“The first thing I do after I’ve finished reading a novel is to flip back to the beginning and read the author’s first sentence again.

All novelists try to set the trajectory for the book with the first paragraphs of the first chapter. As a novelist myself, I love the opportunity to write that first sentence.

Once readers of my books have completed the journey with me, if they come back around to re-read the first sentence, they should have a greater understanding of it.” –Douglas Brunt