The First Page Challenge 2025—2nd place

Congrats to Melissa Grant for winning second place in the First Page Challenge 2025! Here's what our judge (Michelle Barker) had to say:

"In Cloudia with a Chance of Darkness, the protagonist's voice asserts itself from the very first line. The language is sharp and perfectly suited to its intended audience, and the situation’s poignancy is balanced with humor."

Cloudia with a Chance of Darkness

It was her 11th birthday, and the sky had the nerve to be blue.

Not hazy, not half-clouded, not even a respectable gray—just blazing, empty summer. Cloudia squinted at the sunlight slicing through the blinds and pulled the blanket over her head. July 4th. Fireworks, flags, forced smiles. Every year, she hoped the weather might finally understand her. Every year, it betrayed her.

Having a birthday on a holiday double-plus stinks. Her friends left their small town of Tempest Ridge, going camping or at the lake or blowing things up in someone else’s backyard. If she wanted to have a party, which she didn’t, obviously, no one would come. The whole day felt loud and taken over; there wasn’t room left for her in it.

Even when she was little and did want balloons or cupcakes or whatever, it all got swallowed up. Stores were out of decorations that weren’t red, white, or blue. Restaurants were packed. Grown-ups forgot or said, “Happy Birthday” as an afterthought tacked onto “Happy Fourth.” And every year, without fail, someone gave her a sparkler and acted as though that counted as special. The entire day felt noisy, with all the fireworks, shouting, music, and flag-waving chaos. Everyone had already decided what the celebration was for, and it wasn't her.

She was in the middle of composing a mental speech about how much she hated fireworks when Gloom hopped onto the bed. He was a black, scruffy tangle of Schnauzer and Poodle, and he landed with a grunt, then flopped sideways against her legs, a sandbag with opinions. Cloudia tried to scowl, but it cracked into a reluctant giggle. Traitor, she thought, and scratched behind his ears anyway.

Melissa Grant is a native Washingtonian who lives in North Bend with her husband Mark and their dog Bee. Tall, pale, and freckled like her character Cloudia, she has always hated the sun. After one too many comments about “enjoying the heat,” she wrote her personal villain origin story, and Cloudia was born. What started as a joke became a draft finished in three months. She has long run Living Snoqualmie, a regional news outlet with 40,000 followers, where she learned to dig into local stories and connect with readers. She is now editing book one and outlining the sequel.

LivingSnoqualmie.com