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Flash Fiction winner announced

Posted 30 September 2010 | Competition,eReaders,Latest Issue,News,Stories   

So, what was that echo from the corridor?

To celebrate Spectra Magazine’s launch, we’ve been running a flash fiction competition, in which we asked our army of sci-fi, horror and fantasy fans to write a story in less than 60 words for the chance to win a brand new Amazon Kindle 3.

Reaction to this micro-fiction fest has been phenomenal, and there’s enough quality material brimming over in the Spectra Magazine forums to fill a mag all on its own; choosing just one to bestow a Kindle upon has been immensely difficult.

All the stories were required to begin with the following opener, and tell their tale inside of 60 words:

“A sudden echo from the corridor said this place wasn’t deserted after all.”

So where was that corridor? Where did the sound come from? And why are we so concerned that it’s no longer deserted?

Here’s what our winner, Lisa Ahn, had to say on the subject:

Mind Games

by Lisa Ahn

“A sudden echo from the corridor said this place wasn’t deserted after all.

Gemma had spent weeks looking for a mind to dredge. Late Alzheimer’s was usually a gift. She knew how to navigate plaques and tangles, finding hidden payloads of viable cells.

The old man’s awareness surprised her. Gemma chased him across synapses. He made the jump and broke the link, exchanging her mind for his. She howled, already beginning to forget.”

The combination of sci-fi, horror, and even a touch of fantasy in Lisa’s work, combined with the completeness of the story and labyrinth of questions and possibilities it traps your mind in (literally and thematically), is what won us – and many members of our forum – over. And what’s even more amazing is this is the first time Lisa has had any of her writing published! Remember folks – you saw her here on Spectra Magazine first.

So please join us in offering congratulations to Lisa. A brand new Amazon Kindle 3 is winging its way toward you. And thanks very much to everyone else who entered. It was immensely difficult to choose a winner, but it’s been a genuine pleasure reading through the entries.

You can stop by the Spectra Magazine forums to take a look at all the other excellent entries in the forums, and don’t forget to check out the (long) list of runners up who’ve had their stories published in a special section of Spectra Magazine Issue 2.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and please feel free to let us – and each other – know which was your favorite in the comments section below.

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15 Comments

  1. Posted by ColdForged on 30 September 10 at 4:21pm

    If I’m going to lose a Kindle, that’s an excellent entry to lose to. Great take on the challenge. Congratulations!

  2. Posted by Russell on 30 September 10 at 4:50pm

    Congrats Lisa!

  3. Posted by captain_ryan on 30 September 10 at 8:10pm

    “If I’m going to lose a Kindle, that’s an excellent entry to lose to.”

    Well put. This was a great choice for winner. Ahn deserves this in spades with an incredible entry. Well done.

  4. Posted by crabbitdavid on 30 September 10 at 10:13pm

    Quality, well deserved

  5. Posted by Adam on 01 October 10 at 5:20am

    I enjoyed the contest and “Mind Games” was a deserving winning entry. Can’t wait for the next contest!

  6. Posted by jujubaker on 01 October 10 at 11:42am

    Congrats Lisa Ahn. I’m glad this won, probably my fave, but I feared it hadn’t received enough support from other readers to stand a chance. It’s been hidden away at the back of the forum since late August. Credit to the judges for genuinely reading all the entries.

  7. Posted by Clemenstation on 01 October 10 at 2:51pm

    Hey, congrats Lisa. Well written.

  8. Posted by Tweets that mention Flash Fiction winner announced « Spectra Magazine -- Topsy.com on 01 October 10 at 4:03pm

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by angel zapata, Lisa Ahn, Lisa Ahn, Lisa Ahn, Doctor Fantastique and others. Doctor Fantastique said: RT @spectramag: Spectra Magazine flash fiction winner announced: http://ow.ly/2McYt Winner gets a brand new #Kindle! [...]

  9. Posted by soapy on 01 October 10 at 6:46pm

    Outstanding piece of work. I’m relatively new to the concept of flash fiction but Lisa’s work is a perfect example of the form. To be able to tell a story like that in 60 words is a genuine gift. Hopefully this is just the beginning because I’m dying to read more. Congratulations.

  10. Posted by Kal Dodgson on 01 October 10 at 9:08pm

    Congrats Lisa! A well deserved winner!

  11. Posted by purplepen on 01 October 10 at 11:02pm

    Congratulations to Lisa, great stuff, really original!

  12. Posted by paul6397 on 03 October 10 at 12:24pm

    Great work lisa, I too am new to flash fiction but enjoyed having a go

  13. Posted by Stabintheback on 04 October 10 at 12:04pm

    Good stuff! Like Jujubaker said, nice to know that the judges actually read all the entries, irrespective of the number of comments. Fair play.

  14. Posted by Scott on 09 October 10 at 5:37pm

    Has a list been made availabe of which runners up made it into the magazine?

  15. Posted by Lisa Ahn on 12 October 10 at 2:13am

    Thank you for the very kind words. I really enjoyed the experience of the contest, and especially the genuine camaraderie of the forum. I look forward to seeing each of you in print again. ~ lisa

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