The Cult of Me - Interviews, Guest Posts, Short Fiction Contest and so much more!

[Michael]

What do you think the girl sees in the mirror? Why is she staring into the looking glass? If you have a story to tell us about this month's image then this is the last week to submit it for this month's short fiction contest. The story must be no longer than 500 words and can be of any genre. There's no entry fee and the winning story will receive a £50 Amazon or PayPal prize. There are prizes for second and third place winners too.

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

If you've not read the winning stories from June's contest yet then you can read them here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

I've posted a shout out for the rather fun Auto Cento feature on Book Hippo:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

August's Short Fiction Contest has started and this month I've chosen a sinister altar. Your entry must be no more than 500 words and there is no entry fee. There are prizes for the three top entries:

First prize is a £50 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
Second prize is a £20 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
Third prize is a £10 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize

Entries must be submitted by August 21st 2015:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

The winners for July's Short Fiction Contest have been announced:

- First prize of a £50 Amazon or PayPal prize goes to David H Fears for his story 'The Pig'
- Second prize of a £20 Amazon or PayPal prize goes to Jonathan Hill for his story 'The Mirror'
- Third prize of a £10 Amaon or PayPal prize goes to Allen Stroud for his story 'Looking'

Congratulations to the winners and here are their stories:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

Jim Webster provides a guest post on my blog today telling us about his latest releases and a free offer for 'Lambent Dreams':

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[R.M.F.]

I love that image for the August comp - it's like something from a Christopher Lee film! :)

[Michael]

Yes - old school satanism :-)

[R.M.F.]

Michael wrote: "Yes - old school satanism :-)"

Have you ever thought about writing a Dennis Wheatley style, old school horror novel?

[Jim]

I must confess I rather liked you use of the pictures, but I've taken them down a slightly different route :-)

[Michael]

R.M.F wrote: "Michael wrote: "Yes - old school satanism :-)"

Have you ever thought about writing a Dennis Wheatley style, old school horror novel?"

I'm touching on some of those themes in my currect WIP.

[Michael]

There's only two weeks left to enter August's Short Fiction Contest, so if you haven't entered your story yet then now is the time to do so. It's easy to enter, first write a story of no more than 500 words inspired by this month's image of a satanic altar. You then submit the story through the contest page here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

There's no entry fee and there are prizes for the three winning stories:

First prize is a £50 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
Second prize is a £20 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
Third prize is a £10 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize

If you've not read the winnings stories from July's contest yet then you will find them here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

We've entered the final week of August's Short Fiction Contest and this month's image has already attracted some excellent entries. However there is still time for more! So if you haven't entered yet then this is your last opportunity to do so.

All entries must be in by the end of play August 23rd and there's no entry fee. The story should be submitted through the form provided on the contest page here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

There is a £50 Amazon or PayPal prize for the winning story and prizes for second and third stories as well.

If you haven't read the winning stories from July's Short Fiction Contest then you really should as they are a cracking read. You can read them here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

To celebrate the launch of her latest novel 'Morrigan's Shadows', Michelle Barclay provides a guest post listing her top ten horror novels:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

September's Short Fiction Contest has started and this month's image is painted by the talented Luciana Nedelea. Your challenge is to write a story of no more than 500 words inspired by this month's image.

As always it is free to enter and the following prizes are available:

First prize is a £50 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
Second prize is a £20 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
Third prize is a £10 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize

Entries must be submitted by September 20th and you can enter through the contest page here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

The Festival of Drabbles 2015 starts on November 9th and runs until November 15th to celebrate the art of drabbles. Drabbles are stories that are exactly 100 words long. If you've not joined the event yet then you can do so on Facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/37560...

Or on Goodreads here:

https://www.goodreads.com/event/show/...

The festival activities will take place on various blogs and websites and this is your opportunity to get involved. If you write a blog or a website and would like to take part then simply leave your details in the comments below and I will start compiling a calendar of events.

You should include your name, web address and which days you plan to host something on, if you know what it will be then include that as well!

Here's what my blog will have for that week:

Michael Brookes
thecultofme.blogspot.com
Monday 9th - My First Drabble
Tuesday 10th - Places to Find Drabbles
Wednesday 11th - Drabble Books
Thursday 12th - Drabbles of Art
Friday 13th - Drabble Writing Tips
Saturday 14th - Drabble Contest Winner
Sunday 15th - Peoples Choice Drabble Contest Winner

You don't have to host something every day - but you're more than welcome to if you want!

Don't worry if you want to host something but don't have any drabbles or anything related, just list your blog below and post that you'd like content to feature and I will look for suitable content for you. As we approach the festival I will be promoting the calendar of events and so you'll gain additional exposure for your blog or website.

[Michael]

To celebrate the release of his new novel 'Blade of the Destroyer' Andy Peloquin has provided a guest post on the importance of a 'good' bad guy:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

Have you entered September's Short Fiction Contest yet?

We're now two weeks into the competition Luciana Nedelea's spooky image has already inspired some excellent stories. What do you think the figure in the painting is doing? Tell me your answer in a story of no more than 500 words and submit it through the form on the competition page here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

There's no entry fee and there are the following prizes to be won

First prize is a £50 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
Second prize is a £20 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
Third prize is a £10 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
If you haven't read the winning stories from August's contest then you'll find them here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

October's Short Fiction Contest is now open and this month's image is a little whimsical compared to my usual choices.

To enter the contest write a story of no more than 500 words inspired by this month's image and submit it through the form on the competition page here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

There is no entry fee and the following prizes are available:

First prize is a £50 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
Second prize is a £20 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
Third prize is a £10 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize

The winners for September's Short Fiction Contest will be announced next weekend.

[Michael]

Luciana Nedelea - Artworks​'s awesome picture inspired some wonderful stories for September's Short Fiction Contest and the winners have now been announced:

- First prize of a £50 Amazon or PayPal prize goes to R. Judas Brown for his poem 'Mary, Mary'
- Second prize of a £20 Amazon or PayPal prize goes to Pete Fisher for his story 'The Last Child of Eden'
- Third prize of a £10 Amazon or PayPal prize goes to David J Wing for his story 'Entrenched'

Congratulations to the winners and here are their stories:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

As part of her blog tour celebrating the release of her latest book Famous Animals: Volume 1 Katie Stewart has written a blog post about how she created the charming illustrations in the book:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Kath]

Interesting to read how it's done, Michael. She's so talented.

[Michael]

She is indeed!

[Michael]

October's Short Fiction Contest is well under way and there's only two weeks left to enter if you haven't already done so. This month's image features an unusual visitation which has already sparked some interesting stories. |What do you think has the men so surprised?

To enter write a story of no more than 500 words based on this month's picture and submit it through the form on the competition page linked below. There's no entry fee and there's a £50 PayPal or Amazon prize for the winner, with prizes for second and third place stories as well.

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

If you haven't read the winning stories from September's contest yet then you will find them here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

Where has the month gone? We're into the final week for October's Short Fiction Contest already, so if you haven't entered yet then now is the time to do so! This month's image features four bemused gentlemen and an unusual visitation. What do you think is going on there? If you think you know then write a story of no more than 500 words and submit it through the form on the contest page here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

There's no entry fee and the following prizes are available:

First prize is a £50 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
Second prize is a £20 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
Third prize is a £10 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize

If you enjoy reading short fiction then make sure to read the winning stories from September's contest. There's three cracking stories here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

November's Short Fiction Contest has started and we have a bit of a steampunk theme for this month's image. The enigma of what the device does that attracted me, so what do you think the machine does?

There's no entry fee for the competition and the following prizes are available:

First prize is a £50 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
Second prize is a £20 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
Third prize is a £10 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize

Your story should be no more than 500 words and should be submitted via the contest page here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

The winners for October's contest will be announced next weekend.

[Michael]

As part of the blog tour celebrating the release of Beyond the Wail: 12 Grave Tales of Love and Loss, here is an interview with one of the collection's authors F. M. Longo:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

Picking the winner's for October's Short Fiction Contest proved to be a tricky task. The image inspired some diverse and wonderful stories and I think you'll enjoy the three stories I've selected. Thanks to everyone who submitted their stories - I enjoyed reading them all! Thanks also to everyone who shares the links to these contests, please continue to do so, these writers deserve their stories to be shared.

And here are the winners:

- First prize of a £50 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize goes to Chad Lutzke for his story 'Tug 'o War'
- Second prize of a £20 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize goes to Tim Robson for his story 'The Earnest Discussion'
- Third prize of a £10 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize goes to Rose Thurlbeck for her story 'Games Night'

Congratulations to the winners and here are their stories:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

There's only a couple of days until we start the Festival of Drabbles 2015 and I'm really looking forward to it. One of my planned features is a list of books containing drabbles. You can see the books I have listed so far here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

If you know of a book that needs adding then post it below and I'll take a look!

[Michael]

The Festival of Drabbles 2015 is starting a little early with an opening post from one of the first people to ever write a drabble:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Jim]

And here's my entry

https://jandbvwebster.wordpress.com/2...

[Michael]

Thanks Jim!

[Michael]

We've entered the final week of November's Short Fiction Contest - so if you haven't entered yet then now is the time to do so! The competition has already attracted some weird and wonderful uses for the device shown in this month's image. If you have an interesting idea of what it is for then write a story of no more than 500 words and submit it through the competition page here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

There's no entry fee and the following prizes are available:

- First prize is a £50 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
- Second prize is a £20 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
- Third prize is a £10 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize

If you haven't read the winning stories from October's contest yet then you can do so here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

December's Short Fiction Contest has started and this month we have another piece of Luciana Nedelea​'s amazing artwork. There's no entry fee and the following prizes are available:

First prize is a £50 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
Second prize is a £20 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
Third prize is a £10 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize

The story must be no more than 500 words and should be submitted through the contest page here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

As part of the release of her new book Chocolate Making Adventures'Chocolate Making Adventures' Rosen Trevithick has written a guest post explaining why you should try making your own chocolate:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

I've bought my copy - will you do the same and plunge into a delicious adventure?

[Kath]

I've got two! I have the ebook and my paperback is due tomorrow!

[Jim]

I'm going to have to stir myself and get ordering!

[Kath]

Then you can get stirring!

[Jim]

Kath wrote: "Then you can get stirring!"

Christmas present for daughter, let somebody else do the work ;-)

[Michael]

The winners for November's Short Fiction Contest have been chosen:

- First prize is a £50 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize goes to Tim Roberts for his story 'Lot 66'
- Second prize is a £20 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize goes to Jon Jefferson for his story 'Dr. Killian's Portable Ray'
- Third prize is a £10 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize goes to John Moralee for his story 'The Translucidator'

Congratulations to the winners and a big thank you to everyone who entered and those who support this contest.

Here are those winning stories:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

Jim Webster joins me today to talk about his latest release 'A Much Arranged Marriage' and his new approaches to spreading the word about his work.

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Jim]

The shotgun approach to promotion.
But is it any more reliable than the shotgun approach to matrimony?

[Michael]

As long as it gets them to the altar...

[Jim]

But if the shotgun certificate is invalid, is it a valid wedding?

[Michael]

Yes.

[Jim]

damn




;-)

[Michael]

December's Short Fiction Contest is well under way and this month's image is a lovely image painted by the talented Luciana Nedelea. To win one of the three Amazon or PayPal prizes write a story of no more than 500 words inspired by this month's picture and submit it through the contest page here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

Last month's contest winners have been announced and you can read their stories here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

We've entered the final week of December's Short Fiction Contest, so if you haven't entered yet then now is the time to do so! It's easy to enter - simply write a story of no more than 500 words inspired by this month's amazing image painted by the talented Luciana Nedelea. Once you've written the story you can submit it through the contest page here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

There's no entry fee and you could win one of the following prizes:

- First prize is a £50 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
- Second prize is a £20 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
- Third prize is a £10 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize

The winners from November's Short Fiction Contest have been announced and you can read their stories here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

January's Short Fiction Contest has started and this month we have a classic Penny Dreadful cover as inspiration. To enter write a story of no more than 500 words and enter it through the submission form linked below.

Entry to the competition remains free and the following prizes are available:

- First prize is a £50 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
- Second prize is a £20 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
- Third prize is a £10 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Michael]

The winning stories for December's Short Fiction Contest have been announced:

- First prize of a £50 Amazon or PayPal prize goes to Sheila Deeth for her story 'Chalice'.
- Second prize of a £20 Amazon or PayPal prize goes to Nicola Ferguson for her story 'Black & Grey'.
- Third prize of a £10 Amazon or PayPal prize goes to Andrew Dempsey for his story 'Firestarter'.

Congratulations to the winners and you can enjoy their stories here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/201...

[Guy]

Michael wrote: "

The winning stories for December's Short Fiction Contest have been announced:

- First prize of a £50 Amazon or PayPal prize goes to Sheila Deeth for her story 'Chalice'.
- Second prize of a £2..."

Firestarter by Andrew Dempsey is amusing.