*posted with permission*
This looks like fun! Too bad I already write for Samhain, which makes me ineligible to enter. Because I have some great first lines :sasmokin:
Check it out, y’all! :boobie:
Thanks to inspiration from the Romance Divas and author Karin Tabke,
Samhain Publishing is going to be holding a Best First Line contest on
our blog
Starting Monday, June 4th at 8am Eastern, authors are invited to leave
the first line of a previously unpublished work (of 12,000 words or
more) in the comments of the Best First Line blog post. The contest is
open to published and unpublished authors not currently contracted
with Samhain Publishing.
On Friday, June 8th at noon Eastern, we will close the comments and no
more entrants will be admitted into the contest. Only those who enter
by posting on our first line contest blog post between 8:00 a.m. EST,
June 4th 2007 and 12:00 Noon EST, June 8th will be eligible to
participate in the first line contest.
Samhain editors will choose a group of entrants for the next round and
the “winning” first lines will be posted on Monday, June 11th. Winners
of the first round will have until early noon Eastern on Friday to
post their first and second lines (both must be posted together) in
the comments of that blog post—we will not email those who move on to
the next round, you must check back at the blog. The contest will run
in a subsequent manner(with previous lines plus the new line, being
posted), with editors paring down the entries and asking for the next
line in the entry, for a total of 5 lines. The contest will end on
July 6th and a minimum of three entrants will be invited to submit
their manuscript (first three chapters and complete synopsis, minimum)
to Samhain Publishing for consideration for publication on our 2008
schedule.
A few rules:
1) One line only (a dialogue tag is allowed, but make sure you’re
punctuating things correctly. We’re editors. We’ll know if you cheat
and use an action tag making it a second line, instead of one whole line)
2) If you move on to the second round, you cannot change that first
line in any way. Each line posted must remain as written as you move
through the rounds.
3) If we close the comments before you’ve had a chance to post your
next line, we’re very sorry, but you will be eliminated from the
competition. We must make this fair for everyone and still make it
workable for us, and the only way to do that is to post a deadline.
4) This contest is for new material only. No previously published material
5) Samhain is a general publisher, you may enter material of any genre!
This is an opportunity for everyone who’s been waiting for submissions
to open. Submissions are due to remain closed until later in the
summer, so we’re giving at least three people the chance to get their
work in front of a Samhain editor before submissions re-open. If
interest in the contest is high, we will give this opportunity to five
authors.
*permission to forward granted*