Dear Reader—

I always wonder how someone looking at all the titles in a book store decides which one they want to buy.  Is it the title or front cover?  The back cover copy?  First line of the story?

As a writer the last one is very important to me.  It’s difficult to begin until I have a good first line.  One project I started in spite of a blah opening and my editor gently suggested I tweak the first sentence.

Originally it read:  Rose Traub had hoped her new life in Thunder Canyon, Montana would include a man, a marriage proposal and living happily ever after, but so far she was zero for three.

After playing with the words, this is what ended up in the book.

Rose Traub hadn’t wanted to get naked with a man since moving to Thunder Canyon, Montana.  That was kind of a problem if you wanted to get married, and she wanted it bad.

Which one do you like better?

Recently I received author copies for one of my books that came out in Harlequin Romance, THIS KISS.  Curious to see how the beginning stood the test of time, I read the first line.  It said:  She’d forgotten how good trouble looked in worn denim, scuffed boots and a black Stetson.

I still like it.  Let me know what you think.

All the Best,
Teresa Southwick