Donna Gillespie Novel Excerpt Prize Category
First Prize: $100
Second Prize: $50
Third Prize: $25
Category Details
Send me the first 20 pages, single-spaced, along with a one-page synopsis. I believe an author should create a strong sense of anticipation in the opening pages: convince the reader that the protagonist faces a formidable problem. Your story can begin at once when conflict and environment evolve together. Whether your prose style is lyrical and atmospheric or clear and direct, it’s more powerful when it serves the needs of drama.
About Judge/Sponsor
DONNA GILLESPIE (San Francisco, CA) is the author of two novels set in first-century Rome: The Light Bearer (Berkley/Putnam) and Lady of the Light (Berkley/Penguin). The Light Bearer was an immediate international bestseller, and received a starred review in Publishers Weekly. The novel was translated into German, Dutch, Russian, Lithuanian, and Italian, and the United Kingdom purchased rights. In 2002, Hallmark Entertainment optioned Light Bearer for a miniseries. Lady of the Light is the second book of a trilogy, and is available in German and Italian as well as English. Gillespie is currently at work on the trilogy’s final volume. In 2018, an independent film company optioned all three novels for a miniseries.
Judge’s Websites
Last Year’s (2019) Winners
- First Prize: Tammie Painter of Milwaukie, OR
“The Timekeeper” - Second Prize: Sammi LaBue of Brooklyn, NY
“Welcome to Hooverville” - Third Prize: Marriah Nissen of Tucson, AZ
“The Taste of Hail”
Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)
Dana Rodney of St. Helena, CA
“The Butterfly Wing”
Jennifer Voigt Kaplan of Chatham, NJ
“Sleep Leap”