Rehoboth Beach Reads Short Story Contest winners named

Cat & Mouse Press of Lewes has announced the winners of the 2021 Rehoboth Beach Reads Short Story Contest.

A panel of six judges selected 24 stories which will be published as a collection titled “Beach Secrets.” The book will be available by November. Browseabout Books of Rehoboth Beach is the contest sponsor and will be awarding $500 for first place, $250 for second place, and $100 for third place. Each judge also selected a story for special recognition.

The winning stories and their authors are:
Top Stories winners are, for first place, “Driftwood Days,” Steve Saulsbury, Centreville, Md.; second place, “Oma,” Kim DeCicco, Lewes; and third place: “The Summer Jar,” Donald Challenger, Lewes.

Judges’ Awards went to “The Attic,” Ellen Krawczak, Ocean Pines, Md.; “Bug Spray and a Ponytail,” Tony Houck, Fredericksburg, Va.; “The Companion,” Nancy Walker, Rehoboth Beach; “Grease Monkey Baby,” Nina Phillips, Wilmington; “Independence Day,” Renee Rockland, Ellicott City, Md.; and “Secrets in the Attic,” MaryAlice Meli, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Other stories selected for the collection are “At the Water's Edge,” Carly Tagen-Dye, Rehoboth Beach; “Beach Misses,” Lonn Braender, Washington Crossing, Pa.; “Billy's Night Out,” Elizabeth Ellers, Aldie, Va.; “Chance Encounters,” Sarah Barnett, Rehoboth Beach; “Loose Lips,” Peter Keeble, Lewes; “Lucky the Chicken,” David Cooper, East Petersburg, Pa.; “Out of the Blue,” Justin Stoeckel, Millsboro; “Posturing,” Frances Grote, Rehoboth Beach; “Rock Star,” Jeanie Blair, Newark; “Say Yes,” Renee Rockland, Ellicott City, Md.; “Secret Message,” Carl Frey, Lewes; “The Cruciverbalist,” Katherine Melvin, Montgomery Village, Md.; “The Merrifield Affair,” Linda Budzinski, Sterling, Va.; “Undercover Daughter,” Doug Harrell, Wilmington; and “Where Do I Begin?” Phil Giunta, Allentown, Pa.

The annual Rehoboth Beach Reads Short Story Contest invites writers to submit stories of 500-3,500 words that feature Rehoboth Beach and fit that year’s theme. The theme for 2021 was Beach Secrets. Judges for the 2021 contest were Tyler Antoine, Lois Hoffman, Pat Marinelli, Mary Pauer, Ron Sauder and Candace Vessella.

Cat & Mouse Press was established to produce books and other materials that are fun, entertaining, and of particular interest to residents of and visitors to the Delmarva region. The company publishes a free weekly newspaper for writers, Writing is a Shore Thing, at writingisashorething.com. 

For more information, go to browseaboutbooks.com, catandmousepress.com or its Facebook page.