#FirstLineFriday

Good Morning & An Update

/ Marcia / 34 Comments


(For Mae)

Happy Freya’s Day, Everyone! (Okay, Friday is actually named for the Norse goddess Frigg, but Freya and Frigg are considered by most to be the same goddess. That being the case, I’m going with Freya, because, you know. It sounds nicer. 😉

At any rate, I hope your day is a good, productive one with plenty of smiles. 

As you may have noticed, I don’t have things back on my preferred schedule quite yet, and I apologize for that. The truth is, I’m still not feeling 100% after my fall of two weeks ago. I’m vastly improved, for sure, but I’m still suffering some recurrent dizziness and fatigue. This isn’t uncommon when you’ve received a concussion and can continue for several weeks before finally disappearing. And while the ER doctor said he didn’t THINK I had a concussion, he also told me to watch for the signs of one. (Along with the signs of brain bleeds and swelling, and various other things. I spent a lot of time watching, believe me.) Bottom line is, concussions are often missed, and based on the types of symptoms I have going on right now, it appears I’m still recovering from one. Frankly, I’m just grateful I’m not still recovering from a fractured skull. 

And all of this is by way of telling you that, as you’ve no doubt noticed, #FirstLineFriday has been put off for another week, due to a couple of bad days Tuesday and Wednesday that pushed me even farther behind on my overall work schedule. But NOT to fear! I am much better than I was, and I know I’ll be catching up soon. I’m just trying to do what my  doctor suggests and not push too hard, though it’s against my nature to be idle very long. So, I work a bit, and then I rest a bit, and by and by, I expect the time spent working to increase until life is once again as normal as it gets around here.

Thanks so much for your patience and your well wishes, and all the kind things everyone has sent me. I appreciate each and every one of you more than you can imagine! Will be resuming my usual blog features, etc, one at a time until all is running smoothly again, which I hope won’t be too much longer.

And now we’ve come full circle: Happy Freya’s Day, Everyone! 😀 ❤

#FirstLineFriday Submissions Are Now Closed! Here’s the Answer to Today’s Quiz.

/ Marcia / 22 Comments

For two weeks in a row, our list of winners for our #FirstLineFriday quiz is very short. Like, none. 😦 I’m really sorry no one guessed this one. I hate it when I can’t give away any books. But there’s always next time, and besides, you did get to take a look at a pretty darn intriguing first line. Hopefully, this quiz has you thinking about how to start your next book.

Since I’ve not read this one myself, though I’ve always meant to, I don’t have any pithy comments about the book, but I do have some interesting info to share below. But first, the answer you’ve been wracking your brains over.

“When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home.” is the opening line of 1967’s The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton.

Buy The Outsiders HERE

Interesting (and INSPIRING) Tidbits for you:

Hinton was 15 when she started writing the novel but did most of the work when she was 16 and a junior in high school. She was just 18 when the book was published. The 1983 movie starred a veritable cornucopia of young (at the time) Hollywood talent:

C. Thomas Howell
Matt Dillon
Ralph Macchio
Patrick Swayze
Rob Lowe
Diane Lane
Emilio Estevez
Tom Cruise
Leif Garrett

BLURB:

50 years of an iconic classic! This international bestseller and inspiration for a beloved movie is a heroic story of friendship and belonging.

No one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he’s got things figured out. He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friends—true friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is beating up on “greasers” like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect—until the night someone takes things too far.

The Outsiders is a dramatic and enduring work of fiction that laid the groundwork for the YA genre. S. E. Hinton’s classic story of a boy who finds himself on the outskirts of regular society remains as powerful today as it was the day it was first published.

“The Outsiders transformed young-adult fiction from a genre mostly about prom queens, football players and high school crushes to one that portrayed a darker, truer world.” —The New York Times

“Taut with tension, filled with drama.” —The Chicago Tribune

“[A] classic coming-of-age book.” —Philadelphia Daily News

A New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Book
A Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
Winner of the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award

I have a suspicion that while you may or may not have read the book, many of you have probably seen this movie. It is still being shown on various film channels to this day.

So there you have it for this week. And a HEADS UP: I am planning to devote next week to finishing my current WIP, so I won’t be running my usual weekly features, but it will all return the following week. So, no #FirstLineFriday on October 4, but if the bridge don’t go, an’ the creek don’t rise, as they say down here, it will be back on October 11 with a new teaser for you. See you then! 

#FirstLineFriday – #GiveawayContest #FreeEBookDownloads

/ Marcia / 7 Comments

Can’t believe it’s Friday again and time for you to dig down deep into your memories to see if you can pull up the correct title for today’s opening line.  I’m making no predictions of any sort about this one, since my track record in that regard has been less than stellar. But I hope you enjoy seeing another first line that made the top 100 lists several times. And I also hope this time, some of you guess correctly. Please take a look at the rules, then email me if you think you’ve got it. Feel free to take a guess. 

As always, 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 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, since Amazon won’t let me gift you from the site.

Now, without further ado, here is your #FirstLineFriday quiz of the week:

“When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home.”

You can probably tell from this line that the book was NOT written in the 1800s. Other than that, I’m not going to divulge any clues. But good luck, everybody. I’d love to give away some books this week! 🙂

#FirstLineFriday Submissions Are Now Closed. Here’s the Answer to Today’s Quiz!

/ Marcia / 21 Comments

Time to close this week’s quiz, and I wish I could say we have five winners. Alas, no one got this one, and that truly surprises me. This book is immensely popular, and has 7,949 reviews for a 4.6 average! Add a killer first line, and the fact that it was published relatively recently (2008) and I thought more people would recognize it. Especially with a clue like the Waystone Inn to jog the memory.

When you read this review, and see the accolades the book garnered from the biggest names in fantasy writing, you might wonder why you haven’t already read it. I’ve had it on my Kindle for at least two years, so I’m no one to point fingers. And I DO plan to read it very soon. I think it just got bumped to the top of my list, because how could so many people be wrong?

So, without further ado, here’s the answer to this week’s #FirstLineFriday:

“It was night again. The Waystone Inn lay in silence, and it was a silence of three parts.” is the amazing first line of The Name of the Wind: The Kingkiller Chronicle Book 1, a fabulously popular fantasy by Patrick Rothfuss. 


You can buy The Name of the Wind HERE

BLURB and Testimonial Reviews

OVER 1 MILLION COPIES SOLD!

 DAY ONE: THE NAME OF THE WIND

My name is Kvothe.
 
I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.
 
You may have heard of me.
 
So begins a tale unequaled in fantasy literature—the story of a hero told in his own voice. It is a tale of sorrow, a tale of survival, a tale of one man’s search for meaning in his universe, and how that search, and the indomitable will that drove it, gave birth to a legend.  

Praise for The Kingkiller Chronicle:

“The best epic fantasy I read last year…. He’s bloody good, this Rothfuss guy.”
—George R. R. Martin, New York Times-bestselling author of A Song of Ice and Fire

“Rothfuss has real talent, and his tale of Kvothe is deep and intricate and wondrous.”
—Terry Brooks, New York Times-bestselling author of Shannara

“It is a rare and great pleasure to find a fantasist writing…with true music in the words.”
—Ursula K. Le Guin, award-winning author of Earthsea

“The characters are real and the magic is true.”
—Robin Hobb, New York Times-bestselling author of Assassin’s Apprentice

“Masterful…. There is a beauty to Pat’s writing that defies description.”
—Brandon Sanderson, New York Times-bestselling author of Mistborn

Thanks for playing today, and I’m really sorry we didn’t have any winners, but I hope you all enjoyed reading another wonderful first line, and that it might help you when working on your own. Plus, if you enjoy fantasy at all, I suspect this one is a must-read. Check it out, and see what you think. I mean, could Martin, Brooks, Le Guin, Hobb, and Sanderson all be wrong? Doubtful! 😀

See you next week, and hope it’s YOUR turn to recognize that fabulous first line! 🙂

#FirstLineFriday – #GiveawayContest – #FreeEBook Downloads

/ Marcia / 19 Comments

It’s that time again, folks, so grab your thinking caps! Our #FirstLineFriday quiz is here, again. This time around, I’m not going to make a single prediction (out loud) about whether this will prove to be an easy one, or very, very difficult. I’ll just judge by how fast the correct answers arrive in my Inbox.

As always, 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 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, since Amazon won’t let me gift you from the site.

Now, without further ado, here is your #FirstLineFriday quiz of the week:

“It was night again. The Waystone Inn lay in silence, and it was a silence of three parts.”

I’ll be on the alert for your emailed guesses. Good luck, everybody! 

 

#FirstLineFriday Submissions Are Now Closed! Here’s the Answer to Our Quiz, and the Names of Our Winners!

/ Marcia / 15 Comments

Well, you guys fooled me again. I thought sure this one was a dead giveaway, because of the name Manderley. But I apparently thought wrong. However, we do have THREE winners today, yay! Please help me congratulate Darlene Foster, Olga Nunez, and Trish Power. *claps hands for our winners*

So happy some of you got this one, since this is the opening line of my favorite book of all time.  Here’s the answer you’ve all been trying to remember:

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” is the very famous first line of Daphne du Maurier’s noir-ish romance, Rebecca.

I first read this book when I was twelve, and have read it many times over the years, loving it just as much each time, though social customs have certainly changed since it was published in 1938. The book has never been out of print, and in 1940, was made into a wonderfully dark, and equally excellent  movie by Alfred Hitchcock. It starred Joan Fontaine, Sir Laurence Olivier, and Dame Judith Anderson, and was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, winning Best Picture and Best Cinematography. It is well worth watching if you love brooding, dark, moody stories that  pack a punch.

On a completely different note, my daughter’s middle name is Rebecca, in honor of this book. When she finally read it, Erin was horrified to discover Rebecca is a pretty selfish, wicked woman. I assured her it was the book I was honoring, not the character, and told her the actual heroine of the book remains unnamed throughout, so I’d had no choice. 😀

Rebecca won the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the Century!


I highly recommend you buy Rebecca!
You can do so HERE.

BLURB:

A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again.”

With these words, the reader is ushered into an isolated gray stone mansion on the windswept Cornish coast, as the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter recalls the chilling events that transpired as she began her new life as the young bride of a husband she barely knew. For in every corner of every room were phantoms of a time dead but not forgotten—a past devotedly preserved by the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers: a suite immaculate and untouched, clothing laid out and ready to be worn, but not by any of the great house’s current occupants. With an eerie presentiment of evil tightening her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter walked in the shadow of her mysterious predecessor, determined to uncover the darkest secrets and shattering truths about Maxim’s first wife—the late and hauntingly beautiful Rebecca.

This special edition of Rebecca includes excerpts from Daphne du Maurier’s The Rebecca Notebook and Other Memories, an essay on the real Manderley, du Maurier’s original epilogue to the book, and more.

Yes, I know this is an oldie, but it is SUCH a wonderful book and movie, and has made so many classic lists, including almost every Best Opening Line list, that I thought it was worth sharing.  Those of you who’ve never had the pleasure of reading any of du Maurier’s fabulous books (Frenchman’s Creek, My Cousin Rachel, The Scapegoat, her short story The Birds, House on the Strand, and others) really should check her out. If you love descriptive writing that puts you in the scene,  you’ll find she’s fantastic. And she does love a wicked twist at the end of her stories, too, which is why Hitchcock starting filming them.

And there you have it for this week. Thanks for playing, everyone! Check in at 8:00am next Friday, 9/20, and see what new famous first line I’ve got for you. Set your alarms, and I’ll see you then!

 

#FirstLineFriday – #GiveawayContest – #FreeBooks

/ Marcia / 11 Comments

After taking a slight break for a hurricane,  we’re back with another #FirstLineFriday quiz. I really do believe this one will be the easiest one to date, so get your answers in quickly in order to win!

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 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, without further ado, here is your #FirstLineFriday quiz of the week:

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”

Good luck, everybody! 

#FirstLineFriday Submissions Are Now Closed! Here’s the Answer to the Quiz and Yes, We Have A Winner!

/ Marcia / 10 Comments

Wow! I was sure this one was going to be so easy. I tell you, folks, it’s hard to know which ones are going to jog people’s memories and which aren’t. At any rate, this is a great opening line, in my opinion, and one that clearly lets the reader know something very different and interesting is about to follow. A good lesson in pulling readers in, I think.

For the second week in a row, we only have one winner, however, she was johnny-on-the-spot with the correct answer. So, let’s congratulate Jeanne Owens for figuring out one that was apparently pretty difficult for most of you. This one, I knew as soon as I read it, though that is certainly not always the case.

And since I’m in the midst of preparing for Dorian’s arrival, I’m keeping this short. Here’s the correct answer for you:

“The drought had lasted now for ten million years, and the reign of the terrible lizards had long since ended.” is the opening line of 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clark.

It’s a bit unusual, in that the 1968 science fiction novel was developed concurrently with Stanley Kubrick’s film version and published after the release of the film. Clarke and Kubrick worked on the book together, but eventually only Clarke ended up as the official author.


Buy 2001: A Space Odyssey HERE

BLURB:

The classic science fiction novel that captures and expands on the vision of Stanley Kubrick’s immortal film—and changed the way we look at the stars and ourselves.

From the savannas of Africa at the dawn of mankind to the rings of Saturn as man ventures to the outer rim of our solar system, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a journey unlike any other.

This allegory about humanity’s exploration of the universe—and the universe’s reaction to humanity—is a hallmark achievement in storytelling that follows the crew of the spacecraft Discovery as they embark on a mission to Saturn. Their vessel is controlled by HAL 9000, an artificially intelligent supercomputer capable of the highest level of cognitive functioning that rivals—and perhaps threatens—the human mind.

Grappling with space exploration, the perils of technology, and the limits of human power, 2001: A Space Odyssey continues to be an enduring classic of cinematic scope.

And there you have it, folks. I suspect there isn’t a one of you who hasn’t seen this movie or read this book, or like me, both. In fact, I read the entire series. (Yes, there are several more Space Odyssey books, and though it’s been a while, I remember enjoying all of them.) 

Stay tuned for next #FirstLineFriday quiz. (If all goes well, that will be Friday, 9/13, unless I let you know differently.) I’m pretty sure I’m going to use the easiest  to recognize first line I can find. (No, NOT “Call me Ishamel.”  Just. No. 😀 ) But I promise it will be pretty darn famous, and hopefully, we’ll have more winners.  Set your alarms, and I’ll see you then!

#FirstLineFriday #GiveawayContest #FreeBooks

/ Marcia / 6 Comments

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!