When you’re writing, it helps to have “fresh eyes” to evaluate your story–especially when those eyes belong to published authors and literary agents.
That’s why the annual Southern Breeze writing contest provides published-author feedback on all entries, with the top entries in each category also receiving feedback from a publishing professional. This year our pros were all agents.
In addition, the publishing pro chooses the top three manuscripts in their category.
The journey to success is always interesting, so we’ve asked the winning writers to tell us more about their stories and inspiration.
For more information on our two annual contests, visit Southern-Breeze.scbwi.org.
Picture Books (fiction and nonfiction)
First place was awarded to Lynn Street.
What does it mean to you that your story won/placed in the contest?
I enter contests and seek conference critiques to give myself deadlines and structure. Without an end goal, it’s easy for me to get stuck in a revision loop. It’s an honor and an extra boost to be chosen as a winner! The feedback from the judges is always insightful and lets me know what a wider audience thinks of my story, how marketable it may be, and areas to improve.
Second Place was awarded to Kanini Rodney-Philips for her story THREE CANDLES.
What is your story about?
THREE CANDLES is a poignant, lyrical story about a young girl’s close relationship with her father and the emotional grief she navigates through when he suddenly dies. The story starts on a high note, full of love and joy, then pivots to the girl’s pain and anger. It ends with her hopeful and on her journey to recovery. It’s based on my own childhood experience of losing my father when I was 11 years old.
How did you come to write this story?
The story came to me. The anniversary of my father’s passing was approaching. Writing this provided an outlet to express the feelings I had as a young girl and, to some extent, still have as an adult. I want other children facing similar traumatic losses to know it’s okay to be sad, confused, even angry – these are normal feelings to have when grieving. And that eventually, you can reconstruct your life and be happy while still holding dear the memories of your loved ones.
What does it mean to you that your story won/placed in the contest?
Winning 2nd in the Annual SCBWI- Southern Breeze contest was a wonderful surprise. It was a validation of my writing and a motivation to continue writing and querying. Winning with THREE CANDLES was beyond words. This story is an emotional outpouring in a lifelong healing process. It’s a tribute to my father.
Third place was awarded to Emily Morris Matheis for her story THE PACK HORSE LIBRARIANS: THE TRUE STORY OF AMERICA’S MOST RUGGED MOBILE LIBRARY.
What is your story about?
The Pack Horse Librarians: The True Story of America’s Most Rugged Mobile Library is a nonfiction STEM story that highlights the heroic efforts, hardships, and successes Kentucky librarian women endured during America’s Great Depression. The Great Depression was a time of struggle, but also of innovation. And even while basic needs of food and shelter were in short supply, a group of forward-thinking librarians recognized the need to nurture education. With libraries inaccessible to many, the librarians of Kentucky took matters into their own hands with packed saddlebags and pillowcases full of books. They carried their loads of hope on horseback through harsh and often dangerous conditions. Because of their heroic action, thousands of impoverished Appalachians were able to come out stronger on the other side of the Depression. In a time when the country is coping with a pandemic and recession, the historical NF picture book is surprisingly relevant to today and our own heroic educators’ efforts.
How did you come to write this story?
There was a tiny article featured in a magazine (I don’t remember which one!), and that spawned my research. When the pandemic took hold of us all, the story became even more crucial for me to refine and eventually put out there.
What does it mean to you that your story won/placed in the contest?
It’s such an honor and privilege! I know the tremendous amount of talent that submits to these contests, and I’m grateful that this story resonated with the judges. I hope this platform helps the story reach the shelves of libraries–and readers–everywhere.
Middle Grade Novels
In middle grade novel, chapter book, and graphic novel category, first place was awarded to Colleen Bauer for her story THE NIGHT QUEEN OF THE NORTH.
What is your story about?
In fairy tales it is always the youngest or the oldest that is the fairest and most loved. But it is not so in The Night Queen of the North. In this classic tale about three sisters, the middle child, Sybille, earns a starring role. When the girls find a tiara hidden in their Grandmeme’s attic, it sets off a chain of events that frees the Night Queen from her crystalline prison – and the girls racing against time and each other. Throughout her reluctant journey Sybille must reconcile both what she gains, and what she loses, by crossing into adulthood.
How did you come to write this story?
All of my stories start with something that holds deep meaning to me. As a child, my sister and I often played in our Grandmeme’s jewelry box. When I sat to write a fairy tale, I realized that the middle child never gets a starring role; I thought it was their turn. My in-progress novel, started with my own high-school experiences, and quickly evolved into exploring a dystopian world where the “myth of meritocracy” in America is replaced by a roulette style wheel that dictates everyone’s social caste. The stakes are amplified by a scarcity of water.
What does it mean to you that your story won/placed in the contest?
I am at the very beginning stages of my writing journey; this is my first novel. My background is in sales and marketing. To receive recognition from a prestigious organization like the SCBWI, is tremendous motivation and inspiration.
Second place was awarded to Joan Broerman for her story, FINDING FOREVER.
What is your story about?
12 year old Nixie finds the former owner hiding in the attic of the dilapidated house her family just moved into and tries to help the lady keep her forever home until the woman disappears and takes Nixie’s little sister with her.
How did you come to write this story?
Children can’t choose their parents or the career paths their parents choose. Every year Nixie’s parents buy an old house, live in it while they renovate it, sell it, and buy another. They are preservationists. How Nixie feels about this is my story. With a few complications.
What does it mean to you that your story won/placed in the contest?
It’s like the sign on an unfamiliar road that lists the next three towns ahead and one of them is my destination. I’m not lost! I can and should keep going. I will get there. Thank you, Southern Breeze, for giving me a map for my trip.
Third place was awarded to Claire Datnow for her story THE WHALE’S SONG.
What is your story about?
When lonely 14-year-old Alysie Muckpa discovers a gray whale washed up on the beach near her village in Alaska, she tucks a message into a plastic bottle found in a ball of trash in the whale’s stomach, and tosses it into the ocean. The bottle rides on the California Current flowing along the western coast of North America, to Mexico 5,000 miles away. Months later, Sarah Price, a feisty teenager, fishes the bottle out of San Francisco Bay, and then 15-year-old Macho Gonzales, who guides whale watching tours, finds the bottle in a lagoon of Baja, Mexico. Can the whale warriors join forces in their battle against powerful forces to save the gray whales they love before it is too late?
How did you come to write this story?
As Earth’s changing climate becomes an ever-increasing concern, young readers are turning to cli-fi as a way to engage their imaginations, deal with their fears, and to become informed. Although the events may be upsetting, the reader empathizes with the main characters and finish the last page feeling hopeful.
The Whale’s Song is the second novel in a proposed trilogy. The first book, Red Flag Warning: An Eco Adventure, weaves the theme of climate change linked to wildfires around the globe. The Whales Song builds on the issues of water levels rising as a result of climate change. The third proposed book will center on air pollution.
What does it mean to you that your story won/placed in the contest?
The recognition from the judges that my writing is strong, beautiful, and marketable is extremely encouraging and inspires me to keep on writing. I truly appreciate all Southern Breeze does to inform and encourage writers.
Follow Claire on Twitter @ClaireDatnow, Instagram #cldatnow, Pinterest: @cldatnow, and goodreads.
Young Adult Novels
In the young adult novel category, first place was awarded to Emma Fox for her story, STONE FLOWER.
What is your story about?
Stone Flower is a YA historical fantasy inspired by the folklore of Russia’s Ural Mountains. In a nutshell: When two teenage serfs’ bid for freedom leaves one of them trapped in a cursed underworld beneath Mount Azov, they must work together to outwit a powerful enchantress before they’re enslaved for eternity in a kingdom of stone.
How did your story come about?
There are so many retellings of Cinderella, Snow White, etc. I wanted to explore something new! My Stone Flower was inspired by Prokofiev’s ballet of the same name, a favorite of mine since childhood. Russian fairytales are full of danger and surprise, rich symbolism, smart heroines and persevering heroes. I think they deserve to become better known! I’m also a history buff, and enjoy fantasy that’s set in a real place and time. My Stone Flower takes place in 1815, shortly after Napoleon’s invasion, and weaves accurate period details together with a golden thread of magic and mystery.
What does it mean to you that your story won in the contest?
I’m querying literary agents right now with my Stone Flower manuscript: a laborious process, so receiving this award along the way is a great encouragement. I’m grateful to fellow Breezers who’ve critiqued earlier versions of my manuscript in conference breakout sessions, and who have offered their friendship and support. We really have a wonderful community here!
Second place was awarded to Linh Pham for her story, CATALYST.
What is your story about?
After breaking out of the CIA’s extraterrestrial research lab, May Truong, a shunned orphan with special powers, meets Demo Aisengun, an alluring new student, who leads her to clues about her missing family. But when the man behind their disappearance closes in, May will need to harness her unusual ability to destroy him and escape the government’s clutches.
How did you come to write this story?
As a kid, I was obsessed with two things: the existence of aliens and TV adaptations of wuxia novels (a genre of Chinese fantasy fiction) like Legend of the Condor Heroes and The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre. When I began writing, it only made sense to create a world in which both elements existed together. I’m also a sucker for a good romance, so obviously I had to build up the heat between my two main characters.
What does it mean to you that your story won/placed in the contest?
I’m floored by this award. I’ve gotten quite a few full manuscript requests for Catalyst, but none of them have panned out so far. My rejections are mostly similar: we love your writing, but unfortunately, we didn’t connect with the story as much as we would like. My critique partners and I believe it’s because YA sci-fi is a hard sell right now. Thus, it’s nice to know my writing has value outside the context of publishing and market trends. It’s easy to lose faith in this industry, but an honor like this motivates me to keep working at my craft.
Third place was awarded to Kimberly Simpson (pen name, Ann K. Simpson) for her story, THE TITANIC TEST.
What is your story about?
In a time travel retelling of the Titanic‘s maiden voyage, 17-year-old Charlie faces the dreaded Junior Year Test, a “study abroad” trip in time designed to mold her into the girl her school wants her to be.
Charlie learns she must sail on the Titanic to retrieve a priceless book of Persian poetry—without changing history. But when she meets Titanic’s colorful passengers, she discovers the real challenge is the choice to pass the test or save the ship. She chooses the ship, but Quinn, her childhood best friend sent to enforce the rules, stands in her way.
How did you come to write this story?
Like so many, I am obsessed with the story of the Titanic—the majesty, technology, celebrity, and tragedy of it. If just one variable had been different, the ship might’ve sailed to New York without incident.
What if a modern-day high school time traveler had the difficult and emotionally challenging assignment of retrieving an artifact from the ship before it foundered? Could she change the ship’s fate, or would time win the battle for the 1,500 souls who froze or drowned in the Atlantic? How would she be different after the ordeal? I simply had to find out.
What does it mean to you that your story won/placed in the contest?
Insert horn-blowing, happy-dance, smiley-face emojis here! The last year has been a particularly tough time for querying authors, with the industry in an uncertain place. I’ve faced a pile of rejections along with suggestions to delay pursuit of an agent until publishing settles down post-pandemic. So, I was overjoyed to receive the good news that I had placed in the contest. The affirmation from the judges was much needed and greatly appreciated, as was their valuable feedback on my submission. Now I am reenergized to continue my creative journey. Thank you, Southern Breeze, truly.