It’s always fun to remember how our writing journey started, who inspired us, and how much we’ve improved since those early days. Today’s Blog is all about those FIRSTS. Take a couple of minutes to type your answers in the “Comments” section below.
- Opening sentence of the first book you wrote.
- Opening sentence of your WIP.
- Your age when you wrote your first book.
- The person who inspired you to write your first book.
- Please give one link to your latest release.
Sue Searles - Author 
Fun idea!
It’s hard to figure out what my first book was, since I wrote a lot of little stories since I was around eight years old. I’ll go with my first completed novel-length work, that I completed at age 14. It was called “Holly” and was set in the Victorian era. Unfortunately, I’m missing the very first chapter, so it will have to be the first line of chapter two. 😛
“So far so good… Holly thought as the morning at school passed without a mention of yesterday.”
Now, my first sentence of my WIP, titled “Heartsick,” a Christian romantic suspense novel.
“It’s all about You, Lord …” Blessing Spivey sang out cheerfully, her eyes and lifting her hands.”
And lastly, a link to a completed book, one of my very recent best sellers: http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Lover-RJ-Conte-ebook/dp/B00MD5VH0W/ref=la_B00MDY4T0S_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1456487201&sr=1-2
Thanks, Sue!
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Woops. I retyped that with a typo. That’s supposed to be “closing her eyes and lifting her hands.” 😛
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Thought I’d go “first”… 🙂
1. Little John was a boy of 7 who lived in a great big house with his mom and dad and his pet cat. (Children’s story.)
2. Anybody else would head for the hills, run like mad in the other direction, cover all tracks back to their horrible crime. But not Erika; that wasn’t her style. (Subject to change.)
3. 28
4. My son, Michael (then 6).
5. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B6KGYMA/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk
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1. Koral squinted through the glass-panelled ceiling. (Science Fantasy)
2. The carriage clattered and wobbled down the road, forcing Clara to set aside her embroidery or be pricked.
3. 12.
4. Uh… Stacy, an old RP friend I lost contact with.
5. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BWCL4FE
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Lovely idea, Sue. Here are mine:
1. Buggy was a VW (Volkswagen) Beetle Car, one of the new designs, painted shiny green with a silver and white stripe down each side.
2. Nothing great – it’s from the short story I’ve written that’s still in the editing phase – “Sorry, I have another meeting tonight. I can’t make it,” Bridget told her mother over the phone.
3. About 28/29.
4. My husband, Kevin or C.S. Lewis who was my favourite writer.
5. http://www.amzn.com/dp/B01BNMW1B4
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1. Koral squinted through the glass-panelled ceiling.
2. The carriage clattered and wobbled down the road, forcing Clara to set aside her embroidery or be pricked.
3. 12. Although it’s been through so many rewrites.
4. Andre Norton.
5. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BWCL4FE
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Like your idea, Sue.
1. Reagan sat on the front pew at Grace Cathedral, but instead of listening to a sermon or observing a wedding ceremony she was focused on the two caskets at the front of the church.
2. Ella began to panic.
3. 57
4. My inspiration came from a need to know who I’d be after retirement, which was coming sooner than later.
5. http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Chance-Love-Rachel-Jones-ebook/dp/B0167GDZF2/
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What a fun idea 🙂
1. The first sentence of my first book is in French even though the rest of the book is English…
“Sacre bleu! Monseigneur, il y a une fille!” ~ The earl’s valet had just discovered Emily hiding in the boot of the carriage. He was distraught.
2. “You really ought not to be out here on your own, my lady. There is any number of ill intentioned men in attendance this evening.” This is a sequel to The Duke Conspiracy and is still in draft stage.
3. Depends on how you define “book” 😉 When I was first learning to write (5 or 6) I “wrote” many books on little pieces of loose leaf stapled together. But I was around 30 when I wrote my first book that got published.
4. My husband challenged me to write a book instead of always reading them. My favorite aunt inspired my genre as she was the one who introduced me to the books of Georgette Heyer.
5. The Governess’ Debut ~ http://amzn.to/1JomcGT
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Hi Sue, here is mine:
1: The back tire of my bike skidded across the driveway, and I barely got stopped before crashing into the garage. (This was my first unpublished book which I wrote 3 years ago, Chasing Butterflies)
2:The evening before my wedding I was up in my room, sitting on the bed, running tomorrow’s script endlessly through my head, making sure I had everything ready before my real world actually began.
3: I was probably about 21 when I wrote my first children’s book called The Bubblegum Tree.
4: My husband, Gene, inspired me to write my first book.
5:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BW8WRK4?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
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Love the Friday Firsts idea, Sue!! Here are mine:
1. My mother is going to be mad at me. Again.
2. There must be some mistake.
3. My first published book? 41
4. My friend Jennifer Probst – an amazing author in her own right!!
5.http://amzn.com/B00WT7DQTY
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Here’s mine. This is a cut idea.
1.”I can’t say I’m sorry you lost this one, Tommy,” Maria Mendoza called from the prosecution’s side of the courtroom.
2.”Hey, girl. What’s up?”
3.49
4.My son who wrote a book himself.
5.Fortuna is my latest release. http://amzn.to/23yoW2d
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Yay! I love this 🙂
1. I know that most adventure/fantasy/whatever you would like to call these stories start with something magical, but my story starts with something ordinary: dreams.
2. It was another day from hell.
3. 19
4. A person didn’t inspire my book, but I suffer from sleep paralysis, which sparked the interest for my first book 🙂
5. Out 3/10/16 🙂 http://lefredwrites.wix.com/marsjaws
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This is hard! I don’t remember what I wrote first that I thought was a book. Guess I’ll just pick one…
1. I’m glad I’m not a horse, who has to eat hay and grass.
2. Evryones thinks
emotie stars
have such
dazzelous lives
(YA novel in verse)
3. Also about 28!
4. My husband!
5. My most recent are work-for-hire with no direct links, but my next book comes out this summer: http://www.smfordbooks.com/books.html
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Ok, here is mine;
1. It began with a lightning strike, piercing through the clouds and lighting up the earth.
2. I lay in bed waking slowly to the sound of rain pounding against my bedroom window.
3. My first “book” was a compilation of assignments for writing in 4th grade.
4. My brother’s best friend who I had terribly deep feelings for. I just wanted to write our story.
5. http://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Fall-Amanda-Hess-ebook/dp/B01C6MMHXW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1456379351&sr=8-2&keywords=fearless+of+the+fall
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This is so fun!
1. First book first sentence: Thirteen-year-old ClaireLee shivered in the snowy night,
regretting she had only a cotton gown and thin robe between her
and the cold.
2. Currnet WIP first sentence: Kari’s heart sank to her navel, as Granny slammed on the gas pedal of her Cadillac Fleetwood.
3. My age when I wrote my first book was 42.
4. My daughter Jami inspired me to write my first book.
5. Here’s the link to my debut, Just Claire. http://ow.ly/XmCJ5
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