We kick off 2018 with atheist children and funerals for the living. To submit a first line to BookLife, email booklifeeditor@booklife.com.

How the Vortex Changed My Life by Pamela K. Kinney

“Some days, a girl just can’t get a break.”

Void If Detached by Sarah Bowen

“If cobblers’ kids have no shoes, then do preachers’ kids have no religion?”

The Inventress by Mary Victoria Johnson

“It’s odd, attending the funeral of someone who is still alive.”

The Little Green Wagon by M.D. Carter

“While caught in Death’s grip, the human mind begins to change.”

Be Still the Water by Karen Emilson

“I have watched old people die, and young ones, too. Most endings are the same so I’d be foolish to expect my passing will be much different.”

The Korean Word for Butterfly by Jamie Zerndt

“Joe and I were complete frauds.”