The premise for Issue #15 was
MYTHS AND LEGENDS
In some way, some kind of myth or legend needs to be important to the story. “Family legends,” like the time Cousin So-and-So did something memorable, are fine as long as the story is fiction.
We received 206 contest entries and chose five stories for prizes. The five authors have never appeared in OTP before, and two are making their first fiction sale ever. (Congratulations Rachel Verkade and Anna Dickinson!)
We also have a guest writer who worked with us on a story that almost made the final round of judging in Contest #14.
And it wouldn’t be OTP without cartoons, so we have those too.
CONTENTS:
Note From the Publisher: If you ever think you’ll want to resubmit a story, you may want to read this issue’s Publisher’s Note
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Cartoons!: Everyone’s had an annoying boss at some point, but few have had to put up with this. Matt Howarth illustrates why you don’t want to have the Headless Horseman be your boss.
And now for our stories...
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When the soldiers came for me, they didn’t lie. They told me what they needed me for, and why, and what would come afterwards.
FIRST PLACE: Blood and Ivory, a dark fantasy story by Rachel Verkade (first fiction sale!)
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More than getting a photo in an album, and far more than getting ice cream, the thought of being immortalized in the Hall of Fame mesmerized Amelia.
SECOND PLACE: Immortal Amelia, a real-world story by Adam Knight (new OTP author)
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Life can be painful for those who are twenty and still considered children.
THIRD PLACE: The Yellow Fox, a story inspired by real events by Melanie Fogel (new OTP author)
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Nothing had happened in the village since Ailsa from the Manse had gone off to University, so everyone was excited when Charlie found a man asleep in the shadow of the Hill.
HONORABLE MENTION: The Blue Hill, an urban fantasy story by Anna Dickinson (first fiction sale!)
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And though [the ants] all love keeping time, the palace contains not one clock. Only hourglasses.
HONORABLE MENTION: Pill and the Ant Palace, a light fantasy story by Dawn Sperber (new OTP author)
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You wish, as his blood creates a dark stain on the broken concrete of the street as large as a fallen eagle, that you weren’t quite so sure of the statistics.
GUEST WRITER: Falling Stars, a military science fiction story by Ashley Mayrose (first fiction publication!)
Note: Photo courtesy of BigStockPhoto