Golden Donut winners and my story

The 2012 Writers Police Academy took place in late September and finally circumstances allowed me to make it to North Carolina for this event.  I had a blast, although I've been remiss about blogging about it.  Hopefully I'll get caught up on that because it was a fantastic experience that I would love to share.

I had submitted a story for the Writers' Police Academy's Golden Donut Short Story Contest again and for the second year in a row was fortunate to make the top ten finalists.  The winner was announced at the WPA banquet.  I didn't win, but like I said, it was overall a great experience and I was happy to have made the top ten again.  Check on the winners & runners-up here.  Do check it out, there are some great 200-word stories there.

Here is my entry, which as per the instructions, was based on this photograph:

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Private Property

Yeah, I know it doesn’t look like much, but it’s mine and now I can have that peaceful, private life I’ve always craved.

It’s gonna take a lot of work, but I’m really very excited about it. The house in the distance is where I’ll be living. It’s in a lot better shape than it looks. Totally salvageable.

The shack where I parked the car is kind of a lost cause, which is exactly how I like it. I plan on using it to store my tools and I wouldn’t want them in a place where people will be tempted to poke around. I think I’ll make up a “Condemned – Do Not Enter” sign to help scare off nosy people. Or maybe some yellow caution tape, like a crime scene (ha ha!).

It reminds me of when I bought the car. Dealer popped that big trunk open and all I could think was, “Damn, I could get a bunch of bodies in there!”

Just look at how remote it is and that’s just a fraction of it. Thirteen acres of privacy. That’s a big old piece of land. 

Damn, I can get a bunch of bodies in there!