As we celebrate the launch of our 2024 Writing Contest, we’re thrilled to shine the spotlight on some of our brilliant former winners.
Let’s hear from one of our 2018 winners, Jaclyn Westlake.
Where do you live? Laguna Beach, CA
What year did you win the Storyshares writing contest? 2018
Tell us about your book. My book, A Runaway Tale, follows Zigg as he escapes his father's unstable home and goes on the run. When he's captured by mysterious men in a van, he has to determine whether or not he can trust them.
How did you find out about the contest? I followed Storyshares on Instagram.
What gave you the idea for your story? I adopted a dog who'd been in the local shelter for months and had a lot of trust issues when I first brought him home. It made me wonder what his life might have looked like before. A Runaway Tale is a very exaggerated version of what I imagined!
What made you want to participate in the contest? I hadn't ever tried to get my fictional stories published, but I wanted to start putting my work out there to build confidence and grow as a writer. I love what Storyshares stands for and I felt like A Runaway Tale was a great fit!
How has your life changed since winning the Storyshares contest? Winning the Storyshares contest was a huge confidence boost for me. Since I won, I've completed a two-year writing program, signed with an agent, and my debut novel, Dear Dotty was published this year. My second novel will be out in the summer of 2025.
Where can we find you? I’m on instagram @jaclyn_writing and my website is www.jaclynwestlake.com
Anything else you want to share? I've loved being a part of the Storyshares community and am so grateful that my first fictional story was chosen. I love knowing that my work is out there in the world and it helped motivate me to keep writing.
Jaclyn’s book, A Runaway Tale, is one of Storyshares’ best-selling middle school stories. It can be found in our eLibrary and in our Best of Middle School Book Bundle.