A Contest Of A Different Kind

Welcome to May! This is a special month because we have a SPECIAL CONTEST happening here ALL MONTH LONG.

WHAT? Since my publisher has accepted my 2nd novella, I decided I would have this contest. Each of my novellas has at least one character who works for the International Protective Network, or the IPN as we call it. As I promote Her Highland Champion and book #2 Fractured Paradise, I was thinking how cool it would be to have a company badge or logo that I can also use for promotion. (At the moment, I have another 2 novellas that need revisions before I submit them to my publisher, and I have ideas for at least 4 or 5 more.) So, the challenge to you is to create a logo/badge for my fictional company.

WHO? The contest is open to ANYONE regardless of age. I say this because I have former students who are now teenagers (and so can't be readers of my books yet---not until they're 18!) who are fantastic artists.

WHEN? The contest is open for the month of May. It will officially end at midnight, US central time, on May 31st.

JUDGE? I will not be judging. Nope. I want it to be a fair competition and so I've asked my good friend artist Christy Stallop to be the judge. I will send Christy your entries anonymously after the contest is closed. While she's judging, I will (if I can) post the entries on the blog for you to see and comment on if you wish. The official unveiling of the winning design will happen on or before June 10th. (As it gets closer I'll let you know for sure.)

WINNINGS? The winner will receive a gift basket tailored to that individual. PLUS, his or her name will be with the design on my website. AND everywhere I go, everywhere I can, I will promote the talent of the winning individual!

HOW DO I ENTER? I'm glad you asked! If you are interested, please either leave me a comment here WITH your email address or email me privately at Alexa @ alexabourne . com (without the spaces).

DETAILS TO KEEP IN MIND WHILE CREATING THE COMPANY LOGO
The International Protective Network is a world-wide organization of bodyguards. When other legal agencies can’t guarantee a person’s safety, the IPN can get the job done. The headquarters are located in Edinburgh, Scotland. The business was started by a Scottish couple, Russell and Mary MacLeod, whose youngest daughter testified against a criminal even after she was threatened. The police couldn’t protect her and the criminal’s friends eventually found and killed her. Russell, Mary and their remaining children opened the IPN soon after. 

The IPN protects everyone from foreign dignitaries, to politicians, to Hollywood celebrities and even ordinary folks who can’t get help anywhere else. They operate officially within the law, as true bodyguards, but they also have a more clandestine branch for more difficult and dangerous jobs. The men and women hired by the IPN come from all walks of life. Malcolm, the hero in my 1^st Honor Guard story, Champion, was an abused child who happened to be living in Edinburgh when his best friend joined IPN. The friend later recruited the hero. Rachel, the heroine in my 2nd Honor Guard story, Paradise, is an American computer genius. She was recruited to work as a senior technical analyst and she works out of the Edinburgh office. The hero in what I hope will be my 3rd Honor Guard story, which doesn't have a name yet, is Malcolm's best friend Ian. He's smart and handsome and perfect in front of a camera so he usually works with public figures who need protection. At the moment, the company is still fairly new and so they only have an office in Edinburgh and one in New York. 

QUESTIONS? Please feel free to email me with any questions you have throughout the month. I'm sure there are some things I'm forgetting to add here.