Contemporary – Category
  Contemporary – Single Title    Paranormal Romance
  Historical Romance    Erotic Romance

The sparkling dazzle of a roman candle, the white-hot brilliance of summer lightning, the slow smolder of a winter fire, or the breath-taking inferno of a wildfire--Whatever sort of heat you're building between your hero and heroine, it all begins with the spark of their first meeting. The Ignite the Flame Contest is designed to help you polish that critical scene so that it crackles with romantic energy!

Entry Fee: $20 COFW members, $25 all others. Make check or money order payable to "Central Ohio Fiction Writers." If a check is returned for insufficient funds, and a valid replacement is not received by May 20, the entry will be disqualified. All funds are in U.S. dollars. To pay by PayPal, click here.

Qualifications: Contest open to all writers of romance fiction unpublished in book-length fiction. COFW recognizes e-books and print-on-demand books as publications.

Electronic Submission:

• Email your entry as an attachment in RTF format, to .
• Your entry should be the scene of your hero and heroine's first meeting or reunion (up to 15 pages). You may also submit an optional, non-judged one-page set-up providing necessary background for the first-meeting, as a page within your attached submission.
• Your cover email should include the name of the category you are entering and an indication of how your entrance fee is being submitted.
• Your entry should not have your name anywhere on the document. This includes removing your name from the "User Information" area that is found in "Options" under the "Tools" drop-down menu of Microsoft Word, or any similar program feature.

Print Submission:

• Submit three copies of your hero and heroine's first meeting (up to 15 pages). You may also submit three copies of an optional, non-judged one-page set-up providing necessary background for the first-meeting scene
• Write the name of the category you are entering in the lower left-hand corner of the envelope, and send to Saralee Etter, 103 Venetian Way SW, Pataskala, OH 43062
• U.S. residents must include a self-addressed, stamped priority mail envelope with the proper postage for return of your manuscripts and score sheets. The envelopes are available free of charge at your local post office. Return envelopes must be stamped, not metered, and must include sufficient postage for return of all manuscript pages submitted.

Please Note: The U.S. Post Office is planning to increase first-class postage rates by 2 cents to $0.44 per stamp on May 11, 2009. Please make sure to take this into account when attaching postage to your return envelope, to assure the return of your pages.

• Canadian residents should add five (5) U.S. dollars to their entry fee to cover return postage for their entry; other international residents should add ten (10) U.S. dollars to their entry fee to cover return postage for their entry.

General:

• Entrants may submit more than one entry in a category, but a separate entry fee (and return envelope, if submitting in print form) must accompany each entry.
• If fewer than seven entries are received in the entry's category, it will be reassigned to an alternate category (see entry form).
• If an entry is disqualified for any reason (clearly not romance fiction, improper format, etc.), the entry and entry fee will be returned to the contestant.
• Manuscripts should be typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins all around and unjustified right margins. The optional set-up sheet may be single-spaced.
• Please use readable font (12-point Times New Roman or Courier New recommended). As long as the font is clear and readable, there is no deduction for failure to use a specific font.
• Every page, including the set-up, should have the title of the manuscript and the category in the upper left-hand corner and the page number in the upper right-hand corner. Start the first page of the entry (not the set-up sheet) with page number one, even if this excerpt is not the beginning of your manuscript.
• Each copy of the entry--excerpt and optional set-up--should be bound with a binder clip or paper clip.
• The author's name must not appear anywhere on the entry.

Deadline: Entries must be postmarked by May 9, 2009 (online entries are due May 9) and received by May 16, 2009. Every effort will be made to notify winners on or around August 8, 2009. Submissions can be sent after March 1, 2009.

Judging: Each entry will be evaluated by two judges, at least one being a published author. All unpublished judges have RWA PRO status. Entries submitted by COFW members will be judged by non-COFW members.

 Category-Length Contemporary: Wanda Ottewell, Harlequin Superromance
 Historical Romance: Leis Pederson, Assistant Editor, Berkley Publishing Group
 Erotic Romance: Raelene Gorlinsky, Publisher, Ellora's Cave Publications
 Paranormal Romance: Cori Deyoe, Literary Agent, Three Seas Literary Agency
 Single Title Contemporary: Roberta Brown, Literary Agent, Brown Literary Agency

Central Ohio Fiction Writers thanks you for entrusting us with the fruits of your labor. We hope the Ignite the Flame Contest is a rewarding experience for you. Best of luck and happy writing!

For more information contact:
Saralee Etter
103 Venetian Way SW
Pataskala, OH 43062

*In the event that a listed editor becomes unavailable, COFW reserves the right to secure a different editor to review the winners of each category.

Use the buttons below to pay via PayPal.

COFW Contest (COFW members only), $20 and fee. $20.91

COFW Contest (non members), $25 and fee. $26.06