I apologize for the delay today. After experiencing technical difficulties this morning (and thanks to Justin my puter guru for jumping on the problem and solving it), a frustrating round of not being able to cut and paste the entries (thank you for your help Michelle), and your basic life interruptus I am now able to post the 35 who make it on to round four.
Here we go. You ladies know the drill, post line four by midnight this Friday. And good luck!

1.”Great Odin, I demand retribution against this beast!” Freyja gestured toward the dark shiny mass writhing before a large fiery hearth, twisting and turning, as it tried to find a way to escape its bonds. Her voice shook with repressed anger, “He dare defile my sacred stone.”
2. I haven’t had sex with my husband in almost four months. And frankly, I don’t miss it. But the really crazy part?
3. At the crack of dawn, my nine year old niece Sophie decided to forego the toilet and poop in her pajamas while standing in the middle of the upstairs hall. Vaguely acknowledging her predicament (size10 Barbie panties full of a walloping load of crap) she kicked off her PJ bottoms and underwear, stepped into the poop and proceeded to clomp down the hall toward her mother’s bedroom, leaving a trail of fecal footprints across the new, beige Berber.
My first inkling of the crisis was a guttural growl, followed by a “whoops!” and a thud from my usually calm and mostly coordinated sister.
4. I could not believe my good fortune. A car pulled away just as I was within twenty feet of it and I was only one block from the address I was seeking. This was a great start, a sign, an omen.
5. I killed myself for Anton Romanek–literally. Not out of love–out of necessity. I had ulterior motives, other reasons.
6. Every woman considered stealing a horse and running away on her wedding day, didn’t she?
Isabel of Thornwyck glanced around at the guests, hoping there was still time for a miracle. She smoothed her crimson kirtle, and took a step forward.
7.”Hell, I’ve got kids myself, Deborah, so I can see how something like this can happen—what with you being a single momma and all. It’s a hectic, overwhelming day and then the kid starts to whine.” Stuart Albright, Jamesville’s chief of police, leaned forward in his wood chair, bracing beefy forearms against the scarred surface of the interrogation table.
8. The hot black coffee burned as it soaked through Cindy’s business casual Docker slacks.
“Excuse me,” said a deep baritone voice.
The apology barely penetrated the zillions of voices in her head telling her how stupid she was to wear light colored slacks; hitting the snooze button three times was a huge mistake; she couldn’t change before the meeting–the one she was now going to be late for; and dear Lord, couldn’t he have picked a better day to make an introduction?
9. She had wondered how long it would take before she could actually hear them speaking to each other…her mother had warned her eventually the lesions would dig deep enough, grind themselves so far in her brain that it would happen.
Now it had…her ears rang with the deep chatter of their kind, the vampires, and it nearly drove her crazy. Nothing concrete, just a constant buzz.
10. Have you ever had one of those “best sex you could ever imagine” dreams? You think you’re hearing angels on high, singing the Hallelujah Chorus and sounding their trumpets for you just as you are about to have the most incredible orgasm of your life. You’re about to hit that high note with them when you realize those aren’t trumpets you’re hearing; no, they’re car horns, introducing Arny the traffic guy, on the morning wake – up show you have your alarm clock set to.
11. Somewhere between Heaven and Hell, Nick Winters decided to live. There was something about lying in a pool of his own blood that made him think God wasn’t finished with him yet. Maybe it was the floating sensation of hanging on then letting go, or the woman.
12. I sell time.
I’ll do just about anything for just about anybody.
Unfortunately, Max Vanderbur won’t be buying time from me anymore because last night he bought the farm.
13. Dani Perez stepped away from the revolving door and walked toward the hotel bar, her four-inch heels clattering like a “Riverdance” audition on the black marble floor. The desk clerk glanced up with a knowing smile.
“What in the hell are you looking at?” she wanted to scream, but she knew exactly why he was looking.
14. I am justice.
I am vengeance.
Is there any difference?
15. “So, are you ready for some wild sex?”
Julia leaned forward, elbows on her knees, understanding for the first time the true meaning of the term ‘no brainer’.
He spoke with a hint of amusement, sprawled low in the comfortable leather chair in a dark corner of the hotel bar, his head back and eyes closed, whiskey glass held loosely in his grip.
16. Bubble bath made terrible camouflage.
Myra St. James tilted her legs, trying to get the disappearing bubbles to better cover her lower half.
“Come on, love, there’s nothing there I haven’t seen before.”
17. Jane Ryan gently placed the phone on the counter, tidied her already neat hair, and screamed at the top of her lungs, “I am the rock between the fruit loops.”
Her anger rose like an imminent eruption of Mount St. Helens. Lee press-on nails popped as her fingertips bit into the granite countertop, ricocheting off the wall and cabinet front to become deadly plastic ammunition.
18. “Wearing red to their mother’s wake.” A woman’s voice behind Eli Webster sharpened with disapproval–and was that a hint of envy he heard?
He glanced around, spotting two splashes of red in a sea of dark clothing…and his mouth curved.
19. Alcohol doesn’t take away the pain of career rejection, but it does dull it a bit. I shift on my cushy green couch and take a sip of my liquid tropical paradise, pretending to listen to the woman beside me. She’s talked nonstop for the past half hour.
20. Tony Solomon did not plan to die that day. No way in hell was he going to go up that thing. It’d be just his luck to fall and kill himself.
21. Trust–in the single breath it took to speak the word, one could be betrayed.
With alert trepidation, Griffin Vaughan awaited the return of his page from the enemy’s lair. He’d sent the boy on a mission of peace and could only trust he would return unharmed.
22. Vayden, Wyo., was not a place Laura wanted to call home. A controlling husband and two needful teenagers had left her feeling trapped. She sat alone in her garden, as she often did these days, and began to daydream.
23. She really had to stop thinking about screwing her boss.
Being at a sex toy party wasn’t helping.
Celia St. John sipped at an ironically virginal strawberry daiquiri while around her, women giggled and squealed over the array of adult playthings – everything from lotions, oils and powders to vibrators and dildos.
24. She should have kept running.
Lia Brown slammed the door of her ancient Nova a little harder than was necessary, cringed, and shot a glance over her shoulder. All she saw were the two other cars in an otherwise empty parking lot: her friend Jay’s Mustang and an unfamiliar white sedan.
25.The alley stretched ahead, dark and ominous…yet Antoinette moved forward, one deliberate step after another. Perspiration beaded on her upper lip and she ran a hand across her face to wipe it away before the saltiness slipped unwelcome to the corners of her mouth.
Damn this heat.
26. The second his century long reprieve ended, the Devil set out to destroy his soul again. Unfortunately the Evil One had the advantage because Derek Ramsey’s soul tended to gravitate to the road to perdition. If he’d just listen to his spirit guide this time…
27.After all this time, it was finally happening–that quiet, maddening tumble into insanity.
Annie closed her eyes, fully expecting that when she opened them, the man sitting at her kitchen table–the man who looked like Joel, but couldn’t be Joel–would be gone.
Unfortunately, when she looked again, he was still there.
28. I believe “long” and “term” are the two worst four letter words out there, at least when it comes to relationships. Being committed for the long haul is fine, if you’re insane; if you’re not, why weigh yourself down with one anchor of a man?
My best friend Maggie, a hopeless romantic, is convinced that it’s possible to find one man and settle down for the rest of your life.
29. Men lie.
As a dues-paying member of the species, House depended on this fact, subscribed to it—gloried in it.
They lie about who they are, what they do, and how much liquor they can handle.
30. Special Agent Jason McCall’s life fell apart the day he found out that the love of his life was not, in fact, a lesbian.
And now there was a red faced bureaucrat inches away from his face, screaming at the top of his lungs, “How the fuck could you not realize the chick you’ve been shackin’ up with for the last 2 years was a goddamn spy?”
The question rolled through Jason’s mind as he contemplated full breasts, a tight luscious ass barely clad in mini shorts rounding down long surfer girl legs, and the thought of Angie frolicking with her lesbian lover Emily, and he realized: yup, that’s exactly how he missed it.
31. “Fuck you,” Susan Deluca screeched, lobbing her favorite Jimmy Choo pump at her soon-to-be-ex husband’s Lexus.
It bounced against the car door with a satisfying ‘thunk’ that brought the vehicle to a jerky stop and prompted Dale to lower the window.
“Oh, no!”
32.Two things hit Ryan the second he stepped into the kitchen-someone had cleaned the place up, and there was a strange half naked woman smacking the hell out of his coffee maker. The fact that she didn’t belong there would have registered if he hadn’t been too busy staring at the red panties hugging her ass like a second skin.
His briefcase hit the floor with a thump and he wouldn’t have been surprised if his jaw followed suit.
33. There comes, in everyone’s life, a defining moment, where something so monumental happens that it will irrevocably alter your life forever–for Emeline Baxter, this was one of those times.
She had been about to snuggle under the covers of her very large, miserably empty bed when the sound first pierced the quiet night. The bright light that followed, brought tears to her eyes, and all around her, pictures and knickknacks began to vibrate.
34.Where did I go right?
The thought flitted through Carly’s head as she tunneled under her covers to look at Owen’s fabulous backside just one more time. Slinking out of bed to come up for air, she stretched her five foot eight inch frame another inch to get a peek at the traditional beach scene spilling through the hole in her condo’s dysfunctional blinds.
35. I taste their magic in the air. I came here to get away from it. They should have stayed away from me.

K*

My judge for this week will now take over. I’ll post the 35 who go on to the next round Monday. In the meantime I have some really great news. I have decided to run this contest every six months. Hilary Sares at Kensington has agreed to be the grand prize for the next First Line Contest. :cheerleader: I will always have a NYC editor or a top notch agent as the grand prize. So, if you don’t make it to the final five this time there will be lots more opportunities.
Good luck!

Congrats to those who made it to the third round. You have until midnight Friday to post your third line. For anyone who misses the deadline, you are out, and we’ll be moving forward with the entries that do post. Good luck! and I hope I didn’t screw up.

1. I could not believe my good fortune. A car pulled away just as I was within twenty feet of it and I was only one block from the address I was seeking.
2. “Great Odin, I demand retribution against this beast!” Freyja gestured toward the dark shiny mass writhing before a large fiery hearth, twisting and turning, as it tried to find a way to escape its bonds.
3. I haven’t had sex with my husband in almost four months. And frankly, I don’t miss it.
4. Somewhere between Heaven and Hell Nick Winters decided to live. There was something about lying in a pool of his own blood that made him think God wasn’t finished with him yet.
5. Bubble bath made terrible camouflage.
Myra St. James tilted her legs, trying to get the disappearing bubbles to better cover her lower half.
6. She really had to stop thinking about screwing her boss. Being at a sex toy party wasn’t helping.
7. “Hell, I’ve got kids myself, Deborah, so I can see how something like this can happen—what with you being a single momma and all. It’s a hectic, overwhelming day and then the kid starts to whine.”
8. I am justice. I am vengeance.
9. Have you ever had one of those “best sex you could ever imagine” dreams? You think you’re hearing angels on high, singing the Hallelujah Chorus and sounding their trumpets for you just as you are about to have the most incredible orgasm of your life.
10. Jane Ryan gently placed the phone on the counter, tidied her already neat hair, and screamed at the top of her lungs, “I am the rock between the fruit loops.” Her anger rose like an imminent eruption of Mount St. Helens.
11. The hot black coffee burned as it soaked through Cindy’s business casual Docker slacks.
“Excuse me,” said a deep baritone voice.
12. Jace Hill held on for dear life. Shackled to a steel pole, his arms screamed a protest as he was jerked sideways again.
13. “So, are you ready for some wild sex?” Julia leaned forward, elbows on her knees, understanding for the first time the true meaning of the term ‘no brainer’.
14.I taste their magic in the air. I came here to get away from them.
15. I killed myself for Anton Romanek–literally. Not out of love–out of necessity.
16. Alcohol doesn’t take away the pain of career rejection, but it does dull it a bit. I shift on my cushy green couch and take a sip of my liquid tropical paradise, pretending to listen to the woman beside me.
17. Vayden,Wyo. was not a place Laura wanted to call home. A controlling husband and two needful teenagers had left her feeling trapped.
18. Two things hit Ryan the second he stepped into the kitchen-someone had cleaned the place up, and there was a strange half naked woman smacking the hell out of his coffee maker. The fact that she didn’t belong there would have registered if he hadn’t been too busy staring at the red panties hugging her ass like a second skin.
19. Tony Solomon did not plan to die that day. No way in hell was he going to go up that thing.
20. He marveled over her long beautiful legs while he licked his lips before saying to her, “Nice legs, what time do they open?”
Teresa wasn’t surprised as she thanked him for the mojito, walking away she realized it could have been a lot worse.
21. The second his century long reprieve ended, the Devil set out to destroy his soul again. Unfortunately the Evil One had the advantage because Derek Ramsey’s soul tended to gravitate to the road to perdition.
22. She should have kept running. Lia Brown slammed the door of her ancient Nova a little harder than was necessary, cringed, and shot a glance over her shoulder.
23. I sell time. I’ll do just about anything for just about anybody.
24. Every woman considered stealing a horse and running away on her wedding day, didn’t she? Isabel of Thornwyck glanced around at the guests, hoping there was still time for a miracle.
25. Dani Perez stepped away from the revolving door and walked toward the hotel bar, her four-inch heels clattering like a “Riverdance” audition on the black marble floor. The desk clerk glanced up with a knowing smile.
26. I’m damned if I’ll end up just another body pushed off this cursed bridge! After hours of bloody hand and combat fighting, Duncan, first Viscount Huntingdale, was on his knees on that bridge with a ball shot in his leg, an empty musket and outnumbered four to one.
27. She had wondered how long it would take before she could actually hear them speaking to each other…her mother had warned her eventually the lesions would dig deep enough, grind themselves so far in her brain that it would happen.
Now it had…her ears rang with the deep chatter of their kind, the vampires, and it nearly drove her crazy.
28. I believe “long” and “term” are the two worst four letter words out there, at least when it comes to relationships. Being committed for the long haul is fine, if you’re insane; if you’re not, why weigh yourself down with one anchor of a man?
29. She couldn’t run anymore. The rocks and stones that flanked the Scottish coastline could twist an unwary ankle, or break a foolish neck.
30. Trust–in the single breath it took to speak the word, one could be betrayed.
With alert trepidation, Griffin Vaughan awaited the return of his page from the enemy’s lair.
31. After all this time, it was finally happening–that quiet, maddening tumble into insanity. Annie closed her eyes, fully expecting that when she opened them, the man sitting at her kitchen table–the man who looked like Joel, but couldn’t be Joel–would be gone.
32. At the crack of dawn, my nine year old niece Sophie decided to forego the toilet and poop in her pajamas while standing in the middle of the upstairs hall. Vaguely acknowledging her predicament (size10 Barbie panties full of a walloping load of crap) she kicked off her PJ bottoms and underwear, stepped into the poop and proceeded to clomp down the hall toward her mother’s bedroom, leaving a trail of fecal footprints across the new, beige Berber.
33. “Fuck you,” Susan Deluca screeched, lobbing her favorite Jimmy Choo pump at her soon-to-be-ex husband’s Lexus. It bounced against the car door with a satisfying ‘thunk’ that brought the vehicle to a jerky stop and prompted Dale to lower the window.
34. Men lie. As a dues-paying member of the species, House depended on this fact, subscribed to it–gloried in it.
1. 35. Where did I go right? The thought flitted through Carly’s head as she tunneled under her covers to look at Owen’s fabulous backside just one more
36. There comes, in everyone’s life, a defining moment, where something so monumental happens that it will irrevocably alter your life forever–for Emeline Baxter, this was one of those times. She had been about to snuggle under the covers of her very large, miserably empty bed when the sound first pierced the quiet night.
37. Special Agent Jason McCall’s life fell apart the day he found out that the love of his life was not, in fact, a lesbian. And now there was a red faced bureacrat inches away from his face, screaming at the top of his lungs, “How the fuck could you not realize the chick you’ve been shackin’ up with for the last 2 years was a goddamn spy?”
38. The floor descended at least twenty feet. Surrounded by utter blackness, Lisa Maxwell tipped her head and momentarily wondered what the heck she’d gotten herself into.
39. “Wearing red to their mother’s wake.” A woman’s voice behind Eli Webster sharpened with disapproval–and was that a hint of envy he heard?
40. The alley stretched ahead, dark and ominous…yet Antoinette moved forward, one deliberate step after another. Perspiration beaded on her upper lip and she ran a hand across her face to wipe it away before the saltiness slipped unwelcome to the corners of her mouth.

the three entries that get a second chance are:

“Wearing red to thier mother’s wake.”

The floor decended at least twenty feet.

Ladies get your second line to me asap, here in the comment section, put both lines. I want to post the 40 who make it to the second round later today, and my judge has a busy day today.
So add your second lines, and good luck!

Okay, of the 45 first lines that went on to the second round, 3 didn’t post a second line in the allotted time. So, to be equitable I will allow the 5 that didn’t make it to the second round to repost their original first line to be judged. Now, I’m not going to chase down the 5, so if you know them let them know to post in the comment section of this blog post, because my judge is going to pick 3 of the 5 by tomorrow morning, which I will announce at that time. Those three will immediately need to post a second line, so that the judge will have 45 entries to work with and I can post the third round entries tomorrow night to keep on my time table. So, obviously I’ll need them asap. As I said, I’m not going hunting, and because this is getting confusing, this will be the one and only time for a second chance. If the entrants don’t post their subsequent lines within the time period, we will move forward without them, and the culling will be equitable. So let’s say of the 40 who move on to the 3rd round only 39 post a third line, then only 4 will be culled. If the full 40 post then 5 will be culled.
If you are confused, so am I.
So let those 5 ladies know they have a second chance

This is NO hoax… this is MY daughter. Many of you know me and the lists I’ve sent this to are the only one’s I could think of. I am on my way to the sheriff’s office so they can disect my computer and maybe crack her yahoo codes and see who she’s been chatting with and such.

MY DAUGHTER IS MISSING

http://www.marjoriejones.com/staci/missingx.html

PLEASE FORWARD TO THIS TO ANYONE YOU CAN! OTHER LISTS, FRIENDS, FAMILY. SHE’S BEEN GONE FOR MORE THAN 12 HOURS AND SHE COULD BE IN DANGER! PLEASE PASS THIS ON!

Marjorie

Of the first 50 first lines entered here are the 45 my first round judge picked to go on to the second round. And FYI, for the heck of it, I culled 5 myself just to see if I was on the same page as the judge, and let’s just say we didn’t see eye-to-eye on everything.
So, to the 45 who made it congrats, to the 5 who had great lines but had to leave us, thank you for participating and please hang around and root your personal favs on. I am going to do this again, and I’d love to have you back.
Now, ladies in the comment section, please write your original first line then the line that comes after it by midnight Friday. If you don’t post a second line by then, you’ll be out of the competition and, I’ll pull up one of the five on the cutting room floor, and ask them to post a second line.
So, let’s go! And good luck to everyone.
Oh, ps, if your lines aren’t dialogue then don’t use quotes. When I transcribed all of these, I was sure some weren’t dialogue, but I could be wrong, but I went ahead and typed them verbatim, so in your next post you don’t have to use the quotes to alert me that it’s your line. Does that make sense?
If I made any mistakes with your lines forgive me, and fix them when you post.

1. “So are you ready for some wild sex?”
2. “Alcohol doesn’t take away the pain of career rejection, but it does dull it a bit.”
3. I killed myself for Anton Romanek—literally!
4. She should have kept running.
5. Bubble bath made terrible camouflage.
6. I taste magic in the air.
7. The second his century long reprieve ended, the devil set out to destroy h
8. Tony Solomon did not plan to die that day.
9. Sarah Goodwin’s jaw dropped like a nun’s in an NFL locker room.
10. He marveled over her long beautiful legs while he licked his lips before saying to her, “Nice legs, what time do they open?”
11. “It’s so cold out here my goosebumbs are dangerously close t being bigger than my tits.”
12. Jane Ryan gently placed the phone on the counter, tidied her already neat hair, and screamed at the top of her lungs, “I am the rock between the fruit loops.”
13. She really had to stop thinking about screwing her boss.
14. Somewhere between Heaven and Hell, Nick Winters decided to live.
15. Vayden, Wyo. was not a place Laura wanted to call home.
16. I am justice.
17. The kid looked liked he’d just lost his best friend, probably because he did.
18. Dani Perez stepped away form the revolving door and walked toward the hotel bar, her four-inch heels clattering like a “Riverdance” audition on the black marble floor.
19. Men lie.
20. “Great Odin, I demand retribution against the beast.”
21. She had wondered how long it would take before she could actually hear them speaking to each other…her mother had warned her eventually the lesions would dig deep enough, grind them selves so far in her brain that it would happen.
22. Trust-in the single breath it took to speak the word, one could be betrayed.
23. Special Agent Jason McCall’s life fell apart the day he found out that the love of his life was not, in fact, a lesbian.
24. “Hell, I’ve got kids myself, Deborah, so I can see how something like this can happen-particularly with you being a single mama and all.”
25. I could not believe my good fortune.
26. “Fuck you,” Susan Deluca screeched, lobbing her favorite Jimmy Choo pump at her soon-to-be ex-husband’s Lexus.
27. She couldn’t run anymore.
28. Well, if it was one thing that I learned from my last job it was NOT to sleep with the boss’s fiancé.
29. Jace Hill held on for dear life.
30. I’ll be damned if I’ll be just another body pushed off the cursed bridge.
31. Two things hit Ryan the second he stepped into the kitchen-someone had cleaned the place up, and there was a strange half naked woman smacking the hell out of his coffee maker.
32. “I couldn’t bring myself to say the actual word.”
33. I sell time.
34. After all this time it was finally happening, that quiet maddening tumble into insanity.
35. At the crack of dawn, my nine year old niece Sophie decided to forego the toilet and poop in her pajamas while sleeping in the middle of the upstairs hall.
36. I haven’t had sex with my husband in four months.
37. I believe “long” and “term” are the tow worst four letter words out there, at least when it comes to relationships.
38. Jake was certain when he woke up that morning that those breasts had not been there the night before.
39. Have you ever had one of those “best sex you could ever imagine” dreams?
40. The jumble of bones that had been brought to Aaron Clement six weeks before had taken on a shape inside him and a sort of individuality, though they hadn’t been identified.
41. Where did I go right?
42. There comes in everyone’s life a defining moment where something so monumental happens that it will irrevocably alter your life forever-for Emeline Baxter, this was one of those times.
43. Every woman considered stealing a horse and running away on her wedding day, didn’t she?
44. The pressing weight of her gaze crept across Gabe Moreaus’s still form and he swore on his life it was a living thing.
45. The hot black coffee burned as it soaked through Cindy’s business casual Docker slacks.

These are great! Good luck with line two.
K*

and will be posting them tomorrow afternoon.

The contest is now closed to entries.
Ladies there are so many great first lines. I’m really happy everyone is as excited about this contest as I.
If my judge can get to it this week I’ll post the 45 that go on to round two before Monday.
Write on,
K

I’m really excited about this contest. I hope the epilogue is a sale! :hello2:

Okay here’s how the Best First Line contest, open to all writers, is going to roll.
At midnight tonight, Pacific Standard Time, in the comment section of my blog post your best first line.
I’ll take the first 50 entries. You can only post one, that doesn’t mean have someone else post for you, it’s one per person period, and I’m going to leave it up to everyone to play by the honor system. If you want to post under an anonymous name that’s fine, but make up an actual name, not just an anon. There are bound to be more than one anon posts, so to keep track I need different handles for all entries. Please DO NOT POST before the midnight starting time. If you do I will pull it.
The posting will close this Friday at midnight, PST. Over the weekend the anonymous first round judge (all judges will be published authors) will cull five. I’ll post the remaining 45 on Monday. If your best first line is up on the blog then post the next line. I’ll close the window to respond the following Friday at midnight PST. The next judge will cull five more. The following Monday I will post them, then those 40 still standing will post the third line. It will follow the same schedule until we get down to the final five. At that time I will ask the 5 finalist to send (not sure if snail mail or email but will advise) me their first 10 pages of the story beginning with their original contest best first line and I will submit them to Senior Pocket Editor Lauren McKenna to read and pick the winner!
So sharpen your keyboards.
And good luck!
K*