The First Line

of a Regency Romance Book

I care about every sentence I write, but I probably spend more time trying to refine that first sentence (and paragraph) of each regency romance than any other sentence. (Okay that first kiss takes quite a bit of time too).

I suppose there is nothing inherently wrong with beginning a romance with: “Lady Jane Martin looked out her window at the (choose the weather) and sighed (or laughed or scowled).” But I just can’t pull myself to do it. And so I agonize, write, rewrite, agonize some more until finally something clicks, and it feels right to me.

Even the first lines of my free bonus stories require hours and hours of mulling. Which means that so far, I’ve written fifteen historical romance first lines/first paragraphs. I thought it would be fun to line them all up and see what you think.

Let me say in my defense that I had an excellent reason for every lie I told or truth I withheld. But Sir Walter Scott is uncomfortably accurate. It was not long before I felt like a startled spider trying to catch and mend the sticky and tangled ends of a very twisted web. –The Secrets We Keep

The grooms and footmen, the chamber maids and scullery maids whispered and darted quick, frightened looks at me when they thought I couldn’t see. I knew what they said. Sometimes I even laughed at the more inventive stories. –One Stormy Day (Bonus story for Secrets)

I thought I would be able to practice courage in a few small things first, just to get in the way of it. Fate and my stepbrother Hugh had different ideas. We had only lived in Bexhill a few months when Hugh was shot dead by a smuggler, ironically in a peaceful wooded field situated between the shops on Hastings Road and St. Peter’s church, right in the center of town. Then everything changed, and there was no time to dabble in courage. I must spring right in, or perhaps I should say, be plunged in, whether I would or not. –The Lies We Tell

I will apologize later. If I must. But if I do nothing, Meggie will be old, maybe even twenty-five, before Mr. Gerow gathers courage to act or Meggie lets him know she cares. How do the English continue to populate this island? –One Artful Ruse (Bonus flash fiction story for Lies)

In France, one says, ‘dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es.’ It means, ‘tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.’ But after only a short time in England, I knew the British were not made of what they eat, oh no. They were made from the air they breathe. –The Masks We Wear

I hadn’t planned to come to the masquerade in costume, but Miss Sidonie’s enthusiasm overcame my objections. I sat in one of the chairs along the edge of the room with the other chaperones, fading into the background as usual. Except, this time I was dressed as Alexander the Great’s mother, the Greek princess Olympias. –Masquerader’s Dream (Bonus story for Masks)

Brothers! Sometimes mine was too ridiculous for words. –Smoke and Shadows

History is written by men, by the high born and rich, by the winners. My story is no different. You may have heard it, the legend of the Gypsy Witch, a dark haired, dark-eyed Romani enchantress. –The Gypsy Witch (Bonus gothic story for Smoke and Shadows)

I was not superstitious, but I jumped at the flash of lightning. I may have let out a yelp, just a small squeak really, at the crack of thunder that closely followed. –Veiled In Mist

The morning mist cleared as Mercy rode away from Bexhill and from her past. –The Road Home (Bonus story for Veiled)

Lady Evelyn Colbourne hid in the greenhouse for as long as she could. Aunt Cornelia was in a rage. The Marquess of Camden hadn’t arrived the day before as she had anticipated, which almost made Evie like him. Anyone who could get the better of her aunt had her respect. –Under a Honeyed Moon (Coming Soon)

Despite the insufferable expense, Lord Rupert Capener, Earl of Rosecrest was back in London after a ten-year absence. He had untangled the mess of near ruin his father had left for him. He had restored Rosecrest into a thriving, healthy estate that he could pass down to his son with pride. Now he just needed a son. And to manage that, he needed a wife. –Minna and the Miser (Free Prequel to the Rebel Hearts Series)

I sold the trunk. Two portmanteaus made of sturdy cloth were all I needed to hold everything we owned. There was room at the top of the second case for the bed linens I would pack on the morning we left. We could stay in our lodgings two more day, maybe a third if I talked to the landlord after he’d had enough brandy. Three days until my little Amelia and I would move again to a smaller, less expensive room in a slightly less respectable neighborhood. –An Honorable Man

Lady Windham’s nose was of moderate size and shape, but she could smell a secret or scandal from a mile away. –Lady Moreton’s Proposal (Bonus story for Honorable)

Dear Georgiana,

The days of adventure are over. Romance is dead. We were not waylaid by a highwayman on our way to London. –Dear Lord Wycliff (Coming Soon)

I’d love to see your first line, to the book you are or would like to write, or the first line to your life story.