WEP wrap up and WINNERS of the Valentine's Day challenge!

Hello Everyone!

Thanks to all who participated during the 2016 Valentine's Day WEP challenge. It is amazing how different each entry was which made the reading delightful. Some had to think deeply before posting as they are not into VD at all, but they rose to the challenge with great aplomb. There was a good mix of fiction and non fiction. If you still haven't finished reading, please continue, using the links on the previous post.


We value each and every story submitted to WEP. Here is a quick overview of the entries (in  no particular order): (In the interest of time, I haven't linked them. The links are found in the previous post.)

LG KELTNER - Dani Dinklemeier's Valentine's Day Survival Guide. "Valentine's Day can be a tough time for those of us who don't fit into the typical order of things." 

PATRICK CONOLGAN - How you need to think Valentine's with Education - An intriguing and very different take on love and communication.

ROBYN CAMPBELL - A striking poem 'Love's Lost and Found Day'. In the preamble, Robyn said: "I wrote this to show how I felt when my husband fell off our roof a couple of years ago. The kids and I thought he was dead."

NILANJANA BOSE: Two poetic types for Valentine's - a sonnet and a ghazal. Both were amazingly written, poignant and moving with context provided to deepen the experience - minimalist, rhythmic and replete with imagery.

DEBORAH DRUCKER: Love in Autumn. Older women know who they are and that they have a depth of experience and life to share.

PAT GARCIA - STINE. A Valentine's story which could be seen as an abusive relationship just beginning. Or just a happy-go-lucky girl who doesn't mind a controlling guy...for now.

SAMANTHA: The Bridge Between Lost and Found. A unique entry which used the winners of Sam's commenting contest on her Lost and Found Blogfest entry, to people her playful story set in a sleepy little town nuzzled in the North Carolina mountains.

M PEPPER LANGLINAIS AT PEPPER WORDS: A Valentine's non-fiction entry about friends and Valentine's Day.

MADILYN QUINN: A blossoming love story between Judah and Tabitha set on campus. Very well-drawn characters.

ELEPHANT'S CHILD: Sue has given us a touching true story of the gift of an 'unromantic' husband.

NANCY WILLIAMS: The Annual Coloring of Flowers Day. A delightful story of the love between faeries, Wondrous and Raindrop.

kalpanaa: Valentines becomes Galantines. A great non-fiction take on Valentine's, where a group of girls choose to celebrate together in India.

LINDA KATMARIAN: A vampire story with a difference with mostly charming characters. We would all love to know a Rosa and we'd all like to see that healing quilt finished.

HANNAH BANANAFACE:  A heartbreaking story loosely based on real life drama yet filled with hope. A warning to stay away from cigarettes.

OLGA GODIM: Hannah's Rugelach was moving and so very beautiful. Full of hurt and hope. A Holocaust survivor story, yet much more.

RIVER: The Guilted Rose. The receiving of guilt roses/flowers is nothing new, but crafted into a clever non-fiction story by river.

C LEE MCKENZIE: A true story of Jolly, Lee's first dog who still has her heart.

ARPAN GHOSH: Forever. Another vampire story, but very subtly wrought. Some of the commenters weren't quite sure until the bite marks at the end. Very atmospheric.

KATE MCMANUS: The Lost Letter of Valentinus. I read this while waiting for a plane and found it riveting. Cleverly told through the voice of a sixteen-year old boy working on his Latin dissertation.

SALLY'S SCRIBBLES: The Generation Gap. A lovely reminder that generations do need to know about their families,They need to hear stories such as this. And what a beautiful illustration!

ROLAND YEOMANS: Love does not exist in a vacuum. There is no excuse for killing for killing's sake, especially of the innocent.

YOLANDA RENEE: Snow Moon. Haunting, beautiful, heart-rending tale of lost love.

DENISE COVEY: To My Darling Valentine. An imaginary letter penned in the Simpson Desert of Australia lamenting lost love and the end of hope. 

The entries that made the long list are:

Arpan Ghosh
Linda Katmarian
Elephant's Child
Samantha Redstreake Geary
C Lee McKenzie
Olga Godim
Deborah Drucker
river

The entries that made the short list: 

river
Arpan Ghosh
Samantha Redstreake Geary
Olga Godim

Francine Howarth, our guest judge generously took the time to put the final 4 into the winning order.

Francine wrote, " Thanks again for asking me to judge and to write a guest post (which can be found HERE)."

So without further ado – The Winners!

  

THE OUTRIGHT WINNER OF THE

2016 WEP VALENTINE'S DAY CHALLENGE IS:

ARPAN GHOSH
&
FOREVER

Francine said, "'Forever' is a refreshing break from the standardised Valentine's Day tale of romance, and it duly crushed the inevitable happily ever after. Luckily, I am quite at home stepping into the dark side of romance."

Congratulations Arpan!

Please accept the winner's badge and display on your blog with a link to your excellent story. 

An Amazon Gift Card of $10 will be winging your way shortly.

THE RUNNER UP OF THE

2016 WEP – VALENTINE'S DAY

CHALLENGE IS:

OLGA GODIM
&
HANNAH'S RUGELACH

Congratulations Olga on your touching Holocaust survivor story!

Please accept the Runner Up badge and display on your blog with a link to your excellent story. 

THE ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD FOR THE

2016 WEP – VALENTINE'S DAY CHALLENGE

GOES TO

SAMANTHA REDSTREAKE GEARY
&
THE BRIDGE BETWEEN LOST AND FOUND

Congratulations Writerly Sam for your wonderful collation!

Please accept the badge and display it on your blog with a link to your story!

CONGRATULATIONS WINNERS!

Thanks everyone, for an exciting February!
You're all winners in our eyes!

The goal is to take on a challenge, surprise not only your readers but also yourself, and turn that experiment into a true masterpiece.

We'll be back in June 2016 with a new challenge - Gardens! Meanwhile, write as much as you can!

Please click the social media buttons below to share this post! Yolanda has been compiling the pre-written tweets, but is unwell at the moment. Sorry. Must learn this skill! Get well, Yolanda!!