Win a Signed 'First Edition' Hardback copy of SLASH AND BURN ***Short Story Competition

OK, so here's how you can be the lucky winner of a signed 'First Edition' hardback copy of Joe Hunter 3 - SLASH AND BURN - while exercising your imagination and writing skills.

SLASH AND BURN will be published in the UK on 1st April 2010 by Hodder and Stoughton with a cover price of £12.99. However, for your chance to get a signed and dated edition (which will make it worth more to collectors) all I want you to do is write a story in the style of a Joe Hunter thriller, with a maximum count of 2,000 words (but will consider any that are just a tad over). The reason I've set a word max is because I'm going to have to fit reading them in around my own writing, so go along with me here, please.

If you are new to Joe Hunter, go buy, borrow, or beg a copy of either Dead Men's Dust or Judgement and Wrath, but please NO shoplifting. (No purchase is necessary, but I sure would appreciate your support). Have a read and take note of the style and scenarios to get an idea of what I'm looking for, and then come up with something original but along those same lines - i.e. all-action, crime thrillers.

Please, no pastiches/fan-fiction of Joe himself, or of any other literary creation, unless of course you own the copyright.

I will read each entry and make a final judgement on MY favourite 3 stories. I will be fair and judge each story on its merits, not on the name of the submitting author. TRUST ME. I will then post all three stories here on my blog (anonymously) and at my sister blog at Thrillers, Killers 'n' Chillers and invite a straw poll of my readers to decide on the best of the bunch.

In the unlikely event that I recieve less than 3 entries (i.e. 2) then I'll only post 2 or...uh...1. But then that would be the winner. Come on, don't let that happen.

Closing date for entries is Friday 12th March 2010 Midnight GMT, so you'd better get a move on.

I will then post the 3 shortlisted stories and invite votes, and the closing date for votes will be on Wednesday 31st March 2010 Midnight GMT.

The winning entry will win the prize as described above.

The winner will be announced on publication day, Thursday 1st April 2010.

EMAIL ENTRIES ONLY to matthiltonbooks@live.co.uk

Your story should be embedded in the body of your mail and type the words JOE HUNTER SHORT STORY COMP in the subject line.

The author of the winning entry will be contacted to arrange delivery of the prize.

No substitute prizes or cash value will be offered.

Copyright remains the property of the author.

Open worldwide, but stories should be written in ENGLISH.

The winning judgement is final.

This is for fun, so enjoy yourselves. If you don't win, at least you'd have had a little buzz.

So, go on. Give it a blast. Literally.

Matt

* NOTE* Please do link to this blog to send your readers to the selected stories or to enter the competition.
*ANOTHER NOTE* I have made a small adjustement to the word count limit - please see above in main text.
*YET ANOTHER NOTE* The question was asked, what's the difference between a pastiche and a 'in-the-style-of' story. Well, in this case, what I meant was I don't want a load of 'Joe Hunter, 'Jack Reacher', 'Joe Pike' fan-fiction submissions. Original creations only, thanks.