THE EAST TEXAS WRITERS GUILD is proud to announce the winners for Category I, published works, 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, 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 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?

The first and second place winners, as well as all finalists, will all 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

Ellie Gray

Beauty and the Recluse

Great Britain

Second Place: Romance

Fran McNabb

Saving the Children

Mississippi

Finalists: Romance

Denise Weeks

Love is the Bridge

Texas

Nancy Hudgins

Secrets of the Heart

Texas

Philip Levin

The Tides of Mississippi

Mississippi

Jill Blake

Sweet Indulgence

California

First Place: Mystery/Thriller

James R. Callan

A Silver Medallion

Texas

Second Place: Mystery/Thriller

Jeff Russell

The Girl Who Watched over Dreams

Connecticut

Finalists: Mystery/Thriller

Helen Hanson

Dead Storm

Texas

N. M. Cedeno

For the Children’s Sake

Texas

JoAnn Smith Ainsworth

Expect Deception

California

David Atkinson

Flight to Nowhere

Great Britain

First Place: Nonfiction/Memoir

Karen Snead Partee

Wandering in the Wilderness-A Journey of Me, My Son, and His ADHD.

Texas

Second Place: Nonfiction/Memoir

Scott Bury

Under the Nazi Heel

Canada

Finalists: Nonfiction/Memoir

Lynn Hobbs

Lillie: A Motherless Child

Texas

Sara Marie Hogg

Quite Curious

Missouri

First Place: Historical Fiction

Christy Nicholas

Legacy of Hunger

New York

Second Place: Historical Fiction

Richard Marranca

The New Romantics

New Jersey

Finalists: Historical Fiction

Christina Carson

Accidents of Birth

Alabama

Gene Shelton

Houston Madam

Texas

C. Wayne Dawson

The Darkness that Could Be Felt

Texas

S. Martin Shelton

Shanghai Express

Texas

First Place: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Phyllis Zimbler Miller

Road to Zanzica

California

Second Place: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Susan A. Royal

Xander’s Tangled Web

Texas

Finalist: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Douglas Derrer

King Tut & The Plagues of Egypt

Texas

 

FIRST AND SECOND PLACE WINNER, AS WELL AS FINALISTS OF CATEGORY II WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON VENTURE GALLERIES ON TUESDAY.