Hi All. Wow, that was a tough decision. I received 12 first chapters and synopses and read them all. Some serious talent in there! And with such great stories in so many different genres, it was almost impossible to select a winner.

But I can only send one manuscript to Barbara, and the winner is….drumroll……

Chinese Bride by Bonnie Dee!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations, Bonnie! I’ll email you with more specifics.

Thanks so very much to everyone who entered. I had so much fun reading your awesome first lines and fantastic chapters.

Here were Bonnie’s first lines:

Title: Chinese Bride
Genre: Historical Western

First Five Lines:

Clouds were painted on the flat blue-gray sky, not even a gull disturbing the barren heavens. From great, black stacks, ribbons of white billowed behind the rapidly moving ship. Although the steamer cut steadily through the waves, it seemed it wasn’t moving at all—as though Huiann would spend the rest of her life standing on this deck, waiting for her new life to begin. When she imagined meeting her husband for the first time, she wavered between nervous anticipation and wrenching fear. Was he handsome, ugly, old, young?

I’ve been having some health issues, so there will be a day or two delay for the results of the New Beginnings Contest. The winner will be posted by Wednesday, March 31. Thanks for your patience!

Thanks to everyone who played! It was so much fun to read your fabulous entries!
Here are the semifinalists:

From Week 3
#10 Switched in Death by Sherry Foley
#19 Chinese Bride by Bonnie Dee
#81 (week 1 post) Southern Diversion by Celesta Hofmann

From Week 2
#14 Urban Secrets by Amber Leigh Williams
#25 In Pursuit of Love by Sarah Simas
#36 Rake Untied by S. Orr
#77 (week 1 post) Shadow Horse by Anne E. Kyle

From Week 1
#35 Assistant’s Secret by April Morelock
#39 Lessons from a Scoundrel by Christa McHugh
#50 Return to Me by Michelle (MG) Braden
#51 Shadow Dancer by Laurie Douglas Wicks
#57 CODENAME: DANCER by Amanda Brice

Congrats, everyone! This week’s semifinalists will be contacted individually on Monday, March 22 with instructions on how to send their first chapters and/or synopses to Jennifer for final round judging. The overall winner will be selected on or before March 28. That winner will be invited to send his/her manuscript to Barbara Poelle, who will read it for possible representation.

Questions? Feel free to go to the contact page and send them in. Jennifer will respond as quickly as possible.

Another great batch of entries! Here are the semifinalists from this week:

#14 Urban Secrets by Amber Leigh Williams
#25 In Pursuit of Love by Sarah Simas
#36 Rake Untied by S. Orr
#77 (week 1 post) Shadow Horse by Anne E. Kyle

The semifinalists will be contacted individually on Monday, March 15 with instructions on how to send their first chapters and/or synopses to Jennifer for final round judging.

Thanks to all who entered! If you did not final, you are welcome to enter again this week with a different manuscript. Otherwise, please continue to spread the word. Round Three begins right now! The rules are exactly the same as round one, so you can check them out on the Week 1 Blog. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me through the contact form on this site. Otherwise, good luck for round 3! More semifinalists will be chosen next Sunday, March 21.

Also, please respond to this blog entry for week three, not any of the earlier ones. I’ll go back and check (as I did this week–the semifinalists were chosen from every entry I could find on this blog that was posted after midnight on March 7), and I won’t deliberately penalize you for responding on another blog entry, but responding here is the best way to ensure your entry won’t get lost in the shuffle. Thanks!

Jennifer

Wow, what a fabulous bunch of entries that was! The judges had a heck of a time choosing just a few, but choose they finally did, and here are the semifinalists:

#35 Assistant’s Secret by April Morelock
#39 Lessons from a Scoundrel by Christa McHugh
#50 Return to Me by Michelle (MG) Braden
#51 Shadow Dancer by Laurie Douglas Wicks
#57 CODENAME: DANCER by Amanda Brice

The semifinalists will be contacted individually on Monday, March 8 with instructions on how to send their first chapters and/or synopses to Jennifer for final round judging.

Thanks to all who entered! If you did not final, you are welcome to enter again this week with a different manuscript. Otherwise, please continue to spread the word. Round Two begins right now! The rules are exactly the same as round one, so you can check them out on the Week 1 Blog. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me through the contact form on this site. Otherwise, good luck for round 2! More semifinalists will be chosen next Sunday, March 14.

Jennifer

Are you looking for a literary agent or at least a little feedback from an established agent? Then this is the contest for you!

What you can win: A read of your fiction manuscript by Barbara Poelle of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency

How it works:
(1) Click “Leave a Comment” below and post the title, genre, and first five sentences of your fiction manuscript on the comments of this blog. Email entries will not be accepted; all entries must be made in the comments section of this blog.
(2) A group of semifinalists will be selected from the lines posted. The list of semifinalists for round one will be posted here on the blog on March 7. Round Two will begin on March 7 and semifinalists will be posted on March 14, and Round Three will begin on March 14 and semifinalists will be posted on March 21.
(3) The semifinalists will be invited to send their first chapter and/or synopsis to Jennifer.
(4) One overall winner will be selected on or before March 28. That winner will be invited to send his/her manuscript to Barbara Poelle, who will read it for possible representation.
(5) Questions? Feel free to go to the contact page and send them in. Jennifer will respond as quickly as possible.

Example Entry:

Title: A Touch of Scandal
Genre: Historical Romance (1823 England)
First 5 sentences:
A bothersome heat crept into Kate’s cheeks as she hurried through the narrow, dimly lit passageway. If only she could learn how to hide her thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, she forcefully slowed her step, squared her shoulders, and lowered her eyes. She was simply a servant, finished with her duties for the day, ready to take the three-mile walk home. Not a flustered woman rushing out to a secret secluded spot to watch a strange man—no, a god, more like—bathe in the nude.

The fine print:
You must be 18 years of age or older to enter this contest; no purchase necessary; void where prohibited. Judging is subjective, and judges’ names will not be revealed. If you enter this contest, you agree to be added to Jennifer Haymore’s newsletter list, which is sent out to subscribers quarterly. Personal information and email addresses are kept private and never shared. The semifinalists and winner’s names will be posted on the jenniferhaymore.com blog.