Want to be featured in the second edition of Vanessa’s Book of Awesome Things? Submit your vignette, opinion piece, essay, or short story with the theme of “donuts” to rachel.author.barnard(at)gmail(dot)com

Submissions should be between 250 – 2500 words.

The contest winner will win the following:

• Their piece will be featured in the next version of Vanessa’s Book of Awesome Things
• Donuts swag bag, including the original edition of Vanessa’s Book of Awesome Things

Vanessa’s Book of Awesome Things already features:

The Food Challenge,
Tips to Help You Win a Food Challenge,
10 Challenges at 10,
Facts About Corgis,
20 Challenges at 20,
The Secret of Tree Beach,
Fat Boy Run,
30 Challenges at 30,
Your Local Hangout,
40 Challenges at 40,
Reasons to Bask in a Sea of Puppies,
50 Challenges at 50,
Kale is Not a Curse Word,
Doughnuts Recipe,
Object Scavenger Hunt,
Photo Scavenger Hunt,
To Do with Donuts, Yes or No?,
Top Ten Worst Donut Flavors,
Top Ten Donuts You Have to Try,
For the Love of Donuts Books,
Donuts in an Empty Field Chapter One,
About the Author

Donuts in an Empty Field (For the Love of Donuts Book 1)

Letting go of anger is life’s greatest challenge.

Vanessa Smith hasn’t been the same since her father’s death. A hero until the end, he died saving a restaurant owner’s wife and son from a burning building. Nessa has always blamed the boy, Ben, for her loss, and her thoughts are consumed with ways to make him as miserable as she is.

Nichole Adams knows Nessa can never heal until she learns to let go of her hatred, but bringing back her best friend is proving more difficult than she could’ve imagined. In a last ditch effort to break Nessa’s obsession, Nichole hopes signing up for the local food challenge is just the thing to bust her out of her shell.

A single choice defines the road ahead for Nessa. Doing the right thing isn’t easy, but living with the consequences of doing nothing might be worse.

What about the characters! Donuts in an Empty Field takes place in Sarasota, FL in 2008. How many of these songs do you remember from 2008?

Nichole’s Playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhdAjUG-eFywQgRW4ufzUCnl_w7k4y-E4

Clocks by Coldplay

Sweet Child of Mine by Guns N’ Roses

How You Remind Me by Nickelback

Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana

Here It Goes Again by Ok Go

Money by Pink Floyd

Iron Man by Black Sabbath

Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes

Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

Photograph by Nickelback

Call Me When You’re Sober by Evanescence

Feel Good Inc by Gorillaz

Lose Yourself by Eminem

Umbrella by Rihanna

The Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani

Rockstar by Nickelback

Paralyzer by Finger Eleven

Raspberry Beret by Prince

…

Vanessa’s Playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhdAjUG-eFyz-ftKjgsFSArn2x6VU5Al6

Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

Clocks by Coldplay

Eye of the Tiger by Survivor

Explosive by Bond

Come on Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners

Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder

Here It Goes Again by Ok Go

One Night in Bangkok by Murray Head

Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode

Bittersweet Symphony by the Verve

Kashmir by Led Zeppelin

Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles

Don’t Bring me Down by Electric Light Orchestra

Baba O’Riley by The Who

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley

The Luckiest by Ben Folds

Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day

Mad World by Tears for Fears

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Letting go of anger is life’s greatest challenge.

Vanessa Smith hasn’t been the same since her father’s death. A hero until the end, he died saving a restaurant owner’s wife and son from a burning building. Nessa has always blamed the boy, Ben, for her loss, and her thoughts are consumed with ways to make him as miserable as she is.

Nichole Adams knows Nessa can never heal until she learns to let go of her hatred, but bringing back her best friend is proving more difficult than she could’ve imagined. In a last ditch effort to break Nessa’s obsession, Nichole hopes signing up for the local food challenge is just the thing to bust her out of her shell.

A single choice defines the road ahead for Nessa. Doing the right thing isn’t easy, but living with the consequences of doing nothing might be worse.

It’s time for a little excerpt from the book!

My thoughts linger on Dad, but I push them away.

I grab four soufflé sample cups and expertly fill them with our more seasonal flavors: candy cane, eggnog, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon roll. I swoop up to Nichole at her table and present the four with a flourish.

“I noticed you went right for vanilla, for a wild child that is highly unusual,” I say to her.

She drops her spoon back into her cup with a clunk. I pick up the first sample cup.

“Candy cane aka peppermint. A familiar flavor disguised as a seasonal favorite. It goes by many names throughout the year: mint, Girl Scout cookie something or other, etc., but ultimately it is recognized during the holiday season in its home as candy cane.” I hold out the miniature serving and whip it back and forth under her nose, as if scents are wafting up from the yogurt. She inhales deeply and scrunches up her nose. “Come on, Nichole, you can’t go through life as a Plain Jane vanilla. You have to branch out.”

“I branch out with everything that I do, can’t you leave my ice cream and frozen yogurt blandness alone. I LIKE vanilla,” she counters.

“Ok, well you can’t deny this next one.” I set down the candy cane and pick up the eggnog. “THIS is a classic and undeniably a favorite. For three out of twelve months it makes its debut and everyone is clamoring for it.”

“Ugh, not the pumpkin spice!” Nichole interjects.

“No! You Starbucks peon. Anyways, that’s the next one. No interrupting. I’m working on my sales pitch here.”

Nichole tips her head toward the door as its familiar tinkle brings me back to reality. Working a real job is not as much fun as I thought it would be. It’s just full of interruptions and cranky people.

Letting go of anger is life’s greatest challenge.

Vanessa Smith hasn’t been the same since her father’s death. A hero until the end, he died saving a restaurant owner’s wife and son from a burning building. Nessa has always blamed the boy, Ben, for her loss, and her thoughts are consumed with ways to make him as miserable as she is.

Nichole Adams knows Nessa can never heal until she learns to let go of her hatred, but bringing back her best friend is proving more difficult than she could’ve imagined. In a last ditch effort to break Nessa’s obsession, Nichole hopes signing up for the local food challenge is just the thing to bust her out of her shell.

A single choice defines the road ahead for Nessa. Doing the right thing isn’t easy, but living with the consequences of doing nothing might be worse.