Contests, they be everywhere

At the Vancouver Province, medical thriller writer Daniel Kalla (whose newest novel, RAGE THERAPY, is in bookstores now) is penning a serial for the paper. He wrote the first and will write the last chapter – but the rest is up to readers, who might be advised to check out some tips Kalla provided on thriller writing.

Meanwhile, Court TV has teamed up with Regan Books to launch their own “next crime writer” contest. The judges for the contest (which closes November 27) include Lisa Scottoline, Jonathan & Faye Kellerman and La Regan herself (who has to be flying pretty high with literary recognition after Jess Walter’s National Book Award nod.) It’s all part of the network’s new “Murder By the Book” TV show, which debuts on November 13. (hat tip: Central Crime Zone.)

Finally, the Debut Dagger has announced its terms for the 2007 contest. The doors open for unpublished writers on January 8, and the deadline to submit the first 3000 words of a novel plus synopsis is April 14.