More Opening Lines Fun

I love peering into a book and looking at the opening to decide if it's one that will hold my attention. I especially like the "Look Inside the Book" functions on the online book sellers. And the samples? Those are wonderful ways to tell if a book is for me.

Still, there are lots and lots of books out there and I can't sample them all (I wish I had the time). I'm guessing that you can't, either, so here are the beginning lines of some more books you might like to try. There are quite a few here, and I decided against breaking the post up, but I love, love, love choices! I hope you do, too.

Margaret Watson's Personal Best begins like this:

Tess Phillips's legs screamed each time her feet hit the pavement.  She felt each individual muscle protest as her leg stretched, then contracted again.  Forcing her mind to ignore the pain in her legs, Tess concentrated instead on her feet.  One toe had begun to rub on her sock and for a moment all feeling focused on that point.  She closed her eyes and squeezed away the pain, willing herself to ignore the forming blister.

The noise of the spectators echoed in her ears and Tess opened her eyes.  Their rhythmic clapping and shouting echoed the slap of her feet on the pavement.  She still had three miles to go until the end of the race, and she was amazed at the hundreds of people who lined the street.  They were all yelling encouragement at the runners, the individual voices blending into a continuous stream of sound that pulled her along.  The cheers spurred her on and helped her ignore the now constant pain.

You can find Personal Best at Amazon. Visit Margaret at her website and on Facebook and Twitter.

Here's the beginning of author Karen Rose Smith's book, Her Sister
Where is Lynnie?  Where did she go?
      In her mind, five-year-old Clare Thaddeus called to her little 
sister--Come back, Lynnie.  Please come back.

You can buy Her Sister at Amazon or Barnes and Noble, and you can connect with Karen on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, or read more about her books at her website, her blog, her mystery novels site, or by visiting her ezine.

From Debra Salonen's My Christmas Angel.
"Read me your story, Mommy. Please. Before you go. Plee...ase."

Available at Amazon and Smashwords. Visit Debra and find more about her and her books at her blog or her website or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

Susan Meier's Single Dad's Christmas Miracle opens with these lines:

“Turn right.”

The soothing voice of the GPS rolled into Althea Johnson’s car, and she maneuvered her vehicle as directed, onto the snow-covered Main Street of Worthington, Pennsylvania. The week after Thanksgiving, the little town sparkled with the spirit of Christmas. Tinsel connected to telephone poles looped above the street. Huge evergreen wreaths decorated with shiny multi-colored ornaments covered the top half of shop doors. Silver bells glistened in the sun that managed to peek through the falling snow.

The book is available at Amazon.

From Barbara Phinney's Deadly Trust.

Anna LaBonte woke up, slipped her hand between the smooth, cold sheets beside her and found unexpected relief washing over her like high tide washed over the soft beach sand that lay beyond their rented cabin. Her husband was gone.

Available at Amazon. Visit Barbara at her blog.

Donna Fasano's Reclaim My Heart begins like this:

Although it was after midnight when she pulled open the plate glass door, rows of fluorescent bulbs lit up the police station as if it were noonday.

Available in the following versions: Kindle US, Kindle UK, Kindle Canada, Paperback US, Paperback UK, Paperback Canada. You can also visit Donna at her blog or follow her on Facebook or Twitter. 

Here are the opening lines for Spruced Up: A Maid in LA Holiday Novella by Holly Jacobs:

“Quincy Mac, you’ve done it,” Lottie Webber screamed as I spotted her in the Erie International Airport.

You can purchase the book at Amazon and find out more about Holly and her books at her website.

Here's the opening to Eve Gaddy's Cowboy Come Home.
Rumor hit town before he did.

Here's the link to the book at Amazon, and you can find more about Eve and her books at her website.

Check out the opening lines of The Zen Man by Colleen Collins:

Five years of being clean and sober nearly tanked as I watched a bad piece of my past trudging across the parking lot in my direction.

You can buy the book at Amazon. Also, check out Colleen's website and the website for The Zen Man.

Kathleen Creighton's Delilah's Weakness begins like this:

"Mayday... Mayday, dammit, Mayday!" 

The book is available in a free Kindle version at Amazon and is also available in a Nook version at Barnes and Noble.

And if you're looking for non-fiction, be sure to check out Hopefully Ever After: Breast Cancer, Life and Me, an inspirational, humorous and informative memoir from Linda Barrett, a two-time breast cancer survivor. Here is how the book begins:

A cancer diagnosis slams into you with the subtlety of a freight train.

The book is available now in ebook and print at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. To learn more about Linda and her books, visit her at her website or on Facebook.

I love opening lines! I hope you do, too, and that you find something here to interest you. All of these authors have substantial backlists (I love it when I find a new author and then go in search of all her or his other books). Enjoy!

And as always, Happy Reading!

Myrna