First Page Panda

The pandas will be back after the new year with new first pages. In the meantime, let’s look back at a previously-posted first page. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

The chairs in the lobby of Discriminating Nannies, Inc., were less comfortable than they looked. I sat stiffly in the one nearest the exit, where, feeling like an impostor in my gray herringbone suit from Goodwill, I could watch the competition come and go. I’d had some trouble walking up the steps from the subway in my low pumps and narrow skirt. The new shoes chafed my heels, and I had to keep reminding myself to take small steps so as not to rip the skirt’s satin lining. I dressed carefully that morning, pulling my hair away from my face with a large silver barrette, determined to look the part of a nanny — or how I imagined a nanny should look — tidy, responsible, wise.

But I had gotten it wrong. The other applicants seemed to be college girls like me. One had situated herself in the middle of the taupe sofa and was calmly reading InStyle magazine; she wore faded jeans and a cardigan, her red hair tousled. Another, in a full skirt and flat shoes I coveted, listened to her iPod, swaying almost imperceptibly in time to the music. But maybe they weren’t feeling as desperate as I was, acid churning in my stomach, pulse fluttering in my throat.

Excerpt © 2010 April Lindner

About the book:

What if Jane Eyre fell in love with a rock star?

Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, practical and independent Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance with her magnetic and brooding employer, Nico Rathburn—who just happens to be a rock star.

But there’s a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane’s much-envied relationship with Nico is soon tested by an agonizing secret from his past. Torn between her feelings for Nico and his fateful secret, Jane must decide: Does being true to herself mean giving up on true love?

What people are saying:

“I couldn’t put Jane down! Whether you love literature, romance, thrillers, or anything in between, you’ll get swept up in Jane all the way to its scrumptious, satisfying end.”-Sara Shepard, New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars series

“There’s nothing plain about Jane. April Lindner executes the cool trick of being stubbornly loyal to the well-loved original while creating something totally new and captivating.”-Cecily von Ziegesar, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Gossip Girl series

“A sparkling new novel of impossible love, tragic deceit, and a wicked fine guitar solo.”-Anne Osterlund, author of Aurelia

“A remarkable, rocking good love story.” Justina Chen, author of North of Beautiful

Released: October 2010 by Poppy

About the author:

April Lindner is an Associate Professor of English at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Her debut novel, JANE, is due out from Poppy in October 2010. Her poetry collection, SKIN, received the Walt McDonald First-Book Prize in Poetry, and her poems have been featured in many anthologies and textbooks. She holds an MFA in writing from Sarah Lawrence College and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Cincinnati. The mother of two teenage boys, she plays acoustic guitar badly, sees more rock concerts than she’d care to admit, travels whenever she can, cooks Italian food, and lavishes attention on her pets–two Labrador retriever mixes and an elderly guinea pig. April lives with her husband and two sons in Pennsylvania.

A Hail Mary and a Harem

 The Count? 21 Days Until My Trip to Alabama

I once read that football was invented so people wouldn’t notice summer ending. But I couldn’t wait for summer vacation to end. I couldn’t wait for football. Football, dominator of fall – football, love of my life.

“Blue forty-two! Blue forty-two! Red seventeen!” I yell.

The cue is red seventeen. JJ hikes me the ball. The defense is blitzing. JJ slams into a freshman safety, knocking him to the ground. The rest of my offensive line destroys the defense. Nice. The field’s wide open, but my wide receiver isn’t where he’s supposed to be.

“What the hell, Higgins?” I mutter to myself.

Dancing on my tiptoes, I scan the end zone and find Sam Henry instead, and hurl the ball. It flies through the air, a perfect spiral, heading right where I wanted it to go. He catches the ball, spikes it, and does this really stupid dance. Henry looks like a freaking ballerina. With his thin frame and girly blonde hair, he actually could be the star of the New York Ballet.

I’m gonna give him hell for his dance.

This is my senior year at Hundred Oaks High, and I’m captain, so I’m allowed to keep my players in line. Even though he’s my best friend, Henry has always been a showoff. His antics get us penalties.

Through the speaker in my helmet, I hear Coach Miller say, “Nice throw. This is your year, Woods. You’re going to lead us to the state championship. I can feel it… Hit the showers.” What the coach actually means? I know you’re not going to blow it in the final seconds of the championship game like you did last year.

And he’s right. I can’t.

Excerpt copyright © 2011 Miranda Kenneally

About the book:

What girl doesn’t want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn’t just surrounded by hot guys, though – she leads them as the captain and quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that’s just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there’s a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team… and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate.

What people are saying:

“Whoever said football and girls don’t mix hasn’t read CATCHING JORDAN! I stayed up all night reading – I couldn’t put it down!”–Simone Elkeles, New York Times Bestselling author of the PERFECT CHEMISTRY series

“I fell in love with the hero on page 1, and CATCHING JORDAN just gets better from there. This feel-good romantic comedy about high school football is the novel I’ve been waiting for. I loved it!”–Jennifer Echols, author of LOVE STORY, ENDLESS SUMMER, GOING TOO FAR and FORGET YOU

“CATCHING JORDAN has it all: heart, humor, and a serious set of balls. With a clever, authentic voice, Kenneally proves once and for all that when it comes to making life’s toughest calls — on and off the field — girls rule!”–Sarah Ockler, bestselling author of FIXING DELILAH and TWENTY BOY SUMMER

“A beautiful novel with a competitive spirit both on and off the field. With a real and captivating depiction of high school relationships, CATCHING JORDAN shows the same reverence for the human heart that it does for the game of football.”–Karsten Knight, author of WILDEFIRE

Released: December 1, 2011

About the author:

Miranda Kenneally is the author of CATCHING JORDAN, a contemporary YA novel about football and femininity, coming in December 2011. Other books include THE GIRL I USED TO BE (fall 2012) and BAD, BAD THING (spring 2013). Miranda is the co-creator of Dear Teen Me. The Dear Teen Me Anthology will be published by Zest Books (distributed by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) in late 2012. She enjoys reading and writing young adult literature, and loves Star Trek, music, sports, Mexican food, Twitter, coffee, and her husband. Follow her on Twitter or Facebook. Miranda is represented by Sara Megibow at Nelson Literary Agency.

The pandas are excited to have two new giveaway winners to announce!

The winner of Fetching is:

Mirka Breen!

The winner of Circus Galacticus is:

Rose!

Thanks to everyone who entered. Happy reading!

Win a copy of Mindi Scott’s Freefall! Details at the end of this post.

Just when I’m starting to think she might be dead or something, the phone rings. I lunge for it, banging my shin on the coffee table and sending Mom’s ashtray tumbling to the floor. Ashes scatter on the burnt-orange carpet.

“Mom?”

No answer.

“Mom?” I say again.

“Hello, there.” It’s a man’s voice, low and fakey-smooth. At first I’m scared it’s Drake. Then he says, “I’m calling from Rainier Collection Services. Is this Ms. J. Calhoun?”

I put on my politest voice. “Sorry, you must have the wrong number.” Then I set the receiver down with a click and remind myself for the zillionth time not to answer without checking the caller I.D. Sinking onto the couch, I study the new bruise on my shin, just above my ankle bracelet Mom made me for my birthday last year. I don’t know what I’m getting myself so worked up for. Mom has had to work late plenty of times.

I close my eyes and listen. It’s almost eleven, and the only sounds are the thunk our kitchen clock makes and the swoosh of cars hydroplaning through the lake-size puddle in the street outside. I keep waiting for one of those cars to stop and Mom to come swooping into the apartment with her jasmine-and-cigarette smell and her “Hey, honey pie, you still awake?” and her big, husky laugh. But the cars just roll on by.

I’m kind of wishing the Professor would call, take my mind off Mom.

Excerpt copyright © 2011 Helen Landalf

About the book:

Stevie is used to taking care of herself. But one night her mom never comes home from the club. That’s the night Stevie’s life turns upside down. It’s the night that kicks off an extraordinary summer: the summer she has to stay with annoyingly perfect Aunt Mindy; the summer she learns to care for injured and abandoned birds; the summer she gets to know Alan, the meanest boy in high school.

But most of all, it’s the summer she finds out the truth about Mom.

What people are saying:

“Flyaway is so good I read it in one sitting. I had intended to set it aside for later, but I read the first sentence, and then the next, and by then it was too late; I was hooked!”– Han Nolan, National Book Award winner

“Fans of Ellen Hopkins and Jay Asher: Prepare to fall in love with debut novelist Helen Landalf. Filled with bighearted love and gritty realism, Flyaway rings with bittersweet truth.”–Justina Chen, author of North of Beautiful

Released: December 20, 2011

About the author: 

Helen Landalf is a debut novelist. She lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, where she’s also a Pilates instructor and children’s dance teacher. She has two stepsons. You can visit her at www.helenlandalf.com

Giveaway:

Helen has been kind enough to contribute a paperback copy of another powerful contemporary realistic novel for a giveaway: Mindi Scott’s Freefall!

Just comment on this post to enter.

For extra entries:

-Be a follower of this site (just click “Join this site”) or a follower on Twitter [+1 entry each].

-Link to this contest on Twitter, Facebook, etc. [+1 entry per each link].

Please list your extra entries in the comments.

The contest is open in the US and Canada, and ends on December 28th at midnight EST.

Good luck and happy reading!

The pandas will be back with new first pages next week, so in the meantime let’s look back at a previously-posted first page. Enjoy!

Chapter One

“Someone is following me.” I gulp air, trying to breathe.

Carolyn leans forward, her face worried. “What makes you say that?” There’s a hesitation in her voice that stings me.

“You don’t believe me!” I spit the words out at her, then look away, twisting my hands together to keep them from trembling.

“I didn’t say that. I don’t know enough about this yet to know what to believe. Why don’t you tell me about it?”

So you can go tell my parents?

But she won’t; I know she won’t. Client-therapist confidentiality and all that. And I trust Carolyn; I really do. But does she trust me?

I run my tongue over my dry lips. It almost doesn’t seem real, now that I’m sitting here in her air-conditioned office. But I didn’t imagine it. I couldn’t have.

“I hear footsteps behind me when I’m out walking alone. Heavy footsteps that stop when I stop and start when I start.”

Excerpt © 2010 Cheryl Rainfield

About the book:

Kendra, fifteen, hasn’t felt safe since she began to recall devastating memories of childhood sexual abuse, especially because she still can’t remember the most important detail– her abuser’s identity. Frightened, Kendra believes someone is always watching and following her, leaving menacing messages only she understands. If she lets her guard down even for a minute, it could cost Kendra her life. To relieve the pressure, Kendra cuts; aside from her brilliantly expressive artwork, it’s her only way of coping. Since her own mother is too self-absorbed to hear her cries for help, Kendra finds support in others instead: from her therapist and her art teacher, from Sandy, the close family friend who encourages her artwork, and from Meghan, the classmate who’s becoming a friend and maybe more. But the truth about Kendra’s abuse is just waiting to explode, with startling unforeseen consequences. Scars is the unforgettable story of one girl’s frightening path to the truth.

What people are saying:

“Scars is a brave novel, a read-in-one-sitting-except-when-you-have-to-put-it-down-to-breathe novel.” — Ellen Hopkins, author of Burned, a National Book Award nominee and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and Glass, an ALA Top Ten Book for Young Adults

“Scars is a painful and well told story, obviously written with the heart’s blood of the author. It could prove to be a life-saver for other young victims of abuse and self-harm.” — Lois Duncan, Margaret A. Edwards Award-winning author of Killing Mr. Griffin and I Know What You Did Last Summer

“Scars is the ‘must’ read for any teen. I couldn’t put it down.” — Gail Giles, author of Right Behind You, a 2009 ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

“Rainfield’s gripping, chillingly honest account of an abused teen’s fight to survive her history, and its consequent self-harm, is written with such compassion and empathy that this is ultimately a story of hope.” — Wendy Orr, author of Peeling the Onion

Released: March 2010 by WestSide Books

About the author:

Cheryl Rainfield writes realistic edgy fiction for teens, fantasy for children, and some nonfiction articles for adults. She edits and critiques children’s and teen fiction, and on her website she reviews a wide variety of children’s and YA books. In addition to writing, Cheryl is also a talented artist. She lives in Toronto with her dog Willow and cat Amazon.