The results are in!
Our judges have chosen Georgia Blackwood as the winner in our first-ever Best First Chapter contest. Georgia will receive a contract for her book, When the Child Speaks, tentatively scheduled to launch in summer 2027.
Georgia Blackwood is a St. Louis-based writer whose storytelling speaks to the heart of human resilience. Her work invites readers to sit with what is raw, what is real, and what becomes redemptive.
You can find her online at her author website or Instagram: @authorgeorgiablackwood
Our runner-up is S. M. Stevens, who receives a free manuscript critique (and, of course, bragging rights).
S.M. Stevens began writing fiction during back-to-back health crises: a shattered pelvis and ovarian cancer. She writes contemporary novels designed to make readers laugh, cry and think. Her most recent novel, Beautiful and Terrible Things, was published by Black Rose Writing last summer. It has since won seven awards including Indies Today’s Best Literary Book of 2024, and an Honorable Mention in the Social Issues category of the 2024 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest. Her book The Wallace House of Pain won the 2023 American Fiction Award for Best Novelette, and First Place in the Short Fiction category of the Chanticleer International Book Awards. A lifelong New Englander other than stints in England and Italy, she lives in Washington, N.H.
You can find her online:
Website: https://authorsmstevens.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s.m.stevens/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorsmstevens
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSMStevens
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/authorsmstevens.bsky.social
Thanks so much to all the talented writers who participated in the contest! We’re looking forward to working with the winners and to offering many more opportunities for authors to share their work!
