Having fun with my name cowboy? The full handle (which I use in one of my books) is Christian Strange, but I go by Strange, much easier, and catchier too. I must agree... falling for the target is such a hook line and sinker effect. Does a plot well to, doesn't get used too much so it isn't old, and it adds a nice spice to things.
I have a feeling that the 1st person wouldn't work so well in a plug, but that is not to say I wouldn't be willing to taste test it, could flow nicely... but if you are going to put it in the past tense, you might want to start the story off something like this
"::new pilot, entership, no fuel, land,:: 'As you land you are overcome with the need for a drink, after all, who wouldn't after they just finished what you did. If your memory serves you correctly there may be salvation just around the corner from the spaceport, last time you where here there was a great bar there, you should head on over.' ::enter bar:: 'You walk in to the bar with the intension of getting well plastered and then heading back to your ship to pass out. You order your drink, find a place to sit, and begin to imbibe large amounts of alcohol. As you are enjoying your third or fourth drink some young pilot notices you and his eyes go wide. Grabbing his drink he rushes over to you, spilling most of the contents on his way over. In his excitment he runs into the table and falls over, you frown at the wasted alcohol as the remainder of his drink flys from his glass. With more than a few grunts and groans he rights himself and slides with a face of grimace into your booth. He, looks with dazed awe at you and he begins to speak, "I can't believe it's you! I never would have dreamed of meeting you anywhere let alone in the Rusty Blaster. My friends and I saw you come in and thought we were seeing things, who would believe that we met <char> here." With this he hoots over to his friends dangerously waving his heavy empty mug around in the air, you wince at the thought of him clumsily droping it on you. His friends, a mixture of men and women, all young aspiring pilots hoping to make their way in the universe swarm over to you and assault you with questions and handshakes and offers for sex and drinks. Amidst the babble and chaos, the young gentleman who came over to you in the first place barks about shutting up and sitting down, soon enough most of them have calmed down enough to order a waitress over and being refilling their drinks. You decide to get yourself another drink as they are filling their orders and the baffled waitress struggles to get everthing down as they all shout their orders at once. Soon she is bobble-headedly rushing off to the bar and beings filling the drink orders.
Now that all the drink orders have been given they all quiet down while the first gentleman who intruded on your private drinking session, whom you now know to be a young lad by the name of Matthew, begins listing off your accomplishments and starts off with a twisted form of your personal history since you became a star pilot. You sit quietly and let him ramble on and on until he finally, breathlessly stops at the end of the quite distorted reality of things. In the middle of his rant the waitress had returned all the drinks and you are currently enjoying your own. You take a sip before you begin, yourself.
"Matt, do you mind if I call you Matt? You seem to have the basic consept down, but allow me to correct a few errors in your story..." And with that you being your story from the very beginning for the first time and surely not the last.'
From there one could do something where the time would reverse, all the way back to the beginning of the story and then you could start off the story in first person.... I think it would be a neat idea if done well.
-Strange
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