You've Got Five Pages...To Tell Me It's Good

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! From the get-go, Didomizio has a sass to his voice that oozes personality. You get it from the very first line: "It's been...

NOTE: In the podcast, I refer to book 1 of this trilogy as The Captive's War , but that is the title of the whole trilogy. Book 1 is called The Mercy of Gods .------- Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of ot...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! Could my prologue curse be broken at last! Here's another book that shows an author understands the power of a prologue done rig...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! There's a lot to dig for the suspense/mystery lovers here. Prologues ALWAYS put me on my guard, but Dove utilizes the prologue t...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! Now I admit that I was hesitant at first when I opened the book and saw a prologue. But thankfully, this prologue did its job. In it...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! The prologue focuses on an elderly woman who should not bedriving in a rainstorm. She constantly puts herself down through all the p...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! Honestly, I've a few gripes here. For one, I really don't like second-person for a pov. Just because one can do a thing does...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! I admit that I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. I knew it to be some sort of suspense thriller, but the blurb on my har...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! It's not often I see fake-outs in a book, but be damned if McAuley doesn't pull it off MULTIPLE TIMES in just half a dozen p...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! This series was originally published independently, and grew such a following it's now got a traditional publishing deal. Good f...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! I have a feeling I’m going against the flow with this one. Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon has an enticing premise: the protag...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! With my twins Biff and Bash up to their eyeballs in Dr. Who comics, books, and films, I couldn't help but pick a time-traveling...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! The cover art for Lee's book immediately got my attention with its Mad Max style, and I loved the blurb promising "monsters, motorbikes, and...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! Yowza, have I got a spooky one for you today. I initiallygrabbed Linwood Barclay’s Whistle because of the train. Turns out this is n...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! Clearly, Pliego was stoked to take the iconic  And Then There Were None  premise and ratchet it up with a gathering of mystery autho...

Thank goodness for Annelise Ryan. If you listen to the first few minutes of this episode, you'll catch a little rant about my almost-selection and the tired trend of titles with "Daughter" in them. Already in 2022, other folks were sharing just how rampant those titles are. (The blog Fictitiously Yours covers quite a few). You'd think we'd be done with them by now! But nope--of all the suspense-is...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! One can say a lot with a little, especially when you know your readers. Moore's opening line "The bed is empty" hits a...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! As an avid Agatha Christie fan, I was immediately drawn to Fiona Davis’ The Stolen Queen. A mystery tied to Egyptian antiquities? Si...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! There’s a lot to be said for a strong setup. At first glance, I wasn’t all that keen on multiple quotes, then a prologue, then an exhibition...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! First, I have to apologize for goofing any Scottish language in this book, as it’s set in Scotland. I avoided attempting the accent, at leas...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! The opening pages of Kate Atkinson’s Death at the Sign of the Rook took me back to an Agatha Christie-style setup: the enigmatic invite to a...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! This was a treat to read. I grew up on shows like MURDER, SHE WROTE, so to see the back of this book mention a J.B. Fletcher-like pr...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! I’ve sampled two of T. Kingfisher’s past books on this podcast, and this third edition doesn’t disappoint, either. Huzzah! A Sorcere...

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! The cover art for Lee's book immediately got my attention with its Mad Max style, and I loved the blurb promising "monsters...

The first chapter can make or break a reader's engagement with a story. We as writers must craft brilliant opening pages to hook those picky readers, so let's study the stories of others to see how they do it! I find myself in a sequel with Jim Butcher's The Olympian Affair. Book 2 of The Cinder Series takes a smart approach: start with one character walking through a town with a desti...