THE EAST TEXAS WRITERS GUILD is proud to announce the winners for Category II, works in progress, of its second annual First Chapter Book Awards.

According to Roger Middleton, president of the Guild, “We received a far greater number of entries this year in both categories, and they came from as far away as Great Britain and Canada, as well as from noted authors across the United States from New York and Florida to California and Washington. Included were many authors who have attained bestseller status from U. S. A. Today and Amazon. According to judges, the writing, across all genres, was at an extremely high level with only a minimal amount of points separating the entries from top to bottom.”

Each entry was judged blindly by three different judges from a panel representing editors, authors, educators, librarians, independent bookstore owners, and avid readers.

Judges reported that the critical and overriding factor in determining the winners centered on both the hook at the beginning of the book and the cliffhanger at the end of the First Chapter. In most cases, the determining factor was:  Will the first chapter make me want to read the rest of the book when it is published?

The first and second place winners, as well as all finalists, will receive digital badges which can be placed on the covers of eBooks, printed and placed on paper books, or added to Websites, blog sites, Facebook accounts, Twitter accounts, or emails. The badges may be used in any way the author chooses to showcase and promote or market his or her book.

Finalists for each genre are not listed in any particular order.

First Place: Romance

Michelle Grey

False Hope

Kansas

Second Place: Romance

Sandra Clarke

Accidental Promises

Texas

Finalists: Romance

Patricia Paris

Lucia

Maryland

Billy Ray Chitwood

Cloud Dancer

Kentucky

Nancy Hudgins

Maggie’s Dream

Texas

Gene Eric Crider

Vicarious Relations

Washington

First Place: Mystery/Thriller

Scott Bury

Dead Man Lying 

Canada

Second Place: Mystery/Thriller

Brinda Carey

Left Alone

Texas

Finalists: Mystery/Thriller

Janis Thornton

Dust Bunnies & Dead Bodies

Book Two

Indiana

Debbie Turner

Written in Red

South Carolina

Jean Lauzier

Trail Ride

Texas

Denise Weeks

The Wrong Hostage

Texas

First Place: Nonfiction/Memoir

Sara Marie Hogg

It Rises from the Pee Dee

Missouri

Second Place: Nonfiction/Memoir

Marsha Graham

And Then I Fell Down

Texas

Finalist: Nonfiction/Memoir

Lorna Penland

Never Say Never Again

Texas

First Place: Historical Fiction

Patricia La Vigne

A Moment in Time

Texas

Second Place: Historical Fiction

Christy Nicholas

Legacy of Luck

New York

Finalists: Historical Fiction

Janice Ernest

Animals Who Served WWI as told by

Stubby of the 102^nd Infantry

Texas

Patricia Taylor Wells

The Eyes of the Doe

Texas

Sidney Hastings

Journal D/un Homme au Milieu de sa’Vie

Mississippi

First Place: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Michael Wigington

Sword of Vinganza

Texas

Second Place: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Phyllis Zimbler Miller

The Mother Siege

California

Finalists: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Mike Clifton

Chronicles of Meredith:

The Conquest of the Veil

Texas

Douglas Derrer

The Children’s Hour

Texas

Philip Levin

Quest for the Zany Zombies

Mississippi

Susan A. Royal

To the Past

Texas