Give me the first line of your book & only the first line.

[Emily]

Flesher - He loved my mother more than me.

Roseblood - It was the perfect place for a murder.

Short and sweet opening prologue sentences :-)

[Paula]

First line of my debut 'Who Needs Paradise?':

'It began at a funeral.'

I'm going to be looking at the opening to all my reads now, trying to find ones good enough to post here;-)

[Paula]

E. wrote: "I cannot say exactly when I fell in love with Paris.

From Mindful Journeys: Paris and Other IllusionsFree book of travel essays right here on Goodreads."

This one is nicely done. Good use of language, its got a pleasing cadence to it, and it's full of possibility. I would definitely read on.

[Paula]

Kayla wrote: "First line for my new novella, Under By Duress:

“You got me a stun gun?”"

Just love it:-)

[L]

Diana wrote: "Wenatef opened his eyes to darkness and a silence so intense that it was stronger than any noise, stronger even than the pounding agony in his head."

I love this!

[Melanie]

Opening line from Hope's Daughter



HISS…The viewing screen flickered to life, changing from charcoal black to a snowstorm haze of grey and white.

[[deleted user]]

Paula wrote: "E. wrote: "I cannot say exactly when I fell in love with Paris.

From Mindful Journeys: Paris and Other IllusionsFree book of travel essays right here on Goodreads."

This one is nicely done. Good..."


Yours is quite catchy, too: "It began at a funeral." especially with a title like Who Needs Paradise?. I believe, like you do, that cadence is very important. Adds a lyricism.

[[deleted user]]

From The Summer of the Swordsman, a work nearly completed:

I just lifted a reed pen, scraped my thumbnail over the tip to see if it was sharp, and suddenly I wasn't sitting as I am now, in a drafty stone hut in the middle of the winter with three days' growth of beard on my chin and a stomach sour from nerves, but enjoying the warmth of summer, sound of body with a good horse between my knees.

[Michael]

The first thing you need to know about Super Spuds is that they have magical powers.

[Peggy]

From my soon to be released novel, "A Stop in the Park": Michael Stolis glanced at his watch.

[Paula]

E. wrote: "Paula wrote: "E. wrote: "I cannot say exactly when I fell in love with Paris.

From Mindful Journeys: Paris and Other IllusionsFree book of travel essays right here on Goodreads."

This one is nice..."

Yes - lyricism is a good word for it. To be honest, I'm not really a writer who makes great use of it myself, as its not my natural stlye and always sounds forced when I have a go. But I do find it really attractive in the work of others; I think it's underrated nowadays; a lot of people simply write exactly how they speak. And a lot of us don't speak so good...;-)

[Megan]

Perched in his ghost owl form on the window ledge, Develon Cole watched the woman asleep on her twin-size bed.

Transition

[Nick]

From my YA novel, If I Know It's Coming:

"If I know it's coming, I can catch it."

Nick Hupton
www.nickhupton.com

[Ann]

The first line of my latest book, Psyche's Promise, available on Amazon and all other e-book venues:
Gradoxst slipped away from the festivities. His Goblin commanders were so drunk they could barely stand; they’d never notice his absence.

[L]

Ann wrote: "The first line of my latest book, Psyche's Promise, available on Amazon and all other e-book venues:
Gradoxst slipped away from the festivities. His Goblin commanders were so drunk they could barel..."

I really like it! x

[Aron]

The first line of my prologue from The Rising-The Lost Children of Managrail.

She pressed her body close to her brother, afraid to even breathe.

[Julie]

First line from my Lost Princess Series (The Journey Home)

Arrows, alight with flame, streaked forcefully across the serene night sky above what was left of a once peaceful nation.

[Graham]

A Devilish Pastime: A History of Football in all its Forms

My best opening line, largely because it's my only one:

Towards the end of 2004, a minor linguistic storm was brewing in the Antipodes.

[Benjamin]

“First, I’d like to tell you something nobody knows.”

The opening line of Zippin Pippin my latest (second!) novel.

Zippin Pippin is a romantic comedy road-trip about Elvis’s long lost—Down Under—son.

[Christamar]

"They never should've killed me." from The Zombie Bocephus
http://zombiebo.blogspot.com/

[Stephen]

The car ran past the STOP sign like it wasn’t there, a streak of red dust in the morning sun. Stars in the Texas Sky

[Stan]

Sarah thought she could manage him right up to the moment Reggardi slapped her so hard her body spun sideways and threatened to tear the microhooks on the bottom of her slippers away from the grabbit carpet that covered the control room deck.

Sarah's Spaceship Adventure

[aprille]

First line from my novel Ruthless:

The gavel fell with unmistakable malice.

[Gary]

No way can anyone have got behind me.Expect Civilian Casualties

However, my favourite opening line of any book is...

“My life might have been so different, had I not been known as the girl whose grandmother exploded.”

― Helen Grant, The Vanishing of Katharina Linden

[Massimo]

There was no hint the day would be any different from all others.

[Elizabeth]

“NAX TO ANTRIA—YOUR CREW manifest shows that you are not in compliance with current Kipos Reproduction Law,”

[Nicole]

From Midnight Blood

The dull red glow, surrounded by bright white, was blinding to Shayna.

[Bernadette]

I like the opening line of Angel, a novel I translated:

Tijmen Klein Gildekamp thought of water, a cold drink, a bath in which he could totally submerge himself, or even better, the sea.

[Marcelle]

1) First line of The Divine Heart of God the Father

"God the Father is the supreme Being, the Alpha and the Omega of..."

2) First line of The Icon of the Divine Heart of God the Father: Apologia and Canon

"The diptych icon of the Divine Heart of God the Father Encompassing All Hearts [with] Infinite..."

3) First line of Thoughts for the Day: Reflections for the Soul

"To be a human being means to be a child of God."

4) First line of God's Gift to Humanity: The Relationship Between Phinehas and Consecration to God the Father

"Phinehas was the grandson of Aaron, a Levite high priest in his own right..."

[Douglas]

First line of JOURNEY OF THE NORTH STAR. The novel is a eunuch slave's account of the third Ming Emperor's reign.

"I have lived at the center of the world."

[Adina]

A line from my online book blog.

"His eyes were an impossible purple, even through the licks of fire there was no way to mistake the colour"

http://thecrossbreeds.blogspot.com/

[Michael]

The first thing you need to know about Super Spuds is that they have magical powers.

The Super Spud Trilogy

[June]

My first line from Goodbye Junie Moon.
'My legs are wrapped around his taut behind as I move in harmony with his thrusts'.
AND NO! This book is NOT EROTICA.
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008BDWE1Q

BLOG http://memoirofjuniemoon.wordpress.com

[Stan]

G.G. wrote: ""Bringing back the dead is a serious task."

http://www.amazon.com/Reluctant-Mediu..."

Loved this one. Serious indeed!

[Sarah]

"Lee Jones sat fidgeting in the beige-carpeted waiting room."

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0...

Sci-fi excitment! ;)

[Fourat]

Random Rationality: A Rational Guide to an Irrational World

"For thousands of years, humankind has philosophized, proselytized, debated, and bickered over the meaning of life. Yet year after year, decade after decade, and century after century, the expanse between our conscious minds, and the “answer” seems to ever expand."

[TheKeyAuthor]

First line of The Key?

"This book contains the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."

[Jenelle]

First line of King's Warrior

Graldon, King of the dragons, mighty lord of the skies over Aom-igh, handed the golden sword to the mere man who stood before him.

[Ray]

I love this thread!
First line of my technothriller, The Reborn:

Ezra, a lively girl with vibrant platinum hair and a glowing smile, was only five years old when she found out what she was.

[Benjamin]

Henry Conroy stood still, suspended in animation like a petrified army recruit standing at attention.

From The Last Great Day, my debut novel. The Last Great Day is a family saga, historical fiction set in the 1970s. Based on the true story of one family’s journey from a doomsday sect to freedom.

[aprille]

G.G. wrote: ""Bringing back the dead is a serious task."

I'd definitely jump on this one. Catchy line, fantastic opening.

[L]

Benjamin wrote: "Henry Conroy stood still, suspended in animation like a petrified army recruit standing at attention.

From The Last Great Day, my debut novel. The Last Great Day is a family saga, historical ficti..."

I really like your opening and would definately read more if the book was in front of me. So many questions pop into my head such as who is Henry Conroy, what is his story and why is he feeling like that?? Loved it. x

[L]

The first line of my unpublished novel (character names have been removed).


“You seem troubled my old friend” spoke ( )to ( ), he had a slight glimmer in his eyes as if pleased by the prospect of the wizard’s distress.

Is it okay??

[Jenelle]

Lucinda wrote: "The first line of my unpublished novel (character names have been removed).


“You seem troubled my old friend” spoke ( )to ( ), he had a slight glimmer in his eyes as if pleased by the pros..."

Cool (I'm a sucker for anything that sounds fantasy) :) If you're asking for feedback, I'd merely recommend some punctuation changes:
"You seem troubled, my old friend," () said. There was a slight glimmer in his eyes as if pleased at the prospect of the wizard's distress.

[L]

Thank you Jenelle for your comments and for the punctuation tips. That looks so much better, and i can see where i have made mistakes. I am glad that the genre is of interest. x

[Chelsea]

Starlight without atmosphere was cold; it stole more life then it lended.

Is a slightly freaky sci-fi story.

[[deleted user]]

The first line from my soon to be published fantasy 'Through A Glass,' below.

Irene put her paintbrush into a jar of turps, and stepped away from the canvas.

[[deleted user]]

I hated being on guard duty, the constant walking up and down the parameter, in the freezing cold for hours on end, was not very appealing.

Book: Till Kingdom Come
Link:http://www.amazon.com/Till-Kingdom-Co...

[J.R.]

The sun was shining in the Kingdom of Baddlebee.


I'd like to think the sun was shining here too, but it's not happening.

[J.R.]

Deanna wrote: "@J.R.--love the first sentence; has that majestic, medieval feel to it."

I've never thought of my writing as being majestic. Thank you.