First Lines: October 2018

A roundup of the best opening lines from titles by BookLife authors.

This month we’ve got rats, helicopters, paper dolls, foul odors, and more. To submit a first line, email booklifeeditor@booklife.com.

Slow Bullet by John L. Lansdale

“The sound of Huey Helicopters in the distance meant the beginning.”

The Light over Broken Tide by Holly Ducarte

“We’re all like paper dolls. Happiest when linked to another, often unaware of our flimsiness. So easily torn.”

The Ghetto Dog by Fran Rathmann

“The first thing I remember is the stink.”

Going Widdershins by Sherrye Cohn

“On its face, the whole thing now seems inevitable, but at the time I didn’t know that dreams don’t lie and endings are beginnings too.”

Straining Forward by Michelle Layer Rahal

“I woke up in a bed that was not my own.”

Chasing Echoes by Jodi Perkins

“It all started because of a rat.”