First Graf Friday: Part II

By Jason Boog 

Everything hinges your first paragraph. A well-crafted first paragraph can convince a reader to buy your book or a magazine subscriber to read your article.

To celebrate the art of the first paragraph and our new SoundCloud page, we are proud to present the first installment of First Graf Friday–your chance to listen to stories from around the world, all read by their authors.

Our second installment is embedded below. Our readers shared everything from mysteries to memoirs to paranormal romance to literary fiction. Click on the square “MB” comment icons on the player to locate a specific author.

Here are some of the writers featured in our second edition of First Graf Friday. Some of the names were hard to decipher this time. If you are included in the podcast but we didn’t list your book, email GalleyCat.

The Box of Daughter: Healing the Authentic Self by Katherine Mayfield

Write Me on the Water by Andrea Malin

Mayhem on the Danube by Robert Landori

Brother Husband by Christian Harrison

Tales of the Living Room Warrior by Janet Rhodes

The Rock & Roll Queen of Bedlam: A Wise-Cracking Tale of Secrets, Peril, and Murder! by Marilee Brothers

Beware Madame La Guillotine! A Revolutionary Tour of Paris by Sarah Towle

The Sam Shepard Years by Martha Moffett

Executive Severance by Robert K Blechman

Killer Stuff and Tons of Money by Maureen Stanton

If you are proud of a particular first paragraph (or graf, as hardboiled reporters used to say), then you could get a chance to share it with our readers.

Just call our First Graf Hotline at 706-871-GRAF (or 706-871-4723) and record yourself reading the first paragraph of your story or book. We will edit together our favorite first paragraphs into an upcoming GalleyCat podcast.

]When recording, be sure to include: your name, the title of your book, article or story, and the best link where people can find your work online. We will include these details in the First Graf Friday post.

If possible, record your first paragraph using a landline. This is not a requirement, but these calls sound the best on the podcast.

If you are unhappy with your first reading, feel free to call back and re-record. We will use the best recording, but no more than three recordings per writer please! Feel free to email GalleyCat with any questions.