In February, we challenged you to submit a 400-word excerpt from your NaNoWriMo novels. From over 650 fantastic entries, we chose two Grand Prize Winners and four Runners-Up. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did! (For more excerpts, check out this forum thread.)

"I got ‘er," he shouted over the bustling crown. "I got the thief!" To Bianca's horror, the man raised a slip of parchment in his other hand. On it was a sketch of her face - braided black hair, freckles and all - as well as the words, WANTED ALIVE. For Crimes Against the Village and the Patrol; for Trespassing and Destruction of Property; Thievery; and Evading Capture. A man in a chain-mail shirt, plumed helmet, and black drawstring pants with a red stripe walked over. A legeon had arrived. He read out the poster to her.

"If you accept your sentence and come with dignity, the penalty of your crimes will be lessened. If you do not comply, we will be forced to bring you in regardless."

Bianca shook her head. "First, I don't think the last crime you read out is legitimate. There's no law against it. And second," Bianca kneed the man holding her wrist in the groin. He doubled over in pain. "I won't be going anywhere with you." She snatched the paper out of the legeon's hand, turned, and fled, zigzagging through the streets, disrupting vendors, and jumping over barrels.

Bianca whipped her head around to see how far away the Patrol was, when she remembered the main reason she had come to the market today; to get a mursh. Cursing, Bianca spun around and shimmied up a rope. Running from stand to stand, she leapt on the colorful sun-shades of the vendors. On a green striped vendor was a stand full of the beautiful brown loaves. Bianca inhaled the spicy-sweet scent and smiled. Flipping down, she grabbed a mursh, covered in pebbles of glittering sugar. Tucking it safely in her satchel, Bianca ran back through the streets.

She slowed as she casually walked past a few confused members of the Patrol, who were wondering where she had possibly gotten to. A few meters past them, turned, saw her, pointed, and shouted. Bianca sighed and began to run again. As she glanced back, Bianca was slammed to the ground as she collided with something. She looked up into the face of the boy from yesterday. He opened his mouth, about to call for the Patrol. Bianca looked up at him, terrified.

"Please," she whispered. He shook his head, then offered his hand. She hesitated, then took it and pulled herself up.

"Go," he said. "Don't come back." 

Julia is a 13-year old Canadian writer. Her family is in the military, and they are now living in Florida. She loves Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, The Land of Stories, and Lord of the Rings. Ashamed though she is to admit it, she thinks that the Lord of the Rings movies are possibly a bit better than the books. Non-literary interests include Highland dancing and pet sitting. Though she hasn’t published anything yet, Julia hopes to do so soon.