Opening Lines...

I'm starting something new. I love crafting new, shiny works. One of the toughest things to write, though, is the first chapter...and the most crucial part of writing the first chapter is to have a killer first sentence (okay, maybe not "Killer" but strong enough for you to keep reading).

First sentences take me forever to write.

The short story I'm drafting will take place in the same world as Her Highlander Choice, my time travel romance series with a futuristic twist, so I wanted to see what I wrote as the opening line.

I rewrote the first chapter of Her Highlander Choice over twenty times and changed the opening line even more frequently.

The research I did on that book's first paragraph made me curious about opening lines in some of my other works-in-progress.

I'm polishing up the book that will be the first in the Warrior Wolves of Texas series. This is the opening line from Warrior of Eden:

Warrior of Eden takes place in a remote part of Texas--North Eden, Texas, home of the Central Texas pack. Katrina Stone is there to get the lay of the land, participate in a regional pack summit, and determine whether or not the Central Texas Alpha is mate material. Her first impression, well, you can see how that's going...

Another book I've been working on is Daywalker, a dark, vampire origin story romance.

Ysabeau Papillon became a vampire to live long enough to care for someone she loved all the days of his life. After he's gone, she must pay the price for her unholy immortal existence. It's time to give the devil the soul he's due...or so she thought.

My aim with these opening lines is to entice you to keep reading. Hopefully I've achieved my goal and you go on to read the book. Opening lines are the first impression (and you never get a chance to make a second one of those) so that's why they take so much time.

Speaking of time, I have to get back to the work. It's attempt 15 for possible first lines for this short story.

Wish me luck!