Stephanie Cage - Writer

My success in the Yorkshire Ridings competition has reminded me how much I love writing competitions.  Writing to a strict brief can be challenging, as I wonder how to fit a whole story into just a thousand words, or what location is best suited to showing the romantic side of this beautiful county.  Yet, in other ways, it's a relief to have clear boundaries, otherwise it's easy for the creative side of my mind to spiral off, moving further and further from the original project I had in mind.  So, after hearing that I'd won the first prize in the Yorkshire Ridings short story competition, I decided it would be a good idea to look around for another competition to focus my attention.  And then a friend reminded me of this : It's a fantastic opportunity for anyone who hasn't got a full-length romance out, to work with Mills & Boon editors, gain a wider audience, and perhaps even be published with the most successful romance publisher of all time.  And even

After a break from blogging over the summer, it's nice to return with some good news.  And what news!  My story 'Top of the World' won first place in the Yorkshire Ridings magazine romance story competition .  From the moment they announced the competition, I felt it was made for me - I live in Yorkshire, love Yorkshire, and read and write romance - but I still didn't quite dare to hope for the winning place.  I'd have been happy to be shortlisted and have my story featured in their beautiful, glossy magazine.  I'm told the winning stories will appear on their website , though as I write this I can only see the winners of 2010's ghost story competition, so to read my story you'll have to buy the magazine.  It's available on the shelves in WHSmiths in Yorkshire, and on subscription through the website (at the time of writing, it's a bargain at £10 for 12 shiny, fun-packed issues).  My story is set in one of my favourite spots in Yorkshire, the