newsfeed



Thank you to everyone who participated in our very special third Writers Camp x NaNoWriMo! From November 1st, 2018 to January 13th, 2019, we were treated to an incredible collection of imaginative and thoughtful novels from 152 Tapas authors. The full collection of entries can be viewed here!

First off, we want to congratulate all of you on the fantastic writing you’ve created in these past months. Special shout out to 32 writers who not only participated in Writers Camp, but also wrote 50,000 words or more to complete the challenge of NaNoWriMo! Winning NaNoWriMo is no small feat, and we’re honored that you chose to embark on such a quest with us. To all of those who participated, whether you won or not, we’re blown away by your diligence and achievements over these past months!

We had so much fun reading all of your stories--it’s amazing to see what a talented and supportive community we have here at Tapas. We hope everyone had as much fun as we did!

With that, we’re excited to announce the winners for both the two community prizes as well as the editor’s pick:

Community’s Picks:

The Accidental Prince by KR Williams

A contemporary fairy tale of modern palace intrigue, The Accidental Prince features the arrogant Prince Leander as he tries to fix his accidental nomination of scruffy castle librarian Bram as the next king. Together, the two must navigate messy kingdom laws, hidden pasts, and plots to the throne—as well as their own growing feelings.

Nobody Loves the Bassist by NovelistOrange

The fast-paced, action-packed romance Nobody Loves the Bassist follows the story of Lyra, a bass player who finds herself in a time loop on the worst day of her life. In order to prevent a certain tragedy and save the lives of her friends and family, she must use the power of a mysterious phone app to jump back in time and untangle the mystery from the beginning.

Both of these authors will receive $500 and a Tapas Premium publishing contract! Congratulations!

*Unfortunately, we had to disqualify certain entries from being eligible for the community prizes due to violation of our Content and Community Guidelines.

**As of 2/11/19, we also had to disqualify the previous second Community’s Pick winner, “Growing Pangs” by LilyAnna due to violation of our contest guidelines.

Editors’ Choice Prize:



Diaries by J.E. Sexton

Diaries crafts a beautiful, detail-rich fantasy world in which Kit Sheridan, a legendary mage with a mysterious past, meets the vampire Donovan Campbell, who claims to know him from somewhere. J.E. Sexton’s prose is elegant and compelling as Kit begins to investigate a suspicious chain of murders, as well as a series of unknown diaries written in his own hand. And—of course—a magical love story develops along the way.

J.E. Sexton will receive $1000 and a Tapas Premium publishing contract! Congratulations!

Runners-Up

Since there were so many amazing entries, it was hard to pick only a few winners! Here are our runners-up that we feel deserved some extra recognition: 

Prince of Mayhem by N.A. Carson is a fantasy about a prince who cares little for the throne and a lot for his newfound romance, but finds himself under royal pressure because of his magical prowess.

The Taking Season by Weslie is an imaginative fantasy romance about a girl who is taken to a dark wonderland, where she finds her old childhood friend is actually a demon.

The God of Love is a Deadbeat by Lena is an adorable misadventure about a boy who can see the color of people’s soulmates and summons the God of Love to help his love life.

Mariposas by ChuvaWrites is a thoughtful YA drama about the complex life and friendships of Mari, a spirited girl in her last year of high school.

Dual by Winter Penwell is a fascinating story in a world where certain people are born into “duality,” and one girl must address the disappearance of her boyfriend when his “otherself” takes over.

Congratulations to our runners-up!

We also want to say a very special thank you to our partners at NaNoWriMo! Working with the minds behind the biggest writing challenge in the world has been an inspiration for us, and we hope that it’s been just as inspirational and motivational for all of you!

And of course, thank you to everyone who participated in the third Writers Camp, whether it was by writing and submitting or by reading and supporting. May your ideas always flow smoothly as you continue to write and challenge yourselves creatively year-round!

-Tapas Staff