September in the Reading Cave

Our First Creative Writing Contest: Closed for Business
On Saturday 31st August, we finished taking submissions on our inaugural short story competition, Not So Normal Narrators. We called upon all participating writers to join us in expanding the boundaries of what a YA hero can be, throwing out stock characters and finding truly unique viewpoints. The best entries will be compiled in an anthology of stories told through underrepresented and unusual teen voices.

Since closing this competition, we've retreated into our respective reading caves and we are now reviewing the many excellent submissions we have received, some from astounding writers who are still in their own teen years. We are honored to have so many weird and wonderful tales sent to our press and pleased to say that you've made our job of selecting finalists and prize winners very difficult indeed!  

For those writers who are waiting on results and readers who simply want to know when our first anthology will be available, here's the dates when we'll be making our big announcements. Firstly on October 31st, following our Devil's Night showcase in our hometown of Chester, we will post our initial shortlist of highly commended entries. About a month later, in late November, we will go onto announce the Top 10 stories that will be published in our anthology collection along with our prize winners in first, second and third place. We will then move on to the editing stage, working with our finalists towards the publication of their stories this coming winter. They will also be invited to participate in our launch event for the anthology in early 2020, either in person or via Skype. With what we've read so far, we're really excited for this upcoming collaboration. So many new voices the world needs to hear!     

Announcing Catherine Johnson!

More exciting news regarding our upcoming anthology...award winning YA author, Catherine Johnson, will be providing an introduction to our short story collection and providing her own insight into the world of YA fiction for the offbeat writer. As well as being admirers of her work as a novelist and screenwriter, by crazy coincidence, Catherine has also served as a mentor for both Kell Cowley and K.C. Finn. Catherine selected Kell as her apprentice for the Adventures in Fiction development scheme, while K.C. was chosen for the Curtis Brown Creative Programme with Catherine as her mentor. Through these schemes, Catherine has played a big part in shaping OvO publications - The Vagabond Stage and Fallow Heart - for the better. We're thrilled to have her own bold brilliant voice included in this project.