Just Join! You Know You Want To!

JUST JOIN ALREADY!
THERE ARE LOTS OF BRIBES PRIZES!

There have been a couple of changes. The entry  date has been extended to 9/30. Obviously the trial dates have changed, too, so please check them out below. Also, since I'm not really on trial here, I revised my entry for those who care to re-read it. I'm practising revising and I think the revision is loads better!

EXTENDED TO ALLOW MORE ENTRIES!
NOW UNTIL 9/30!

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FOR THE JUDGE AND JURY BLOGFEST!
SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY 9/5 - 9/10 30
USING THE MR. LINKY AT THE END OF THIS PAGE.

Finally the Judge and Jury Blogfest is here. It started out as a celebration of my first blogoversary, but now I have a few more milestones to celebrate as well!

1. My First Blogoversary
2. Completion of the First Draft of my First Novel
3. My First 100 Followers!

As you'll see below, there is a New Follower booby prize. And someone has already won it. Who better than my 100th Follower, the awesome Hywela Lyn! Congratulations - you have won a $10 gift card from Amazon.com. A special thanks to Rach Harrie, whose platform-building campaign really gave me a big boost to meeting other bloggers. I had 35 followers at the start of her campaign, and now, as of this writing, I have 111 147!

NOW LET'S HAVE SOME FUN!

All Rise! The Judge (me) enters the courtroom. My Jury consists of the first twelve (12) bloggers to sign up for this Blogfest. Now – Round Up the Usual Suspects and we’ll have a trial!

Everyone who enters the Blogfest is a Suspect (including the Jury – they’re not getting off with a slap on the wrist. But not me – cuz I’m Da Judge). The Jury will vote on the Suspect guilty of writing the best defense scene. Any tie votes will be decided by the Judge.

HOW DO I PLAY?

Every Suspect (remember, this includes the Jury) must write a short defense scene in 300 words or less (a short intro to the scene is acceptable). It can be about anything legal or illegal, minor or major. A stolen kiss, cheating, robbery – even murder! It does not have to involve the law or court. Feel like sharing a scene from your manuscript? Cool! Or maybe a scene from a short story you’ve written? Awesome! It only has to be a scene where someone defends themselves against something.

WHAT ARE THE RULES?

• The blogfest will run from Monday, September 5 – Saturday Friday, September 10 30.
• At 12:01am Monday, September 5, a linky tool will go live on Run Gwen, Run!
• Post your entry on your blog and then add a direct link to your post to the linky tool on my blog before 11:59 p.m. September 10th 30th.
• Come back on Wednesday, September 14 October 5 to see the six finalists (chosen by the Jury), and then again on Saturday, September 17 Monday, October 10 to see the winners!
• All genres and forms are welcome.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD I DO?

• Copy the Judge and Jury badge and post it as a link in the sidebar of your blog
• Tell all your blogger friends about the blogfest
• Go to the other contestant’s blogs and give them some comment love during the challenge week 9/5 – 9/10 30.

WHAT ARE THE PRIZES?

• Each of the 12 Jurors will receive a $5 Amazon Gift Card since serving on the Jury is compulsory (According to the Judge, this should in no way be construed as a bribe!)
• A $10 Amazon Gift Card booby prize will be awarded randomly to a new follower – I’ve already picked out the Follower’s number. You may already be a winner!
• Third place prize is a $5 Amazon Gift Card
• Second place prize is a $10 Amazon Gift Card
• FIRST PRIZE is a $15 Amazon Gift Card
• All prizes to be awarded at the completion of the blogfest.

MY ENTRY

Technically, I'm not entering the blogfest as a contestant because that would be a conflict of interest, right? But I still want to play! I modified a scene from my YA novel - removed a couple of characters from the scene and changed it from third to first person. It's really tough to figure out what to cut so that it's less than 300 words! I ended up with 311 - close enough, methinks! And since it's a defense scene, I ended up with a lot of dialog. I'm not sure if the scene works, but here it is! Constructive criticism is welcome, please!

A Scene from Secrets and Lies

Drop-dead silence filled the room. My stomach sank right down to my toes, anchoring me to my chair. I stared at Badger and Simon in turn, my mouth working, like a fish gasping for water.

Use your words, Indigo, use your words, I told myself. Calmness is what we need here. I can do that. I’m calm. See? This is me being calm. I took a deep breath. Rested my hands on the table.

Unfortunately my mind is not attached to my butt. I sprung from my chair, which slammed into the kitchen wall behind me, providing the catalyst for the eruption that followed. Suddenly all on our feet, voices exploded into the room.

“WHAT THE BLOODY HELL HAPPENED OUT THERE?” Sometimes being the loudest helps.

I found myself on the other side of the table, glaring up into Badger’s furious face.

“What the hell do you think?” he yelled back, almost as loud as me. “You think we caught up to him, beat him bloody, then threw his limp and bloody body into the bloody river? Is that what you think?” he demanded.

He banged his mug on the table. It bounced, coffee splashing across the tablecloth. A spoon clattered to the floor, but nobody moved to pick it up.

“The dude is dead, Badger. Don’t you get it?” I ran my fingers through my tangled hair and began to pace. “You must know how this looks,” I insisted. “Did anyone see you?” I stopped and looked from Badger to Simon. “More importantly, can you be identified?”

The boys exchanged a look. Two formerly red faces drained of color simultaneously, instantly deflated, like tires hitting a spike strip across a road.

They were bloody well seen. They were suspects. We all were.

Simon was the first to speak. “We wouldn’t have had time to kill Billy and get back here ten minutes after you did. You can’t possibly believe we had anything to do with his death. We wouldn’t. You know we wouldn’t.”

SIGN UP HERE AND PREPARE TO DEFEND YOURSELF!

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