Here's what happens (and I bet you do this too): a book jumps out at you at the bookstore. It might be the colors, an image on the spine, an author's name, or the title, but something draws your attention and you single the book out of the masses. You glance at the cover, turn it over and read a few lines of the back cover copy. You open the book and read a little of the inside jacket copy, then turn to the first page, and ...

You read the first line.

Which sucks, so you close the book and return it to the shelves.

That's it. That's how much time you have to hook the interest of readers today. If your first sentence doesn't capture a reader's imagination, that reader is off to the next novel.

Of course, if you're John Grisham or Stephen King, readers will cut you some slack and stick with you longer. You've already gained their trust in the past, so a poor first sentence is forgiven. But if you're just starting out and looking to build an audience, that first sentence is your calling card. It's your first, and often only, chance to make an impression.

So what makes a great first sentence?

Fortunately, you have a variety of choices. The two primary hooks for a powerful first sentence revolve around character or action. There are a handful of others. However, for the purposes of this article, we're going to focus on these two. Let's take a look at action first.

Action refers to movement. Tension, action, conflict ... these are fairly interchangeable terms. The point with an opening action sentence is to immediately grab your reader by the shoulders and give him or her a shake. It's like the first drop in a great rollercoaster ride ... there's no turning back because you have your reader's complete attention.

Here are some samples:

- The bomb went off under the table of the corner booth at Mindy's Coffee Shop, where Judge Arnold Cummings ate breakfast every morning at precisely 8:35.

- Sheila Hamilton tugged desperately on the reins but she'd already lost control of the panicked Morgan and it was clear that something bad was about to happen.

- As the car flipped down the embankment, George Luther couldn't help wonder what else could possibly go wrong today.

- A moment before the lightning strike would change his life forever, Malcom Zebrowski was celebrating his thirty-third birthday with a group of people he'd never met before today.

These samples immediately pull the reader into the movement of the story. Your reader not only wants to know what happens next, but in all likelihood, a number of questions have already sprung to mind, begging for answers. For example, in our first sentence ... was the bomb meant to kill the judge? If so, why? Who planted the bomb? What lead up to this moment?

These are all legitimate questions that encourage your reader to keep reading. And that's the whole point of a powerful first sentence ... hook the reader.

So let's take a look at some character openings. These are based in character descriptions that create curiosity. Your reader finds this particular character so quirky or interesting that he or she just has to learn more. Here are some samples:

- Emily Bauer was tiny in stature, standing only 4'-11", but she feared no one and those who crossed her spent the rest of their days glancing over their shoulders in dread.

- Max Ristow spent most of his life coping with migraines, until the day he met his dead sister on a beach in Monterey.

- Howard Duncan dragged his right leg when he walked, the result of an accident that had killed both of his parents when he was six and left him with permanent nerve damage to the right side of his body.

- Some people called her a saint, some a sinner, but most people considered Tammy Hathaway a woman of her word.

Curiosity. Wanting to know more. Wondering who this person is and how he or she ended up here. These are all pieces of the character puzzle that a strong opening sentence can kick into gear.

So there you go ... two opening sentence strategies to make your novel irresistible to the casual reader. A good opening can be your book's greatest champion. Give it the love and attention it deserves.

Reading is a habit that allows the users to gain knowledge in a very proper manner. It is said that every person should devote some time of his day to reading only. As reading helps the person to evolve into a more matured human being. In addition to imparting mental growth, it also helps the person to develop a better understanding of relations and surrounding phenomenon. However but in today's fast and hectic life schedule, people hardly find time for reading. And today it is a habit that is quickly loosing its existence among the adult and most importantly among young kids, who hardly find time for reading after spending their energy on video games and other activities.

At this point of time audio books can play a very vital role in reviving this trend among the people again. As the name itself suggests, audio books are a completely advanced version of the modern day books. Hence, it is quite ideal for all those people who hardly find time or are lazy enough to read books.

Users of audio books can read or listen to the bestsellers of past and present, depending upon their choice of kinds of books. These books are widely available in all the categories, ranging from romance to spiritual and to many other genres. This version of books is an ideal one for people who are visually challenged. As they cannot afford to read a book, so for them this form of modern day reading fills for the emptiness in their life.

So the parents who don't have the time to tell tales to their children, they can afford to relax, as they can buy these types of voice books for them. These books which come in the form of CD's and MP3 can be played and can serve the same purpose for the children. These are even much better for the old age people, whose eye-sights are quite weak and cannot afford to devote much time to reading books. These audio books will just help them to listen, what they actually want to read. For example, both New Testament and Old Testament are available in these forms.

Another best thing about these digital version of books is that users can also rewind and re-listen to the favourite part of the book again and again. What is more interesting about these audio books is that, since these books are in the narrative form therefore the readers get to listen to an account influenced by personal touch, which adds more value to this form of reading book. These books come at quite cheap prices, which is why now more and more people are now preferring these above other mediums of entertainment such as television, radio and other forms.

Audio books have been the result of the incredible growth in technology. Thus, users can play these digital books on their Ipod's and MP3 player. So while commuting or relaxing, users can just listen to these books and can make the most of their idle or leisure time. Users can even download these audio books on their music players and Ipod's. Seeing the popularity of these version of books, the publishers are even making efforts to bring the Online version of these books.

Widely recognised authors like John Grisham, Michael Connelly, Michael Marshall, Stephen King are the few authors whose bestsellers can be found easily in the forms of audio books. John Grisham, one of the best writer, when it comes to legal thrillers, is the main centre of attraction in these type of books. So if as a reader, you are looking for some interesting way of enjoying reading, then you can certainly bank upon these audio books.

Researching is important to all types of authors. It doesn’t matter whether you write how-to books, nonfiction, or fiction. Best-selling novelist John Grisham is a great example of a fiction writer who does his due diligence. Mr. Grisham travels all around the world learning about the cultures of the people and settings that go into his works. Because of his research, Mr. Grisham is able to accurately detail every bit of his stories. The amount of research you gather for your book is entirely up to you. Some writers like to research as they go, others like to stockpile mountains of data and keep only the best materials. Do what you feel most comfortable with.

Here are some tips that might help you conduct your research:

1. Treat it like a job. The adage is that writing is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration. No matter how interesting your topic is there will be days you just don’t feel like researching. Do it any ways. The quicker you get your research together, the quicker you get to write your masterpiece.

1. Know what you need. It’s good to have some idea of the structure of your book before you start researching. If you simply write out the chapters you need to gather information for, you can go to your research center and collect only the materials you need. Authors who just go to a library and start pulling down books will waste a lot of time on material that will never make it into their books.

1. Get organized; stay organized. When you collect materials, be sure that you know exactly where everything should be stored. A lot of authors lose valuable information when they misplace notes and research materials. Your work will go much faster if you organize your research to correlate with your writing.

1. Collect quotes and artifacts. One great way to help your research along is by breaking up your bookwork with interviews. Spending hour after hour, day after day doing nothing but digging through books or microfiche can get pretty monotonous. Consider any necessary interviews a part of your research. Transcribe your quotes and add them to your research findings to get a sense for just how much information you’ve gathered.

1. Your book is only as great as what gets cut. One of the hardest parts of being a writer is leaving out information. However, great books are filled with great information. Your best material will be watered down by everything that is not at the same standard. Don’t make the mistake of attempting to jam everything you know into your book. Be diligent in your research. When you are forced to cut good information from your book, you will know that you are on the road to creating a great book.

Ever wonder why so many lawyers write novels? And very successful ones at that? Just think of John Grisham and Scott Turow, both of whom have written exciting, entertaining stories that grab hold of us until the very last page.

Both men have had active legal careers in the criminal courts. Every day, they have dealt [literally] with life and death issues. Every day, they have witnessed the brutal effects of crime upon victims, families and upon the lives of the perpetrators and their families.

Often crime is a matter of fiery emotion erupting into the apparent 'normality' of everyday life. The law tries hard and does much to maintain that ordered calm Yet, while we prize that peaceful vision, every one is tantalized by the prospect of what lies beneath it. The eruption of its opposite fascinates us. 'Madness' we call it. Of course, it exists in others but never in us, so far as we are aware.

Now put a lawyer into the situation where he or she is dealing with these highly emotional stakes and is at the same time is trying to maintain some sort of order. What effect does this exposure have on a human being? Of course, it can lead to burn out or the choice of another occupation. Some lawyers harden themselves and just get on with the job and hide the effects upon themselves in some dark dungeon of the psyche.

Other lawyers see this as an opportunity and undoubtedly, it fulfils a need. In fact, law practice gives him or her a wonderful window on humanity. Every day, the lawyer deals with murder, theft and fraud. He sees the worst of human nature and strives to find the best and achieve a balance. How can that lawyer not think about and comment upon that? How can she not draw conclusions from what she experiences and learns from such dramatic situations?

Most of us go from day to day in the 'normal' tangible world, acting as if that is all that exists. We have our families, our houses and our cars. We go to the office, the mall, the movies and out to restaurants. But deep down, we recognize somewhere in us that there is much more to life and human nature than meets the eye. Every day, the newspaper tells us so. We read that last night, a man raped an elderly woman and stole ten dollars from her purse and a mother took the life of her child. There must be a whole other dimension to life, but not ours.

I like to think that there is much more to human life than meets the eye. Joseph Campbell, an author [a mythologist, not a novelist] I greatly admire said that "The latest incarnation of Oedipus, the continued romance of Beauty and the Beast, stands this afternoon on the corner of Forty-second Street and Fifth Avenue, waiting for the traffic light to change."

Oedipus? You know, the one who lent his name to the mother complex. What on earth could Campbell have meant? Simply this, that each and every one of us [whether or not we are conscious of it] is acting out all the great mythological themes and dramas in our lives. And the lawyer has a front row seat on the action. How could they not write about it? Such work is tremendously popular because we like to glimpse that side of human nature from the safety of an armchair.

Now, I am just an estates lawyer. I have never had a murder or rape trial. But, in my practice I have seen the inmost workings of families. For example, when a parent dies, I have learned that there is often far more at work than just a tidy accounting. In other cases, I have seen almost every variation upon elder abuse, whether it is physical, financial or emotional. This is just another form of murder or rape.

An estate lawyer is witness to and participant in every conceivable human relationship and interaction at a highly volatile time. And so, that has been my window on the world and the inspiration for three novels: Conduct in Question, Final Paradox and A Trial of One, all part of the Osgoode Trilogy, in which I like to explore the effects of this dark side of humanity on Harry Jenkins.

Who is Harry? He is an estates lawyer and the protagonist of the trilogy, in which there's plenty of murder and fraud in estate distribution. Indeed, I've thrown plenty of questions at him, such as how much money is enough? Can love and forgiveness be found amid fraud and deceit and must you be selfless to be compassionate?

And so, the question is really, how can a lawyer not be inspired to write especially when he or she is witness to so much of human relations?