-
M.J. Evans
a book bubble about
The Stone of Courage
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author Insight
How to Start Your Book
"It was a dark and stormy night..." While several books, including great ones like "A Wrinkle in Time," start with that line, it is now considered a joke in the literary world. So...don't start your novel with "It was a dark and stormy night!" In this excerpt, you can read how I started, "The Stone of Courage-Book 2 of the Centaur Chronicles." You want to create interest right from the beginning so your readers will want to keep reading. Here you see foreshadowing of something to come and it promises to be unpleasant. At the same time, I reminded the reader where we were: in the fantasy land of Crystonia. I reset the scene for both those who have read the first book and for those who have not. I did this as a description of the change of seasons so as not to bore those who read the first book. Then I went back to the foreshadowing of the danger that awaits Carling.
Book Excerpt
The Stone of Courage
SOMETHING INSIDE TOLD CARLING that a change was coming. She couldn’t explain it, but she could feel it. And it wasn’t something she was welcoming.
Carling had been up for several hours, gazing out the small round window in her room over the village bakery. The stars faded as, softly and gently, the sun unfurled its splendor across the face of Mount Dashmore, the western hogback and, finally, the little valley that protected the village of Duenton. Spring was making its presence known all across the country known as Crystonia. The lush valley in which the village of Duenton nestled was emerging from the heavy white winter blanket that had covered it for several months. Fresh green sprigs of grass and tiny leaves were making their appearance.
She fidgeted as she looked out the window, the muscles in her neck twitching. It was not the change of seasons that was making her so restive.
Amazon
Barnes&Noble
Apple Books
Kobo
Click Follow to receive emails when this author adds content on Bublish
Comment on this Bubble
Your comment and a link to this bubble will also appear in your Facebook feed.