Hi, Everybody! It’s Friday again, and by now, you know what that means. Another chance to take a look at an example of a brilliant opening line from literature. Ponder just what you think your reaction would be to reading this line for the first time, and maybe get an idea or two as to how you’re going to start your next book. And then,  see if you can guess the title and author of the book in which this line appears.

But FIRST, some extra good news: For today only, author Mae Clair has generously offered her book Eclipse Lake as one of your prize choices.

Eclipse Lake is also available for purchase HERE

If you are a winner, you may choose either her book or one of mine as your prize. (As I mentioned the last time we had a prize donor, I’d grab the one that won’t be here every week, if it were me. After all, you’ll have lots more chances to win one of mine. Just something to consider when making your choice.  😀 ) 

The rules are simple:

1. Be one of the first five people to email me before the game ends at noon, with the title and author of the correct book. 
2. Do not reply here on the blog. Email only: marciameara16@gmail.com
3. Honor System applies. No Googling, please.
4. Submissions end at noon, or when I receive 5 correct answers, whichever comes first.
5. Winners who live in the U.S. may request a free download of Eclipse Lake or any one of my books for themselves, or for someone of their choice. OR, if they’ve read all of the offered books, they may request a free download of my next publication.
6. Winners who live elsewhere may request a PDF or Mobi file of the same books.

Now if you’ve got your thinking caps on, and have access to your memory banks, here’s your #FirstLineFriday opening line:

“The drought had lasted now for ten million years, and the reign of the terrible lizards had long since ended.”

Good luck!

Thank so much to everyone who racked their brains over today’s #FirstLineFriday opening line. I had no idea this one would be quite so challenging, but I hope you all agree that as first lines go, it’s amazing. Not having read the book myself, I didn’t recognize it either, but now that I’ve studied the wonderfully creative wording, I will soon be rectifying that. Not sure how I’ve missed it this long, anyway.

Before I announce today’s winner, I just want to remind you that half of the fun of this quiz (at least for some of us) is taking a moment to study the sheer genius behind some of the greatest opening lines in literature. This one was on almost every list I looked at, and as soon as I read it, I saw why. I hope it resonates with you as much as it did with me, and you read the book, if you haven’t already.

Now about that winner. We only have one today, and she slid in as the last seconds were ticking by. Further, she wasn’t even trying to compete. She’s a friend I met on the river tour some years ago, and she just wanted to let me know this was her favorite book. I don’t think she expects a prize, but I’m by-golly gonna be sure SOMEONE gets a prize today, and Anne is it! So to my friend, known around these parts as The Purple Lady (for her favorite wardrobe color), congratulations! 

Now, here’s the answer to today’s quiz:

“My wound is geography. It is also my anchorage, my port of call.” is the brilliant opening to Pat Conroy’s  The Prince of Tides. 

The 1986 book is focused on the destruction that results from keeping an unspeakable family secret. It was made into a 1991 award-winning movie starring Nick Nolte and Barbra Streisand.  

Buy The Prince of Tides HERE

BLURB:
Tom Wingo has lost his job, and is on the verge of losing his marriage, when he learns that his twin sister, Savannah, has attempted suicide again. At the behest of Savannah’s psychiatrist, Dr. Susan Lowenstein, Tom reluctantly leaves his home in South Carolina to travel to New York City and aid in his sister’s therapy.
 
As Tom’s relationship with Susan deepens, he reveals to her the turbulent history of the Wingo family, and exposes the truth behind the fateful day that changed their lives forever.
 
Drawing richly from the author’s own troubled upbringing, The Prince of Tides is a sweeping, powerful novel of unlocking the past to overcome the darkest of personal demons—it’s Pat Conroy at his very best.

And that takes care of this week’s quiz. I’m sorry we didn’t have more winners, but the good news is, you have a brand new chance next week, and I’m pretty sure you might even have a bonus book among your choice of prizes. Set those alarm clocks now! And thanks for playing! 😀 ❤

Here it is Friday again, and time for another chance to study an amazing opening line from a well-known book. This time, in addition to seeing if you recognize the line, read it out loud a time or two. Think about how it’s put together, and whether or not it would have pulled you into this book, as a good first line should. And then, have a go at the quiz. You can only enter once each week, but if the line doesn’t ring a bell, feel free to take your best guess. Nothing to lose, and who knows? You might be right.

The rules are simple:

1. Be one of the first five people to email me before the game ends at noon, with the title and author of the correct book. 
2. Do not reply here on the blog. Email only: marciameara16@gmail.com
3. Honor System applies. No Googling, please.
4. Submissions end at noon, or when I receive 5 correct answers,whichever comes first.
5. Winners who live in the U.S. may request a free download of any of my books for themselves or someone of their choice. OR, if they’ve read all of my books, they may request a free download of my next publication.
6. Winners who live elsewhere may request a PDF or Mobi file of the same books.

Got your thinking caps on? Then without further ado, here’s today’s #FirstLineFriday poser:

“My wound is geography. It is also my anchorage, my port of call.”

Good luck!

I have had a couple of people mention that they felt bad for winning more than one prize in our new #FirstLineFriday Trivia Quiz, and wondering if they should not play every week. Folks, to me, that would be like penalizing those who are well-read and have a good memory. NO ONE should feel guilty about winning multiple times. (Ask Ken Jennings!)  In fact, I’m thinking of having a Grand Prize Winner now and then just to reward those who do play often and well. 

You may enter only ONCE each week, of course–make your first guess a good one–but you may enter every single week for as long as we have this contest running. And I don’t care if you win every time you enter. It’s not like you’re stacking the deck in your favor, and we aren’t talking the Power Ball Lottery here, anyway. This is meant to be fun, and every person who enters has an equal chance of getting the correct answer. The earliest entries with the correct answer will win, but that just means you should all immediately start setting your alarms on Thursday night, so you can be ready at 8:00am sharp on Friday morning. 😀 😀 😀

Seriously, please do not feel “guilty” if you have won more than once. We’ve only had 2 Fridays when all five winning slots got filled, anyway, so it’s not like you’re keeping anyone else out of the running. The goal is to test your memory of great lines, AND to give everyone a chance, whether they recognize the line or not, to see some super examples of how to start a book.

I’ve gotten a wonderful response to this idea so far, and I would DEARLY LOVE to continue this game for some time yet. There are so many worthy opening lines out there, and this is a chance for us to focus on them, while digging deep into our memory banks for the answer. The free downloads are just meant as a way to thank you for playing.

So, let’s have no more worrying about whether you’re playing too often, or winning too many times. You aren’t. Just jump in and give it a try. Guess, if you want. There’s no penalty for being wrong. No one will even know but me, and I promise I won’t tell a soul! 😀 

Now, stay tuned for next week’s #FirstLineFriday. I might leap forward in time a bit with my selection. We’ll see. Hopefully everyone will play and we’ll have five happy, non-guilty feeling winners! 

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Thanks for playing everyone, and this wraps up our 5th  #FirstLineFriday Trivia Quiz! Again, this quiz is about more than getting the right answer. It’s an opportunity to really think about what makes up a good opening line, and that’s something important to each of us, both from a writing standpoint, and a reading one. I have been pulling these lines from several lists of the Best Opening Lines of All Time, so far. I may branch out to my own favorites at some future point, but for now, all of the lines I’ve shared with you are famous in one way or another. 

Today, we have three winners: Jeanne Owens, Staci Troilo, and Deborah Jay. Congratulations, Ladies! Well done! 

And here’s the answer to today’s quiz:

“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since”  is the opening line from the quintessential novel of the American Jazz Age, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. 

The book was published in 1925  and has been made into at least two films (one with Robert Redford and one with Leonardo di Caprio) and countless stage productions. As first lines go, it isn’t my favorite, so maybe this is the contradiction that proves the rule. I read and thoroughly enjoyed the book more than once, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t because this line riveted my eyes to the pages. Maybe that’s just me? But if you’ve never checked out this classic, you probably should add it to your list. It’s a powerful, beautifully told tale.

BLURB:

A true classic of twentieth-century literature, this edition has been updated by Fitzgerald scholar James L.W. West III to include the author’s final revisions and features a note on the composition and text, a personal foreword by Fitzgerald’s granddaughter, Eleanor Lanahan—and a new introduction by two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward.

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. First published in 1925, this quintessential novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the mysteriously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted “gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession,” it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.

Buy The Great Gatsby HERE

And there you have it for today’s #FirstLineFriday quiz. Hope you enjoyed it, and also hope you’ll check out The Great Gatsby. It’s one of those books everyone should read, whether the first line grabbed you or not. (In fact, I wouldn’t mind hearing how others felt about that line.)

Be sure to tune in next week for another of the 100 Best Opening Lines of All Time. See you then.