Michael Paul Michaud
I want to thank B.K. Stevens for inviting me to take part in her innovative blog series “The First Two Pages.” My entry will actually examine the first 877 words of THE INTROVERT — the entire first chapter – allowing me to analyze not only the opening of the book, but also the close of the first act. Let’s get right to it…
“Sir, I’m afraid we require a second form of identification before we can proceed. If you’d like to come back another time, perhaps?”
She was still smiling, but now the smile was waning.
The Introvert begins with a seemingly innocent exchange between a woman and a man. Neither is named, which is a hint of what’s to come, not only in the opening chapter, but throughout the novella. I wanted the focus to be on the characters’ actions and personalities, and to not influence the readers’ perceptions by foisting a name on them. It is also consistent with the sparse nature of the cover, and with isolation/anonymity generally.
Thanks for contributing this post, Michael. This first scene definitely succeeds in building suspense, and in making the reader feel uneasy.
Thanks BK. It was fun.
Thank you, Michael. It was very interesting reading those pages through your eyes.
I’ve been so busy at work, I haven’t stopped by B.K.’s blog in a while and decided to do so today. As I was leaving, I scrolled down a little and immediately recognized your latest book, Michael. I think this was the first I’ve read in what you referred to as a black humor sort of genre. You pulled it off well. The book cover is so apropos. It still stands out on my personal blog from when you were a guest there last December. I enjoyed reading this post. Always more interesting when I’ve read the book, novella, or short story.