List-making, shopping, baking, more lists. It goes on for days and the party is over in a few hours. And then there are the decorations and the tree, and the presents, and the drop-over-for-a-drinks. But our children will be home and our friends are coming, and we’ll all have a good time. Or so we hope.

Good news for me this week. My story, Jack’s Luck, has taken second place in the Wynterblue Publishing contest for November, and will be in Confabulation3 next spring.

There was bad news as well. The publishing house found that one of the contestants, who has been submitting for some time, was plagiarizing. This has resulted in many contestants pulling out all together, as well as several judges. It is disconcerting because now the firm is considering legal action, and has not publicized the name of the individual concerned. All I know for sure is that it wasn’t any of the people on November’s short list. I’ve enjoyed the challenge of writing within the parameters of the contest.

Plagiarism steals the thoughts and writing of others, and in this case also robs other writers of their chance for success.