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. Sure. No problem. Keep writing and I’ll put it back up at the bottom. Number 17. Since the contest officially did not launch until yesterday I figured I could change things around. Oops

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      1. Okay thanks so much! I guess i should’ve waited to see if it was a for-sure before writing a story about it! Speaking of “a horse of a different color”, how are Colton and Minni Mae?

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  3. Is it a possibility to bring that picture back, or can I still write about it? My story was practically done, but if i need to pick a different picture, I can…

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  4. My daughter is working on this and wants to hand write and draw her own pictures. How could I submit this to you not in PDF form? Need technological help please.

    P.S. My daughter loves your books. You are her favorite author and she wants to be you for her wax museum this fall.

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    1. Hi Jennifer! That’s so fun! I have had kids submit drawings/art work with their stories, but the judges will not see the artwork (to keep everything consistent and fair). If she places, her artwork will be displayed, or if she does not place, she can ask me to post her story as Fan Fiction, and I will display her artwork that way too. Here is an example of a winner of the last contest, whose artwork was displayed after she won.

      Wildfire’s Miracle

      Regarding her story. She may handwrite it, but in order to submit the story, maybe you can type it out for her. This way the artwork and the story are separate. Stories must be submitted on one of the formats listed so the judges can easily read it to judge it fairly. A hand-written story (I’ve had them submitted in the past via PDF) are very hard for the judges to read (and myself too). If your daughter wants the best chance of placing that she can have, typing the story is the way to go.

      I hope that helps! Oooh, if she is Andi for the wax museum in the fall, I’d love a picture!

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  5. Just wondering if you will write more books about Lottie, Lilly, or Jared and them growing up and having exciting adventures? I love you books by the way! I’m such a bookworm. 🤣📘

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  8. Ohh these prizes are so hard to choose from if I did win!! Just wondering are the gummies for only this contest or not??

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  10. hello i love ur books i am twelve years old and i live in waldport oregon 🙂 on question tho um the prizes im kinda confused as to why you decided to use a water bottle and those strips of paper that go in it. Dont get me wrong those things are awesome but why not a free book pass included for like any 2 of your books or a coupon for powells or sothing as well that would make it the most awesome prize ever

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    1. Mostly because it’s my contest. My choices. 🙂
      I don’t give out money or coupons to anything outside my own store. And I give choices, rather than one-only prize. If you are not familiar with this blog then you obviously don’t realize that book choices have played a big part in many of the past contests. Also, most of the entries are writers that already own most of the books, so to them, that would not be a very good prize. They want other “fun” Circle C stuff. And . . . if you knew how many contests I run, then you would understand that I can’t afford to give huge “awesome” prizes every month plus four times a year for writing contests, etc.
      Hope that helps explain!

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    1. I am always on the lookout for prize ideas. Thanks. If I can find one that doesn’t seem too “young” for the older writers. And one that doesn’t cost a fortune to include.

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  12. thanks for the info this is my first year doing this so i was a little confused as to how the whole thing worked so anyway thanks again!:}

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  19. Just wondering…will we be able to ask for The Terrible Secret for a prize ’cause it comes out in August, i think, and the contest ends on the last day of August

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    1. The contest ends on August 18. Not sure when the judging ends. Can’t remember. If the book is finished I can add it, but I’ve been swamped so have not made much progress so … Doubtful

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  20. You removed the pictures of Minni Mae. I wrote a story around it and now the picture is gone. Not sure what I should do?

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    1. Go ahead and send it in. I’ll find the picture and include it for the judge. Sadly, this is what happens when I put stuff up too early before the contest officially launched. I make last minute changes before it launches. My bad. I won’t be giving sneak peeks of contests any longer. It gets me into trouble. 🤠

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  22. Hello. Can I write about Number 7- Mysterious Ranch Hand with Lilly as the main character? Lottie would be included, but they would both be older. Is that OK? Thank you!

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  23. Hi, Mrs. M! Quick question. How did Memory Creek initially get cattle? Did Riley buy some before/right after his and Andi’s honeymoon? Were they a gift from the Circle C? How many would they start with? I looked in the Tales books (new and old) but I couldn’t find it.
    Thanks so much!

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    1. Yes, (and I’m making this up right now, LOL), Riley acquired a starter herd during the year of their courtship (unless you can think of a better explanation). I think they might start with . . . 500. How does that sound? 🙂

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  24. Great, thanks so much! Sorry, one more: Do I have to put the picture captions for the story prompts in my story (like right after the title) or do I put it in the email in which my stories will be submitted?

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    1. I’d prefer you name, age,, email, the title of your story, and the picture number (and caption) right on the story file (Word or Google Docs) so I don’t have to do it. I keep the stories in a new folder away from the email. I can insert the picture (for the judges) unless you want to.

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      1. Do I put my name, age, pic, etc inside the word doc, or is just in the email ok? (I am at 2,499 words so if I add anything more it will go over hahaha)

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  25. Okay, can I just subtract the amount of words used for my name, age, etc. from my story’s word count? Thank you so much for all you time answering my questions!

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  30. Hey, Mrs. M, I have a question. When did Andi stop wearing overalls and start wearing split skirts? I’ve looked, but I can’t seem to find it…

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  32. When a book is signed, does it have the author’s name, the book title, or the owner’s name in the author’s writing?

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    1. Ummm . . . I sign the book To: Jane, Saddle up for adventure! (or) Ride into adventure! (or) anything that sounds fun. Then I sign my name. I do this on the inside Title Page of the book. I’m not sure who the “owner” is. Do you mean the person buying the book?
      Sure, like I showed above. The book’s title is already showing, since I do all this on the title page inside. It’s in the author’s writing, all right, since I’m the author. *wink* Some parents ask me to write, “Happy 12th birthday, Sarah,” or something like that. I can include a Bible verse if requested. It’s totally up to you, the book buyer.
      Sure hope that helped. It’s a really simple thing to scrawl my name in books and loads of fun. You also get a bookmark and an Andi sticker. Yee-haw!

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  35. Hi, Mrs. Marlow. I know it may be a little late, but I have another question. Would most ranches have stallions or geldings (to ride), and why would they have one vs. the other? TYSM!

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    1. @Emalee
      Hi! I’m 11, turning 12 on August 10(two more days!). So your birthday is on the 13th? Cool! We’re within 3 days of each other! Are you entering this summer writing contest?😀

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      1. No way!!! August 10 is my birthday too!! I’ll be 13!! (And i think i have a friend who has a birthday on August 13 also lol 😂)

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    1. Fresno is at least an hour away from the Circle C ranch RIDING, like in a buggy. Sometimes Andi shortens the time by loping her horse if she’s in a hurry. 🙂 It would probably take half a day to walk it, unless you were jogging. In the heat Ouch.

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      1. Oh boy, never mind, she isn’t walking.

        Also, was Andi 13/14 when Taffy was pregnant? And was that in a book or not? (I have not yet read all the books, so I was wondering)

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      1. That is young! Wow! I probably started riding when I was 6… and that was only a little pony called Lola. Sassy little mare she was, nothing like Coco!

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  49. Your right, it is really hard to get rid of extra words. My stories are always, like, 100-1,000 words over so I made this one (that I just entered) super short! I think it’s 1,000 something….

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