USA WEEKEND & VINTAGE CRIME/BLACK LIZARD Finish-the-Mystery Contest 1999 Official Rules.

No purchase necessary.

1. How to Enter: On an official Entry Form or on a piece of paper no larger than 8-1/2 by 11 inches type your complete name, address, (including zip code) and home telephone number with area code. On paper no larger than 8-1/ 2 by 11 inches, one side only, type your original ending to the story that James Ellroy started. Entries must be double spaced and no more than 750 words in length. No photocopies accepted. The language and situations must be appropriate for publication in a national general interest publication. Entries must be received no later than August 20, 1999 to:

USA WEEKEND/Black Lizard Finish the Mystery Contest
208 E. 51st Street, Suite 153
New York, New York 10022

All entries become property of USA WEEKEND and Vintage Books, and none will be returned. All publication rights in the entries will become the property of Vintage Books.

2. Judging: Entries will be preliminarily judged by Vintage Books, a division of Random House, Inc. to determine 30 finalist entries. Final judging to determine one Grand Prize and five honorable mention winners will be accomplished by a panel of USA Weekend and Vintage editors and writer James Ellroy, whose decisions on all matters relating to this contest are final. All judging will be based on the following criteria: originality and creativity, 40%; writing ability, 40%; appropriateness of story for printing in USA WEEKEND, 20%. In the event of a tie, tied entries will be rejudged in accordance with criteria listed above to determine the final winner. Winners will be notified no later than September 28, 1999. If there is an insufficient number of entries that meet the criteria, Vintage Books retains the right not to award every prize.

3. Prizes and Approximate Retail Values: One Grand Prize of a trip for two to New York City to attend the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Awards in Spring 2000 at which the winner will be presented with an award. The winner receives two (2) round-trip tickets to New York City from the winner's home anywhere in the United States on the carrier of Vintage Book's choice. The winner will be given lodging (one room) for two nights at the hotel where the Edgar Awards are held and two tickets to the Edgar Awards, which will be at the Grand Hyatt Hotel at Park Avenue and Grand Central on Thursday May 4, 2000. The winner will also receive a complete Vintage Crime / Black Lizard library. The retail value of this prize is approximately $3,745.00. Actual prize value may vary depending on date and location of prize winner. Taxes, meals, transportation to and from airports, and other expenses not included. The Grand Prize winning story also will be published in USA Weekend and on both the Black Lizard and USA Weekend web sites in Fall 1999. Five honorable mentions will be presented with a complete Vintage Crime / Black Lizard library, retail value approximately $1,045.00, and the stories will be published on both the Black Lizard and the USA Weekend web sites. All prizes will be awarded and winners notified by mail. Winner may make no substitution or transfer of prize. All federal, state, and local taxes are the sole responsibility of winners.

4. Eligibility and General Rules: Contest is open to U.S. residents age 18 or older. Persons who earn more than 50 percent of their annual income from fiction writing are not eligible. Winner and runners-up must sign an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release granting Vintage Books all publication rights in the entries, certifying that submission is entrant's original work; that entrant owns right to work; that the submission has not previously won a prize in a national contest nor has been previously published in a national publication; and that entrant has followed the Official Rules of the contest. Affidavit and Release of Liability/Prize Acceptance Form must be returned within 7 days of attempted notification. Noncompliance within this time period may result in disqualification and an alternate may be selected. Employees of Gannett Co. Inc., USA WEEKEND-carrier newspapers and Random House, Inc., their affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies and their immediate families and/or those living in the same household are not eligible. Void where prohibited by law. All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply.

USA WEEKEND and Vintage Books are not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, mutilated, or illegible entries. Return of any prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification and an alternate will be selected. Vintage Books reserves the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value. By acceptance of prizes, winners consent to use of name, photo, and entry material in any manner by Vintage Books and USA WEEKEND for advertising or trade without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. By accepting prize, winner agrees to hold Vintage Books and USA WEEKEND , their respective affiliates, promotion, fulfillment, advertising, and judging agencies, their respective directors, officers, employees and assigns, harmless against any and all claims and liability arising out of use of prize. Prize winners assume all liability for any injury or damage caused, or claimed to be caused, by participation in this promotion or use or redemption of any prize. By participating in this promotion, entrants agree to be bound by the Official Rules and the decisions of the judges. USA Weekend has the right to edit entries to conform with newspaper standards.

5. For names of winners, available after October 1, 1999, send a separate, self-addressed, stamped, business-sized envelope to:

Vintage Books Contest Winners 201 East 50th Street New York, NY 10022

Or visit www.blacklizardcrime.com for more information. Winners list will NOT be available by email or fax.