Welcome to the Battle of the First Pages and Epic Kindle Giveaway!
This is a fun, friendly battle of first pages between a great group of authors 🙂
Your votes determine the “winner,” and by voting, you earn entries into the drawing for the Grand Prize of a Kindle Fire 7″ or $75 in PayPal Cash (winner’s choice.)
Here’s how it works:
- Check out the first pages of the following books, and note the title of your favorite THREE.
- Scroll down to the Rafflecopter and get however many entries you want. BONUS: Come back each day for more entries by tweeting or posting, or just stop by for your daily free entry on the Rafflecopter.
- COMMENT on this blog post with the title of the book that you think has the best 1st page. Then comment again with the title of another of your favorites. And then comment a 3rd time with your 3rd favorite. You may comment up to THREE times 🙂 And make sure you claim your entries for voting in the rafflecopter.
- Tell all your friends on social media!
Here are the contenders in no particular order:
DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND
by Heather Eagar
YA Historical Fantasy
$3.99 on Amazon: http://www.amzn.com/dp/B01AIBVPKE
FIRST PAGE of Devil’s Playground:
Salem, Massachusetts
1692
I shiver as my bare feet hit the wood floor. It’s too early to be awake. It’s always too early. An incessant throbbing behind my eyes tells me I ought to be back in bed.
“Elizabeth, are you ready?” Mother calls from the kitchen.
“Yes, I’ll be right there,” I lie. With a tired shuffle I make my way to the large chest at the foot of my bed and pull out the first dress I see. It doesn’t matter much when my choices are the black dress, the dark black dress, or the other black dress. Shall I wear the one with the hole, the one with two holes, or the one the mouse chewed through?
Emancipation
by Jo Michaels
Adult Thriller
$3.24 on Amazon: http://www.amzn.com/dp/B01D7O2FJE/
*** Rated R for language ***
98 votes (FIRST PLACE)
FIRST PAGE of Emancipation:
Wadding up the letter, Tobias used it to wipe his ass and threw the paper in the trash.
Another dumb verse of gospel bullshit from another zealot right where it should be. What part of “I’m searching for my soul mate” did people not understand when they found an online profile? They all thought spewing scripture could save his soul; like some light from Heaven would beam down and forgiveness would be bestowed.
Fuckers.
There was no clemency for murderers, thieves, and philanderers. Never would be. Tobias didn’t want it, and he doubted anyone else did. Those holier-than-thou freaks could shove their automaton gospel straight up their asses. It was as if they hoped it would be some magical cure for his compulsions.
He shook his head.
Eerie
by C.M. McCoy
New Adult Paranormal Romance
$4.99 on Amazon: http://www.amzn.com/dp/B0176M19RM/
110 votes (host blog book–playing for fun)
FIRST PAGE of Eerie:
There he was again.
Hailey snapped her head around, hoping to catch more than a glimpse of the glowing creature, which once again zipped past the very edge of her vision.
It was real, she knew it was. Frozen in place, she scanned the horizon, hoping to find where it was so she’d have more than a millisecond to determine exactly what it was.
Finally it halted with its back to her, on a hill next to her favorite tree—a giant sycamore, which usually stood in her neighbor’s yard. Now it stretched high into the swirling purple skies of her dream.
The figure standing next to the sycamore looked like an angel, lean and pale, and as bright as the moon.
Curious, Hailey crept closer, not meaning to disturb him, but as she drew near, he whirled around.
Forget Tomorrow
by Pintip Dunn
YA Sci Fi
$5.99 on Amazon: http://www.amzn.com/dp/B00Z6375MC/
FIRST PAGE of Forget Tomorrow:
“The next leaf that falls will be red,” my six-year-old sister Jessa announces. An instant later, a crimson leaf flutters through the air like the tail feather of a cardinal.
Jessa grabs it and tucks it into the pocket of her school uniform, a silver mesh jumpsuit that is a smaller version of mine. Crunchy leaves blanket the square, the only burst of color in Eden City’s landscape. Behind our patch of a park, bullet trains shoot by in electromagnetic vacuum tubes, and metal and glass buildings vie for every inch of pavement. Their gleaming spirals do more than scrape the sky—they punch right through it.
“Now orange,” Jessa says. A leaf the color of overripe squash tumbles from the tree. “Brown.” Sure enough, brown as mud and just as dead.
Becoming: The Balance Bringer
by Debra Kristi
YA Urban Fantasy
$4.99 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00USQOPDO/
FIRST PAGE of Becoming: The Balance Bringer
I stare down at the thick, red substance oozing over me, my dress, the floor. It was supposed to be punch, but it sticks to the skin of my palms like thinned blood. I can’t stop staring at them.
Blood. On my hands.
I shake my head. It’s only punch.
Everyone laughs and points and stares. My head pounds with their ridicule, swims with the negative attention, and fresh tears spill. I want to run from the winter formal like Cinderella from the ball. Run home and never look back.
But I can’t.
My feet are trapped, shoes rooted to the gym floor. If only I could be anywhere but here―
“Why wasn’t I told we were playing action charades?” Paige uses her handbag as a fan and gawks at me.
Must Remember
by Colleen S. Myers
NA Sci Fi Romance
$3.82 on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B016ST45VQ/
FIRST PAGE of Must Remember
Oy. No more weekday frat parties for me, no matter how noble the cause, especially when I have a test the next day. What was I thinking? And last minute cramming with a headache was not a good idea either. Forget it. My eyes drifted to the clock.
And now I was late. Damn it. With a sigh, I threw down my pencil and scrambled up, my head throbbing. I traded my Eeyore jammies for skinny jeans and a fitted white t-shirt.
Shoes, where were my shoes?
Gah. I ducked and rooted around in the deep, dark spaces under my bed. Hmm, the green dress I borrowed from Sarah. Mental note: I need to return that. English book, various dust bunnies of uncertain lineage…there.
Sketchers on, I grabbed my backpack, turned up my iPod, and ran out the door. No time to primp.
CHARMING
by Elliott James
Adult Urban Fantasy
$9.99 on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B016ST45VQ/
FIRST PAGE of Charming
I know John Charming is an unfortunate name.
Believe me, I’ve heard them all. No, I’ve never been turned into a frog. No, I haven’t slain many dragons lately. How could I? They’ve been hibernating close to the Earth’s core for over a thousand years. No, I don’t have any unusual shoe fetishes, glass slipper or otherwise. No, my kisses won’t bring women out of any comas, though I hope they might perk them up a little.
But make no mistake: the reason there are so many stories about “Prince” Charming is that there was never one man—the Charmings were an entire family line standing between humanity and all other for generation after generation, and in the old days it was common to give any monster killer in a story royal status.
PROPHECY
by Lea Kirk
Adult Science Fiction Romance
$2.99 on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B016K3CU08/
FIRST PAGE of Prophecy
Alexandra Bock opened her eyes. Faint grey light filtered through a woven black cloth over her face. Where the hell was she now? A chill from the hard surface seeped through the thin fabric of her hospital scrubs, and her muscles contracted, sending a violent shudder through her body. Had she really been chased by a giant, green-skinned alien through the streets of her hometown?
It happened. It had really happened.
There’d been no escaping him either. He’d been fast and unbelievably huge. Like ten-feet-tall huge—and as pissed as hell. That might have been her fault. At the time, ramming the heel of her hand into his nose had seemed like a reasonable idea. It did distract him long enough for her to bolt.
CHASING VICTORY
by Joanne Jaytanie
Romantic Suspense with Paranormal Elements
$2.99 on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B016K3CU08/
FIRST PAGE of Chasing Victory
A tear in the sound of the forest’s tapestry caught Victory’s attention. Victory’s ultra keen sense of hearing instantly noticed the void. Her ability to interpret the reactions of the animals stopped her in mid-stride. Ever so slowly she turned toward the silence and walked.
The silence shattered and she could hear voices; one was Jeffery. He didn’t say he’d be bringing others with him. His scream abruptly breached the cool morning air and flushed the birds from their perches. Victory dropped to her hands and knees, the tall sword ferns camouflaging her body. She froze.
“I told you I’d locate someone who could help with our problem,” Jeffery whimpered. Blood ran from the gash on his lip and right cheek.
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