We’re only ONE day away from the release of Two-Man Advantage. Nervousness has set in, but as I was anxiously reviewing the manuscript for the eight billionth time I got to thinking about first lines. For example, the first line of Two-Man Advantage is:
“There was a naked man in his bed.”
Now, I’m fairly attached to this sentence, mostly because I can clearly hear Nate in my head (unavoidable author bias). But, looking at that sentence made me think about my general affection for the first sentence (or even first few sentences) of a book. Great first line(s) can be a breath of fresh air, the herald of good things to come. Quite honestly, there’s something just plain fun about a fantastic hook.
Here are four of my favorites:
“Yesterday, Carl Hades had been shot at by a man wearing a black thong and a pink silk nightie. Even in his line of work, that was hard for a devout heterosexual male to digest.” – Weddings Can Be Murder by Christie Craig
“The voice on the phone rasped, ‘Bones of anger, bones of dust, full of fury, revenge is just. I scatter these bones, these bones of rage, enemy mine, I bring you pain. Torment, fire, death the toll, with this hex I curse your soul. So mote it be.’
“I handed the receiver to Angus, who was facing out the ‘We Recommend’ stand by the counter. ‘It’s for you.’” - The Hell You Say by Josh Lanyon
“Being dead didn’t make Jack Mercy less of a son of a bitch.” - Montana Sky by Nora Roberts
And the granddaddy of them all:
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Do you have any favorite opening lines? Let me know in the comments (and since I’m always looking for book recommendations, let me know if the book as a whole is something I should be adding to my TBR pile).
Oh, and if Two-Man Advantage’s first line intrigued you, check out the entire excerpt here ;)
Some favorite...well, beginnings. Most of these go beyond the 'first' line ;)
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize he was a werewolf at first. My nose isn't at its best when surrounded by axle grease and burnt oil -- and it's not like there are a lot of stray werewolves running around Eastern Washington . So when someone made a polite noise near my feet to get my attention I thought he was a customer. ~ Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (I love this series)
Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive , were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. ~ Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Once upon a time, Minerva Dobbs thought as she stood in the middle of a loud yuppie bar, the world was full of good men. She looked into the handsome face of the man she'd planned on as a date to her sister's wedding and thought, Those days are gone. ~ Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie
"My name is Gin, and I kill people." ~ Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep
It was a splendid day to be dealing out death. ~ Star of the Morning by Lynn Kurland
My philosophy is pretty simple-any day nobody's trying to kill me is a good day in my book. I haven't had many good days lately. ~ Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
Hmm. I have a bit of theme going with those last three. I'll end with this one:
This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it. ~ The Princess Bride by William Goldman