Hey, everyone, this is Justin Macumber. Well, it’s nearing the end of the year, and with the coming of that crisp autumn wind also comes the second annual writing contest. This year we decided to make this a contest about great opening chapters. If you want the reader to carry on past the opening of your book, you have to hook them, entice them, capture their attention and draw them in. That’s what this contest is all about. We don’t care about the genre, or the subject matter. All we want is something that will grab us and have us begging to read more. And keep in mind, it doesn’t have to be a cliffhanger. If you develop a strong enough premise and memorable characters, that can be enough to hook people.

The contest will run from October 1st to October 31st and the entries can’t be longer than 5,000 words. Email your chapter to show@deadrobotssociety.com. That’s it. Just make sure it hooks us, that it’s in before October’s over, and it’s within 5,000 words. We can’t wait to see what you fine folks have in store for us.

Now for the payoff. This year there won’t be just one winner, but many. The grand prize is an autographed copy of Scott Sigler’s out of print and damn near impossible to find novel “Ancestor.” And, not only is it autographed, but it will also be personalized to the winner. Other authors with names you’ll recognize have pledged autographed copies of their novels, including Tee Morris, Patrick Rothfuss, Mur Lafferty, A. Lee Martinez, Mathew Wayne Selznick, Pip Ballentine, and P.G. Holyfield! Be very excited. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.