Over at the Vertical blog, marketing guru Anne Ishii has announced one of the more unusual contests of the summer: share your best New York story and win a copy of Koji Suzuki’s novel Paradise. Who is Koji Suzuki, you ask? Well, American moviegoers are probably familiar with the big-screen adaptations of his popular Ring trilogy. Paradise isn’t a horror novel, but the Vertical catalog copy makes it sound like an engrossing read:

In the arid badlands of prehistoric Asia, a lovelorn youth violates a sacred tribal taboo by etching an image of his beloved. When the foretold punishment comes to pass, the two must embark on a journey across the world, and time itself, to try to reclaim their destiny. A mysterious spirit guides them towards a surprise destination that readers may indeed find quite close to home…

… especially if you live in New York. (Hence the inspiration for the contest.)

Anyone who’s lived in New York for more than three days has a repertory of Tall Tales from the Big City. Here’s your chance to share that I-saw-Paul-Newman story with a fresh audience and be rewarded for your clever observations! No word on when the contest ends, so hop to it.