Blind Speed Dating #35 (A)

Title: THIRTY-TWO GOING ON SPINSTER

Genre: Chick-lit, Women's fiction 

Word Count: 85,000 

Query:

Julia Dorning is stuck in a rut. Since graduating college ten years ago, she has lived in her parent’s basement, worked at the same mundane job, has not been on a proper date, and recently found out she has a mustache (a faint one, but it’s definitely there). Her hobbies include – and are limited to – baking, eating said baked goods, and watching television.

That was until Jared Moody, the new hire at work, entered the picture. Jared is handsome, mysterious, and for some odd reason, intrigued by Julia. With Jared around, suddenly Julia finds herself wanting to change some of her spinster-in-the-making ways. With a new wardrobe, a little make-up, and her upper-lip hair free, Julia begins to come out of her shell. But then, quite suddenly, her life gets turned upside down, and it turns out Jared might not be who he says he is. With everything topsy-turvy, Julia must find the strength to work through it and rise up stronger, or slip back to her old ways. 

Credentials:

-Over 55,000 downloads since June.

-Over 145 4 and 5 star reviews on Amazon - 4.3 star rating. 

First 250:

It certainly shouldn't come as a shock. I've always thought of myself as a recluse, a loner of sorts. Now I have a new title: spinster. I think I need some ice cream or an entire chocolate cake… or both.

I am a spinster… I am a spinster. It’s true. I just looked it up in the dictionary, and there was a description of my life in plain view.

1: an unmarried woman of gentle family.

I’m an unmarried woman of gentle family. Okay, so I’m not quite sure what is meant by “gentle family.” I wouldn't exactly call my family “gentle.” More like obnoxious. Still, I’m an unmarried woman who is part of a family, so that counts.

2: an unmarried woman and especially one past the common age for marrying.

I believe that I am past the common age for marrying. I just turned thirty-two. What’s the going age for marriage now? Twenty-five? Twenty-six? It doesn't matter because at the age of thirty-two, my clock is ticking. In fact, my doctor informed me of that last week. He actually told me that I seriously should consider finding someone and settling down because my eggs “weren't getting any younger.” Pretty harsh when you consider that I haven’t been on a proper date in over a decade, right? I seriously should find myself a new doctor, one who sugar-coats everything. I could use more sugar-coating in my life right now.

3: a woman who seems unlikely to marry.

This one has to be the worst of them all…