Hook Me!















I love hooks!


There one of my favorite things about writing. I kind of like to think I'm good at them. *smiles modestly* It's good to know your strengths and weaknesses.


Karin Tabke used to have a First Line contest. You entered your first line, and if it got enough votes, it moved to the next round. And then you added another line. I loved that contest! It was great fun. I never won it, but I got through quite a few rounds. Ms. Tabke's contest taught me a lot about the importance of a great opening line, a hook!


So, in that spirit, please leave up to three of either your first or last lines and ONE buy link!


Here is mine from Liy's Summer Cowboy:


“You coming, Lil?”


“On my way.” Lily Halderman’s hands trembled with exhaustion as she filled her cup from the big silver pot sitting on a table in the back of the Methodist church’s meeting room.


 


 


 


Comments

  1. Me, too! Hooks are so much fun! Maybe we should have a first line/hook contest here some time...hmmm.....

    Okay, I'll play along. Here's my first line from Light My Fire:

    Nate Lansford watched the red carpet closely from the shadowed corner while he waited for his turn before the paparazzi and entertainment journalists.

    and the buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Light-My-Fire-Contemporary-Romance-ebook/dp/B00KPJNJU4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406649051&sr=8-1&keywords=light+my+fire+by+kristina+knight

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  2. My new neighbor is a man-whore.

    From Santa Wore Leathers...a romance for all seasons.

    http://amzn.com/B00GFD6X34

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  3. Oooo, fun, D!

    “The last thing I remember seeing was a cobweb above the lights that looked lethal. When I woke up, I felt as though I had been put in a stranger’s body.
    Therefore, at the age of fifty-one, I suddenly don’t know who in the hell I am and have developed an unreasonable fear of spiders.”

    THE GIRLS OF TONSIL LAKE http://www.amazon.com/The-Girls-Tonsil-Lake-Flaherty-ebook/dp/B00HJESTYO

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  4. Love your Lily's Summer Cowboy! The whole thing is great, including the hook!

    Here's mine from The Convict and the Cattleman

    One could go wrong with bringing a convict into his life. Especially when the prisoner in question was a young woman.

    http://amzn.com/B00HVM8WQO

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  5. I loved Lily's Summer Cowboy too. I want one. Here's the first line from my debut romance Beyond The Horizon.

    She tasted the blood in her mouth as he pulled her up off the floor and slapped her other cheek.

    Link http://bit.ly/1tWL4jL

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  6. Love all of these hooks. My hooks are weak, lol.

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  7. These all sound amazing! Great job, everyone!

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  8. Vonnie, I'm dying to check out the man-whore neighbor! Here's my first line from She Likes It Irish


    Randy fumbled with a key that seemed three sizes too big for the lock.

    "Hurry!" Kristin's hungry whisper in his ear and a squeeze to the bulge in his jeans proved the magic combination to unlocking the door, and the two burst through into his dark dorm room.

    Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/She-Likes-Irish-Sophia-Ryan-ebook/dp/B00BIW8Q3C/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_i#reader_B00BIW8Q3C

    Thanks! Sophia

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  9. Oh, what fun! Here's the opening lines of LADY OF THE TWO LANDS:

    There it was again—that prickling, crawly sensation as though
    someone had run a velvety feather up the back of her neck, causing all
    the delicate hairs to stand on end. Harriet Williams snapped her head
    around, sure someone must be watching her this time. But, as always,
    the room was empty.

    Here's the buy link: http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/136-Lady-Of-The-Two-Lands.aspx

    Thanks!

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  10. Those sound wonderful! This was so fun. I want to do the hook contest thing!

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  11. I can't resist! Here are the opening sentences of my romance novel THE DEVIL AND DANNA WEBSTER:
    "When my mother talked about Lori, she always got a funny look in her eye — not ha-ha funny but strange funny. When I was little, I never understood. As I got older, I wondered more about Lori, but I hardly ever asked because it just seemed to make my mother sad.
    Buy links:
    http://www.amazon.com/Devil-Danna-Webster-Jacqueline-Seewald-ebook/dp/B00JZYXW7K/

    https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/433530

    http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-devil-and-danna-webster-jacqueline-seewald/1119365486?ean=2940149550449

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  12. Fun times, D! Lot of fun reading everyone's entries.

    Here's mine from my WIP, The Accidental Terrorist, no buy link :(

    Three years ago I was asked if I loved my country. My reflex answer was an immediate and resounding, “YES”. It’s akin to being asked if you love your family. The answer is always an immediate yes—even for those who aren’t so sure.
    A lot can happen in three years.

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  13. I'm going to cheat and put the hooks from the Prologue and Chap 1 of HEARTSTRINGS...

    December 1983

    Seth tightened his arms around his father’s neck and stared down at Momma lying on the bed of white in the big box. Daddy had cried last night. He’d never seen his daddy cry before. Not even last summer when
    Ol’ Blue died. The coonhound had been his hunting dog forever. Something bad must be wrong.

    “Daddy, why won’t Momma wake up?”

    Chapter 1
    Seth Kendall parked his Escalade and stared out at the people who had known him all his life. What the hell was he doing here?

    With a sigh, he opened the door, and all eyes turned in his direction as he got out. Why hadn’t he stayed in Nashville as everyone assumed he would? Why did coming back here seem so important now, after being away for fourteen years?

    ***

    By the way... Great hooks everyone!!!

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  14. OH the buy link for HEARTSTRINGS
    Amazon:

    http://www.amazon.com/Heartstrings-Sara-Walter-Ellwood-ebook/dp/B00IGFX7BA/

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  15. Great hooks everyone. Loved reading them.

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  16. Meant to get here and put in a line - but a bit of a crazy busy day. Read the ones above - awesome. Love yours, D'Ann.

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  17. Thanks, all! Loved them all! I also love Kristi's idea of a contest! One of these days, if I can round up a judge!

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  18. Mine is more of an opening paragraph hook, okay?

    The elevator doors whispered shut behind me and my shoulders sagged beneath the weight of an overstuffed canvas carryon, a leather laptop bag, and my purse. Plush carpet, four handsome mahogany doors, and warm taupe paint made this floor of the Lake Terrace building as perfectly appointed as the lobby and the elevator. Starting down the elegant hallway, I caught sight of a thin, pale woman in the mirror above the table at the other end. Frankly, she looked like hammered shit.

    God, what happened to you?

    The woman was me.

    From Sex and the Widow Miles, book 2 in the Women of Willow Bay series

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  19. I'm more likely to have a memorable line at the end of the chapter than the first.

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  20. Loved all the hooks! Fun post!

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