COMPETITION UP-DATE - IMPORTANT CHANGE

Many of you will have alreay read that I am running a competition to win a signed first edition hardback of Joe Hunter 3 - SLASH and BURN - and the rules can be found by clicking the book cover in the sidebar.

Well, after much thought and deliberation, I decided that you all should have the opportunity to read the wonderful stories being sent in, with the opportunity to read them all and to comment and vote on your favourite.

I thought that this would be a fairer and more translucent process than me picking my favourites (it also dispells any claims of favouritism on my part!!)

So here's how it's going to go now:

I have set up a new blog called 'JOE HUNTER'S FIXERS' and you can find it here: http://joehuntersfixers.blogspot.com/

I will post each story anonymously, so the stories themselve rest on their merits and not on the name of the author. Please do read and leave comments, but if you are the author please don't make it  known by replying to them - yet -you can do that once the competition has ended if you wish.

On the closing date for entries, I will open voting by way of a poll.

The top three (voted for by you and me) will then be posted at Thrillers, Killers 'N' Chillers and here at Matt Hilton Thrills and voting will be re-opened to find everyone's favourite. I will collate the votes from both sites and then announce the winner on 1st April and arrange for the book to be sent to the winner.

Remember, this is just a bit of fun. Copyright remains the property of the individual author and your story is yours to do with as you wish following the closing date. I will of course credit each story with the authors name afterwards. Happy writing - and good luck.

I hope you all agree that this is a clearer and fairer way of judging, and now invite you all to go over to JOE HUNTER'S FIXERS to read the first entries already posted there.

Matt

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.

Want to win one of five Acer Aspire laptops?

http://www.hodder.co.uk/tesco/default.aspx

To celebrate the launch of Dead Men's Dust in paperback, Hodder and Stoughton and Tesco are giving away an Acer Aspire laptop to five lucky winners. For your chance of winning, follow the link.
Good luck
Matt

WIN A SIGNED HARDBACK EDITION of DEAD MEN'S DUST

This is your chance to win a FREE signed First Edition hardback of Dead Men's Dust by Matt Hilton.

The rules are simple:

Email Matt at matthiltonbooks@live.co.uk

In the subject line write DMD COMP

In the body of the mail tell me which edition you'd prefer, either the UK (Hodder and Stoughton) or the USA (William Morrow and Co).

The winner will be picked at random from all entrants.

Competition ends at Midnight (GMT) on Sunday 17th May 2009, so hurry.

The winner will be announced via this blog.

Please ensure that when emailing you have a valid email reply function in order for me to contact the winners to arrange delivery.

Best of luck

And please spread the word

Matt

New Zealand Woman's Weekly Competition

http://www.nzwomansweekly.co.nz/giveaways/win-copy-dead-mens-dust-matt-hilton/story/3796859/

For readers in New Zealand, Woman's Weekly magazine is running a competition to win one of five copies of Dead Men's Dust. Sorry, but the competition is open only to residents of New Zealand.