Above is Lucille, Kay, and Diane. 
This is the cool table. You can tell by the serious, writerly look on Robbie's face. From left to right: Michele, Heather, yours truly, and Robbie. 
And here's the social table with Denise and Jan. They were the chatty girls.
This is our 2009 group photo, but unfortunately it didn't occur to us to take the photo until after some of the ladies had gone home. Sorry, girls.
Like many readers I’ll peruse the books on a shelf and pick up novels by authors I’ve previously enjoyed or select a book whose title or cover catches my eye. I’ll flip it over and read the back cover copy and then turn to the first page. Reading the first lines of a novel is like going out on a blind date, I don’t know what to expect, but I’m hoping to be pleasantly surprised, swept off my feet, and fall madly in love.
Some people contend that the most difficult sentences to write in a novel are the first ones. After all, they are the hook that draws people in. My favorite first sentences are the ones that make me ask, “what??” —the lines that peak my curiosity and leave me panting for more. Please don’t give me a weather report or tell me what the character looks like. I want to read a provocative statement or a question that has me hungering for an answer.
Of course there are some first lines from bestselling authors that are so boring I want to toss the book across the room, but then because it was written by a bestselling author, I read on. After all, their books sell, and they could probably post their grocery list on the first page and people would read on. However, for the rest of us authors, we need to give our readers some lines that will keep them engaged.
Here are a few of my favorite first lines:
Frank McCourt, the schoolteacher turned late-blooming memoirist, died Sunday of cancer. He was 78.
McCourt was known for verbally spinning a great tale long before he even penned the words to his debut book, Angela’s Ashes.We spent the day at Nickerson Beach on Long Island, NY. Here's 10 seconds of bliss.
