Tag Archive for: short stories

Each year, the Writers’ Police Academy hosts a wildly popular hands-on law enforcement training event for writers, readers, fans, and anyone else with an interest in police procedure and the forensics used to solve crimes. MurderCon 2020 is a special event hosted by the Writers’ Police Academy, and Sirchie, the global leader in crime scene technology and products. If you’ve attended in the past you already know the event is like no other. If you haven’t had the opportunity to attend then you should sign up TODAY while there’s still time. It is truly an event of a lifetime.

The WPA is a massive production, one that requires multiple venues, busing, facility rentals, speaker and instructor expenses, training materials, equipment, supplies, caterers, etc. It’s expensive to say the least. Far more costly than, for example, a typical conference where the main expenses are hotel meeting rooms and A/V equipment. And we have those as well.

To help keep registration costs at a bare minimum, the WPA, in addition to an exciting auction (hint … REACHER!!!!) and raffle, we host two writing contests as fundraisers—the annual “Tales From the Graveyard Shift” anthology, and the Golden Donut 200-Word Short Story Contest.

The contests are fun and are beneficial to those who enter, the WPA, and the attendees of the Writers’ Police Academy events.

The WPA Anthology Series

Book Two …

People Are Strange: Tales From the Graveyard Shift (August 2020)

The winners of three available spots in the Writers’ Police Academy’s annual anthology contest will have their stories published in a traditionally published book, along with tales written by several top bestselling authors, such as Heather Graham, Phoef Sutton, Reed Farrel Coleman, Lisa Regan, Denise Grover Swank, and more.

Lisa Gardner is writing the foreword for PEOPLE ARE STRANGE, the 2020 WPA anthology.

Book Description

In the eerie glow of storefront neon lights and winking, blinking traffic signals, top bestselling thriller author Lisa Gardner emerges from the shadows onto a desolate, rain-soaked and uneven cobblestone street. It is from there, between the hours of midnight and dawn—the graveyard shift, that she introduces this collection of gripping tales of thrills, chills, and mystery.

*Lisa Gardner’s internationally acclaimed novels, published across 30 countries, have won awards from across the globe. She’s also had four books become TV movies and has made personal appearances on TruTV and CNN.

*Level Best Books publishes the “Tales From the Graveyard Shift” anthology series.


After Midnight: Tales From the Graveyard Shift (2019)

Book One …

Book Description (foreword by Lee Child ):

The curtain rises on this collection of twisted tales, revealing the words of bestselling thriller author Lee Child. Child sets the stage for a series of mysterious and strange goings-on that occur between the hours of midnight and dawn … the graveyard shift.

Contributing authors in this first anthology produced by the Writers’ Police Academy include bestselling mystery and crime authors, top television writers, true crime experts, and more.

Heather Graham
Phoef Sutton
Robin Burcell
Allison Brennan

Ry Brooks *contest winner
Carrie Stuart Parks
Lisa Klink
RJ Beam

Joe Bonsall
Katherine Ramsland
Denene Lofland
Michael A. Black

Emilya Naymark *contest winner
Mike Roche
Les Edgerton
Shawn Reilly Simmons

Rick McMahan
Marco Conelli
Cheryl Yeko
Howard Lewis
Linda Lovely
Lee Lofland

Copies of “After Midnight” are available here.


Golden Donut Short Story Contest

Winners of this challenging and fun contest receive the coveted Golden Donut Award along with a free registration to a Writers’ Police Academy event (the 2020 contest winner receives free registration to the 2021 WPA).

Golden Donut Short Story Contest Rules

The rules are simple. Write a story about the photograph using exactly 200 words — including the title. Each story needs an original title, and the image must be the main subject of the story. No clues as to the subject matter of the image or where it was taken. You decide. Let your imagination run wild. Remember though, what you see in the image above absolutely must be the main subject of your tale.


3 submissions allowed per person.

Submission deadline: Midnight (EST) July 1, 2020

Enter HERE


200 Words

No more. No less. Including the title, the story must be 200 words. “Don’t” is two words. “OMG” is three words. “Smith-Jones” is two words. Count them.

Finished Product

All stories are to be polished and complete. They must have a beginning, middle and a twisted, surprise ending.

Fairly Judged

The Golden Donut contest is judged blindly. Each entry is assigned a number so the judges do not see the writers’ names.

Reader Panel

A panel of readers will select their 12 favorite stories and then forward them to the final judge. All decisions are final. The judge will review and send the winning entry to the WPA.

About the 2020 Golden Donut Judge, Linda Landrigan

Linda Landrigan, editor-in-chief of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine

Assuming the mantle of editor-in-chief in 2002, Linda Landrigan has also edited the commemorative anthology Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine Presents Fifty Years of Crime and Suspense (2006) and the digital anthology Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine Presents Thirteen Tales of New American Gothic (2012), and has found time to be active on the board of the New York City Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association. In 2008, Linda and her “partner in crime,” Janet Hutchings – editor of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine – were presented with the Poirot Award from Malice Domestic for their contributions to the mystery genre.

She will read the top twelve entries and then pick the winning story.

Announced at the Banquet

While the winner will be announced at the 2020 WPA banquet. The winner does not need to be present to win.

Open to All

Contest is open to everyone. You don’t have to attend the conference to win. You don’t even have to be a writer.

Let the games begin!


New Arc Books, an imprint of Level Best Books will soon be publishing a collection of Golden Donut short stories.

“The curtain rises on this collection of twisted tales, revealing the words of bestselling thriller author Lee Child. Child sets the stage for a series of mysterious and strange goings-on that occur between the hours of midnight and dawn … the graveyard shift.” 

I’m pleased to announce that the Writers’ Police Academy’s first anthology, AFTER MIDNIGHT: TALES FROM THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT, made its debut August 2, 2019 at MurderCon, in Raleigh, N.C.

Now with its second printing already underway, it’s time for you to grab a copy so that you can begin your own deliciously mysterious trek into the creative minds of some of the WPA staff members, instructors, speakers, and sponsors of the Writers’ Police Academy. It was this collection of talented authors who penned this wonderful collection of twisted tales, not only for your entertainment but in support of an event that’s designed to help writers.

For over a decade the Writers’ Police Academy has delivered thrilling presentations, from helicopter landings to police pursuits to attendees performing PIT maneuvers.

We’ve launched live-action scenarios such that include recreations of current events such as the Boston bombing and active school shooter situations. Why, we’ve even detonated C-4 charges during explosive building entries. Exciting? Absolutely!

Over the years, the WPA has donated well over $100,000 to various criminal justice educational programs, such as scholarships for students, funding Skills USA trips and events, and providing funds for police academy equipment, tools, and officer training.

It’s extremely expensive to produce the Writers’ Police Academy/MurderCon and to do so we, of course, charge a modest registration fee. But those dollars evaporate quickly once the bills start rolling in—charter buses, massive hotel expenses, reception costs, meeting spaces, facility and vehicle rentals, instructor fees, ammunition, travel expenses, attendee meals, equipment and training material, etc. Therefore, we depend heavily on raffle donations and sales, auction items, and the donations of generous sponsors, all to supplement financing the event.

This year, with the help of our wonderful publisher, Level Best Books, proceeds from the TALES OF THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT anthology will go toward helping fund future WPA events.

Contributing authors in this first anthology produced by the Writers’ Police Academy include Heather Graham, Phoef Sutton (Phoef currently writes Hallmark TV mysteries and previously wrote the hit TV series CHEERS and BOSTON LEGAL), Robin Burcell, Allison Brennan, Carrie Stuart Parks, Lisa Klink (Lisa wrote the  STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE television series), RJ Beam, Joe Bonsall of the Grammy-winning Nashville recording artists the Oak Ridge Boys, Katherine Ramsland, Denene Lofland, Michael A. Black, Mike Roche, Les Edgerton, Shawn Reilly Simmons, Rick McMahan, Marco Conelli, Cheryl Yeko, Howard Lewis, Linda Lovely, Ry Brooks, Emilya Naymark, and yours truly, Lee Lofland .

The foreword was written by Lee Child. Yes, THAT Lee Child! The book was edited by Phoef Sutton and Shawn Reilly Simmons.

So please do help us help you by purchasing a copy of this absolutely fantastic collection of short stories. It’s available, of course, on Amazon and Amazon Kindle, and through Barnes and Noble and directly through the publisher, Level Best Books.

Order today by clicking this link!

As always, thank you for your support.


Here’s a small snippet of what Lee Child had to say about AFTER MIDNIGHT and the Writers’ Police Academy.

Lee Child – Writers’ Police Academy

“I’m sure every year writers go home with more than the instructors thought they taught them. I think it’s a truly wonderful resource.

So do plenty of other writers. They put this book together, working for free, with all the money they would have earned for these stories going to fund the Academy into the future. Because it’s an expensive proposition. Any convention wants to be bigger and better every year, and the Academy started from a super-high level in the first place. So in buying this book you’re helping a vital resource keep going. You should come check it out. Tell them you’re writing a novel. They’ll believe you.

But most of all in buying this book, you’re getting some really good short stories, some by big names, some by soon-to-be names—and best of all, some by cops. Because there is a little reverse osmosis going on. What happens when a cop wants to know more about being a writer? They’re up close and personal for days. I’m sure every year plenty of them go home with more than we thought we told them. Some of them got to work. A couple have their first-ever professional publication right here. We say thanks for the welcome to your world, and now, welcome to ours.” ~ Lee Child

Okay writers, it’s time to sharpen the pencils and get busy studying the above image and then assembling a grouping of words that’ll knock the socks off our mega-famous judge, Tami Hoag.

Yes, you heard me, Tami Hoag—THE Tami Hoag—will read the top twelve entries and then select the winning story. The contest winner, of course, receives a slew of cool prizes including the coveted Golden Donut Award!

Here’s what you need to do to get your writing in front of one of the world’s top authors (sorry for the small font—the graphic is a photo).

This is a fun contest!

Since the graphic above is a photo, the embedded links are not active. Here are the links listed within the newsletter, in their order of appearance in the piece.

  1. Click HERE for a link to more details and contest rules.
  2. If you’d like to be a first-round judge, email us at 2018goldendonut@gmail.com.
  3. Don’t forget to tell your friends who are figuring out how to budget for conferences this year that Sisters in Crime is once again offering a $150 registration scholarship to all SinC members attending the Writers’ Police Academy for the first time.
  4. If you need help with your travel arrangements, feel free to contact Darek Jarmola, the agent who handles arrangements for our guest speakers and experts. Derek is well versed in transportation options for Green Bay, Wisconsin. He can be reached at Darek@authenticeurope.com or by phoning 918-214-4582.

Tami Hoag – Writers’ Police Academy firing range

 

Tami after performing a PIT maneuver at the driving track. Intense action, and FUN! – Writers’ Police Academy

TamiHoag.com


There is still time to sign up for the 2018 Writers’ Police Academy. HURRY!

Again, If you’ve ever wanted to attend the WPA, I STRONGLY and WHOLEHEARTEDLY urge you to do so this year. Openings are available … this year. Could be your last chance. I’m just saying …

WritersPoliceAcademy.com