FRIDAY FIRSTS with Sarah Grimm

The first five sentences of... AFTER MIDNIGHT

Isabeau Montgomery sat in the dimly lit bar and shook like an amateur before her first recital. Her gaze, blurred by the sudden threat of tears, settled on the keys before her. Her stomach cramped painfully, yet the need was too great to ignore.

With ability as natural to her as the color of her skin, she began to play. The waterfall of music filled the air, washed over her, completed her in a way nothing or no one else ever had.

FUN "FIRST" QUESTIONS ABOUT SARAH

1. Tell me about the first book you ever wrote. What ever happened to it?

I always say that Not Without Risk was the first story I wrote from start to finish, but after being asked recently to put something together about my road to publication, I realize that it wasn’t. My first book wasn’t even a romance, it was the true story of my best friend: My cat. I don’t recall whether I was in third or fourth grade when I wrote My Cat Sneaker, but I can still recite the poem I wrote to go along with it. I still have that story, packed away with a few momentos from my youth. One memento being the Young Authors Award the book earned.

2. What’s the first thing you do when you start writing a new story?

Brainstorm a title. Odd, but true. I can’t get very far into a story without it having a title. The title doesn’t always stay, I may change it when I get a little deeper into the story, but I can’t do much more than scribble notes without one. ‘That book I’m writing’ doesn’t work for me. Honestly, neither does my WIP, or my work in progress.

The second thing I do—you’re going to find this one even nuttier—is write the back cover blurb. There’s never any question about whether the blurb will change before the book is finished, as I’m a pantser, which means I never know what’s going to happen until my characters tell me. But again, it’s something I need to do before I can really get my head into a story and write.

3. What’s the first thing you notice on an attractive member of the opposite sex?

Their smile. I’m a sucker for a great smile. To me a great smile is more than just a curving of the lips. It’s an expression that uses all of the face—especially the eyes. If I can’t see that spark of joy in his eyes, then the attraction just isn’t there for me. A man doesn’t even have to be that overtly attractive for me to be drawn to him. Not if he has an incredible smile.

Website:  http://www.sarahgrimm.com

Blog:  http://www.authorsarahgrimm.blogspot.com

Group Blog:  http://www.smutwriterssoapbox.blogspot.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/SarahGrimm.Author

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/SGrimmAuthor