HORROR STORY CONTEST!!

So yesterday I was sitting with E, being a dork and oozing with excitement over the horror movies I ordered through half.com yesterday, when all of the sudden, he stopped abruptly mid-sentence, got a look on his face like he'd just stumbled across a one-eyed, one-armed midget shooting pool, and said, "Wait. Don't you already HAVE The Shining on dvd? I thought your brother got it for you?" Imagine my shame and embarassment when I realized that, yes, I do in fact currently own a brand-spanking-new copy of The Shining which my brother was ever so sweet as to get me this past Christmas and which I'd apparently forgotten about in the interim, despite having watched it after getting it. (I love you, brother dearest, and remember every OTHER gift you got me for X-mas and my b-day; I am apparently just getting very very very senile.)

Anyways, I am a bit upset, because had I REMEMBERED that I already owned The Shining, I would've gotten myself a nice copy of The Haunting instead. But what can ya do?

So now I have this extra copy of one of the best horror movies around. E suggested that I give it to someone else who's a fan of the movie. Or that I use it as a prize for something like best costume when I have my horror movie marathon in October. Both super-good options. But which to choose?

I went to bed asking myself this question over and over.

And then the answer came to me, like a ghost in the night:

! ! ! ! A CONTEST ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! A CONTEST ! ! ! !

! ! ! ! A CONTEST ! ! ! !

So in honor of the approaching holidays, I'm officially offering up a Halloween contest whose prize will be a brand-spanking-new copy of The Shining.

How do we win, you ask?

Well, the contest will be for **best horror story**. October is my favorite month because of the gorgeous changing colors, the smell of burning leaves, the glowing pumpkins, Halloween, and the incessant viewing of horror flicks and reading of horror stories . And since I haven't yet figured out what I'm gonna read this year, I'll give you folks the chance to figure it out for me.

Rules & Regulations:

1. You can submit up to two of your favorite short horror stories (no novels). You dig Stephen King's "The Raft"? Then send it on in! You wrote your OWN horror story that you think will scare my pants off? Well, send it the hell in!

2. There is no length requirement, I just ask that you don't submit anything RIDICULOUSLY long (100+ pages) since, if I get enough submissions, I'm gonna be doing some heavy-duty reading next month.

3. I must get submissions from at least THREE different individuals for the contest to be official. If I receive less than this, I will call it a wash and pick some lovely friend or sibling to receive a copy of The Shining instead, or use it as a doorprize if/when I have my horror movie marathon.

4. Submissions will be accepted via email at

comeplaywithusdanny33@yahoo.com

I'm not sure how easy it will be to access your favorite horror stories in some email-able format, but for right now, I ask that if you only have a hard copy of your story/stories, you scan it onto your computer into whatever format you see fit (pdf, word, etc.) and email it to me. Or if you can find a copy on-line, then problem solved: just send me a copy of the link(s), copy and paste the story into an actual email, or send the story as an attachment. If you want to submit a story or two but you are absolutely unable to send them via email, drop me a comment on my blog at this entry and let me know, and I'll gladly try to figure out an alternative.

5. Please be sure to include in your submission:

your full name

your address (in case you are the winner and I need to send you your prize)

your email address

the title of the story

the author

the book/website it is from

any other pertinent information

6. I will have E check this email account regularly for me. He will then strip the entries down to anonymity and send them to me at a different email account, that way I can judge the stories in as unbiased a way as possible.

7. Deadlines: The contest will run through Oct. 20 (which will give me 10 days to read my ass off) and winners will be announced on Oct. 31.

8. If the winning story has been submitted by more than one contestant, the winner's names will be placed in a hat and the name that is picked will be the lucky recipient of a brand new copy of THE SHINING.

9. The prize will be mailed to the winner after Oct. 31.


BRING IT ON!!