First Five Friday

First Five Friday

When writing a novel, authors are advised to make the first five lines pop. These are what need to catch the reader’s attention from the get go. So, each Friday, I shall share with you the first five lines from a book that caught my attention, and then I’ll do a bit of show and tell, where I make up Five First Lines on the spot. Feel free to comment, and leave Five Lines of your own! 🙂 If you have read a book where the opening lines impressed you, please do share! For any books I post on First Five Friday, you will find the UK Amazon link in the title link, and the US Amazon link by clicking on the book cover.

These Five Lines are from The Torturer’s Daughter by Zoe Cannon:

Becca’s steps slowed as she approached Processing 117. The floodlights of the parking lot shone down on her, exposing her. Past the lot, the darkness threatened to close in. There was no other source of light nearby except for the dim glow of the streetlamps, nothing but trees for at least a mile in every direction. The concrete structure loomed taller than its five stories–maybe because of the invisible presence of the underground levels, or maybe because in a moment Becca was going to have to walk inside.

I love these because they set the scene succinctly, and the final eight words ‘Becca was going to have to walk inside‘ ramp up the tension. Immediately, I am left with a question: What waits inside? What is Processing 117, and what’s so scary about it? In just Five Lines, the author has invited the reader into her world.

The best books lure you inside, and then slam the door shut behind you.

Okay, time for me to write Five First Lines for today:

The answer is yes. I will marry you. But before you make that commitment, you should know something about me. My name isn’t Mary. And I don’t work in a bank.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to come lurk in my lair next Friday, where we’ll have more Five First Lines! 🙂

49f37-write1 Find Harmony’s books on Amazon UK and Amazon US