My regular readers know that I really enjoy short stories, so much so that I edited an anthology of Jane Austen-inspired original stories, Jane Austen Made Me Do It in 2011. So, I am very pleased to share that Meryton Press, an indie publisher who specializes in Austenesque and romantic fiction is embarking on its first short story anthology called Summer Lovin’. The cherry to the top of the cake is that it will be edited by Austenprose’s long-time contributor Christina Boyd.
The contest runs from February 1 – March 15, 2015. Here are the details from the publisher:
Meryton Press is conducting a contest to find the best short stories.
The theme of the contest, “Summer Lovin’,” represents the summer season. The interpretation of the theme is left to the writer’s imagination; the story may have summer as a backdrop or may convey a sense of happiness and light. It might be a romantic comedy set in the South Pacific, a thriller in the everglades of Florida, a romance in Queen Victoria’s summer court, an ode to the ocean and Elizabeth Bennet, or a mail-order bride in the Old West—anything your summer muse suggests.
Any genre is acceptable as long as there is ROMANCE. Austenesque is a plus, but is not required. In other words, so long as there is a commonly accepted or acceptable interpretation of the theme embedded in the plot, it works for us. However, this contest is not for children’s stories. Our target audience is readers over 18 years old.
The contest will be judged by a panel of independent judges, and the results will be announced by mid-April 2015.
A long list of entries will be selected for final judging by a panel of expert editors and reviewers. The long list will consist of at least eight quality entries. All entries on the long list will receive a letter with constructive criticism on how the story could have been improved. Four winners will be selected from the long list and will be awarded prizes as detailed in the guidelines below (see “Contest Prizes”).
In addition, all four winning entries will be published in an anthology planned for early summer 2015. The anthology will include not only the four winners but stories from Meryton Press’ popular and award-winning authors.
Sharpen your pencils and let every flight of you imagine spark. Check out the contest details at Meryton Press.
Cheers,
Laurel Ann
Graphic courtesy of Meryton Press © 2015; text Laurel Ann Nattress © 2015, Austenprose.com
Austenprose 
Does “not children” automatically mean that the stories have to go way beyond the first kiss? Georgette Heyer stories for example were not children stories, too, mentioning rather adult themes, sometimes adultery, often mistresses, still they never were explicit when it came to sex. It was mentioned using rather cloudy expressions but no explicit, pages long repetitive descriptions ..
I myself like stories rather as a spark for more intense fantasy, not the fantasy itself. I know, that is a rather unpopular view, with the awful 50 shades trilogy being a Bestseller (awful from style of writing, if the Guardian commenters and journalists are to be trusted on that).
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It is my understanding that sex or anything like is not necessary. Write what YOU like but keep in mind the anthology may have short stories that may be on the steamy side so–therefore, contributors should be aware that the book will not be marketed to children. Does that answer your question?
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I am not sure, if I CAN write a short-story in English – I was just wondering. You see, it’s not my mother tongue, I am German. I am tempted, though, but three weeks left is not much time. And no, I cannot just go and write in German and translate afterwards.
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Very exciting! Loved the anthology you worked on, Laurel Ann! Look forward to this one.
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Sophia. Thanks for you complement on Jane Austen Made Me Do It. I am sure that Christina will do a great job with this one.
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I loved Jane Austen Made Me Do It, Laurel, as you know. I was decorating my study whilst listening to some of it and now each wall and the ceiling have their own story associated with them in my mind forever!
Looking forward to the new anthology with anticipation and to hearing more about the competition, especially, as someone I know is going to be submitting a story.
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