Gather.com has announced the winners of its First Chapters Romance Writing Competition (a contest sponsored by Simon & Schuster, Borders and Gather.com) and we are thrilled that the winner of the grand prize is a Dear Author regular. Meredith McGuire, a 28-year-old PhD University of Chicago student also known on Dear Author’s comment threads as “Emma,” has 
won a publishing contract from Simon and Schuster and a $5000 advance.
Meredith’s historical romance, currently titled The Shadow’s Kiss, set in India during the Mutiny of 1857 and in England in 1860, and featuring an English heroine and a part-English, part-Indian hero, will be published by Pocket Books in the spring of 2008.
The runner-up in the contest, Starr Toth, a 56-year-old Michigan horse farmer, has also been awarded a publishing contract from Simon and Schuster, along with a $3500 advance. Starr’s contemporary romance, currently titled Trust Me will be published by Pocket Books in the fall of 2008.
Congratulations to both Starr and Meredith!
Meredith is a good friend of mine, so I’m very excited for her.
We’ve had more than one Emma posting here lately, so I hope that hasn’t been too confusing.
I had a look at Meredith’s chapters, and they look very promising. Historicals that aren’t set in the UK are about all I’m interested in, these days. Congrats to both ladies!
How terrific! Congrats to Meredith, and I will be looking forward to reading this one.
Wonderful news and big congratulations to the winners.
Thanks for the lovely comments! I have to say, it’s a pretty big thrill to see my face and name on Dear Author. That, more than anything, starts to make it feel real.
Sounds good. Really good so I’ll have some high expectations as I do enjoy historical fiction and romances with an authentic feel to them. Janine, you’ll need to remind us when this book comes out. I’m sure you’ll be doing a review. Congrats Meridith and good luck.
Congrats Meredith! *Tossing Confetti* I hope you’re celebrating hard!
Great news, and huge congratulations to Meredith and Starr.
I read Meredith’s chapters, and I kept wishing there was more as I really enjoyed them. They keep coming back to my mind, too, which is unusual, so they definitely made and impact, and I’m looking forward to reading the published book!
Congratulations, Meredith!
Congrats Meredith!
Dang, talented and pretty.
Oh, how very cool. Congratulations, Meredith/Emma!
Excellent! congratulations to you both!
I look forward to reading both of them. Congratulations ladies.
Well, how cool is that… congrats to both ladies!
Congratulations Meredith/Emma!
Brava, Meredith! I really look forward to reading the entire book and am so thrilled that some truly unusual historicals are on the horizon for the next year, yours included.
Congratulations, Meredith!
Oh how cool! Congrats Meredith/Emma and to Starr, too! :-)
Congratulations! The Shadow’s Kiss sounds like something that I would love to read.
Congratulations, Meredith! We’d love to have you as a guest blogger over at Unusual Historicals, if you want to stop by and talk about your half-Indian hero. Love love love that something different won!
Yeah! I kept voting for Meredith because I love the setting.
Congratulations, Meredith and Starr. I think it’s so awesome how S&S decided to publish the both of you. May this be the beginning of a long and lustrous career.
I *love* unusual historicals, so I’ll definately be on the look out for this one. Congrats again. :)
~~Becka
Congrats! Here’s a to quitting the day job!
That is fantastic! Congratulations!
Congratulations!!!
Admission: my celebration was rather tame. I had a glass of wine with friends, then bought the new Anne Stuart and gave myself permission to do nothing but lie on the couch and read until I’d finished the book. Such are the perils of getting awesome news on a weeknight. ;)
Thank you for the invite! I know that blog and I’d love to contribute. (I looked around your blog and I’m not sure how to contact you.)
Yes, it’s very likely that we’ll be doing a review here when the book comes out, since I can’t imagine not reading the book. However, if it’s me who reviews it, there will almost certainly also be a review from one of the other reviewers, since I am a friend of Meredith’s.
Sherry Thomas is also a friend of mine and we’ll probably do the same thing when her book Private Arrangements comes out. I love her book so I want to share my enthusiasm with the world, but I’m conscious of the fact that as her friend, I may not be 100% unbiased. Though I know Jane also loves that book and she didn’t know Sherry from Adam when she read it. But regardless, if I review it, so will somebody else.
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce
Ideotroce, I was away when you posted your comment, but I do want to respond. What is it you don’t agree with?