Second Penultimate Paragraph Contest

Today I was reminded that back in 2010 I hosted what I believe was the first (and possibly only) Penultimate Paragraph Contest. And because I haven't done much with this blog lately, I thought it might be fun to host another one.

The rules? 

They're pretty simple, actually. In the comments section simply post the penultimate paragraph of one of your short stories. The stories don't have to be published, but if they are published online, please provide a link so we can check out the rest of your story (note that if you do provide a link, my site might think it's spam and hold it for moderation, so if that does happen, don't fret, it will appear shortly).

Deadline is the end of the month, so 7/31 midnight EST, with winners announced at some point during the weekend. This giveaway/contest will have two winners: one person whose penultimate paragraph I'll pick as my favorite, and another person selected randomly.

What do the winners win? How about first place will win a copy of the Hint Fiction anthology, as well as a copy of my flash fiction collection Phantom Energy. The runner-up will win a copy of the Hint Fiction anthology. And, because I stumbled across some old issues of literary journals, a few random people will be sent back issues of journals just for participating.

Have fun!