First Lines

First Lines for September

Lynette M Burrows

First Lines Friday is a series of blog articles posted on the first Friday of every month. The first line of a story, we’re told, must hook the reader. Implied is that the reader will not buy the book if the first line isn’t great. These entries are from Amazon, my personal library, or other online booksellers. Do these first lines for September hook you? Do you want to read more? An ear to the door. So simple it was stupid.  The Legacy: Elijah (The Legacy Series Book 3) by Tricia Wentworth The night it began, all we could do was listen to the chaos. Trying to Survive (Part 1) by C.J. Crowley Charlie sat on a cracked curb in what had been just an hour before, a great city. Simulant by Bobby Adair   An hour after the Resurrection Formula team leaders were served breakfast by his Bags, Brandon Kirby marched in the ballroom of his Connecticut country home. The Opulent Life Option: A Dystopian Novel by Craig Proffitt The scream builds in my chest, threatens to erupt out of me. Contain (BUNKER 12) (Volume 1) Saul Tanpepper Shayna Coldrake eased the truck around to the backside of  a two-story house, […]

First Lines From Histories You Don’t Know

Lynette M Burrows

The first line of a story, we’re told, must hook the reader. Implied is that the reader will not buy the book if the first line isn’t great. These entries are from Amazon, my personal library, or other online booksellers. Are you hooked by these first lines from histories you don’t know? Do you want to read more of these alternate histories? “As the London Divisions of the glorious troops of the Fatherland march proudly past the gauleiter’s podium, they salute the Thousand Year Reich!” the announcer intoned pompously. The Children’s War by J.N. Stroyar  August 2014 I am a good girl. It is my most defining feature. And that’s the truth.  The Big Lie by Julie Mayhew  The squalid little alley smelled of piss despite the February cold.   The Enemy Within by Kristine Kathryn Rusch It started when David came in from the lawn absolutely furious. Farthing: A Story of a World that Could Have Been (Small Change Book 1) by Jo Walton Prologue: You already know the story of the American Revolution, and the birth of the American monarchy. American Royals by Katharine McGee “Get below decks!” Colm Bohannon shouted. Angels & Patriots: Book One by Salina B Baker  Clarification There […]

First Lines Friday with Freedom Fighters

Lynette M Burrows

First Line Friday is a blog series posted on the first Friday of every month. The first line of a story, we’re told, must hook the reader. Implied is that the reader will not buy the book if the first line isn’t great. These entries are from Amazon, my personal library, or other online booksellers. Today’s choices honor the U.S. holiday, the Fourth of July with a freedom fighters theme. Do these first lines hook you? Do you want to read more? I don’t usually do content warnings. The book’s cover, blurb, and category should get the point across. However, a cover and first line alone doesn’t always convey that type of information.  Content Warning: Violence with graphic descriptions. It was a strikingly unlikely sight, even for a world grown accustomed to unlikely sights.  The Patriot’s Grill by Steven Day They met behind a warehouse, twice abandoned.  Rogue Cell (A Grower’s War Book 3) by DJ Molles Block, damn you! Dane did his best to raise his metal arms to catch the hammer-blow of steel, brass, and aluminum that was coming his way. Metal Warrior: Born of Steel (Mech Fighter Book 1) by James David Victor “I’m so sorry.” What […]