First of all I'd like to say that I am highly impressed with the amount of talent on this site. It's more than just amazing, it's frankly kind of baffling.... but then again I guess most of us are used to blogging every single day.....so there's a certain amount of style and quality that we generally put out.
Still, I got some really great stories. I almost feel guilty about not giving out the first prize to everyone. Not that everyone deserves it.... but at least five of the stories are good enough that they could have won in another world.
I made this.
I have to say that the actual winner was not difficult for me to figure out. I feel that she writes in a style that is very similar to mine. I've communicated with this person a few different times on Steemit, but I never knew that she was a fiction writer. Her story is exactly the kind of story that I like to read. Not only that, but it was breathtakingly beautiful in it's creepiness.
1st place - 
3 Steem are coming your way and a full upvote will be given to your story.
2nd place - 
.
Last minute entries can be tough. When you've already read an entry near the beginning of the week, I think it's more likely to be stuck in your mind. This story is great. It's exactly the kind of story that I look for when I pick a book up off of that dusty bookshelf. My bookshelf is very dusty because I don't clean the bookshelf.
3rd place - several people
3rd prize wins a full upvote from me. I had to award more than one third prize because there were so many good entries.
If you didn't win a prize you should ask yourself these questions.
Did I use proper English grammar including capitalization and paragraph formatting? These things matter to the reader.
Does my story have a logical follow through from beginning to end without any inconsistencies that would make the reader say what is really going on here?
Is my story incredibly short to the point of not being a story at all but simply being a couple of paragraphs?
Lastly, I would like to say that it was a real toss-up between 
As you can see here, seven people will be given my full up vote.
I think everyone did a good job, and it is not my intention here to hurt anyone's feelings. If you did not receive an upvote from me, or a prize, then you should know that I will be having another contest within the week.
Remember to use proper English grammar, make a logical flow to your story, and also remember that I'm a horror writer. I like horror and science-fiction. It's what attracts me to a story.
Losers get a 20 percent upvote too, so there an no real losers here. Not on my watch.
Look forward to next week's contest.
And PLEASE upvote and resteem the initial posts. Prizes and upvotes come from my pocket.
Thanks everyone!
