Contest Winner!

It's a wonder how fast time flies. I feel as if it were just yesterday when I initiated my first book contest. The thrill of reading those entries of yours was amazing! *I definitely should do this more often* Needless to say, I am very grateful to you all for participating and giving me & the blog a chance. This three months I'm "in business" have been thoroughly enjoyable - I got to know some great people and thankfully, no longer face problems finding what to read next. I know pressure is building up, so I'd better announce the winner of "Seaborn" by Chris Howard right away. 

Honestly, it was a difficult decision to make, as I received some fantastic entries. However, the winner is only one. Congratulations to Emily Lawnton who submitted this:

Extracting the sheathed scroll, Sheela started to swirl her fingers in an elaborate manner, tracing the unfamiliar patterns of magic on the hull of the ship. Truth was she hadn't cast such a complex spell before, but she didn't have a choice: the storm was fast approaching. 

Halfway through the process, an overpowering anxiety for the innocent lives above overtook her honed instincts and made her careless. A subconscious and powerful flick of her tail sent Sheela reeling away from the unfinished spell. 

"NO!"

All of a sudden, tendrils of heavy and wax-like black smoke enveloped the ship and shook it violently. Sheela saw how the great impact smashed the hull and sent a solitary life boat flying through the air above. Though her hearing was muffled by the water, she still could hear terrible outcries of unspeakable anguish. 

I have already gotten in touch with her and "Seaborn" will be on her shelf shortly. The runner-up (oh, that awful place!) is Leslie Wright with another excellent entry:

Aleah knew the truth would come out. The letter was sheathed in the old scroll and sealed with wax. This was then waterproofed to withstand being held in the depths of the ocean. As she flicked her tail a boat passed overhead. She grimaced at the wake it caused, making her hair float around her spiritedly. It was almost as though there were a small storm on the surface. Sighing a deep sigh, she knew it was time to let her father know what was happening. The new magic had turned wild, and only the information in the scroll would help them save their deep sea Kingdom.

As to those of you who did not win, once again thank you for participating and good luck next time. It was such an enjoyable experience to read those entries. I graded them depending on my personal satisfaction with the way the story was developed and gave my very best to be objective. Also, I am very happy to have received a generous number of entries from people who are not subscribed to my blog, though it does not hurt to hit the "subscribe" button from time to time. 

Once again, thank you for participating in the book contest and following Ripostee.

P.S. My own review of the book is almost finished. Check out the blog soon!