“When I catch my first face full of Portland in blazing daylight, I gape up at it like a salmon, fish mouthed and reeling.” “We turned a corner. A poplar rustled a warning, a stray cat yowled an alarm…” “…men with nostrils illuminated by their cigars.” “Silent as a moth’s wing, I enter…” “He hadContinue reading “Great Lines from the Paragon Hotel (8)”
Tag Archives: Fiction
Great Lines from The Paragon Hotel (7)
“Officers Taffy and Overton are verily apples and iguanas. Taffy is the apple—significant beer paunch, Irish complexion, the vaguest border between chin and neck.” “Overton blinks like a priest eyeing a roast.” “He turns out to be an enormous charcoal-colored fellow, with a bald head and a rhino’s posture and a voice that makes youContinue reading “Great Lines from The Paragon Hotel (7)”
Damaged, but still sturdy and true…
Like a rusty church bell, blasted from its tower in a war-torn country, Sophia had been knocked down and damaged, but she was still sturdy and true. With time, and a little help getting back up, I knew I’d hear from her again. What an important thing for all of us to remember. We getContinue reading “Damaged, but still sturdy and true…”
Great Lines from The Paragon Hotel (6)
“…some girls dream of wedding dresses and fashion veils from day-old newspaper. I dreamed of standing in front of a bullet for a friend.” “I edged silent as a cat’s tail through the swinging door…” “My stomach had relocated to my shoes.” “The truth is, I’ve been shoving thoughts underwater like unwanted puppies. When yourContinue reading “Great Lines from The Paragon Hotel (6)”
Great Lines from The Paragon Hotel (4)
“Her tone is full of cordial but tightly bottled.” “The laddie makes my heart do pony tricks.” “Max chuckles. I’ve never seen him laugh before, and it’s a spill of light, crowding everything else from his face.” “There are stories in this soup—Miss Christina’s stories. I wonder where she learned them, and why they tasteContinue reading “Great Lines from The Paragon Hotel (4)”
Confrontation.
“Why are you here?!” I blurted, assailing him angrily with my tone. Ten zealous steps later, I was standing directly in front of his gloved hands, which were clenching and unclenching under his downturned chin. This is another line from Suddenly Rural Girl, the YA Novel I’m close to wrapping up. Soon, I’ll move intoContinue reading “Confrontation.”
Great Lines from The Paragon Hotel (3)
“He was a short, squat Sicilian who brought to mind a horse turd…” “When the local delinquents tried to take my coin, I fought like a wet cat, twisting, biting, clawing. And usually winning.” “the moon a wicked smirk,” “Mavereen’s finger rises to point down the hallway. It’s an inexorable gesture. A sunrise. There isContinue reading “Great Lines from The Paragon Hotel (3)”
“This would be a night for dreamcatchers.”
“This would be a night for dreamcatchers. The images I consumed today would certainly play across the back of my eyelids if I tried to sleep, and I hoped the bad dreams would be caught in the circular web, rather than racing through my mind.“ I’ve shared great quotes from various authors I’m reading, andContinue reading ““This would be a night for dreamcatchers.””
Meet Mary from SRG
“Sometimes I’m so focused on basketball, or soccer, or volleyball, or whatever else…that I don’t take time to see–or smell–life.” Incredibly, Mary was on the verge of tears, but I knew she’d keep it contained. She doesn’t break down. She doubles down. Where I might blubber and fall apart, Mary would channel those emotions intoContinue reading “Meet Mary from SRG”
“If a girl’s gonna make something of herself…”
“I got this,” I said, turning away from Liam’s hand and stepping toward the edge. If a girl’s gonna make something of herself, she can’t do it holding hands with some boy–no matter how cute he is.“ A great line from my forthcoming Christian YA novel, Suddenly Rural Girl. For more quotes from Dann andContinue reading ““If a girl’s gonna make something of herself…””
Louise Erdrich’s The Round House (4)
Here are a few more beautifully written quotes from Erdrich: “Then the mosquitoes whined out in attack formation and we went inside.” “Sonja tucked a sheet across the cushions and gave me a plaid sleeping bag with a broken zipper.” “And there was that moment when my mother and father walked in the door disguisedContinue reading “Louise Erdrich’s The Round House (4)”
Great Lines from The Paragon Hotel (2)
“Hearing Mrs. Muriel Snider speak, I reflect, is better than being shot. But not by a terribly wide margin.” “…tense as a high-wire act.” While The Paragon Hotel is not my favorite Faye novel, her gift for imaginative and delicious lines shows in this, too.If you’ve not read any Lindsay Faye, I’d recommend her work!Continue reading “Great Lines from The Paragon Hotel (2)”