Father And Daughter Both Secure First Place In Baltimore County Library Horror Story Contest
TOWSON, Md. (WJZ) -- A Parkville man and his daughter took home the first prizes for their yarns in a horror story writing contest put on by the Baltimore County Public Library, the library system announced Monday.
The Tales of the Dead Short Horry Story contest challenges writers to write stories this August with a "Ghosts in the Graveyard" theme. The contest is split into two categories: over 21 and under 21.
The library system has been holding the contest since 2016, but said the judge's panel has never seen father and daughter both win their respective categories.
The library said David Sloan won first place for "A Hole at the Edge of the Woods," a story about a young fox whose curiosity gets the better of him on Halloween night.
His daughter, Polly Sloan, a seventh-grader at Parkville Middle School, won first place for "The Letters from No One," about a man receiving mysterious and terrifying letters predicting his imminent death, the library system said.
"My daughter and I really enjoyed this challenge and had fun trying our best to out-write and out-scare each other," said David Sloan. "Storytelling is an important part of our family identity, so we look forward to more challenges like this to inspire our creativity."
Both winners have been invited to read at Baltimore County Public Library's annual Poe-themed outdoor festival on October 16.