The first line of Once In A Blue Moon by Amanda Ashby painted such a vivid picture in my mind I couldn’t wait to read more of the story. The first line didn’t disappoint, it was a fun read and I can’t wait to share my first impressions with you.
The First Line of Once In A Blue Moon
Most of the time, Laney George was a sensible florist who got enough sleep, remembered to take her vitamins, and always flossed her teeth.
This sentence says so much about Laney. We get a little of her backstory and learn that she’s a florist and a bit of her daily routine. We also learn that she considers herself sensible. She cares about her health and takes care of it.
The lines hint at her responsibility and follow-through. Maybe she even has a touch of OCD. But–and there’s a but–not this time.
You can almost hear the writer take a deep breath to tell you why Laney’s not being sensible now. You also get the sense that maybe you’ll want to take Laney’s side when you hear what crazy thing she has done.
This is a good way to gain sympathy for your character. You establish a pattern and show why the current behavior is out of the norm for her. Pretty soon you have your audience nodding along with your character or grinning at the antics that follow. At the same time, they’ll completely understand that what your character is doing is not their normal behavior.
It’s also an opportunity to show your character acting irrationally so they can understand how much they were acting out of character in this instance.
We know it will result in changes to the character’s life and routine but how will she react to that? Will she fight it or embrace the change? Will it be a positive or negative one?
How it played out in the book
For the duration of the novel, Lanie is involved in an internal battle. She wants to do one thing but she keeps talking herself out of it. Sometimes, when she does what she wants to do, she blames it on her “itch”. It was fun to see how many things Laney would blame on her “itch” and whether it actually fit or not.
What did you think of the first line of Once In A Blue Moon?
About Once In A Blue Moon
Book: Once in a Blue Moon Series: Belles of St. Clair Book 2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Print Length: 236 pages
Publisher: Entangled
Publication Date: February 17, 2020
Florist Laney George has a successful business, amazing friends and big, big dreams––oh, and a broken heart. But she’s working through that last one. Then the man she hoped to never see again shows up––and Laney’s carefully ordered plans are experiencing technical difficulties.
Celebrated Author Adam Fitzpatrick planned to be in St. Clair for no more than a day. Sign the books, and get out. Same story, different day. What he didn’t count on was Laney George, who happens to be the star of his somewhat fictional tale. She broke his heart years ago, and he’d gone a bit mad. Okay, maybe a lot mad––and he put everything in his book, never imagining it would be a worldwide bestseller.
Now that he’s seen her again, he wants answers. But it isn’t just her that draws him in. It’s the town, something is happening and for the first time in years…he can write again. If only he could convince the woman who hates him most to start a new chapter in their story.
About Amanda Ashby
Amanda Ashby was born in Australia but now lives in New Zealand where she writes romance, young adult, and middle-grade books. She also works in a library, owns far too many vintage tablecloths, and likes to delight her family by constantly rearranging the furniture.
She has a degree in English and Journalism from the University of Queensland and is married with two children. Her debut book was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award, and her first young adult book was listed by the New York Public Libraryʼs Stuff for the Teen Age. Because she’s mysterious she also writes middle-grade books under the name, Catherine Holt and hopes that all this writing won’t interfere with her Netflix schedule.
She also loves giving things away, so head to her website and grab a FREE book today www.amandaashby.com
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