In every book I write, no sentence gets as much attention
from me as the opening line. If I spent as much time on every sentence I wrote,
I’d be finishing my first book...oh, about six months from now. Why is that
opening so important? Well, I want to hook the reader into buying the book. But
I also want to be true to my characters and the setting, and hopefully hint
about the conflict about to unfold.
The best book covers have the same objectives as the first
sentence, only using a title and a picture as tools to attract the reader’s
attention while giving them an idea of the characters, setting and type of
story.
So, theoretically, a good opening line should match the
cover of the book, right?
To test this theory I came up with a matching game for my 6
book Carrigans
of the Circle C series. Can you match the following opening lines to the correct
book cover? (Note: I’ve substituted my name—Carla—whenever the heroine is named
in the first line.)
Opening Lines: A, B,
C, D, E, F
One more thing...this month
I’m running a contest for a Kobo Glo HD. Wouldn’t you, or someone on your
Christmas list, love a new ereader? Enter here: http://cjcarmichael.com/connect.php
It’s snowing in Calgary while
I write this, thick, slow-falling flakes that are the true markers of a
changing season. Winter is here. Happy Reading!
C. J. Carmichael
I know, but I'm not entering. But, I think there are too many women named "Carla" in the sentence memes.
ReplyDeleteDenise
And, I should have paid more attention to the fact you did that on purpose. Again, I know the answers, but I'm not entering--just visiting. I've been blessed with wins lately!
ReplyDeleteDenise
Hi Denise,Christmas has come early, has it? That's awesome!
ReplyDeleteYou're right, all the Carla's are confusing! Hope you had a great day--thanks for visiting!
CJ
1E
ReplyDelete2D
3B
4F
5A
6C
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
I agree with bn100, although I determined #2 based on process of elimination because the first line I found didn't match the first line provided:
ReplyDelete1E
2D
3B
4F
5A
6C
Many thanks, CJ. Keep up the good work!
seytype at hotmail dot com
I totally agree that the first line sets the tone for the entire book and the book covers are so much a part of hooking in a reader. You have so many intriguing first lines, now I can't wait to find out what happens!
ReplyDeleteHere are my guesses
#1-E
#2-D
#3-B
#4-F
#5-A
#6-C
Thanks for sharing your books!
ahui89 at hotmail dot com
1(E) 2(D) 3(B) 4(F) 5(A) 6(C)
ReplyDeleteFirst lines are so very important to a story and I like the examples of how you open your books. I'm looking forward to reading this series!
thebigbluewall77 (AT) gmail (DOT)
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI got E D B F A C as well.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Laney, Mary, Anita, Ada well done, you got them all! bn100 you got 5 out of 6. Everyone who played please email with your choice of ebook from my backlist on my website. I think it was awesome that you played my little game!
ReplyDeletecontact me via my website: cjcarmichael dot com.
(please contact me by Nov 10 to be eligible.)
Cheers,
CJ
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteVery generous thank you.
ReplyDelete