FIVE ENCHANTED ROSES ~ The Winners

Rooglewood Press is proud to announce the winners of our second annual creative writing contest . . .

Rediscover the

ENCHANTMENT 

A ship bearing the souls of sinful sailors drifts upon a ghostly sea. An abbey looms as the final defense between mortals and ghouls of the underworld. In the stillness of a throne room, statues stand forever frozen in a moment of terror. Monsters and men stalk their prey deep in the jungle’s shadows. A rose blooms in the dead of winter, sheltered in the ruins of an ancient Scottish castle.

And only true love can free the Beast from his prison. 

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Esprit de la Rose 

By Kaycee Browning 

To steal from the Fee is to suffer their wrath! So Cecilia learns when these fabled beings charge her father with the theft of a certain mirror and sentence him to torment. But when she is taken as substitute, Cecilia discovers that the punishment meted out by the Fee is far stranger than she could ever have imagined. Trapped aboard a ghost ship with a crew of condemned souls and aided only by charismatic Captain Pepin, can this pirate’s daughter unlock the secret to the Fee’s dark omens?

  

Wither 

By Savannah Jezowski 

As penalty for the merchant’s theft of a single rose, the Beast of Briarstone Abbey demands his youngest daughter, sweet and innocent Sookie. But Lilybet Haverly will never allow her sister to face such a dreadful fate! Armed only with a butcher knife and her own determination, Bet climbs the wall and plunges into the Neverway, where the dead walk and ghouls hunt human flesh. She will find this Briarstone Abbey—and the Beast who lives there—whatever the cost.

  

Stone Curse 

By Jenelle Schmidt 

Years ago a terrible curse swept over the revelers at Thorndale Castle, turning them to stone and transforming Prince Barend himself into a hideous beast. But Karyna, a former lady-in-waiting, will not abandon either her father, who stands in the throne room among the other statues, or the prince. Indeed, she sets out alone on a dangerous quest to find the one responsible for this dreadful spell. If she can but discover the reason why the stone curse was cast, perhaps she can also discover the solution.

  

Rosara and the Jungle King 

By Dorian Tsukioka 

Maor has determined to take her as his third wife, by force if necessary. But Rosara would rather risk her life alone in the jungle than submit to any man’s brutality. When a beautiful jaguar tells her that it knows where to find one of the karawara, she resolves to seek out this jungle spirit and request its aid. The jaguar warns Rosara, however, that gifts from the karawara are never without a price . . .

  

The Wulver’s Rose 

By Hayden Wand 

A life is a high price to pay for stealing a rose. Nevertheless, Bonnie honors her father’s agreement and travels to the remote, ruinous castle wherein dwells the legendary creature known as a wulver—half man, half wolf. Though he is monstrous to behold, this beast is oddly gentle, tenderly caring for his beautiful rosebush, which blooms out of season. Is there more to the wulver than meets the eye? Is he somehow connected to the frightened child who visits Bonnie in her dreams?

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Congratulations to the winners! You have written five wonderful adventures, each a perfect picture of the beloved fairy tale but simultaneously so unique. Together, your stories, styles, and individual voices will create a beautiful collection.

Tremendous thanks to all of you writers who participated in this contest. The Rooglewood Press judges and I had quite a time of it, narrowing down to five winners. As always, there were many talented writers who submitted stories we very much enjoyed but which didn't quite fit in the collection as a whole. Your talent is not measured by the results of a single contest, so be of good cheer! And write on . . . .

In the meanwhile, do take a moment to congratulate these five authors who have worked so hard and who will continue working hard as we move forward in preparing Five Enchanted Roses for publication.

Would you like to see how the cover will look?

Feel free to share the cover along with a link to the Rooglewood Press Page announcing the winners. You can also share the congratulations banner below on the sidebars of your blogs, along with a link to the Five Enchanted Roses Goodreads page.