Current Contest

📝May 1-May 31 📝

Circle C & Goldtown Fall Writing Contest (10/10 – 11/13)

Check out the winners here: FALL WINNERS > Check out all of the entries here: ENTRIES >

🖼️Fall Contest: Picture Prompts 🖼️

You may choose one of these picture prompts to jump start your imagination. Or, you may find a picture of your own to write about. Make sure the picture is historically accurate and relevant to Circle C or Goldtown. Click each image to enlarge it (and download if you want). Thank you, Anaya, Sara, and Emma for contributing to our Photo Prompts. 👏🏼

1. Why is Andi hiding in this tree?
2. Why is Jem in this flume?
3. Riley? Chad? What’s going on?
4. How did Justin get hurt?
5. Who is it? What is he up to?
6. Chad and his son Thomas
7. Fire!
8. A Broken Fence!
9. Young Carter Brothers
10. Andi in a mountain river
11. Andi at the Seashore?
12. Jem or another in a gold mine.
13. Runaways?
14. Who lives in this shack?
15. Palomino Tobiano from where?
16. Who? What? Where? Why?
17. Three Gold-hunting Boys
18. Melinda? Here? Why?

📝 Fall Contest: Word Prompts 📝

You may choose a word prompt to jump start your imagination. However, if you have your own Circle C or Goldtown idea, that’s fine too! Just make sure it’s historically accurate and relevant. You may also combine a picture with a word prompt! Whatever you want to do! Don’t forget to read the rules to see the word count and how to send your story. Read on to find three categories of writing prompts.

“What If?” Prompts

Write a new plot twist or different ending to one of these Circle C Adventures favorites.

  1. What if Andi cannot escape Jed Hatton, and he takes her to Mexico? How does she get home? (Dangerous Decision)
  2. What if Troy Swanson catches up with Andi and the kids and he snatches Betsy or Hannah and leaves. What happens next? (Family Secret)
  3. What if Ellie had obeyed and gone with Nathan back to Goldtown and Jem was left tied to the tree? How would he escape? (Badge of Honor)
  4. What if Andi, Jenny, and the little Chinese girls are not able to escape from the warehouse and end up being shanghaied to China? How do they get back to America? (San Francisco Smugglers)
  5. What if the mountain lion in Trouble with Treasure comes back the next day?
  6. What if Jack Goodwin does not have a change of heart and does not bring Taffy back in Price of Truth? Does Mr. Wilson sell Taffy? If so, how does Andi find her?
  7. What if Taffy does not die in The Last Ride?
  8. What if Riley does not find Andi and Lucy in time in Courageous Love, and they are taken to Mexico? How do they rescue baby Sammy and get home to their families?
  9. What if Jem was not able to rescue his sister, Ellie, from the River Duchess and she ended up in San Francisco lost and alone? (River of Peril)
  10. Find your own plot event from a Circle C (or Goldtown) book and write a new plot twist and/or ending.

“Point of View” Prompts

  • 11. Cory’s point of view when he heads down the mountain to get help and is grabbed by Deputy Hugh Baker. (Trouble with Treasure)
  • 12. The cowhand Toledo’s POV from any scene in Heartbreak Trail.
  • 13. Cory’s “story” after he and Andi part ways and he heads to the Hawaiian Islands and finally makes his way to Washington Territory. (“Auld Lang Syne” from Stranger in the Glade)
  • 14. Jenny’s POV from any scene in San Francisco Smugglers or Trouble with Treasure.
  • 15. Write from any character’s POV you choose from any Circle C or Goldtown book.

Other Random Story Prompts

  • 16. When Dakota ran into the ranch yard with no saddle and sweating like his hide was on fire, Andi knew something was wrong.
  • 17. The chestnut looked like she had seen cruelty her whole life. Her sides were scarred and bleeding and her head hung low, the only sign of life in her thin frame found in her deep, fiery eyes. The blond-haired girl looked from the mare to Andi. “You have to help me save her.”
  • 18. Andi and Riley (plus their children) go to the Circle C for Sunday evening supper to find everyone gone without a trace!
  • 19. The circus comes to town, and Andi Prescott is shocked to see Toledo (Heartbreak Trail) preforming with his horse, Sultan!
  • 20. Andi has found a new pet. What is it? And what adventure (or trouble) does this new pet bring?
  • 21. Come up with your own idea for a story, based on the Circle C or Goldtown stories.

🎁Fall Contest: Pick Your Prizes🎁

One winner from each of the two age categories (ages 9-12 and ages 13-17). Each winner may pick one item from each of the categories (#1, #2, #3). If you choose a tumbler (#2), you may choose which series you want it to highlight. If you choose a audiobook (#3), you may choose the audiobook. It will be delivered to you as an instant download, unless you specifically ask for the audiobook to be loaded onto a USB drive. Note: These are the last two Terrible Secret books. Of course, you can always order a copy (with the new cover) from Lulu.com >

👀 Check These Rules Before Sending 👀

👉 Include all of these on your actual story submission (None of these count as part of your word count).

  1. Name and age
  2. Email
  3. An original title for your story
  4. The number of the picture and/or prompt you used (If you did not use a prompt, say so ).

👉 Keep your story under 3,000 words (no exceptions). Note this change in word count!

👉 Two age groups: 9-12 and 13-17, one winner from each age category. Contest ends Wednesday, November 13 @ 5pm Pacific Time. Winners announced Friday, November 22.

👉 You may enter ONE story as a Word Document, a Google Doc, or in the body of your email. NO PDF files.

👉 Send your story to CircleCAdventures@gmail.com (Only to this address. Please do not send to any of Mrs. M’s other email addresses. I would feel badly if you story got lost, which will happen if stories are scattered among my various emails.

👉 I accept international entries, but I ship physical prizes to US addresses only. If the winner is international, I’m sure we can work out a deal for digital prizes. 😊

1,257 thoughts on “Current Contest”

  1. I am so glad that you run these contests. I wish I could have had such opportunities when I was growing up. It wouldn’t have taken me until after age 40 to start my writing career!

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  13. I’m very excited for this contest!! Does it have to be a spouse that dies for the reason of giving a child up? Or can it be any reason for giving the child up? Also can it be more than one child having to be given up? Thank you for doing this for writers!!

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    1. This Winter Writing Contest has not launched yet. Read the dates. It launches February 1, so nobody can send me any stories until that date. So of course there are no winners yet, not until after February 13.

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    1. You peeked! LOL I had time and an idea for the contest so I put it up here. I didn’t figure anybody would get around to looking at that current page until I announced it in a post. So . . . you have a head start! You just can’t send me anything until after February 1.

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      1. got it, lol!! anytime there is a new post i get an email…. so.. yea!! lol! i def won’t send anything till like feb 13th haha! i take all the time i can!

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      4. Ohhhh!!! i see what happened! i get emails when ever there is a comment on anything… ‘Zoey’ had commented so thats how i saw this post! 😉

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  30. It’s awesome you have more books coming out in March! Can you tell me when mabye? I love your books and have every one! Thanks so much for putting this on!

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    1. Well….I will probably get books by the end of February so as soon as they arrive I will offer then for sale. The publisher’s official release is March…uh …20? That’s when bookstores get them. I get them a month early!!

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  31. Andi and Riley marrying was such a surprise! I really thought it would be Cory. But riley is the best person Andi could marry! It was so awesome! Also, I CAN’T WAIT for the march books to come out, as I said in my other post. This was so fun for me to write and think up my own story! I hope you do this a lot.

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  32. Wow. just got to say Jem is so cute in the Goldtown series. And it is such a surprise that Ellie marries Chad! That is so cool. Just got to say, I love your books and adore all of them.

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  35. Also, it’s awesome that you are getting your books out soon! This will be so fun to read about Andi and Riley’s Honeymoon! 😀 And about their little baby, Jared. Awwwww!

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  36. Rewording that one: Say, if I had a bad person and he captured good people, can I make the bad person drink and get drunk so that he doesn’t notice if the good people get out and run away?

    Thx a lot for putting this on! I had a lot of fun writing my very own story! I hope I get to write many more.

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  39. My mom is just proofreading my story. Lot’s of things that could change, since I am 11! I find it funny how Mom thinks, and she wants everything to be longer sentences. It’s hilarious! Thx so much for putting this on. When I’m kinda bored, this writing contest is the light of my day.

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  40. Hey Mrs. M. Do you really have a palomino mare? Is her name actually Taffy? That would be so cool! If so, did she have any babies? Thx a lot!

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    1. You can tune in for tomorrow’s Photo Friday to find out the answer to your question. I had not yet scheduled the post, but when you asked the question I figured it was a good time to schedule it. 🙂

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    2. Hopefully on February 15. But I have to have 8 minimum stories in each category to even run the contest (see contest rules, etc.), and I have 3 in the older and 0 in the younger so far (well, 1 now that you have sent it in).

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  47. OH NO! That would be really bad! I worked really hard to make my story and this is so fun. I hope you can still put it on. I will send in my entry today, and I will be in the young group. This is bad. 😦

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    1. I hope so too Lexi!! I am in the younger group too! I really do hope you get more entries. That would be such a disappointment 😦 😦

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