This month, we’ve got American women giving birth, silverware, and a hissing First Lady. To submit a first line, email booklifeeditor@booklife.com.
Dead Girl Blues
Lawrence Block
“A man walks into a bar.”
Forks, Knives, and Spoons
Leah DeCesare
“There are three types of guys: forks, knives, and spoons.”
Her Eyes Underwater
Romona Simon
“She hadn’t planned for this, of course.”
Invader
Marjory Kaptanoglu
“Her first sensation was of a man’s arms around her, lifting her out of the sea.”
Naked (in Italy)
M.E. Evans
“From what I could gather from the conversation between my boyfriend and his mother, American women give birth by pausing to squat on a sidewalk somewhere on their way to work.”
The Turning Point
Julia Ash
“The First Lady of the United States occasionally hissed and grunted, but she had never chirped.”