Author Guess... What? What do you mean there isn't an AGW segment this month? Wait, this was my idea in the first place. Hang on a minute, let me get my megaphone. 

🚨 ATTENTION AUTHORS 🚨

The Secret Author Contest deadline is approaching! Act like fighter jets and scramble! That is, of course, if you haven't gotten your submission all polished and dolled up. For those that already have your ducks in a row, congratulations. Grab some popcorn and wait in the comment section (silently, as to avoid being guessed when the stories begin posting) to watch the rest of us sprint to our keyboards. If you missed the memo, there's less than TWO WEEKS REMAINING to finish your stories.

As a reminder, here are the general rules and required metadata for the Secret Author Contest: 

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT STORIES:  July 24th, 2024

THEME: "Hidden"

GENERAL RULES:

• One story per author
• Don't share your idea, work in progress, or completed work with anyone but your team (editor/beta-reader)
• Your story must be "new content" to remain anonymous (can not be set in previous series/worlds)
• Allowed story length: 3,000 to 30,000 words
• Chapters: 1 Story Chapter posted to GA (you can use ** or a double line break to indicate scene and timeline jumps).
• Send Format: Word or Google Doc (PM Cia if you share via Google Docs, please!)

METADATA REQUIRED:

• Title
• Description
• Story Note
• Chapter Note
• Genre(s) (3 Max)
• Audience Rating
• Tags (6 Max)

I'd like to take a moment to chat with those who haven't participated in a GA Secret Author Contest. Some of you might be asking, "Why? Why would I not want to let readers know that I'm the author?" Easy! The Secret Author Contest is designed for readers to stumble upon new authors this way. Using my participation in last year's contest as an example, I discovered several authors I would've normally steered away from. But I loved their styles! I enjoyed the tales they spun. Because of this contest, I still read those authors' works. And in return, I obtained new readers because of my submission. Not to mention, the whole finger-pointing and accusing who wrote what is an absolute blast! 

So, for those of you who are interested. You have less than two weeks. Dig deep in your "to-write" pile (because we all have one, don't deny it), and let your creativity fly! 3,000 word minimum. 30,000 word maximum. Spin a short tale that's surely going to grab someone's attention! Use a personal experience or fantasy that's been lurking in the recesses of your noggin. Jump in and get your feet wet in a genre you've always wanted to play in. Just remember the theme for this year: "Hidden."

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to work on my submiss--- I MEAN... nothing. Forget I said anything. In fact, assume I'm using psychology tactics to make you think I'm entering the contest when I'm really not, but in actuality I'm saying this as a ruse to make you believe I... *sigh*

Never mind, I'm going to take a nap.