Entry: Walk on My Own Two Hands

Walk on My Own Two Hands
By Tiffany C. Kinerson

The high-pitched squeal blared through the tiny room. The plasticy wood paneling bounced the sounds from wall to wall until it grew into a huge cacophonous ball of drilling, squealing, sucking, screaming sounds that pummeled my eardrums.

I looked across the waiting room at Jennifer. “Are we sure about this?”

Submitted by

Tiffany C. Kinerson

Entry: See Sarah Run

See Sarah Run
By Debbie Roome

It was exactly 2pm when Sarah put a match to the kitchen curtains. The exact time she should have started preparing his dinner. She’d lived with his routines for so long that she almost needed to be guided by them. The curtains caught quickly and searing flames leapt up to the ceiling boards. Billows of acrid smoke rolled across the counter tops and blobs of burning nylon from the curtains ignited a recipe book. Fascinated, she watched, marveling at how quickly the fire was spreading. The windows were open and the flames were greedily sucking in the oxygen they thrived on. An exploding bottle shocked her back to reality. The plan! She had to keep to the plan! The spare room was the one closest to the road and she flung open the windows.

Submitted by:
Debbie Roome

Entry: Does a Mustard Seed Have Faith?

Does a Mustard Seed Have Faith?
By John Meyer

What did Jesus mean when He said in Luke 17:6 “....If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.” Or in Matthew 17:20 when He said “....if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”?

Does a grain of mustard seed have faith? I’d like to tell you a little story.


My book, Does A Mustard Seed Have Faith? is a story about a mustard seed named Unrealised Potential but everyone just calls him UP for short.

Submitted by:
John Meyer

Contest Entry: The Cross of Love

The Cross of Love
by Carolyn M. Kenney

“Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” the crowd shouted angrily at Pilot. He had no choice but to release Barabbas to them. Jesus stood off to the side with bowed head, praying silently to His Father. He felt the soldiers grab Him by the elbows and lead Him away as the blood dripped from the crown of thorns on His sacred Head. His breathing became labored; the pain from the scourging caused unbearable torments throughout His body. The agony was tremendous, but He picked up the cross lying before Him on the ground and started to carry it to Calvary.

Suddenly Jesus could hear noise and pushing coming from the crowd around Him. He saw a tall, well-built man step forward. Jesus heard one of the guards yell at the man, "Pick up that cross! Now!"

Submitted by

Carolyn M. Kenney

Contest: Are they HOOKED?

Hooking a reader into the story is paramount for writers. Does your first paragraph hook the reader enough to pull them into your story?

Welcome back, Pix-N-Pen readers! Happy New Year! We have some exciting contests and a few changes for you in the coming months, so spread the word and encourage your friends to participate. How do you like the new look?

This week's contest: Give us your best hook! Submit the opening paragraph of your book or story - 250 words max - for a chance to win. Send your entry to tracyruckman [at] gmail.com by Sunday night, January 13th. The winner will be announced next Tuesday, January 15th.

Our special guest judge is...gosh, I was going to say a "consummate hooker" but that didn't come out right! :-) She writes GREAT opening hooks. Whew. That's better - now maybe she'll let me off the hook.

Janice Thompson is the author of books in a wide variety of genres—everything from inspirational romance, to cozy mysteries, historicals, non-fiction books and devotion. She currently juggles her time between writing for the Christian market and editing for clients through her new company, Writers GPS.

Janice is giving away an autographed copy of her book The Wedding Caper, which has an awesome hook of its own: "I've had an aversion to Tuesdays ever since the day my husband robbed the Clark County Savings and Loan."

Send us YOUR hook and WIN!