Message in a Bottle #12
Origin: The Isle of Write
Sender: 
Recipients: Steemit Creatives
The Isle is hopping and every minute I don't post this, new stuff comes up to add, so I better get to it! I want to be able to squeeze every great thing happening there into this, but I can't so I'm just going to hit a few big highlights today. Be sure and follow so you don't miss the next bottle to wash up on Steemit.
It's no secret we Islanders are in love with our community. The friendly people who line the beaches and fill the cabanas make it feel like we really are just basking in the sun, even though I'm writing this from the frigid climate of the Midwest.
One member who particularly warmed us all is 
THANK YOU @TECHSLUT!
And did I mention that the number of Islanders is exploding? Less than two weeks ago we celebrated the arrival of our 200th, today we are closing in on 300! If you're among them, be sure you are using the isleofwrite tag so I might catch one of your posts in my Islander Highlights!
So many writing contests here on Steemit, with excellent prizes worth trying for, but how to find them? 
There are many exciting contests in that post, but here's one you might not have heard about...
Twelve days ago, I launched a writing contest. Since then, I have extended the deadline to February 14 and expanded the prompt.
And remember that writing for a contest, you can win in more than one way. @GuyTMartland wrote Spacecraft Cover in response to the “She Liked It” contest prompt, and it was Curied, which means he already earned ten times the SBD that the average contest prize pool has to offer. When you respond to a contest prompt, flex your writing muscles, and set loose your creative impulses, your efforts can be rewarded in myriad ways. That was one...
And here is another...
Okay, that's not nearly what Curie can do, but what if we added the possibility of being published in a book?
Not just an e-book, for sale at Amazon and other places online, but a paper copy, one for each contributing author, along with $5 SBD for your story?
Isle of Write plans publication of five anthologies this year, one for Steemit Poetry, and four for Steemit Fiction, one in each of the following genre groups:
Our goal is to fill each anthology with curated Steemit authors in order to showcase to the world beyond what incredible talent Steemit has to offer.
While I will personally provide a $ 5 SBD prize to each of the top three pieces (as judged by me) I can't guarantee now that the contest winners will make it into an anthology. It will depend on space and how well any fits the bill. But I can promise you I will read every word of every entry and nominate all those that meet the requirements set out in our initial Curation to Publication Announcement
So get those thinking caps on and send me some stories, Steemit Creatives! Stat! Write them up, post them, and link them in my contest prompt or here. Remember to include the tag "keangaroo" so I can find entries easily. And if you want a little boost, pop by the Fiction Fjord at the Isle and workshop your story first!
And so this missive ends, and I set it afloat in the hopes it reaches you well, fellow Steemians!
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We look forward to hearing from you and reading your work!
If you'd like to wash up on our shore, a click of the map brings you straight to our door!
