East Texas Writers Guild First Chapter Winners: Published Books
July 11, 2016
Caleb Pirtle III
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.