Hooked? – 4

Here are three more books and their opening lines.

Assuming the book is in a genre that might interest you, do you want to continue reading after the first lines? The authors hope so. What do you think? Are you interested enough to turn the page? These books probably target women more than men, but we appreciate all opinions.

1. Touched by the Light by Linn B. Halton

Dying was, quite frankly, incredibly easy. One minute I was there and the next minute I’m here, wherever here is. If someone had asked me what my thoughts were about how life ends, I can’t say this is necessarily how I would have pictured it. I probably would have imagined more drama. The truth is, I had never given it any considered thought. I’ve come to think that’s probably a good thing, because it might be easier not to have any pre-conceptions. One thing I can say for sure is that the possibility of dying at a young age had never crossed my mind.

Touched By The Light final med

http://smarturl.it/TBTLromcom

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2.  The Wind Weeps by Anneli Purchase

I knew I must have the wrong address. He was absolutely stunning. My heart fluttered and thudded frantically. Heat rose to my face. I ducked my head in embarrassment, but couldn’t keep my eyes off him.

I glanced at the scrap of paper in my hand–Single girl looking for roommate to share expenses. Call Monique. 604-483-5866

The Wind Weeps

amazon.com

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3. Selima and the Merfolk by Vanessa Salazar (Genre is Young Adult)

He was here. Selima hid behind lace curtains as she watched Dave’s truck struggle up the hill. It was the same truck he had owned since she was a child, only it had been repainted red with a gold stripe.

SELIMA BOOK COVER

amazon.com

 Vanessa’s blog

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Humour in Writing – Linn B. Halton

SO titleThere’s humour in everything—birth, death and all of the intricate details in between that we refer to as life. Then there’s love …
In my next novel, Sweet Occasions, Katie’s life is consumed with following her dream, after she sets up her own bakery.
As everything begins to fall apart, so does her relationship with Steve, but can it be salvaged? Then there’s Adam, doting father to Lily, who drifts into her life. Maybe I should say ‘drips’ into her life …

Happy casual man“How can I help you?” I ask politely.
No response is forthcoming as the seconds slowly tick by. He appears to have lost the power of speech and I struggle to mask the grin that keeps creeping across my face. I watch as a rivulet of water snakes down from his sodden hair and he raises his sleeve to wipe it away. I can’t stop my eyes from straying to the floor and I see that he’s standing in what appears to be quite a large puddle. He observes me checking it out, but says nothing. The seconds continue to pass and I wait patiently, wondering why anyone would venture out on a day like this so totally unprepared to battle the elements.
He shifts from one foot to the other, and then runs his hand through his hair in an attempt to sweep the wet tendrils off his forehead.
“Sssorry, I’m a llllittle wet.”
Well, that’s an understatement if ever I heard one. He’s embarrassed and I swallow a chuckle, disguising it with a cough.
“Um … I just need something … small,” he continues, sounding hesitant.
He’s looking directly at me as if that should mean something.
“Small?”
“Yes.”
I’m frowning, so I slide back into smiley-face mode and pick up one of our leaflets. I spread it out on the counter and he leans forward to look at the array of cakes. As he moves his head a few drops of rain flick up into the air, splatting across the front of my blouse and landing on the counter. He looks mortified.
“Um,” he mutters weakly. He looks up at me, a blank expression on his face.

It’s a chance encounter that has her trying very hard to hide a smirk. What sort of guy would leave home so inadequately dressed on such a stormy day? As the puddle of water in which he’s standing grows, so does her sympathy. It’s one memory that will stick in her mind for a long time …

Coming 23 September, 2014:

SO LBH medKatie’s relationship has had more than its fair share of problems. After a difficult few years things begin to pick up and Katie finally realises her dream of opening up a bakery. Sweet Occasions specialises in novelty and celebration cakes, plus the most inspiring range of cupcakes anyone could possibly ask for!
Utilising her passion and skill helps to inject happiness back into her life, but it’s short-lived as things begin to fall apart. The reality is that you need to run a business with your heart AND your head. Help is at hand in the shape of her partner, Steve. He has the necessary experience, but does Katie want to tie herself to him financially, as well as personally?
Then one rainy, wintry day a bedraggled customer steps inside the door to order a cake …
Sometimes a turning point centres around one single moment in time. Sometimes it takes two Christmases and three birthdays.

Website (linnbhalton.co.uk)
Twitter: @LinnBHalton
Facebook: Linn B Halton and Author Linn B Halton
Buy: http://viewauthor.at/LinnBHalton
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Loveahappyending Lifestyle
HarperImpulse and Sapphire Star Publishing author pages
Romantic Novelists’ Association page

Turning Points Series – Linn B. Halton

My guest today is romance writer Linn B. Halton. If you like a good love story with a mild touch of the psychic influence, you’ll enjoy Linn’s books. Even if you aren’t a believer, you’ll find yourself caught up in the tangles of love.

Angels Among Us series

TURNING POINTS

I write about romance and relationships, but because of my beliefs and experiences in life there is usually a psychic connection. The Angels Among Us collection, published by Harper Impulse, is a trilogy of three thirty-thousand word novellas. I’d like to share a turning point from Falling (Angels Among Us #1), that defines the start of a romantic involvement between Ceri and Alex. They know each other well in a working environment, but have always kept their personal lives separate. Ceri has just admitted her big secret—she sees angels, everywhere. It’s not something she welcomes and it makes her feel different from everyone else. However, when it’s Alex’s turn, Ceri too is in for a surprise.

Falling 3D (2)

Excerpt: 

“Okay, your turn. What’s your little secret?”

Alex puts his empty coffee cup on the floor and sits forward, stretching.

“You think I’m not interested in women,” he turns his head sideways to look at me before he continues. “I’m not. I’m only interested in one woman, and for some really obscure reason it’s not meant to be.”

He looks sad, no—more than that—beaten. It had never occurred to me that he was nursing a broken heart.

“I’m so sorry Alex. I never thought for one moment… and the dating agency?”

“It’s lonely at times,” he says, and it’s almost a whisper. “Rather sad for a guy in his early thirties. However, I’ve realised that I’m not prepared to settle. Maybe some men are born to be single. I enjoy my own company, so I can’t exactly complain.”

I move around to sit up next to him. If you put a few books in between us we’d be a great set of bookends. Still, like statues, each consumed by our own thoughts. Sharing a sense of sadness for the things that life has given us to deal with.

“I think I need another drink,” I say, heading off to grab what’s left of the wine and two fresh glasses. It’s going to be a long night.

***

I squint as the light filters in through the window. Closing one eye to avoid the brightness, I wonder why I forgot to close the curtains last night. My arm flops over the side of the bed and I stretch, my head beginning to clear a little. Oh, I’m never going to drink too much ever again. I haven’t said that since I was a teen and had a drunken session with a couple of girlfriends. Hearing a groan, I roll over and my stomach does a queasy flip. Alex is next to me, thankfully facing the other way. I wriggle slightly and realise I’m naked.

 

How complicated can one moment make the lives of two people? In this trilogy I take the reader on a journey to think about fate versus life choices. Do we tread a path laid out ahead of us, only able to meander slightly as we make our way along it? Or can we make our own turning points? Can we change our fate?

I know one thing for sure, writing was a major turning point for me and maybe what I’m doing now is fulfilling my fate.

Book blurb:

Ceri knows she’s different. What she doesn’t fully appreciate is that her task in life is to correct a series of incidents that alter the course of many of the people’s lives with whom she comes into contact. She’s simply putting right little errors that could ripple outwards and change the course of their destiny. However; when she finds herself getting pulled into things that happen around her, how can she prove that she really has made a difference? Is it all in her head?

She’s alone for a reason; she’s not meant to fall in love in her earthly life. Alex is supposed to cross paths with her and help Ceri during a phase where she begins to question the signs she’s being given. It’s meant to be a turning point for them both—but in opposite directions. They are destined to travel very different paths…but Ceri doesn’t know that and neither does Alex…

Read chapter one http://linnbhalton.co.uk/falling/

linnbhaltonAbout Linn B. Halton:

I live in the small village of Lydbrook, on the edge of the Forest of Dean (in the UK) with the man I fell in love with, virtually at first sight. We were at a party and our eyes ‘met’ across a crowded room! My days are spent with characters who become friends and Mr Tiggs, a feline with catitude. I always knew that one day I would write romantic novels, but I never dreamed they would have a psychic twist! I’ve experienced many ‘unexplainable’ things, but it took a long time for me to accept the reality of what that means. Love, life and beyond…but it’s ALWAYS about the romance!

Amazon: http://viewbook.at/FallingAngelsAmongUs

Website
Twitter: @LinnBHalton
Facebook: Linn B Halton and Author Linn B Halton

Pinterest
HarperImpulse author page
Romantic Novelists’ Association page
Editor of Loveahappyending Lifestyle emagazine