Check out Dario Ciriello's post about 'Openings'

This blog post by dear friend, writer, publisher and mentor Dario Ciriello on story openings - and creating hooks - is worth a read. As a small press editor specializing in science fiction and fantasy, Dario has read plenty of story openings, and has some interesting observations to make about generating reader involvement.

http://dariospeaks.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/openings/