I thought that I knew how to write good crime stories - but Prose turned out to be the real thieves!

Last week I sponsored a $30 challenge. The purpose of this challenge was to encourage critical reviews for a short story that was being offered on Amazon, free of charge, for a limited time.

Prose gladly took my money. They took my $30 and then they took an additional $3 fee. They never posted the challenge, and never offered you the reward.

I have credit card statements that verify that Prose took the money. Unfortunately, the Amazon promotion has ended now, so the challenge has no purpose or value.

If you are writing a crime novel, you might consider a story about an online writing website that steals money from its community. I think that’s a rather clever concept. I would also suggest (and ask) that you share this post to ensure wide dissemination to all Prose members, warning them against purchasing any credit on this site.

For my part, I will be disputing the charges with my bank and accusing Prose of fraud. I would have loved to offer that prize to any one of you. I have read such intelligent and thoughtful work on this site and I wish you all the best.