1) Dropping an exposition bomb can stop your story in its tracks. The author tries to alleviate the effect of releasing so much exposition in the first few pages by using Jeremy, the ghost of her dead cousin. In this way, the exposition takes physical form. (Sorta.)
2) I love that the story makes use of such extremes in emotion. By all rights, Emily should be on top of the world: it’s her honeymoon! Instead, she is dealing with the (literal) ghosts of the past. The conflict between these emotions creates drama and internal conflict.
3) It’s only the first page (and this is a women’s fiction book), but I love the way that Collin is passive at the moment. He’s literally sleeping! Collin being passive allows the author to put Emily through her journey and allows for great contrast later in the novel if that’s what she wants to do.
Check out Carrie’s Amazon author page and read the book!
