For All My Life & Forever
San Diego, California
July 13 - 14, 2023
Gifts From the Heart
A Story Contest
 Gifts come in all shapes and sizes. They’re wonderful to give and to receive. But no gift is more precious than one that is given with love straight from the heart. Such a gift might be a lopsided clay sculpture made by your preschooler or an antique locket passed down from your great-grandmother. It could be a bouquet of your favorite flowers your husband brings you "just because" or an unexpected letter from an old friend whose voice you hadn’t heard in years. Or perhaps it’s the gift of a song or a poem or even a simple hug when you need it most. These are gifts from the heart, ones given and received with love, something to be cherished forever. As a special project for the San Diego conzine, we are inviting you to write a BatB story (any length up to 3500 words) with the theme a gift from the heart. The gift can be something tangible like a crystal or a rose, an experience such as a visit to a lake house, a moment such as a story read aloud to a troubled child, or anything your heart desires. If you would like to participate in this project, please follow the story submission guidelines, which can be found on the conzine page. The deadline for submissions is June 1. Please send your edited stories and any questions you might have to Linda SB (Barth) at azurite412@gmail.com When sending a story, please be sure to specify that it is for the A Gift From the Heart contest. All stories for this project will be included in the conzine. Each writer who participates will be entered in a random drawing, where two very fortunate people will receive a gift that comes from two very creative and talented hearts in our fandom. One gift is Peace, a CD of harp music performed by the gifted musician Joanna Mell, and the other is a set of two prints – WinterFest Welcome and She Sees Him by the brilliant artist Crowmama (Karen Crow). The winners’ names will be drawn at random at the con, but if you can’t be there, please don’t worry. You still will be eligible to win, and we will send your prize to you. Your gift of a story to share with others in our wonderful tunnel community surely will be a gift from the heart.  |