Grab Me, Hold Me, Make Me Read Good Books

By Diana Duncan

Whenever I start a new book, I always get jittery with anticipation. I’m about to embark on a new adventure. Meet new people. Explore new places, new worlds. I’ve been an avid book junkie since my librarian Grannie started taking me to work with her before I could even walk.

And, okay, yes, I’ll admit it—like any great addiction, tingles shiver up my spine when the first line (or first several lines) instantly grab me and won’t let go.

Opening lines can immediately establish characterization:

“Being dead didn’t make Jack Mercy less of a son of a bitch.” Montana Sky by Nora Roberts.

“Jules Cassidy was nervous. After years of working for the FBI, nervous didn’t happen to Jules very often anymore. At least not in a situation with nary a hostile gunman, armed terrorist, angry insurgent or crazed hostage-taker in sight.” All Through the Night: A Troubleshooter Christmas by Suzanne Brockmann.

“Meeting with a probation officer required a certain look. A jacket and tie. A body-hugging spandex superhero costume beneath his street clothes hadn’t been part of his plan.” As Good As His Word by Susan Gable.

Opening lines can also immediately invoke a mood with the setting:

“There was a storm in him, as black and vicious as that which bullied its way across the sea. It whipped inside his blood, outside in the air, battling within and without as he stood on the rain-slicked rock. The name of his storm was grief.” Morrigan’s Cross by Nora Roberts.

“It was the egret, flying out of the lemon grove, that started it. I won’t pretend I saw it straight away as the conventional herald of adventure, the white stag of the fairy tale. But when the big white bird flew suddenly up among the glossy leaves and the lemon flowers, and wheeled over the mountain; I followed it. What else is there to do when such a thing happens on a brilliant April noonday, at the foot of the white mountains of Crete?” The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart – (This book might be my favorite story of all. I’ve read it over and over, probably more than 50 times since I was about 14 years old).

Opening lines can also introduce you to characters who are immediately thrown into interesting, perilous, or funny circumstances:

“A late-night urge for an orange fizzy saved Nixie’s life.” Survivor in Death by J.D. Robb.

“‘Norman bastard!’ Quinn de Trefoid raised a brow at the Saxon knight’s arrogance but remained silent. Inwardly, he cursed his own stupidity for allowing them to capture him, for venturing so far from camp alone.” Knight of the Mist by Jennifer August.

Once upon a time, Minerva Dubbs 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 taking to her sister’s wedding and thought, those days are gone.” Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie.

After I dug through my massive piles and shelves of favorite books to research this blog post, I looked at my own manuscripts. The books I’ve written seem to fall mostly into this last category.

“‘Hold it right there, Frat Boy!’ The pissed-off feminine contralto froze Rory Devlin bent over with his Levi-clad arse in the air. One bare foot planted on the lawn, one precariously balanced on the curb, he gripped the rolled newspaper as he cautiously turned his head. A slender brunette dressed in white capris and a tank top the color of lemon meringue pie stalked through dappled June sunshine from the house next door. Radiating the fury of an avenging faerie, dainty raven brows slanted in a glower and golden sparks fired in wide brown eyes.” Deal with the Devil by Diana Duncan.

“Delaney Morgan didn’t find an unconscious naked guy on the beach every afternoon. The wild Oregon Pacific had spilled out shells, driftwood, sand dollars…and at sunset last night, a Celtic pewter and garnet triadic knot pendant she’d hung on a chain as a good luck charm. But a nude man was a first.” Sword of the Raven by Diana Duncan.

What about you? Whether you’re a reader or a writer, or both, you have favorite first lines. What are they and what do they reveal to you about the story? Why do you like them? Please share! (And remember to tell us the book and author).

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Leave a comment to enter for your chance to win an ebook of your choice of either DEAL WITH THE DEVIL or SWORD OF THE RAVEN by Diana Duncan. Please note that to be eligible for the draw, you must be capable of receiving an ebook gift from Diana from either B&N (Nook), Amazon Kindle, or Smashwords (which covers mostly all eformats).

If you’re reading this blog through a feed at Amazon, Facebook, Goodreads or another social network, please note that you need to leave your comment at www.museinterrupted.com to enter.

The back cover blurbs for DEAL WITH THE DEVIL and SWORD OF THE RAVEN, as well as Diana’s bio, can be found in yesterday’s post. Visit Diana’s website to learn more about her and her books.

By Cindy

I'm irritated because my posts won't publish.

11 comments

  1. Hi, Cindy and Diana,

    Strong openings are a must. As writers, we quickly learn that if you don’t grab the reader’s attention from the opening sentence, they’ll put the book down and forget about it. So studying great openings by famous authors is just good research and common sense.

    Best,

    Jacqueline Seewald
    TEA LEAVES AND TAROT CARDS
    THE TRUTH SLEUTH

  2. I am a huge fan of strong openers! In fact, the book I am presently reading, SHELTER Harlan Coben (his first young adult novel) had what I considered a very exciting and promising opener:

    “I was walking to school, feeling sorry for myself–my dad was dead, my mom in rehab, my girlfriend missing–when I saw the Bat Lady for the first time.”

    I knew right then and there, that it would be a wild ride–and it is!

  3. Enjoyed meeting some new books via the first lines you quoted. I had forgotten about that Mary Stewart book, but agree it is worth reading more than once. I also agree that those openings are so important to set a mood for the story or introduce a strong character.

  4. Diana,
    Fun interview. Oh yeah, I’m so a fan of the opening line of Montana Sky! It’s em-blazed in my memory. 🙂 Congratulations on your success and may your holidays be filled with friendship and laughter! *Hugs*

  5. Love these first lines (and hey, thanks for including mine!). Funny you should mention this topic, too. My 17 year old picked up my Kindle and read the first line of Sword of the Raven. He laughed and kept reading. He enjoyed it so much, he bought it on his own Kindle phone app!

    I agree that the tone of the book is often set by the first lines and paragraphs and if it resonates with me, then I’m usually not disappointed by the book.

  6. Diana, you included some of my favorite books–those by Nora Roberts, Jennifer Crusie, and THE MOONSPINNERS. I’m happy to “meet” you, Diana, and learn about a new-to-me author.

    Cindy, great idea.

  7. Jacqueline, when I first started writing, I took tons and tons of workshops — and I still take an occasional class to refresh certain skills. But I find I learn the most by just reading other authors’ books & analyzing what does and doesn’t work for me. 🙂

    Tina, I keep seeing Harlan mentioned as a “must read author, & I’ve always wanted to read one of his books. That is a terrific first line — I need to check that one out!

    Maryann, Mary Stewart was a “go to” author for so many of us when she was writing, I just LOVE her stories! I was looking last night to see if any of them are on Kindle, and none of them are yet. But some Kindle covers are up, so it looks like they’re getting there eventually. I’d love to be able to carry around my Stewart library in my ereader. *G*

    Thanks so much, Diana, and BIG HUGS back atcha! <3

    Jennifer, I am amazed & stunned that I hooked a teenage boy with the opening lines of "Sword of the Raven." Wow. And yay! LOL! 🙂

    Caroline, I'm so happy to meet you, too. Cindy knows the most fun people, and I'm so excited to be a part of her blog! 🙂

  8. Hello, everybody, and welcome Diana to the blog!

    I love the opening lines Diana shared. Jennifer Crusie has some great ones. I remember one something about, “Don’t jump. Blood can be hell to get out of silk.” Or something like that. It was from one of her Temptations, I think. I’ve been reading her that long.

    If I may be so bold, one of my fav opening lines is from my own book, Borrowing Alex: “Nikki St. James was no criminal. Merely desperate.”

    And from a book I haven’t sold yet: “If Ursula Scott had to look at one more naked man, she’d scream.”

    Diana, I am reading SWORD OF THE RAVEN now, and it rocks. Congratulations!!

  9. Hi Cindy! Hi Diana!
    I’m a fan of Kristan Higgans: “Making up a boyfriend is nothing new to me.” From Too Good To Be True.

    Now… I have to say your first lines Diana & Cindy really intrigue this reader – would love to read that one! LOL!

    Thanks for the fun post!

  10. Hey, Pamela! I love Kristan Higgans too. She was sweet enough to send my mom some of her books when Mom had her open heart surgery. 🙂

    Thank you again for having me, Cindy! I enjoyed being your guest today. 🙂

  11. Congratulations to Pamela Mason! You won a copy of one of Diana’s books. I will be in touch via email. Look for my name in your in-box.

    Thank you everyone for coming by. And thank you Diana for writing such great books!

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