October 2014 Contest Winners

Another month, another set of contest winners. Here’s a look at the winners from our October 2014 contests:

Sublime Contest

The winner of this contest will receive a copy of Sublime by Christina Lauren. The winner is: Tamara Augustin

The Perfectionists Read-Along Contest

The winner of this contest will receive a Perfectionists tote bag and an ARC of an upcoming HarperTeen book. The winner is: Kathy Lynn

Atlantia Contest

The winner of this contest will receive an Atlantia-inspired necklace. The winner is: Alyssa Susanna

Worst Witch Contest

The winner of this contest will receive a set of all 6 Worst Witch books, featuring their new covers. The winner is: Katherine Ivan

The Dungeoneers Cover Reveal Contest

The winner of this contest receives a copy of Minion and Sidekicked by John David Anderson. The winner is: Christine Delfin-Hernandez

Unmarked Writing Contest

For this contest, we asked you to submit your best story about ghost-hunting. Two winners will each receive a copy of Unmarked by Kami Garcia. The first winner is Maria Touet and here is her winning entry:

I was certain that the barn was empty tonight. That’s why I came all the way out to Destiny, to spend time at the Culliver Farm…alone.

For years I’d heard reports of unusual happenings at the old barn, you see, I’m a hunter. I hunt ghosts that are trying to re-enter our world. I hunt them then send them on to where they need to go in order to be at peace. Sometimes they go to heaven and sometimes…they don’t.

Destiny is famous for the many legends of the old barn at Culliver Farm. You see, the old barn is a portal or gate of some sort where ghosts enter to reanimate here on earth. Tonight is All Hallows’ Eve and that is the only night that the portal opens, one night a year, Halloween.

I enter the barn keeping my light off in hopes of seeing something.

I smell it first— the smell of damp hay mixed with another less pleasant, less earthly smell. Ghosts smell like, well, like something dead. Sweet and sour, old and decaying, like dead marigolds left to rot in a garden. The odor is emanating from above and it is drifting down, the portal is opening.

I race to the ladder and climb up as fast as I dare. There is a glow coming from the far corner, up along the roof line. It’s faint, but I can make it out in the darkness.

The glow begins to drip. Each drip is a soul coming through the gate. I run to capture each drip in my bottle before they hit the wooden floor. That is the key to capturing ghosts. They must not touch a surface that once lived otherwise they can return to life. Since glass comes from sand it’s the best choice. Some hunters use brass, but I like to see the souls when I catch them.

Bottled souls can be quite beautiful, like pieces of sea glass you find on a beach. The colors are muted, softened by age and the pressure of passing through the portal. Golden, green and blue drips, but occasionally a black drip will come out and those are the drips that go into a different vessel. The black drips are souls that do not get to heaven. They must be caught and delivered to the Miner. The Miner takes the black drips and buries them deep inside the earth. He is the Guardian of the Dark.

I come prepared for a black drip since they may appear anytime, and there one is. It is small and just beginning to form in the glow. My hands shake as I pull the stopper from the rock crystal vessel. I put the opening of the bottle below the drip and catch it as it falls from the portal.

The glow begins to die and I make my way out of the barn to bring the black drip to the Miner. He will be very pleased to see me.

The second winner is Stephanie Parke & here is her winning entry:

The floorboards creaked and Civ shivered in the chilly air. She flipped on her heat sensor and scanned the room shivering again as the temperature dropped another four degrees. She slapped it hard and it read the same. The Rowan hill plantation seemed to shudder in the silence of what should have been a hot summer night, but suddenly felt like an icebox. The house had seemed familiar when she’d see the profile but now being here, all her years of experience disappeared.

Rowan hill sat back away from the road, It’s location made it isolated except for the dock where packages had been delivered.. Civ wasn’t sure why or how she knew that but she found herself walking with confidence through the chilly rooms of the plantation, as if she’d been here before. The feeling of déjàvu was so strong that Civ felt like puking.

Civ felt her heart beat faster as currents of cold air wrapped around her as she stepped into the large ballroom. She wasn’t sure how but she could almost see the dancing couples. The heat sensor in her hand shook as the temperature dropped another three degrees and fog began to roll in through the cracked windows.

The room seemed Halloween spooky as the floor disappeared beneath a blanket of thick white. Civ turned and tried to run as the mist swirled toward her but found her feet stuck to the floor. She tried to radio for help but the radio was dead static. Civ willed her feet to move until she felt the touch.
Light and gentle it traced her face in the sudden darkness.. Civ tried to pull away but then she heard the voice and stood still. “Civiana” the voice whispered as It swirled around her “I have missed you.”

The hair on the back of her neck stood up as the voice moved. Her blood froze at the idea that whatever it was knew her full name. She hated her full name, a remnant of her mother’s obsession with the romanticism of the old south.

“Where have you been?” The voice asked as the touch became more solid. She could feel the hand sliding down her neck and she found herself leaning into it.
Civ opened her eyes to see the form of a black haired man with ice blue eyes materialize. He was dressed in the style of a sourthern gentleman from the time before the civil war and he was devastatingly handsome. He smiled and pulled her to him and Civ melted into his arms, despite the protests of her rational mind.

“where have you been?” he asked again softly as he leaned his forehead against hers and began to sway to music only they could hear.

Time shifted and she found herself drifting, suddenly the room was no longer empty as they swirled around the floor. Civ looked into his eyes and knew the answer.

“waiting for you.” She whispered softly as they began to fade away.

Congrats to all our winners! Be sure to check out all our latest contests here.