First Lines and a Contest!

First lines are important. Reading that sentence makes you ask--why? Right? And you read on to learn the answer. That is the answer--because they create an initial reaction from your reader. Your first line will tell your reader what type of person your narrator is, or it might entice them to read on to get an answer. Whatever reaction your first line gets, it needs to make the reader want more.

YA Highway, a group of YA writers, is hosting a new contest. Submit the first line of your WIP (work-in-progress) for a chance to win a one page critique from the YA Highway gang, AND an autographed copy of Bran Hambrick by Kaleb Nation!

Hop over to their blog for the contest rules, and a peek at some GREAT first lines!

http://yahighway.blogspot.com/2010/01/teaser-tuesday-first-lines-and-contest.html

YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesday

Yes, I know it is Thursday, but I am behind thanks to the awesomeness that was BLOOD PROMISE. I used all my spare time yesterday to read it.

The YA Highway, a blog comprised of several YA authors, is hosting a "Blog Carnival". They post the questions and you/we answer them on our own blogs and then link back to them via the comments section. So here I go:

1) What are the three best books you've read this year?

SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater, WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson, BLOOD PROMISE by Richelle Mead (whew, that was hard!)

2) If you could meet one author (living or dead), who would it be?

Charlaine Harris. I've met a number of authors already, but in the very beginning of my writing venture, Harris probably had the most influence on me with her Sookie Stackhouse novels.

3) What book are you most looking forward to in 2010?

Right now, I'd have to say SPIRIT BOUND by Richelle Mead because I just finished reading the 4th book in the Vampire Academy, BLOOD PROMISE, and I can not wait to see how it ends.