You've Got Five Pages, Death in the Dark Woods by Annelise Ryan

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!

Alas, the Prologue Curse returns. Don’t get me wrong, my fellow creatives—Annelise Ryan’s premise for Death in the Dark Woods carries promise of something weird and wild, and in Wisconsin of all places! As a fellow Wisconsinite, I’m all in for that kind of mystery. While the prologue starts a bit slow with a hunter failing to shoot a buck, the tension and pacing quickly mount to a chaotic, lethal attack. Ryan provides just enough detail for readers to experience the terror without getting gory; plus, readers are left in the dark as to what kind of animal killed the hunter. Considering Bigfoot is mentioned in the dust jacket, we as readers can certainly make a guess or two, ahem.

Then the official Chapter 1 brings all that tension to a halt as we restart the story with protagonist Morgan taking care of customers and chatting up the Chief of Police. Once again, we get a fine hook of a prologue only to be reeled in for a slow first chapter. Now the Chief is asking if Morgan will speak to someone in the DNR, so I’m hoping this means Chapter 2 takes readers to the woods where the hunter died. I just wish the narrative didn’t require slamming the brakes on the pacing in order to do that. Still, I’m happy to support local authors, especially ones with a quirky premise like this. A cryptozoologist hunting down monsters in Wisconsin? Let’s go!

And what will you find in those first five pages? Let’s find out! Cheers!