A couple of days back, we established that first lines of a story are important. But, what if a reader picks up a book, ruffles through, and reads one of those middle lines? What if she is looking for the exciting climax, the near-death experience of the heroine? Those middle lines are important too!
This morning, I’ve written lines taken from each of my seven mysteries (I keep counting Moonstruck and Murderous, even though it hasn’t yet entered the world.) Can you identify which book each line is from? Is it from The Cemetery Club, Grave Shift, Best Left Buried, Grave Heritage, By the Fright of the Silvery Moon, Moonlight Can Be Murder, or Moonstruck and Murderous?
It took a few seconds to realize what had just happened–a bullet had narrowly missed my head.
The sight of two wet, muddy, gasping, frightened females, one of them wearing only one house shoe, brought Grant’s secretary Doris Elroy to her feet, her eyes wide and her mouth dropping open.
When the candle burned down to touch the newspapers, fire would race through the carriage house, igniting papers, books, and everything in the building, including me.
An owl hooted somewhere in the trees behind the house, and near the pasture, a dog barked and howled as if he were in trouble.
Holding the knife with my right hand, I popped open a blade, sliding the blade under the rope which bound my left wrist.
Praying that we would join the ranks of those who survived a tumble down Deertrack Hill, I determined that we would indeed go over, not sideways, but nose first.
Before I could stop it, the shock that froze me in place rose from my throat and I screamed.
Manos Mysteries
Speak Your Mind