Of Contests & Freebies
Aug 04, 2025 3:31 pm
It’s 10:54 a.m. as I write this (what time will it be when I actually send it??), and I’d like to state I’ve been very productive.
✅ I updated, signed, and sent an editing contract (after realizing I signed an unfinished copy where I forgot to fill in placeholders)
✅ answered the emails of two other editing clients (tried to do this while preparing breakfast, with the result that breakfast got very cold and I forgot to remind a client about some crucial information)
✅ posted on Instagram and reminisced (a.k.a. wasted an hour and overfilled my stories)
✅ and finished Atomic Habits (wherein you behold the catalyst of this very busy morning).
My productivity happens to be largely motivated by impulsive eagerness to do things, hence the newsletter you’re getting out of the blue. Because I have a reason to send this out, and no, it's not Atomic Habits.
It’s because of this:
Yep, I’ve been busy this July! My cover was accepted into the Clean Fiction Magazine Cover Art Contest. The contest runs till August 9, and you can vote daily (and for free). The cover with the most votes wins. If you’d like to vote for my cover you can do so here: https://www.sunsetvalleycreations.com/vote. Last time they showed the results so far, the cover with the largest lead was at 28.9% and I was at 3.5%, but I still think we have a fighting chance. ;)
I also submitted a micro story to another contest of theirs, and whether or not I win, I’ll be sharing it with y’all in this newsletter. And speaking of stories, the other thing I wanted to do in this newsletter is remind y’all of the free stories I have! These are all available on Amazon for $0.99 USD/CND (except the last two micro fictions), but they can also be downloaded here for free as PDF or ePub files. I have a couple other short stories whose rights are reverting/have reverted to me, and once I get those on Amazon and uploaded on Dropbox I’ll be letting you know.
And here our ways part. You can scroll on for a glimpse at all the different stories, and I’ll say goodbye (because the impulsive motivation aforementioned has me rearing to go get my ebooks ready). As always, feel free to reply to this email... for instance, tell me, what good books have you read lately? Also, which story or cover looks the most intriguing to you?
With love, Katja
Available Stories
No one should be forgotten at Christmas…
The approaching holiday season brings no joy for Elenora Gregory. Isolated and forgotten, she ekes out a meagre existence for herself and her mother, but with no money for even ordinary comforts, a Christmas celebration is far beyond her reach. How can others have so much when her life is so empty?
Amid the whirl of holiday preparations, Edwin Langton can’t forget the face of the girl in the red cloak. Enlisting the help of his siblings, he quickly discovers the truth of her need. Can they find a way to make Christmas brighter for the lonely little family?
As the Langtons prepare their surprises, Elenora resigns herself to another cold, lonely holiday. But will their presents be the greatest gift she receives on Christmas Day?
What’s so special about an ordinary girl?
Everything in Allissa’s life is average and unimportant—except her Daddy. Handsome, witty, brave, and strong, he’s everything she is not. But of all the people in the world, he treats her like she’s truly special.
When a routine day takes a startling turn, Allissa learns that her Daddy’s love goes far deeper than she ever imagined. Why would he give up so much for her? Does she truly have worth beyond what she sees? And could there be more love waiting for her, even if she’s just Allissa?
How can her heart ever sing again?
Ashley lives in the shadows. She sits on the outskirts, watching everyone else standing in the sunshine. Her heart hurts, and she wants no one to touch it—because no one can fix it.
But when a new girl at school decides to befriend her, Ashley finds her past surfacing. No amount of fleeing can save her from Susanna’s tenacious kindness. Why is Susanna so persistent? How can she possibly understand Ashley’s pain? Is there any chance that Ashley can find healing, and will a song ever come to her anew?
Previously published in the Hope anthology by the King’s Daughters’ Writing Camp.
If true love is laying down your life, how can a simple girl really live it?
Neriya always hated rainy days. They were unproductive and gloomy, and always had her doing dumb things to combat the dreariness, like buying a $6 drink and sitting in a café to feel stylish. Or maybe she did that because she was still upset that she’d been left by her friend group for another, more popular girl.
When Neriya’s angry blindness throws her—literally—against Samantha O’Dell, a short conversation challenges her view of rainy days. As she begins to prove Samantha’s claim that rainy days are a time to slow down and see God’s love around us, Neriya finds herself wondering: can laying down your life really be as simple as slowing down and sharing that love with others around you? And can someone as ordinary and obscure as her still make a difference for somebody else?
Previously published in the Seize the Love anthology by Abigail Kay Harris et al.
Everything seemed against her that day.
Sitting on the porch besides her grandmother, all she could think about was why God had allowed this to happen to her. Mémère reminded her that the Lord turned everything to good, but she didn’t believe it. It was just one of those phrases everyone repeated…
Can the story of an old car, a long-ago war, and young people of yesteryears change her perspective?
Previously published in the Everything anthology by the King’s Daughters’ Writing Camp.
Can one Little Sunflower really make a difference?
In a middle-aged Lady’s garden shed sits a packet of sunflower seeds, waiting to be planted in the spring. Inside this packet, an idea is circulating: the only worthwhile seeds are those who fit the beauty standard.
The Little Sunflower isn’t one of them, and she’s certain she will never change the world. But what happens when, one gloomy day, as all her companions refuse to bloom, she decides to stand up and spread joy anyways?
A Victorian-style parable, previously published in the Joy anthology by the King’s Daughters’ Writing Camp.
Autumn is overrated. So is life.
Well, perhaps that’s not quite fair. I do hate autumn, but my only complaint with life is my much-too-full schedule and the overwhelm that turns fun activities, like picking up a birthday present for a friend, into one more item for my to-do list.
But a morning spent wandering around town opens my heart to the little delights all around me, like the magic of rainy days and the beauty of human connection. It makes me wonder: why don’t I have this mindset all the time? What makes life so oppressive and overwhelming? Is the real meaning of living just checking off accomplishments? And when I discover the truth God has for me, how I can remain in this place of peace and delight despite the craziness of the world?
Previously published in the Seize the Moment anthology by Abigail Kay Harris et al.
It is the dawn of Easter Sunday. But Cliffton’s world is too broken and dark for such a glorious, joyful day. As he considers how closely his life parallels that of the Earnshaws in Wuthering Heights, can he see the light that bursts through the darkness—the reason why Easter happened at all?
Previously published in the Very Bookish Celebration anthology by Kate Willis et. al.
I left my father’s island twelve years ago. But Mamma asked me to come back, and now we’re spending Mother’s Day together. It’s awkward, because we’re not close. I’d rather focus on my Toronto life and compare myself to Jane of Lantern Hillthan talk to Mamma. She never understands me… or, at least, that’s what I thought.
Previously published in the Very Bookish Celebration anthology by Kate Willis et. al.
