Lamar Giles takes readers on a wild and dark ride in this contemporary Witness Protection thriller, perfect for fans of James Patterson, Harlan Coben, and John Grisham. Nick Pearson is hiding in plain sight. In fact, his name isn't really Nick Pearson. He shouldn't tell you his real name, his real hometown, or why his family just moved to Stepton, Virginia. And he definitely shouldn't tell you about his friend Eli Cruz and the major conspiracy Eli was uncovering when he died. About how Nick had to choose between solving Eli's murder with his hot sister, Reya, and "staying low-key" like the Program said to do. But he's going to tell you—unless he gets caught first. . . .

Make Your Novel Stand Out from the Crowd! Noted literary agent and author Donald Maass has done it again! His previous book, Writing the Breakout Novel, offered novelists of all skill levels and genres insider advice on how to make their books rise above the competition and succeed in a crowded marketplace. Now, building on the success of its predecessor, Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook calls that advice into action! This powerful book presents the patented techniques and writing exercises from Maass's popular writing workshops to offer novelists first-class instruction and practical guidance. You'll learn to develop and strengthen aspects of your prose with sections on: • Building plot layers • Creating inner conflict • Strengthening voice and point of view • Discovering and heightening larger-than-life character qualities • Strengthening theme • And much more! Maass also carefully dissects examples from real-life breakout novels so you'll lean how to read and analyze fiction like a writer. With authoritative instruction and hands-on workbook exercises, Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook is one of the most accessible novel-writing guides available. Set your work-in progress apart from the competition and write your own breakout novel today!

Spark creativity with 892 Opening Lines, an inspirational collection of fictional opening sentences. 892 Opening Lines is an astoundingly varied collection of fictional first sentences that will spark a writer’s creativity. It doesn’t matter if you are a published author or an aspiring one – at some time or another all writers need to jump-start their process. Whether you are trying to be the next John Steinbeck or J.K. Rowling, there is an opening sentence in here for everyone, from spy thrillers to bodice rippers and dystopian fantasies. Also included in this book are inspiring quotations from successful authors who know all too well the highs and lows of getting words on the page. Funny, enigmatic, touching, and beautiful, these opening lines unlock the limitless possibilities for all writers to start telling their stories. Author John Brueckner has won 8 Emmy Awards, and has been nominated for 38. His work has appeared on Comedy Central and the Cartoon Network.

In Jacques Derrida: Opening Lines, Marian Hobson gives us a thorough and elegant analysis of this controversial and seminal contemporary thinker. Looking closely at the language and the construction of some of Derrida's philosophy, Hobson suggests the way he writes, indeed the fact he writes in another language, affects how he can be understood by English speakers. This superb study on the question of language will make illuminating reading for anyone studying or engaged with Derrida's philosophy.

Dear Reader, IN THE BEGINNING presents the all-important first sentence of 1,000 famous and not-so-famous novels (plus a handful of short stories). A smorgasbord of popular fiction from around the world, ideally, these opening lines will have a tremendous attraction for lovers of literature everywhere. IN THE BEGINNING is more than just a novelty book. Anyone who loves books not only enjoys being reminded of their favorites, but also delights in finding a good one they’ve missed. Those who relish reading and writing will savor a collection that brings back memories of beloved books, and often, the times in which they were read. From Virginia Woolf to Tom Wolfe, from Edith Wharton to Stephen King, from Ernest Hemingway to Gabriel Garcia Marquez, masterpieces of world literature are juxtaposed with trendy best-sellers, romances with westerns, classics with cult favorites. Some lines are well-remembered, others rarely recalled; still others are brilliant beginnings from relatively obscure books. But in every case, IN THE BEGINNING confirms how powerful a sentence can be. Bumping into a familiar line from a beloved novel fills the reader’s mind with imagery. (“The great fish moved silently through the night water, propelled by short sweeps of its crescent tale.” (Jaws, by Peter Benchley). While dazzling openers don’t guarantee a worthwhile novel, expectations run high when we’re introduced with: “Paint me a railroad station then, ten minutes before dark.” (John Cheever’s Bullet Park) or “There were 117 psychoanalysts on the Pan-Am flight to Vienna and I’d been psychoanalyzed by at least six of them.” (Fear of Flying by Erica Jong). Some books reach their zenith with wonderful first lines that are never matched: “I had this story from one that had no business to tell it to me, or to any other.” That’s our initial meeting with the Tarzan series. Conversely, some rather mundane opening lines are made better because we know the marvelous story that follows, like B. Traven’s Treasure of the Sierra Madre: “The bench on which Dobbs was sitting was not so good.” Perhaps not truly memorable, but a truly unforgettable character, and Bogie didn’t do badly by him either. Enjoy. Hans Bauer

A book should not be judged by its cover, it is often said, but what about its opening lines? The very first [few] sentence[s] of any piece of writing is[are] arguably the best and most important. The beginning of an oeuvre enjoys all of the praise but it also carries big daunting tasks. It hooks the reader in and does justice to the body of work that it is introducing. With so many books to read and choose from, a fair and great starting can really set the tone for the entire story and define its legacy for decades to come.

Ever since Jackie moved to her uncle's sleepy farming town, she's been flirting way too much--and with her own cousin, Marcus. Her friendship with him has turned into something she can't control, and he's the reason Jackie lost track of her best friend, Ellie, who left for...no one knows where. Now Ellie has been missing for months, and the police, fearing the worst, are searching for her body. Swamped with guilt and the knowledge that acting on her love for Marcus would tear their families apart, Jackie pushes her cousin away. The plan is to fall out of love, and, just as she hoped he would, Marcus falls for the new girl in town. But something isn't right about this stranger, and Jackie's suspicions about the new girl's secrets only drive the wedge deeper between Jackie and Marcus--and deepens Jackie's despair. Then Marcus is forced to pay the price for someone else's lies as the mystery around Ellie's disappearance starts to become horribly clear. Jackie has to face terrible choices. Can she leave her first love behind, and can she go on living with the fact that she failed her best friend?