L.C. Hayden
In my book When the Past Haunts You, retired Dallas homicide detective Harry Bronson is forced to face his painful past when his estranged sister begs him to rescue her.
Since the book is part of the Harry Bronson Mystery Series, I was hoping that the readers would know that Bronson does not have a sister. But now here, clear out of the blue, not only a sister appears, but she wants her Big Bro to help.
With this type of setup, I immediately encountered some dilemmas when deciding how to open the story. I needed to establish the fact that Bronson does indeed have a sister. But if so, why the big mystery? Why hadn’t he mentioned her before?
Thanks for contributing this post, LC! I enjoyed the post and also enjoyed reading your first two pages. You create an intensely dramatic situation while also giving us a strong sense of your protagonist–very impressive!
Hi B.K.! It was a pleasure to write and share my thought process with your readers. I hope I reached out and helped some of them so that they know how to create a dramatic opening. Thank you so much for your kind words.
L. C.