#FirstLineFriday

I’ve been tagged! Horror writer Rami Unger, the talented author of Rose, tagged me on his #FirstLineFriday post. My assignment? To post the first one or two lines of a WIP or a completed story. The rules of the meme:

1. On a Friday, create a post on your blog titled #FirstLineFriday, hashtag and all.
2. Explain the rules like I’m doing now.
3. Post the first one or two lines of a potential story, a story-in-progress, or a completed/published story.
4. Ask your readers for feedback and try to get them to try #FirstLineFriday on their own blogs (tagging is encouraged but not necessary).

Rami is writing a Gothic novel called Toyland, so in honor of Rami, I will post the first lines of my Gothic WIP, The Witch of the Manor House:

Red Cemetery Lane, the gravel road heading west out of Gillyville, Virginia, meandered through pitch pine woods and past black angus farms, crossed the creek where hemlocks thrived and night fog lingered, and poked its way up the hill from the historic slave cemetery only to dead end on a hardpan lot where fescue rooted, choked, and died with each optimistic spring. There, Tiny Skull Manor clutched the ground with its clawed footings and hummed.

Okay, what’d you think? (I won’t specifically tag anyone, but feel free to participate!)

Rami’s tag is particularly timely because Kathryn Ptacek, editor of the Horror Writers Association’s newsletter, set up a February Story-Starters Challenge. Each day in February, you write the beginning lines of a story. She’s interested in what people come up with and asks horror writers to email her their Challenge updates. (Ptacek’s email address can be found near the bottom of the HWA contact page.) I’m definitely doing this because I figure out of 28 (oh wait, leap year) 29 story starts, one or two good ones will emerge!

And in other news . . .

And, in other news, I was interviewed as a writer and blogger by horror author Jonathan Pongratz. Yes me, my first interview! If you want to take a peek (and find out what sport I did in college), check out the post on Jonny’s blog.

It’s been chilly here (in central Virginia), down to 24F this week. But winter just makes us appreciate spring that much more. Happy writing!