Where do I start?

Four years ago Stacy Montgomery changed Dr. Harlan Allred’s life forever. Today, as he prepared for his busy day of seeing his pediatric patients, he had no idea she was about to do it again.

It turns out the start of a book is extremely important. Like make or break important. It's not just the first paragraph or the first chapter, but the first sentence is huge. Above is the first sentence of, "Dying to Live", a novel that I am working on.

That wasn't the first line 5 years ago when I started. Actually, it wasn't the first line until this past Saturday morning around 10:30. Why? Well, because the beginning was too slow. I knew it when I finished the first draft. I knew it when I sent it to family and friends to give me their feedback. I knew it when I sent it to an editor to rip it shreds. I just didn't know how to fix it. I sometimes wonder if I even wanted to fix it. Strange, huh? Well, that's me. I make no sense. If you don't know that by now, that's not my fault. That's on you.

Why did I chose the sentence above to start the novel and hope that people get hooked and can't stop reading? After I sent my first draft an editor (the fantastic Heidi Brockbank at Eschler Editing http://www.eschlerediting.com) she told me about a book called, "Hooked: write fiction that grabs readers at page one and never lets them go." The author, Les Edgerton, has a lot of excellent advice and this is what he says about the first sentence:

"Spend an awful lot of time on this sentence. In fact, more effort should be expended on this sentence than any other line in your story. No kidding. The first sentence is the first thing the readers will see when they open the door of your manuscript or story. Make sure it's a good 'un! One that creates a strong impression."

If I was reading the first lines of my book, I think I would want to know what that means. How did a child change this doctors life? And what was going to happen next that would change his life again? To me that seems interesting. To others? I sure hope so. Although it might be a little terrifying to me to know others think like me.

The stranger didn't shatter Adam's world all at once. That's what Adam Price would tell himself later, but that was a lie. 

How about this one? This is the start of, "The Stranger," by Harlan Coben. Does it hook you? It did for me. Who is this stranger? What happened to Adam's world? What happens next? I need to keep reading!

Here are my questions to you. What matters to you at the beginning of a book? What hooks you? How important are the first lines to you? Do you agree with Les Edgerton? Will you send me some pizza? I like pizza.

Thanks for reading! Now it's back to writing!