A New Rabbit in Red Introduction!

At my All Hallow’s Read event last week, I did an activity with the audience. They got to rewrite the introduction to Rabbit in Red!

It’s a writing game I like to play. I wrote the first sentence of the book on a piece of paper, then pass the paper around the room. Everyone adds a sentence. Here’s the catch though: We fold the paper so each person only sees the last sentence written, and not the entire thing. I have a lot of fun playing these games.

So for your entertainment, here is the NEW introduction to Rabbit in Red! Thanks, All Hallow’s Read crew. Again, the first line is the real first line from my book. Each line after that was written by someone else. Enjoy!

Bill Wise hunted the rabbit in red, and his best friend Jaime followed.

The rabbit flashed through the forest as fast as it could.

But Bill was faster; furthermore, he caught the rabbit before it climbed the tree.

As the soft light of dusk shone through the withered branches of the tree, the rabbit spoke, “Take me, wise man.”

The branches of the tree cracked, the rabbit’s gaze unwavering as I sat in silence. The rabbit continued. “The time draws near.”

The waiting was almost impossible. What was only a minute or two seemed like hours.

He decided it would be best since it was Valentine’s Day to get her flowers.

He bought the biggest bouquet he could find and hoped she was going to love it.

She did love it. And she waited in anticipation of what was to come next.

“Ring, ring, ring, ring.” Her cell phone blared and she jumped out of her seat, dropping her fruit drink on her lap. 

“Why does this always happen?” She yelled out loud. “Why? Honestly, this stains my clothes and makes me, like, look ugly!”

The second person smirked sarcastically. “I don’t know . . . I think it suits you.”

A soft look around. “Fits you smug, like a coffin in the ground.”

It slowly began to rain, the sounds of cars passing was sparse, the town was quiet. Calm, but eerie.

The temperature began to drop, freezing the tiny drops as they fell.

The drops of water glinted, reminding me how cold I felt inside. I smiled, saying, “But it’s not over yet, is it?”

And they all lived happily ever after. (Or did they?)

WOW. How about the shift in the tale at that Valentine’s Day line? What’s your favorite line? Maybe I’ll have to work some of this in to the next book!

Thanks for reading. You can get Rabbit in Red, print or digital, here. Be sure to check out my website for more options and lots of other cool stuff, and follow me on Facebook!