Judges named for Rehoboth Beach Reads Short Story Contest
Cat & Mouse Press has announced the judges for its 2022 Rehoboth Beach Reads Short Story Contest.
Writers are invited to submit stories of 500-3,500 words that feature Rehoboth Beach and fit the theme Beach Holidays. The first-place winner will receive $500, second place, $250, and third place, $100.
The top 20-25 stories will appear in the anthology “Beach Holidays,” to be published by Cat & Mouse Press in November.
This year’s contest judges are Jackson Coppley, Lois Hoffman, Dennis Lawson, Mary Pauer, Dylan Roche and Candace Vessella.
Now in its 10th year, the contest is sponsored by Browseabout Books.
Jackson Coppley is the author of the bestselling Nicholas Foxe adventure series, “Leaving Lisa – An AI Love Story,” and numerous short stories. Coppley combines his insights from a career in telecommunications and computers with his knack for spinning a good tale. He resides with his wife Ellen in Rehoboth Beach and Chevy Chase, Md.
Lois Hoffman is the owner of The Happy Self-Publisher and award-winning author of “Write a Book, Grow Your Business,” along with “The Self-Publishing Roadmap” and “Barriers.” She helps new and experienced writers confidently share their voice to make a difference in their lives and the lives of others through personalized writing, publishing and book marketing services.
Dennis Lawson is an English instructor at Delaware Technical Community College in Wilmington. His fiction has appeared in Philadelphia Stories, Crimespree Magazine, the Rehoboth Beach Reads anthology series and other publications. He holds an MFA in creative writing from Rutgers-Camden, and he received an individual artist fellowship from the Delaware Division of the Arts as the emerging artist in fiction in 2014.
Mary Pauer, a Pushcart nominee, received her MFA in creative writing in 2010 from Stonecoast at the University of Southern Maine. Pauer publishes short fiction, essays, poetry and prose locally, nationally and internationally. She has published in The Delmarva Review, Southern Women’s Review, and Foxchase Review, among others, and in anthologies featuring Delaware writers. Her latest collection,”Traveling Moons,” is a compilation of nature writing. Donations from sales help the Kent County SPCA equine rescue center. Pauer was the 2019 Delaware Division of the Arts literary fellow in creative nonfiction, her third DDoA literary fellowship. Pauer accepts private clients for developmental editing.
Dylan Roche is an award-winning journalist, novelist, playwright and blogger from Annapolis, Md. When he's not writing about health and fitness for magazines, he can usually be found writing fantasy fiction. His first novel, “The Purple Bird,” debuted in 2019. He serves on the board of Eastern Shore Writers Association and hosts the monthly fiction writing group Get Lit. His plays have been produced onstage all over Maryland. He's also an ultramarathon runner and a corgi wrangler.
Candace Vessella is the Friends of the Lewes Public Library president, an avid reader and passionate about libraries. She began her career as an intelligence analyst with the Defense Intelligence Agency and retired in 2009 from her position as vice president for government relations with BAE Systems Inc. In parallel with her civilian career, she served 25 years as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, retiring as a captain. She received her undergraduate degree in communications from Southern Connecticut State University and her master’s degree in international relations and African studies from American University in Washington, D.C.
The deadline for entries to the Rehoboth Beach Reads Short Story Contest is Friday, July 1, and the fee is $10 per entry. Each writer can submit up to three stories. Entries will be evaluated by the panel of judges and chosen based on creativity, quality of writing, suitability as a beach read and fit with the theme. Contest information and guidelines are posted on the Cat & Mouse Press website at catandmousepress.com.
Potential entrants are encouraged to read “How to Write Winning Short Stories” and its companion workbook, available at local bookstores and online, and look at the previous books in the Rehoboth Beach Reads series to see the kinds of stories that were selected in prior years.
