キャミー・タング著「戌年」連載小説 プロのドッグトレーナーであるマリ・ムトウは、厄年を迎えている。 犬小屋と訓練所の改築をしながら、いつも不服そうにしている家族と同居することになった。母と姉に言わせれば、犬の毛とよだれかけにまみれる仕事は、家族にとって恥ずべきものだという。彼女は元カレを説得し、数ヶ月間犬を預かってもらうことにした。しかし、彼の兄は、数週間前に彼女が誤って車に追突した、怒り狂ったセキュリティ専門家であることが判明する。 アシュウィン・ケイトウは十分な問題を抱えている。叔母が玄関先に現れ、同居を希望している。彼は彼女にすべてを借りているので、断ることができません。母親が家を出て行った後、ネルおばさんはアシュウィンと弟を引き取り、愛のあるキリスト教の家庭で育てた。しかも、弟のダスティもアパートを追い出され、居場所を求めている。しかし、彼は犬を飼っている。そして、その犬の飼い主は誰だと思いますか？ しかし、旧友でオアフ島のノースショアでデイスパを経営する私立探偵のエディサ・ゲレロから依頼を受ける。マリの施設で奇妙な破壊行為があり、3年前に失踪したエディサの妹の財布を発見する。エディサはマリが危険な目に遭っているのではと心配する。警備の専門家であるアシュウィンがすでにマリを知っていることを知ったエディサは、忙しい若い女性を密かに監視することを彼に依頼する。 アシュウィンは、活発でのんびりとしたドッグトレーナーに不本意ながら惹かれていく。彼女は、幸せそうな母親を思い出させる。その母親の裏切りによって、彼は人と距離を置くようになったのだ。マリは、アシュウィンの冷たい外見を見抜き、彼が家族に忠実な男であることを認める。彼は、彼女のキャリア選択を批判するだけの母親や姉とは違う。 マリのバラバラな家庭とアシュウィンのバラバラな家庭の中で、過去を隠そうとする人たちから、彼らの周りに危険が迫ってくるようになる。彼らは、影で動く秘密に光を当てることができるのか？ 過去に発表されたパートへのリンクはこちら。 *** 第8章 - 恐ろしくも真っ白な不動産書類 『みんな仲良くできないのかな？』 マリは無用に力を込めて箱に本を投げ入れた。最近、なぜ彼女は人生の中で全員と言い争いをしているのだろう？もしかすると、これは本当に悪いアイデア
Captain’s Log, Stardate 05.24.2006
Blog book giveaway:
My Thursday book giveaway is ONCE UPON A CHOCOLATE KISS by Cheryl Wolverton.
My Monday book giveaway is A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND by Kristin Billerbeck.
You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for ONCE UPON A CHOCOLATE KISS and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Stay tuned.
What Zondervan needs from me:
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water...
So here I was, thinking I’d never need to do a stupid one page synopsis ever again now that I’m contracted, right? Guess what they need by September 15th for the next book in the series:
** My current bio (no problem, I love talking about myself)
** A one or two-sentence summary (You mean like a pitch??? One of those 30-second things that I never thought I’d need to do again?)
** A completed Marketing Information Form (Okay, I just got this, and it’s a TON of stuff. A lot of character things—what they look like, personal items, temperament/personality, what they’d typically wear, all the inconsequential details filled out on my character charts somewhere...Then also back-cover copy and short blurbs for marketing to use for catalogs and website copy.)
** A chapter excerpt (My best chapter—which should be my first chapter—that introduces the atmosphere of the novel, the characters, the setting.)
** A one-page book summary for marketing/ promotional purposes (Wait a minute—you mean like a one page synopsis??? I thought my one-page horrors were over once I dropped from the contest circuit, because proposals are typically a 2-3 page synopsis, and an optional chapter-by-chapter synopsis. I am sadly disillusioned. The dreaded S-word never goes away.)
Some of this stuff is redundant with the Marketing Information Form—for instance, the MIF also asks for a short summary and a chapter excerpt. I’m thinking that the MIF and some of this other stuff might go to separate places, but don’t quote me on that.
Now, before Robin smacks me upside the head, I’m not complaining. This is really cool stuff. I just had some preconceived notions about what nasty things might go away once I had a house to develop me as an author. Haha. Silly me.
TMI:
Writing: Still revising. Had a great talk with Sue Brower on the phone today about my Marketing Info Form for my cover! Let me say right now, THAT IS SO WEIRD.
I’m not one of those writers who fantasizes about what her cover will look like. I just don’t want something that gives away all the good parts of the book, and that doesn’t look dark and gloomy.
It’s just strange to think about what I want for my cover. It’s like it’s now starting to sink in that this thing will actually be printed and bound.
And in a second I’m going to start panicking about letting Zondervan down. I just want to do my best so they sell a lot of books and justify all their time and effort in me. It’s in God’s hands, I know that, but I just don’t want to disappoint them.
Blog book giveaway:
My Thursday book giveaway is ONCE UPON A CHOCOLATE KISS by Cheryl Wolverton.
My Monday book giveaway is A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND by Kristin Billerbeck.
You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for ONCE UPON A CHOCOLATE KISS and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Stay tuned.
What Zondervan needs from me:Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water...
So here I was, thinking I’d never need to do a stupid one page synopsis ever again now that I’m contracted, right? Guess what they need by September 15th for the next book in the series:
** My current bio (no problem, I love talking about myself)
** A one or two-sentence summary (You mean like a pitch??? One of those 30-second things that I never thought I’d need to do again?)
** A completed Marketing Information Form (Okay, I just got this, and it’s a TON of stuff. A lot of character things—what they look like, personal items, temperament/personality, what they’d typically wear, all the inconsequential details filled out on my character charts somewhere...Then also back-cover copy and short blurbs for marketing to use for catalogs and website copy.)
** A chapter excerpt (My best chapter—which should be my first chapter—that introduces the atmosphere of the novel, the characters, the setting.)
** A one-page book summary for marketing/ promotional purposes (Wait a minute—you mean like a one page synopsis??? I thought my one-page horrors were over once I dropped from the contest circuit, because proposals are typically a 2-3 page synopsis, and an optional chapter-by-chapter synopsis. I am sadly disillusioned. The dreaded S-word never goes away.)
Some of this stuff is redundant with the Marketing Information Form—for instance, the MIF also asks for a short summary and a chapter excerpt. I’m thinking that the MIF and some of this other stuff might go to separate places, but don’t quote me on that.
Now, before Robin smacks me upside the head, I’m not complaining. This is really cool stuff. I just had some preconceived notions about what nasty things might go away once I had a house to develop me as an author. Haha. Silly me.
TMI:
Writing: Still revising. Had a great talk with Sue Brower on the phone today about my Marketing Info Form for my cover! Let me say right now, THAT IS SO WEIRD.
I’m not one of those writers who fantasizes about what her cover will look like. I just don’t want something that gives away all the good parts of the book, and that doesn’t look dark and gloomy.
It’s just strange to think about what I want for my cover. It’s like it’s now starting to sink in that this thing will actually be printed and bound.
And in a second I’m going to start panicking about letting Zondervan down. I just want to do my best so they sell a lot of books and justify all their time and effort in me. It’s in God’s hands, I know that, but I just don’t want to disappoint them.
Comments
As a book reviewer those blurbs help us determine what to include when we write our synopsis for your review. If there are things you want to save for your readers(red herrings other suprises,) we will notice it when we receive the blurb from your publicist. And won't give your darlings away.
It also helps me decide which books I want to accept for review, and which books might be a good fit for a specific magazine edition I might be writing for. For instance, Claudia Burney's book would be a great fit for our Male issue at Anointed Mag, because Jazz is such an awesome male love interest. Or like when Angela Benson wrote an article in Precious Times Magazine(another place I write) about church abuse for our Church issues edition.
When you can transcribe your story into a quick sentence or three, you have a better chance of getting more copy opportunities. Well, at least from me.
Happy writing.
The truth? The hard work never ends. Thankfully, and I think I'm speaking for both of us, we LOVE what we do enough to endure marketing forms.
God really helped in the next and last interview I ever had. I had to do an accounting test before the interview and I guess I must have passed that with flying colors because I got no weird questions and did not have to prove myself anymore in the interview. And believe me, I'll never go for another.
I think justifying your book's life must be similar to that. "How do you think you can benefit our company?" Only here it would probably be: "Why do you think people will enjoy your book?"
I'm so happy for you that you've got the proverbial "foot in the door" now.
That's what I hated too: doing synopses of anything but it can be a useful took for any essay; a little more difficult for fiction as I've found when I've reviewed books. Yeah, I can do that since I don't have to make up the story myself.
Are you working on your next book already? And do you know when this first one is scheduled to come out? You actually might have mentioned it but my mind is spotty right now. Too much stress.
Hugs and prayers.
I know, I know. The elevator pitch is still important (you use it when you do interviews or chat with customers at signings), the synopsis is still needed, back cover copy is needed....EVER so much like writing a proposal.
(I'd WAY rather write an entire novel than a proposal and synopsis).
But the good news is that you KNOW this is all going to support your ultra-cool novel. :-)
Hugs, Sharon
As the four year old says,
"Sit in peace podition, and belax."pb
Okay, mean laughter done - I really love you and I am so glad you are going through this in order to warn the rest of us what may lie ahead. :)
Of course, it's enough to 'almost' make me glad I'm not published. But not really.
God allowed you to get to this point, so He will give you the grace, patience and all the sushi you need to get you through filling out that form and writing those synopses.
You can do it!!
'Go, Camy, Go, Camy, Go Camy - woot woot!!'
Does that help???
The synopsis is still painful, but it's my road map with occasions for (short) detours.
The back cover/inner cover copy is also a kick in the butt. Which is why they always say to learn to condense your book into a sentence, then into 50 words or less. And SAVE that info. You'll need it.
Lynette--
who is still giddy after getting her case of AUTHOR COPIES in the mail. :)