Monday, July 16, 2012

The Almighty Hook

There are a few blog hops that I am really, tingle-in-my-toes excited for, and this is one of them. It's the Hookers & Hangers blogfest. Today it's all about the hook.




I'm going to share the five best hooks (or chapter beginnings) from my novel EXISTENCE. Some of these hooks probably only mean something to me, as someone who knows the novel backwards and forwards. However, I'm going to start with the first hook, which should be the most important--and hopefully the best out of the five. Without further ado, here's some hooks.


"Chrissie Fox could taste the metallic sting of time on her tongue."

"The funeral was held three days later at the Rogers Family Mortuary."

"Chrissie sat cross legged on her bed, the pocket watch cradled in her hands."

"Matt put his arm around Chrissie’s shoulders, “It’s okay, love, I’m here.”

"Steel walls, steel door, steel bed frame. Chrissie had once wondered if CITTA had high security prison cells and now she knew the answer."



So there you have it. A few lines from my novel. I feel like I'm giving all my secrets away :) 

I'm curious to know: in the books you've read, is there a first line that stands out more than others?

45 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Sounds like things went a little south for Chrissie.

Cristina said...

good hooks!!!!! I want to know what she did (or didn't do) :)

Karen M Krueger said...

I'm reading Code Name Verity right now and I love the first line: "I am a coward."
I don't know that I've ever thought much about first lines of my chapters, aside from ch 1 of course. Hmm...now I need to go look at my WIP :-)

Stina said...

Love the first one! And the last one has me very intrigued. Nice job!

Gabe (Ava Jae) said...

There are a lot of fantastic first lines out there, but one of my favorite first lines is from The Hunger Games--"When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold."

Steph Sessa said...

Two first lines that stand out to me (meaning I even remember them) is the first line from Feed by M.T. Anderson “We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.” and the first line from Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry "Benny Imura couldn’t hold a job, so he took to killing." They definitely set up their stories really well!

David P. King said...

Time has a taste? Yes. I'll read more, please! :)

Tasha Seegmiller said...

Great hooks. Love love love the first one.

Weaver said...

Nice. Poor Chrissie, though.

But isn't that always the case in books?

And I agree with Tasha about that first one. "time on her tongue"

Kyra Lennon said...

Amazing hookers, especially the first one!

Emily R. King said...

Ooh, your last line is intriguing!

sue said...

Yes I do like the first line very much. But I'm also intrigued by the pocket watch.

Samantha May said...

These are awesome hookers (I'm sorry, but this has been cracking me up all day)! I'm really curious about what she did :D

Cassie Mae said...

These are great! I don't think you've given too much away, just enticed us to read more! :)

Hope Roberson said...

Yeah, line one is AMAZING! And the last one makes me NEED to know what is going one! So good!

prerna pickett said...

very interesting, and 'hooking'.

Anonymous said...

Great hooks! Good job!

Kela McClelland said...

I like your hooks, I'm intrigued. Good job. :)

And for me it's not usually the first sentence that hooks me. I get pulled in by the first couple of sentences. :)

Amber said...

Yeah, I agree with Cassie. You've given nothing away, just teased me and made me want to know more :) Great job.

SC Author said...

Love the last one! Very intriguing. The first one has some awesome stuff as well, enticing me to read on. Great job!

Aldrea Alien said...

... the metallic sting of time on her tongue."

You got me. ^_^

Jenny S. Morris said...

The first one totally hooked me with time having taste. And the last one really pulled me in wanting more. Great job. Can't wait to read your hangers!!

Leigh Covington said...

WOW! Great lines. I'm particularly fond of the first and last ones :)

Kimberly Gabriel said...

I always love a good secret - these hooks are really strong! I really want to know what's happening!! The first one is my favorite!

T.D. McFrost said...

OMG! These were amazing! Number two was my favorite! Nothing like a good ol' funeral to entice the brain. LOL.

Good job!

Rena said...

Oh, poor Chrissie, sounds like she's getting into lots of trouble.

And as for first lines in books, Douglas Adams had some really great first lines.

Krista McLaughlin said...

I love the last one! It's quirky and at the same time, you definitely feel a sense of foreboding. Great lines! :) I can't wait to read your hangers!

Golden Eagle said...

The last one hints at so much! I love your hooks.

roxanne s. sukhan said...

These are great! That last one makes me really want to read more!

Kelley Lynn said...

Oh man! That first one is awesome! Conjures so many questions. LOVE it.

Thanks so much for participating!

Tara Tyler said...

terrific first lines! especially #1!
it sets the stage for the book! great job!

Unknown said...

Great hooks. I really want to know what the last one is all about.

Kim said...

Okay, that first line is awesome. She can taste time? What? I need answers!!!
I just started Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel, and it begins "His children are falling from the sky." I thought that was a pretty good hook :)
Sounds like a great story, Jenny!

Deana said...

Death, beds and love! I'm hooked:)

Unknown said...

They are very good; I especially liked the first one. I only put a hook in my first chapter (too lazy to write more than one). But all the rest have cliff-hanger endings to drive the reader on.
Fun read! :-)

Anonymous said...

All the lines are fantastic... love the last one... is she in prison? I want to know:)

Nick Wilford said...

Wonder what happened? These are great. I love the first and last lines especially. Very nice rhythm and tone to the first one.

Trisha said...

Wow - this is intriguing. Good job. I too want to know her story! Basically, "WTH happened?" is what I'm saying. hehe

1000th.monkey said...

'...metallic sting of time...' is definitely interesting

Lynn(e) Schmidt said...

I really, really like the second one. Good work, J.A.!

Elizabeth Seckman said...

Impressive! So, I'm wondering if time travel does something to the blood pressure or something and that causes the taste? Hmm...that's a def hook!

Michael said...

I love how time has a taste in your opening line. Never thought about it that way before. Awesome!

Ink in the Book said...

Perfect opening hook. The analogy is absolutely spell bounding!

A.L. Sonnichsen said...

Love these hooks, especially your opening one. You're right, that is the most important! :)

VikLit said...

First one's my fave but they are all awesome!