashti Shroff Evergreen Eden Bernie Pullen Rhea Anglesey CARMEN F MICSA Robin Oakman Mary Vraa Libby Shively McAvoy Kristina God Niall Leah Debbra Lupien, Voice of the Akashic Records Toya Qualls-Barnette Vashni Stories Dawn :) Divya Goswami BichoDoMato Evon Carole Olsen Sharon Sayler, Author Jennifer Dunne Kylie van Gelder Neha Sonney, Author Christina Sponias Ian Hanson JF Danskin Patrick OConnell Mary V Elvie Lins❤️ Carmellita Gauri Sirur Kristie Leong M.D. IJaveria Ansari Asim Nori Dipo Adebayo Andreia Damian Jenine Bsharah Baines Jodi Marie Mahein Kazi Mario López-Goicoechea Raine Lore Vishal Mehta Aarti Tailor A Rustic Mind (Manali Desai) Mona S Gable Anne Emerick Andra Forbes Anaya Nosso Kasturi Patra Mary B Mel Janecka Rebecca Romanelli Life not abrupt (L.n.a.) Rebecka Rose Hollie Petit, Ph.D. Michael Mallen Gauri Sirur Raine Lore Penny Walsh CARMEN F MICSA, MA in English, podcaster Mary V Marilyn Flower Srini James Beaufait Joe Merkle Rupa Mahanti Binky Ink Writing Trisha Faye John Antony Mario López-Goicoechea Sherry Atkinson Seda Anbarcı Ella de Jong Katherine Myrestad HAPPINESS + WEALTH ⭐ Nathan Chen Zeenat Merchant Syal, M.A, M.Sc Ben Ulansey Brandon Kam Victoria Kjos J Oliver Dempsey Binky Ink Writing Karen Schwartz AJ Carrie Kolar TzeLin Sam Sally Prag Jenine “Jeni” Baines Vera-Marie Landi Alan (AJ) Autistic Widower Rebecca A Emrich Grace Delphia Simply Sophia Sheri Jacobs Ella de Jong Tamara Embrey Trisha Faye Carolina Smith Janet Meisel Elena dL Daniel Ng JonesPJ Nathan Chen Amir Bibi Rick Allen Helen Gilmore Marcus aka Gregory Maidman OCTAVIA EVER AFTER Qaiser Khan Benighted Sharon Johnson Julie KingGood Nina Sklansky Debbie Soderberg Kirchner Jolka Maria Rattray Shereen Bingham Kyle Wells Cristina Cattai Charisse Tyson Sam Letterwood