Last Call for Covers
- Amy Lynn McConahy
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
Hello All! A lot of deadlines are coming up, so let me lay them out for you. January 24th is the last day to submit a cover for our Cover Art Contest. We currently have 27 covers, and I would LOVE it if we ended up with 30, so send them in! It is FREE! We also now have a full set of sponsors for the Cover Art Contest. Check them out!
This Contest is Sponsored by Author Jessica Bertrand (jessicabertrand.com), Author Lynn U. Watson (lynnuwatson.com), Author Marilyn K. Blair (theeastportseries.com), and Author D. M. Griffin (devotedsteps.com).
If you would like to be a future contest sponsor or you would otherwise like to support our magazine with advertising, visit our "Pricing Guide" (sunsetvalleycreations.com/pricingguide) for more information.
Our next two deadlines are for our Writing Contests. January 31 will mark the end of our Windows into the Multiverse Writing Contest and The Paths We Walk Junior Writing Contest submission period. We are experiencing very low submission rates this time around, so if you were wanting a better chance at taking home a medallion, THIS IS THE TIME! I expect that the last week of the month is going to contain a flurry of submissions (as it usually does), but I wanted to send out a reminder anyway. I am excited to award some first-time winners in the Junior Writing Contest, and I can't wait to read the Windows submissions this time around. You all always make it hard for me and the judges to make that final decision! For more information about these contests, view the information below.
The Paths We Walk Writing Contest: If you are between the ages of 13-17, you are asked to write a micro-story beginning with “Along the path, I saw...” using the image above as inspiration. The only restriction on your creativity is that you keep your micro-story clean. All genres are accepted. Submissions will be accepted January 1-31.
Please keep your submission to between 500 and 1,000 words. To submit your story, have your parent, guardian, or teacher fill out the “Submit to the Paths Contest” form found at sunsetvalleycreations.com/contest. If you do not want your full name announced, please note that on the form.
The winners will appear in our March 20th Spring Edition, along with the image on this page. Depending on the number of submissions we receive, there will be either winners in several genre categories OR an overall winner. Winner/s will be announced on February 5th.
This Contest is Sponsored by Author Heidi Glick (authorheidiglick.com) and Author Tony B. Richards (tonybrichard.com).
Windows into the Multiverse Writing Contest: If you are an author between the ages of 18 and 118, you are asked to write a micro-story beginning with “Through the window, I saw...” using the photo above as inspiration. The only restriction on your creativity is that you keep your micro-story clean. All genres are accepted. Submissions will open January 1-31. Please keep your submission to between 1,000 and 1,500 words. To submit your story, fill out the form found on the “Contests” page of our website (sunsetvalleycreations.com/contest). We will not use your micro-stories without your permission, and the winner/s will be sent pages for approval. The winners will appear in our March 20th Spring Edition, along with the image on this page. Depending on the number of submissions we receive, there will be either winners in several genre categories OR an overall winner. Winners will be announced on February 5th.
This Contest is Sponsored by the Strangers and Aliens Podcast by Ben Avery (strangersandaliens.com).
Sunset Valley Productions: Narrow Road Ahead by Frank Hutchison will be released on February 1st, but for now, you can enjoy both Carpenter's Apprentice (a compilation album for kids) and Safe Harbor (an inspirational and instrumental album about traveling the stormy seas of life with God at the helm). Listen now at https://frankhutchison.hearnow.com
I was driving along in my car today, contemplating the enjoyment of the winter sun, when my gears started to work on a story idea. What would it be like if basking in the sun exceeded a casual enjoyment and was instead necessary to life? I imagine a race of beings, beautiful in form, with skin of varying shades and hair more colorful still. This race has all of the characteristics of high-maintenance plants, needing adequate sunlight, water, and special nutrition to survive, but in a human form. They would have all the same weaknesses too: heat, cold, dry, and wet climates, all while also being able to catch illnesses from the plants around them. Each member of this race was either born with these characteristics or as an otherwise normal human being (or alien being, however you want to imagine it). This would divide their society into "minders" and "floraline", but instead of this causing conflict, it draws on each part of the society's strengths. Minders are the protectors, builders, and caregivers, while the floraline create beauty in the arts and their exceptional growing skills provide abundance for the community. Each floraline is paired with a minder of the opposite gender at birth, each pair grows together, and eventually marries. All at once, their peaceful existence is destroyed by an outside force that systematically kills all of the minders, and the floraline, coveted for their ability to create abundant harvests and beauty, are taken away from their home. Without their complex needs being met by the minders, their captors find it difficult to keep them alive. But all is not lost, for there was one floraline that was left behind, injured but alive. When they are found and brought back to health by a stranger, this floraline will have to grapple with their grief and loss, learn to live without a minder's care, and decide if they are willing to risk it all to retrieve their people.
This story could go so many places. It would be a great way to explore themes of disability, dependency, and close-mindedness, but also could lean toward God's redemptive power, trust, and found family (possibly love?). With communication through creative expression, lessons about the mechanisms of growing things, and the need for the sun's light to survive, all built into the prompt, there is so much that could be done with a story like this. So I am handing it over to you. If you feel inspired, feel free to let me know!
May your day be bright and your reading be epic!
~ Amy Lynn McConahy, Clean Fiction Magazine
REMINDER: We cannot continue to publish our magazine without your help! Please consider either becoming an advertiser, supporting Clean Fiction on Patreon, or directly supporting us with a Yearly Subscription (for as little as $10/year!).
Our Advertising Deadline is February 14th for the Spring Edition 2026.
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