FIRST CHAPTERS

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Survival Shock - an extract from Mission Longshot • Sam Hawksmoor She stared with numb horror at her twisted toe nails some six inches long and her long brittle fingernails, all split and discolored with white patches  Endtime • Sam North Breakout - the virus is here! In the damn school. The Blood of the Lord • W A Harbinson Anna wanted God - Tom wanted Anna Steve just wanted money. Then came the miracle... Opalescent Blue • Sam Nortey, Jr. An excerpt from his literary fiction novel, Thumbwars As I turned around to change the radio station, Ms. Opal said, "I’m going to turn off the music. When I come back, I want to hear the end of your story." Early Times: The Origins of Stanford University • Jerry Franks It reminded him of the master and mistress visiting the hired help. The Goa File • James Skinner Extract from his novel about the Falkland's War The Goa File Part Two 1.4.2006 The CIA connection Published in full by Cyberwit December 2006 The Purim Code (Oct 2008) • James Skinner USA has blown your cover. Your position at risk. Return to base immediately The Purple Maiden Chapter 1: A Crude Awakening Hotel Babilonia, Vigo. (June 2009) • James Skinner Pedro was drying off in the shower when his wife came bursting into the bathroom. ‘There’s a woman outside screaming...' The Purple Maiden: Chapter 2: Dangerous trawling James Skinner It was Wednesday, just past 09:00 and although the weather was cold and rainy, there were no signs of a storm within hundreds of miles south of the Cornish coast. ‘Mayday! Mayday! Help! Sinking! Maruxa! Maruxa…this is captain of Maruxa! Mayday…’ O'Donnel's Travails • Kevin Blanking 'my blood was up, I was up for a scrap. They do not call us fighting Irish for nothing'... Stateside • Jeff Hunt Refrain from a monster Poor Cottontop • Philip E. Hardy At noontime on the following day, Sheriff Maynard arrived at Ellison's jail cell to escort him to his execution. Summer in Cadillac • Mike Blake - a novella in progress a summer on the island Summer in Cadillac - Chapter Two Shiftwork 11.05.05 Summer in Cadillac - Chapter Three Taking a Break in a pig's sty Summer in Cadillac - Chapter Four Beer and Girls Summer in Cadillac - Chapter Five Getting Stoned Summer in Cadillac - Chapter Six The secret pool Summer in Cadillac - Chapter Seven Summer half-over - 13.02.06 Ghost Continents: Stories of Maps & Legends • Jessica Schneider The Myth and the Mountain - The Peaks and Valleys of a Man-Made Map Malibu Eyes • Janice Slater Mickey's a cool dude DIAMONDS - The Rush of '72 • Sam North's first chapter... Suddenly anxious, he patted the coat pocket closest to his heart and was reassured to find a large hard lump still situated there. They’d not been robbed...yet. Between a Rock and Randomness • Dan Schneider ...other kids might echo her taunts, but Laney was especially loud, mean, ruthless, and relentless The Well of Lost Plots • Jasper Fforde MAKING ONE’S HOME in an unpublished novel wasn’t without its compensations. All the boring day-to-day mundanities that we conduct in the real world get in the way of narrative flow and are thus generally avoided. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT • Walter Roberts What follows is not a minute by minute commentary of events. It’s more recorded highlights, if you like. But that’s what life’s mainly about, isn’t it?  THE ORACLE AND DAI BANDO • Kelvin Mason ‘Mr Forrest,’ Dai said loudly, ‘do Englishmen swim in shit?’ ‘What’re you on about, Griffiths?’ ‘My friend’s in the slurry pit!’ the second boy yelled. THE MAN WHO BARKED • Andrew Bernhadt & Alice Shrgai 'I nearly screamed but managed to stop myself; Grandma hated children who scream'. Memoirs from Germany. 'A wonderful, atmospheric true story.' THE CLEARANCES • Hazel Marshall Slowly the women had risen to their feet and, pushing their already rolled up sleeves further up their arms, prepared for battle. This was the part that they had been dreading most. Not the fighting. Crofting was a physical way of life and violence was habitual. PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES • Rob Burns "You are visiting?" "For a week. A little work." "With your husband?" Pieter nodded towards the bar. "A friend." Pieter Van Laere lifted up his Grolsch and said "Oh." The Land • Jacob Brugge A man, a horse, a long way from home LIVING IN PENURY • Jon Guyver-Cole The ladies love the attention as Derrick fusses about clean sheets and discusses haberdashery with them. Even the husbands warm to being flirted with, children are just confused. In the winter they take in "special" guests LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN • JAYNE SHARRATT “I will live and love and laugh,” she promised herself. “I will ride the whirlwind (not the number three bus). I shall be brave and bold and good. No one shall dare call me ordinary or naive.” LOVE • JEORG LISEGANG She didn't seem to hear me. So I tried to kiss her. She understood. Said we couldn't. Not like this. Pointed at my feet. I was standing on the white tiles. And she was standing on the black. Let’s Get Reagan • Thomas Foster Jimmy, Fox is a big serious network. Am I supposed to think they’d consider a show about kidnapping a living former President? MY WIFE VICKIE • Robert Stanger and Amanda Massa At every point of interest, we would purchase some item as a souvenir, later to be reviewed with pleasure as a reminder of our "voyage". However, Vickie, was not satisfied with only purchasing items. She had to gather in items that didn't cost anything. This was another aspect of her kleptomania. THINKING OF GETTING YOUR BOOK PUBLISHED? READ THIS ADVICE FIRST MANUSCRIPTS WANTED by Vic Peters Rules and Conditions We reserve the right to accept only work of quality from writers committed to completing a novel. Authors retain all rights - You can Send your constructive comments on these First Chapters to the authors directly. Publishing News Hazel Marshall's exciting children's novel is published in the UK Sept 2004 by Oxford University Press. Troublesome Angels and Flying Machines ISBN: 0192719513 Click on pic to buy Read Also HOLLY The complete children's mystery novel on-line • Jayne Sharratt "A wonderful first novel - a charming and ultimately quite tragic tale.' More Fiction in Dreamscapes

SHOWCASING NEW FICTION • NOVELS IN PROGRESS • If you like the work, email the author *This Section now closed to new submissions Salt, Mustard, Vinegar Tony Southport Salt, Mustard, Vinegar, Pepper the chants of the children drifted over from the school playground like a distant echo from another age. Market Force Graeme Talboys Police Thriller So, there I was. Out of touch, out of practice. Under the Rotunda Danny Bernadi Russell tried his best to be available for the staff but nobody dared approach him in case he gave them more work A Complete Serialised Novel I thought I’d go to Paradise; I always wanted to find out if it’s all it’s cracked up to be. The Great Beyond 1-3 Great Beyond - Chapter Four Great Beyond - Chapter Five Great Beyond - Chapter Six Great Beyond - Chapter Seven Great Beyond - Chapter Eight Great Beyond - Chapter Nine Great Beyond - Chapter Ten Great Beyond - Chapter Eleven Great Beyond - Chapter Twelve Great Beyond - Chapter Thirteen Great Beyond - Chapter Fourteen Great Beyond - Chapter Fifteen Great Beyond - Chapter Sixteen Great Beyond - Chapter Seventeen Great Beyond - Chapter Eighteen Great Beyond - Chapter Nineteen Great Beyond- Chapter Twenty - Final Chapter Meet the Prince of Darkness • Brodie Parker's serialised novel about life after death is here - only in Hackwriters A Celestial Awkening • Alex Clifton I didn’t know why I was surprised everyday that I had overslept, but today was an important day. Under A Train • Lynn Ede The Train's coming...jump, jump now...you can do it Going West • M. Blake 'You don’t understand.’ Monica’s voice was practically hoarse with sudden emotion. ‘It’s something I saw just now, a violent death Jan. I’m not kidding. I just glimpsed it. Really.’ Exorcising Luca • Elayne Keratsis "You’ve to go back down to the mammogram department, and don’t ask me why, because I don’t know." Pair Bond • Anna Dickie I soon became a student of the school of thought that teaches I might not feel very sorry for what I did, but I am immensely sorry I was caught. A Chink in My Armour • Casey Howell Going Buckeye On the road to Ohio in an Audi TT • Phil Mershon takes a trip across the USA I wonder if anyone outside the family recognized true goodness or could see halos The Book of Maybe • Elizabeth P Glixman He hated them now, their jauntiness and utter disregard for His misery. He wished them no good fortune Fighting The Flow • Greg Thompson in a coffee shop Zene • Ben Henry Natalie looked down at the small bear in her hands, and then up at the woman. And though the face was smiling, the eyes looked scared. Natalie looked back down into the black beady eyes of the bear. "She would have wanted you to have it." The woman said softly Colonel James • James Skinner Scrap Metal and the origins of the Falklands Conflict Three Days at The Chinese Buffet • Elyane Keratsis Rule One: never pick up strangers at the bus stop Rule Two: Avoid the Chinese Buffet Vicky Banning • Allen McGill 'Just a sweet little old dear of 72...wouldn't steal a thing... Hay I'm Not used to This • Caroline Liebenow in Southern Lapland ...my experience of moving to Finland as a single woman and meeting my Finnish husband via the internet.This is my first, and probably last time trying to help my in-laws make hay on their farm in southern Lapland. Connections Chapters 1-5 • Cody Cobb "I didn’t know I was sitting right next to the world’s greatest liar! This is too cool!" The Shah of Chicago • A novel by A.J. Nabi 'Three or four shipments of the best smack in the world and Jack would really be King' Alice in La La Land • Malina Sarah Saval I thought,' If I don’t see these people at once I’m going to go absolutely stark raving mad'. And I did. The Power of Nothing - Chapter One 09.02.09 Robbin Yager 'To be still was impossible for her. They weren't living with a ghost, didn't have disaster stalking'. Not Wasted - Not Wanted Extract from Alex Grant's novel in progress. Becky would pause a sly smile on her lips "So just what are you going to do to me, you big brute?" HARD17 • David Whelan "Over the last, what is it, six weeks? You've taken about twenty thousand dollars of our money." "After I've won it, it stops being yours, doesn't it?" NORTH END ROAD • Paul Blake 'Robert hated Joe then and hated him still'. Growing up with an older brother is hard, especially one who is trying to kill you. A Bairn’s War - 1939-45 ...a state of war now existed between Great Britain and Germany. It had a disastrous effect on my parents. Affluence and Effluence • Neil Wills Broke. I’ll continue the illusion as long as possible. At least outwardly. I suspect the waitress is aware of the truth. She smiles and adds an extra dollop of cream unasked for. My gratitude wells up and almost trickles out. Coughing, I turn away. Time to Heal: A Novel • Linda Pynaker "Ted, we have to talk." This is an already completed novel about a woman on a personal journey to discover herself, and regain her life and spirituality through healing touch and new friendships. THE MAKING AND BREAKING • Amy Chan She felt completely devastated, but did her best, in front of Him, to disguise her feelings as mere disbelief. He just felt dead chuffed. Probably taking it as sure fired evidence of his virility. The pathetic and shortsighted vanity of men, she thought glumly. In actual fact, it was more due to her fecundity than anything to do with him. She knew from accidents in the past that she could fall pregnant as easily as ripping open a packet of three. FIFTY-TWO WHITE THIRTY-SiX BLACK • Amy Chan In an environment where the only women present were the cook and the aged Mother Superior, I guess a flash of nubile, female thigh or a snugly encased bottom would be far from convivial to maintaining a chaste and celibate, male state of mind. In The Beginning • Jim - a First chapter A story usually has a beginning middle and an end- but what if mine does not? Is there a point that I am trying to get over to you reading this, some kind of wisdom that I can impart upon you that will make you change the way you see things forever? Travel Writing INDIA • Mark Bass There was one other westerner in the Spartan restaurant. I was just contemplating whether or not to strike up conversation when he began talking irately to a naan bread as he savagely ripped it apart. I decided otherwise. THRILLER ‘NOOSE MAN ’ Gets Vengeance on ‘Hollywood’ • Jeff M. Hardison No one could imagine murder as the cause of Leon’s death. When he saw the cruisers and ambulance near the river that hot, July morning, Christison's adrenaline pumped. He felt his heart quicken. HINDSIGHT William Knight That’s a perfect circle of protection, Sylvia," Audrey said, admiring her friends steadiness with the salt pourer Sam North's novel The Curse of the Nibelung - A Sherlock Holmes Mystery published Sept 2005 His pandemic novel: Another Place to Die: The Endtime Chronicles available on Amazon Jeff Hunts new first novel out now and available at Barnes and Nobel entitled Eduardo Aquifer - the first chapter: 'It’s Constantinople, and I’m a writer outside the city gates, ready to burn the whole thing down, but in a good, literary way.” Review 4.02.2004 Diamonds - The Rush of '72 ISBN: 1-4116-1088-1 is available also. $19.95 from Amazon.com in the USA or from the publishers direct - see box below. Buy now from Amazon.com 'a terrific piece of storytelling' Historical Novel Society Review available from Amazon.co.uk MORE FICTION IN Dreamscapes 1 Dreamscapes 2 Dreamscapes 3

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