You've Got Five Pages...To Tell Me It's Good

Feb 21 2025 140 ep. 20 mins

You've Got Five Pages...To Tell Me It's Good Podcast artwork

Formerly Story Cuppings! Every month we visit the local library to randomly select a new release and read its first chapter. As writers, we are told that those opening pages are crucial to hooking readers. So, let's see if the first chapter successfully hooks picky readers as well as teaches fellow hardworking writers. Cheers!

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You've Got Five Pages, The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, to Tell Me You're Good.

Feb 21 2025 18 mins

Welcome back, my fellow creatives!Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience!One can say a lot with a little, especially when you know your readers. Moore's opening line "The bed is empt

You've Got Five Pages, The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis, to Tell Me You're Good.

Jan 24 2025 15 mins

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! As an avid Agatha Christie fan, I was immediately drawn to Fiona Davis’ The Stolen Queen. A mystery tied to Egypti

You've Got Five Pages, The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins, to Tell Me You're Good.

Dec 27 2024 19 mins

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! There’s a lot to be said for a strong setup. At first glance, I wasn’t all that keen on multiple quotes, then a prologue

You've Got Five Pages, The Author's Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White, to Tell Me You're Good.

Nov 30 2024 19 mins

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! First, I have to apologize for goofing any Scottish language in this book, as it’s set in Scotland. I avoided attempting t

You've Got Five Pages, Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson, to Tell Me You're Good.

Oct 25 2024 19 mins

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! The opening pages of Kate Atkinson’s Death at the Sign of the Rook took me back to an Agatha Christie-style setup: the eni

You've Got Five Pages, The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C.M. Waggoner, to Tell Me You're Good.

Sep 27 2024 21 mins

Welcome back, my fellow creatives!Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of variousstories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook anaudience! This was a treat to read. I grew up on shows like MURDER, SHE WROTE, so to see the back of this book mention a J.B. Fle

You've Got Five Pages, A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher, to Tell Me You're Good.

Aug 24 2024 19 mins

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of variousstories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook anaudience! I’ve sampled two of T. Kingfisher’s past books on this podcast, and this third edition doesn’t disappoint, eithe

You've Got Five Pages, Road to Ruin by Hana Lee, to Tell Me You're Good.

Jul 19 2024 16 mins

Welcome back, my fellow creatives! Yup, I'm back to looking at the first five pages of various stories, for those five pages can make or break the engagement of a reader--or an agent. So, let's scope out the stories of others to see how they hook an audience! The cover art for Lee's book immediately got my attention with its Mad Max style, and I loved the blurb promisi

You've Got Five Pages, The Olympian Affair by Jim Butcher, to Tell Me You're Good.

Mar 08 2024 18 mins

The first chapter can make or break a reader's engagement with a story. We as writers must craft brilliant opening pages to hook those picky readers, so let's study the stories of others to see how they do it! I find myself in a sequel with Jim Butcher's The Olympian Affair. Book 2 of The Cinder Series takes a smart approach: start with one character walking through a

You've Got Five Pages, Northwoods by Amy Pease, to Tell Me You're Good.

Feb 23 2024 18 mins

The first chapter can make or break a reader's engagement with a story. We as writers must craft brilliant opening pages to hook those picky readers, so let's study the stories of others to see how they do it! What a delightful find! Amy Pease’s debut Northwoods is yet another mystery set in Northern Wisconsin, but I promise you, this prose and establishing chapter promi