Fictional Teen Cancer Struggle Places 1st in Writing Competition

Novel manuscript addressing teen's quality of life draws praise. Author Maurene J. Hinds prepares manuscript for submission following competition.

Bozeman, MT (PRWEB) August 16, 2006 -- Maurene J. Hinds, of Bozeman, Montana placed first in the young adult category in the SmartWriters.com annual W.I.N. (Write It Now!) contest for children's writers with an excerpt from her novel manuscript, Bruised. The story focuses on a teen with a terminal illness who must face life-or-death decisions at a young age.

Hinds began work on the manuscript during her Master of Fine Arts program. In between several nonfiction book projects and two children, she continued working on the story until it was ready for submission to this type of contest. The contest includes multiple children's literature categories, including young adult, middle grade, chapter and picture books, nonfiction, and poetry. Young adult category judge Alex Finn wrote of the decision, "Bruised was the eventual winner because both the summary and the first chapter were equally excellent." Hinds is currently working on final edits of the manuscript and will be submitting it to agents and publishers soon. The full list of winners is posted at the SmartWriters website at http://www.smartwriters.com/index.2ts?page=2006winners.

Hinds received her undergraduate degree in English from Montana State University and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Teens from Vermont College. She is the author of several nonfiction books for young readers for Enslow Publishers, as well as The Ferguson Guide to Resumes and Job Hunting Skills with Ferguson Publishing. She is a member of The Lieurance Group, a freelance writers' and graphic designers' cooperative (http://www.lieurancegroup.blogspot.com/). She currently teaches an online course in writing for children and offers manuscript critiques and workshops through her website at http://www.maurenejhinds.com.

# # #