First Lines: January 2019

A roundup of the best opening lines from titles by BookLife authors.

This month we’ve got the smell of death, exploding stars, and more. To submit a first line, email booklifeeditor@booklife.com.

Sky-Bound Misfit by Jane Powell

“My life began in a pub.”

The Shape of the Atmosphere by Jessica Dainty

“The day before my dad and sister died, my father woke me in the middle of the night to watch the stars explode.”

Angel’s Lust by Christina Hoag

“He’d been branded like a steer.”

Debriefing the Dead by Kerry Blaisdell

“I smelled death on the two men who walked into my office that day. I should have listened to my nose.”

Dead to Them by Smita Bhattacharya

“I decided to stop living today.”

The Fire in the Rock by Charles Henderson Norman

“I am old now, old beyond counting.”