I only worked a half hour past 5:00 PM today, and I’m celebrating with another of my top-five lists. When I pick up a book and start to read, the best first lines draw me in and set the stage for the story to come. Here are my five favorites, in no particular order:

Brighter Than the Sun by Julia Quinn

Eleanor Lyndon was minding her own business when Charles Wycombe, Earl of Billington, fell—quite literally—into her life.

Brighter Than the Sun is a wonderfully funny book, and this line sets up the story perfectly. It conveys Eleanor’s practicality while at the same time hints at the big changes Charles will make in her life.

Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson

The day I died started out bad and got worse in a hurry.

This sentence tells me two things: this is a first-person story with plenty of humor. And that’s absolutely true about this book.

His Every Kiss by LauraLee Guhrke

He was going mad.

Talk about a first line that says it all. Dylan Moore is a strong, memorable hero, and this sentence establishes his big problem—a ringing in his ears that plagues him all the time. It’s a great sentence and an even better book.

“Fuzzy Logic” (from Bad Boys Over Easy) by Erin McCarthy

Lucas Manning was absolutely certain he hadn’t ordered a box of neon pink dildos.

I was grateful that I wasn’t eating or drinking anything when I read this line because I couldn’t help but laugh. Saying that this sentence draws me into the story is an understatement.

Immortal in Death by J.D. Robb

Getting married was murder.

So much meaning is expressed in four words. This sentence is classic Eve Dallas. Eve has always been a loner, so she finds the idea of marriage disconcerting. When you add the fact that she will have to find a wedding dress, get a makeover, and other strange prewedding rituals, you end up with this assessment.

Do you have a favorite first line from a book? Please share.

I’ve seen a number of Romancing the Blog columnists say that they rewrote a blog entry after seeing someone else write about their chosen topic. While I understood that perspective, I also thought that there are enough different opinions about any given topic that a revisit would be fine. I figured I would never—or almost never—change my column just because someone else had written about it.

I should have remembered. Never say never.

I’ve been plodding away (never fun, especially when referring to writing) at my next RTB column when I see that it’s cropping up on a few reader blogs. And now I’m stymied. Do I tell myself that it’s a timely subject and keep plodding on the same topic? I have such a great title for it, too. Ha! Or do I take the plodding as a sign and write about a subject that flows more easily? [Update: At the moment, I'm using the same topic but significantly adjusting my approach. I'm feeling better about it. We'll see if it works.]

What would make you rewrite a blog entry?

It’s Sunday night; tomorrow it’s back into the breach, and it’s possible that I won’t have time to blog for several days. Setting aside the issue of work (which I wish I could), I need to finish writing my next Romancing the Blog column. I also have two reviews to write. I’m planning to use my blog as a kind of reward once I finish.

Here’s an interesting activity to end the day with; I saw this idea on Ellory1’s blog and thought it would be fun to do since I’ve always wanted to say I have been in every state. In May I can add Arizona to the list.

Bold the states you’ve been to, underline the states you’ve lived in and italicize the state you’re in now.

Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C.

Have a good week.

It’s Easter Sunday, and I won’t be on the computer much today. I’m heading off to church soon and when I come home, I’ll start working on my Easter egg hunt for my nieces and nephew. This, along with my Halloween party, is one of the big things I do for the kiddos. In addition, one of my sisters has a birthday this month, and she’s celebrating it tonight. So it’s a busy day.

Thanks to Maili, I’m also working on a 20 mini confessions list. I just finished number 17, but I don’t know if I’m brave enough to post it once it’s finished. If I end up posting it, you’ll see it in the next few days. Here are a few to start with. Feel free to let me know if you want to see the others (Maili, I know you do):

1. I didn’t get my hair professionally cut for more than 10 years after I went to one who left me with two inches of hair after I said I wanted her to trim one inch. Note: it’s not a good sign when a stylist won’t let you look in a mirror as she’s cutting. You might also want to make sure she doesn’t get inches confused with feet.
2. I made a bet with a friend in high school that I would marry a man at least five years older than I am. This bet evolved from a conversation where I was complaining about how immature men in our high school were. I’m not married yet, so neither of us has won.
3. I spent about 40 hours playing with different blog templates before deciding to stick with what I have.
4. I spent another 20 minutes looking at different blog templates after writing #3.

Have a happy Easter!

I don’t usually take quizzes like this, but how could I resist finding out what file extention I am?

Which File Extension are You?

There are several authors I’ve enjoyed who haven’t published books for a while. Every now and then I wonder about them—if they’re still writing, where they are now. My current list, in alphabetical order:

Jan Freed is perhaps my favorite Harlequin Superromance writer. Ever. I’ve been reading her books since discovering Too Many Bosses (I’ve had a longtime interest in plots with romance between coworkers) in 1995. Nobody Does It Better is perhaps my favorite of her books, though she’s written at least half a dozen, and they’re all terrific. Nothing less than 4 out of 5 in the bunch. I believe her story in the 1992 anthology The Gift of Christmas is the last one she published. The last update I heard was that she was taking time off to be with her family.

Lori Herter is a guilty-pleasure read. Her heroes can be incredibly domineering, and her heroines are often naive virgins or the closest thing to them. Nevertheless, I like her. Her latest book is Harlequin Blaze Heat of the Moment, from January 2003.

Patricia Veryan is one of the first authors I read and loved in high school. She writes sweet, historical, love-conquers-all series and is perhaps best known for The Golden Chronicles series. She wrote dozens of books; The Tyrant and Love’s Duet are two of my favorites. As far as I know, her last book is The Riddle of the Deplorable Dandy, from 1992.

I read two of Julia Wild’s books from the UK publisher Scarlet—a side question, are they still publishing?—Dark Canvas and Blue Silk Promise. The latter is one of my favorites. There are a few other books listed by a Julia Wild, the most recent in 1991, but I’m not sure if it’s the same author. I may try one anyway, as it looks like two are still in print, though it gives a 4-7 week shipping time.

These are the writers I’m most curious about. Do you have authors you wonder about, too?

I celebrated my Friday off by taking a four-hour nap. Yikes! I enjoy napping on weekends and vacations, but I don’t typically nap for four hours. I guess I needed it.

I’ve been reading some of Angela Knight’s short stories from the Secrets anthologies. I tried Knight last year, when I heard lots of positive buzz about her work on different websites. First I read Master of the Night, which I liked with some reservations. Then I read “A Candidate for the Kiss” (from Secrets 6) which I liked even more. I’ve read several of her books and short stories since then. Last week I read “Roarke’s Prisoner” (Secrets 2) and “Kissing the Hunter” (Secrets 7).

“Roarke’s Prisoner” is a futuristic featuring two strong captains on opposite sides of a war. Elise’s last encounter ended with Roarke being captured and tortured. Since he escaped, Roarke has dreamed of revenge.

While I like Knight’s world building and was interested in the conflict between Roarke and Elise, this story uses too much forced seduction for my taste. It was difficult to believe that these characters were destined to live happily ever after. They needed more time together. I wish the story had been a bit longer: 3.5 out of 5.

“Kissing the Hunter” was terrific. Navy SEAL Logan makes it a mission to track down and kill the vampires who had a part in the murder of his wife. Virginia is his latest quarry, but he’s attracted to her even as he thinks she’s a monster.

Knight creates incredibly vivid characters in Virginia and Logan, and while they don’t spend much more time together than the couple in “Roarke’s Prisoner,” the longer length of “Kissing the Hunter” and the fact that these characters spend more time getting to know each other makes it a stronger read: 4.5 out of 5. Its main drawback is that there’s almost too much at work here; the reincarnation aspect seemed unnecessary.

So, I enjoyed both stories and I’ll probably track down the other ones. I just wish I could get her stories without having to buy the trade-size anthologies.

As promised, here are links to my latest scrapbook pages. The scans on a few of them are less than perfect, but should still let you see them:

Birthday Bash, Page 1
Birthday Bash, Page 2

Sweet Girl, Page 1
Sweet Girl, Page 2

The Way to Know Life, Page 1
The Way to Know Life, Page 2

I’m still among the living, but I’m stuck in a black abyss known as my workload. I have the day off and it’ll be interesting to if I really end up having a nice break or not. I brought a pile of work home with me. Unfortunately, next week doesn’t look much better; I have a seven-hour meeting scheduled for Thursday and that’s an accurate reflection of what the week will be like. Ugh. At some point things will slow down, but I’m not sure when that will be.

In more positive news, I’ve made travel arrangements to attend one of Charlaine Harris’s book signings. It’s in May, which gives me something to look forward to.

Last night I did some scrapbooking with my coworkers. I need to add a few final touches to the pages, but I will post links to pictures once they are finished.

My reading has slowed a bit, but I plan to read a few things this weekend, and I’ll try to blog about one or two of them.

This review is dedicated to Wendy.

Some authors you like because they write interesting variations of a character or story. Others you like because every story seems completely different. I thought that Shannon McKenna might fall into the former category; then I read Out of Control. While still steamy (you saw the smoke coming from my direction, right?) and not completely different, this story offers a nice change of pace from McKenna’s previous books: 4 out of 5.

Don’t misunderstand me; I’m not talking about a radically different book here. Out of Control contains all the things I love about McKenna’s writing: steamy and emotional sex, intriguing suspense, gripping drama. Did I mention the steamy and emotional sex?

A brief summary: Davy McCloud is phasing out his P.I. business when Margot, an aerobics instructor who works next to his martial arts studio, comes to him with a problem. She’s being stalked.

Davy knows there’s more to Margot’s story. He was instantly attracted to her when she started working next door. He put his P.I. knowledge to work by doing a background check, only to discover that she’s not what she seems.

What’s different about Out of Control are the characters. While protective, Davy McCloud is a bit less alpha than her previous heros. And Margot isn’t as innocent as some of her heroines. Some critics have said that McKenna’s heroines are pushovers; I don’t agree with this assessment—Raine from Behind Closed Doors, for example, is more than a match for Seth. Whatever your opinion on this subject, Margot isn’t a pushover in any sense.

Characters from the previous books make appearances here, but I don’t think you need to have read them to follow this story. For readers who have, it’s nice to see Raine and Seth, Connor and Erin, and Sean (the last single McCloud brother) again. If you haven’t read the books, don’t worry that Out of Control falls prey to sequel-itis. The previous characters play important, if minor, roles in the story.

Another intriguing difference in this book is the sex. Readers of the previous books will remember the multipage sex scenes. There’s no lack of sex in this book—and have I mentioned that it’s steamy, emotional, and complicated?—but many of the encounters aren’t as long. If you’re a fan of the heat, though, there’s still plenty of it here.

As I’ve mentioned before, I was disappointed in Return to Me, but Out of Control shows McKenna back in fine form.