Wednesday, November 28, 2007

A Win, More or Less

Usually when I win a contest I do a little "Yay! I won! I won! I won!" Fame and Fortune dance. The house shakes (a little), Sally barks likes a maniac (To be fair, anyone would bark at my dancing), and the beneficent Mr. Hall makes me buy my own gas for a week.

But something about this win leaves my dancing feet cold.

I had sent a story to Whim's Place, a website that sponsors a flash fiction contest. And tonight I received an e-mail confirming a payment had been sent to me. "Wheeee," I thought. But then I wondered why I hadn't received a nice, congratulatory e-mail. (Generally, the polite thing to do for a winner). So, I checked the website. To find an "Effective 11/28/07 notice: Whim's Place Flash Fiction Contest will no longer run...stories won't be posted...the upcoming anthology (which I also had a story appearing in) will not be published..."

I think the notice said something about "unfortunate circumstances" which, let's face it, sounds ominous. Maybe tonight I'll say an extra prayer for the folks over at Whim's Place.

And thank you, Lord, for the cash. (I knew that was a good story!)