FUN FRIDAY -- With the Love at First Laugh Crew!

What a fun week we've had here on the Alley!

Ashley chatted about The Writing Rush Hour -- encouraging us to take a breathe and slow down a bit.

Then Pepper kicked of a series she's doing about character arc--which she is SO GOOD at!!

And TODAY I have the excited honor of hosting the women of Love at First Laugh!

About a year ago, God planted this dream in my heart--to step out of my comfort zone and try to start a box set focusing on "funny" romances aka romantic comedy. There were LOTS of box sets out there--contemporary romance, historical romance, suspense, etc. But I hadn't seen any in the Christian realm that focused on romance with a comedic flair.

I was chatting with fellow author Heather Gray about the matter, and she got excited about it!! IMAGINE THAT!! So together, we prayed about it and put out feelers and God brought us a FANTASTIC team of authors.

Since the set is now on preorder and releases March 6th, I thought I'd take today to do a FUN interview of my fellow Love at First Laugh authors --- and TWO of them are fellow alleycats!!!

FAVORITE romantic comedy book
Pepper: "Oh goodness!! AHHH!! Okay....Miss Invisible by Laura Jensen Walker"

FAVORITE Romantic comedy movie
Marion: "My Best Friend's Wedding"

FAVORITE Valentine's Day gift you've received
Laurie: "My husband and I started dating ten years ago this Valentine's Day. I was in a chemistry lab until late, but I knew he was the man for me when a Chewbacca holding roses popped up in my email. I have never felt more known and loved by someone who was "wooing" me."

FAVORITE writing how-to book
Jessica: "Make a Scene by Jordan Rosenfeld"

Romantic hotel room overlooking the ocean -- or secluded romantic cabin in the mountains?
Heather: "Summer? Give me the ocean! Winter? Secluded cabin in the mountains - definitely!"

FAVORITE writing spot!
Elizabeth: "Wherever my five year old can't climb all over me and pepper me with questions about what I'm doing and why. This usually ends up being the dining room table."

Would you rather -- receive flowers or chocolates?
Christina: "Flowers over chocolate, mainly because other people in my house consume chocolate and I'm left with nothing. "

Most memorable date!
Laurie: "My husband and I went to San Francisco, and after exploring the city and eating at these famous restaurants, we stayed in a beach house in this cute little town called Stinson Beach. We listened to music as we made lemon spaghetti with all the doors and windows open. And that glorious simplicity was more memorable than the acclaim and bright lights of the city "

Best piece of writing advice you've ever received 
Pepper: "Write....and remember the reason you love writing in the first place:-)"

FUNNIEST joke you know 
Christina: "When I was a kid I was in the hospital a lot and spent a good deal of time in the blood drawing room. They had a cartoon on the wall of two mosquitoes. One was blown up like a balloon, and his friend said, "Pull out! You hit an artery." I thought that was hilarious at the time, but in retrospect it was all I had to look at besides medical posters. And I was ten."

How did you meet your spouse? 
Marion: "Our parents were church friends, and I used to play in his tree house when we were about ten. Our first date, I asked him out (as he thought I was out of his league so wouldn't), and then I promptly fell into a mountain stream and spent the rest of the date freezing and wet. He did warm me up later LOL."

MOST embarrassing moment 
Jessica: "My most embarrassing moment was that one time I sort of cheated on my husband...in church...during service...(longer version of the story here!)" (Krista: You are in for a real treat... I seriously have tears rolling down my eyes reading this!!)

When did you fall in love for the first time? 
Elizabeth: "I dated the same boy for two years in high school and at the time, I would totally have said we were in love. After falling in love with the man who is now my husband, I can look back and see that high school romance for the vague shadow of real love that it is, but...it's probably still the most honest answer."

Why should people read Love at First Laugh? 
Heather: "I'm biased, of course, but when a group of authors come together and work corporately to create something that honors God and encourages His people, it's worth the read. The bonus here is that there's romance and laughter involved, too - both things I like."

Let's Chat!

Feel free to take any of the questions above and YOU answer them in the comments today! I'd love to hear YOUR answers!! (or ask any more questions and one of us from the set will be happy to answer!)

And be sure to check out Love at First Laugh releasing in March!!!

Writing Dialogue with Purpose

Ever just been WOWED by a scene in a book? Maybe the descriptions bloomed with detail, the characters flickered to life, or the plot gripped at your heartstrings like candy in the hands of a 3 year old.

Or maybe…

Something in the dialogue captured you and deepened ALL of the above.

Ever read a scene like that? Where dialogue opened the door to deeper characters and plot?

Well, it happens right here in the story of The Samaritan Woman.

A few important things to note:

1. This is one of the longest scenes in the book of John
2. The pace slows considerably (to draw attention to it)
3. Jesus talks to a WOMAN
4. Not only THAT, he talks to a SAMARITAN WOMAN
5. AND…. A woman with HER kind of background (VERY taboo for a single, Jewish, righteous sort-of-guy)

Hmmm….

Do you think John is trying to get our attention here?

Jesus defies convention to get to the heart of the matter. He’s more concerned about PEOPLE than popularity.

Because, God is in the business of rescuing his kids – especially the ones who know they are broken. Outcasts…searching.

This woman had been searching for love for years. Five husbands later, she still hasn’t found it. She’s parched. Dry. Thirsting to death for a love that will never satisfy.

Ever been there?

Then Jesus comes and offers her the one thing her heart truly needs. Real love. Living water. The heart’s only thirst-quencher.

It changes her life.

What about the writing tip?

The dialogue for this story teaches us some important techniques to use in our own writing.

Make each phrase count.

Don’t spend your time placing a conversation into a place where you don’t need one.

Move the story forward with dialogue

Similar to the first one, dialogue should move the story forward. Create more depth. Gives us more understanding about the characters and plot. We learn more about Jesus through this conversation. He doesn’t mind defying conventions to heal a wounded heart. He seeks out the destitute and broken instead of waiting for them to come to him. He is not afraid of the hard questions. He is confident of who He is and His purpose.

And it transforms the woman’s life. As it changes ours.

Make it realistic

The conversation isn’t ask a question – answer a question.

It’s more realistic, with questions going unanswered, redirections, changing the subject….

All the things that happen in natural conversations are the things that help make our dialogues more realistic.

Pick up a Bible and read John 4 from a new perspective – as both an author and a seeker of Living Water.

Your thirst for answers, refreshment, and satisfaction is sure to be quenched.

What are some tips you use to keep your dialogue realistic and with forward momentum?

A Tangled Plot Structure

I am on the road today and have had a slight change in today's post. I will be posting about villains next time.

If you've not seen Disney's newest movie, Tangled, then go out and rent it. In fact, buy it. It's one of my FAVORITE Disney movies! And the hero is one of the top Disney hero's EVER!!!
One thing that makes this movie such a good story, is that the plot structure follows a very nice arc. For your reading pleasure, I've plotted out Tangled - so get ready for another LOOOOONG Pepper-post.

Let's start off with motivations, and then we'll get to the plot.

Rapunzel External Goal: See the Lights

Eugene’s External Goal: Wealth (get the crown)

Rapunzel Internal Goal: Where does she belong?

Eugene’s Internal Goal: Someone who will care about him for who he is; meaning

 Set up the plot – who, what, where

An old woman who desires eternal youth steals an infant princess whose magical hair can provide it.

Over 17 years later, Flynn Rider, a handsome thief, steals a crown belonging to the ‘lost’ princess.

2. Hero’s motivation – what does your protagonist want?
Rapunzel wants to see the ‘lights’ that always come out on her birthday, but she’s never left the tower in which she’d been raised by her ‘mother’.

Eugene (Flynn Rider) wants to be wealthy, so he’s stolen the lost princess’s crown with two other thugs.

3. Begin the hero’s quest – “I’ve Got a Dream”

Rapunzel wants to see the 'floating' lights that come out on her birthday every year so she asks her 'mother' to take her. It's her first step toward reaching beyond her tower into the world. (this could also be #4)

4. Change the hero’s direction

Eugene (Flynn Rider) tries to escape the king’s men and in the processes hides within this mysterious tower, only to find that he’s wrapped from shoulders to knees in a chain of golden hair. To make matters worse, his prized –crown is missing.

Rapuzel makes a deal with Flynn: Escort her to see the lanterns and she’ll give him back the crown.
(this could also be viewed as when Flynn & Rapunzel stop working against each other, and begin to work together to save each others' lives)

5. Challenge the hero with problems

Eugene and Rapunzel are chased by two thugs, the king’s men, a hilarious horse named Max. Gothel and the two thugs who are after Flynn join forces.

6. Change the hero’s status

I LOVE this part – because there is an obvious change to show the status change in this movie. While on the run from the king’s men, Rapunzel saves Flynn’s life – in turn, he rescues her, but then they are both trapped in a cave that is filling with water.  Flynn shares the secret that his name is really Eugene Fitzherbert and Rapunzel shares the secret that she has magical hair. They escape, she heals his wounded hand with her magical hair, and a ‘connection’ is made between the two of them. Status? He starts calling her Rapunzel and she starts calling him Eugene. There’s a new motivation beginning. Romance & connections start to happen...and of course, a Disney duet.

7. Give the hero tougher problems
Eugene/Flynn  realizes he’s got to end the manhunt from his former thugs, so he leaves Rapunzel to return the crown to them. Unfortunately, they’ve learned of Rapunzel’s amazing power – and are working for Gothel- they capture Eugene, tie him to a boat, and make it ‘appear’ that he’s running away from Rapunzel with the crown. Heartbroken, Rapunzel returns to her mother and her life of insecurity and imprisonment, only to realize that SHE is the lost princess and Gothel has been the enemy all along.

Eugene’s boat floats directly into the castle, where he is arrested and set to hang at dawn.

 9. Let the hero suffer maximum angst
With the help of some hilarious ‘thugs’ and a horse-with-an-attitude, Eugene escapes from the noose and sets off to find Rapunzel. When he climbs to the tower, he sees Rapunzel tied up and gagged – and then he is stabbed by Gothel. Gothel plans to leave him there to die, but Rapunzel promises to give up her freedom, if Gothel will let her heal Eugene. Just as Rapunzel gets ready to heal Eugene, he reaches up and cuts her hair – freeing Rapunzel from her promise and eternal servitude, but losing his chance to live. When the magic hair is cut, Gothel’s years catch up with her. She rapidly ages. Mortified she falls from the tower window to her death….and Eugene dies in Rapunzel’s arms.

10. Change the hero’s direction
Just before Eugene dies, he confesses to Rapunzel that “You were my new dream.” And she tells him the same thing. Their motivation had changed.

11. Give the hero new hope

When Rapunzel’s tear drops on Eugene’s cheek, a glowing light swirls around them. Could this be a miracle?

12. Achieve a win/lose conclusion
Her tear heals him. Flynn wakes up, and with his usual swagger, says “You know, I’ve always had a thing for brunettes.”

13. Tie up the loose ends
Rapunzel’s reunited with her real parents – who had been searching for her all 18 years. All the thugs have their stories, Max (the horse) has a happy ending, and, of course, Eugene and Rapunzel live happily ever after too.

Questions for you:

If you’ve seen the movie, what are the characteristics that make the hero and heroine endearing? Eugene is a selfish thief afterall – why is he so darn likeable?

From the first scene with Gothel, what characteristics does Disney portray that ‘hint’ she’s not as good as she seems?

Are there any other movies you’d like to see ‘plotted’? Would you modify my plot structure for Tangled at all – remember, some points can be seen from different perspectives by different people J

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE ALLEY CATS!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ALL

THE ALLEY CATS: Angie, Ashley, Casey,

Cindy, Julia , Karen, Krista, Mary, Pepper,

and Sherrinda!!!!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. -Isaiah 9:6, KJV

How Do you Like Your Stakes?

From The Writers Alley Archives:

So how do you? If we’re talking steaks, I’m a medium well kind-of-gal, but when we’re talking about ‘writing’ stakes. The best way to serve those up is well-done.


What is a stake, you ask?

Well, besides the wooden piece that holds down your tent, or heretics are strapped to, or slays certain toothy-undead, it’s also one of the key elements to create a page-turner novel. It’s the reason readers care.

Stakes increase our empathy, draw us in, capture our hearts, and lead us to the last page. It’s like climbing a hill that keeps getting steeper and steeper until the hiker is clinging to the side of a cliff, barely able to keep from falling down against the jagged rocks below.

You can pick up any great book and see how the stakes for the main character keep increasing until the reader is unsure whether the character will achieve his/her goal at all.

Donald Maas says “high stakes yield high success”

What’s the essence of increasing the stakes? Guiding the readers into as deep a relationship with your characters as you have. Close first person. But that means we have to know our characters intimately – otherwise we cannot describe what we do not know.

So once you know your character what questions should you ask to increase your stakes?

1. What does your character NEED? WANT? Whether it’s to destroy the ring of power, find a husband, an anectdote, or solve a crime – you must know what your character needs most – or wants most.

2. What makes my character freeze with fear? Obviously in the Twilight saga, vampires do not cause Bella to ‘freeze with fear’, but Edward leaving does. So, of course, it has to happen.

3. How can I make my characters needs or wants matter even more to him? (this automatically increases the stakes) For example, in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – it is one thing for Indiana to want the Cup of Christ. He’s in the secret cave ready to go and get it. The tension is automatically ramped up when the bad guy shoots Indy’s father and then he HAS to go get the Cup of Christ. First he wants the cup, but the stakes are raised because he needs the cup. Changing the want into a need automatically increases the tension.

4. How can you make your characters suffer? Or place them in danger? (I’m not talking just making them uncomfortable, I mean twist the knife. As sad as it sounds, readers enjoy reading about people suffering to the max…and then overcoming the impossible.)

5. Are there external and internal threats? Your characters have both external and internal goals, therefore they must have conflict in both of those areas too. In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the external threats to Darcy and Elizabeth are Lady Catherine de Burgh, Lizzie’s mother (and sisters’) behavior. Internal threats are Lizzie’s and Darcy’s own personal pride and/or insecurities. Their own assumptions about the other person.

6. Can you write down the stakes in your wip? Do you know what they are?

7. How can you make those stakes higher? How can you make the trouble worse?

8. And even higher? Write it down.

Remember – you must be MEAN to your hero or heroine. Being nice does NOT increase tension. You want to try and push them to the breaking point.

In my wip, my heroine never wants to work in the rural Blue Ridge Mountains again, but as her first job, she’s sent to start a new speech-pathology program at UVA’s satellite campus in the teeny (very rural) town of Wise, VA.

She WANTS to work at UVA, Charlottesville like her dad. (external)

She WANTS to prove to herself she is not like her alcoholic mother, and certainly not dependent on anyone else for her well-being. (internal)

1. She’s in rural Blue Ridge Mountains

2. She makes a wager with her supervisor to turn cattle farmer Reece Mitchell into a high-class, smooth talking gentleman in 6 weeks or her supervisor will present her research at the national convention (which gives her a good boost toward a job in a much better place than Wise, VA) - He's not an easy fixer-upper either. Cute, but far from high-class.

3. She feels an immediate attraction for the cattle farmer – who has no intention of leaving his farm and family to move anywhere else.

4. She has a condescending college Dean who wants to get rid of the satellite program, but the program is the way the heroine (Adelina) will prove herself.

5. By the end, she is almost loses her life because she gets drunk (something her mom would do) and crashed her car into a dam waterway which is filling with water.

6. The final stake is her choice: to stay in Wise with the guys she loves and forego her dream, or give up on this amazing man and go to Charlottesville.

I’m bound to think of more ways to make things worse as I go along, but you get the basic idea.

So what about you? Can you list some of the stakes in your wip? How can you make them worse? And even more worse?

Share – and let us brainstorm a bit with you.

In Praise of Spontaneity

In a former life my spices were alphabetized, my books were arranged according to the  Library of Congress classification, and my schedule was as finely tuned as Paul McCartney's guitar.

Then I had kids. Oh, wait, this is supposed to be a post about writing. 

Only I can't separate the two.

God has called me to write, but before that he's called me to be a wife and mom. So how do I shift gears from D'Nealian handwriting to actually setting the example myself by sitting down with pen and paper?

This writer is addicted to plotting. Yes, I admit it. My sweet husband shelled out for some software to organize your plot down to every jot and tittle. And I love using it. I spent many, many hours plotting my novel.

Then my characters began to develop. My word count was not matching up to what I had anticipated. And those evolving characters just didn't want to behave.

Because quite frankly, my characters are smarter than I am...so I just allowed them to take over.

Honestly, my writing time is quite limited these days and I prefer to spend all of it writing. Because if you're not having fun, why bother?

I have been enjoying my writing in a new way since I've allowed spontaneity.

Have your characters ever taken your plot in a direction you didn't expect?

The Green-Eyed Monster

I’m sure we’ve all been there.


It usually happens right after we’ve heard some awesome news about another writer who hasn’t been working as long as us…

Or maybe another writer who has  time to belt out 2000 words or more a day

Or someone who has just obtained the agent of OUR dreams

Or won OUR award

And then, jealousy or envy grabs at our otherwise benevolent natures…right?

Well, with every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

We either:

Get angry (how dare that person get ……)

Get sad (I’ll never be published; win that award; find an agent… I'm just not good enough)

Get even (spread slander, think bad thoughts about the person, even hold back your encouragement to them)

But – those responses will not get us anywhere.

We’re human. We respond. But because we have the uniqueness of God’s Spirit living in us, we do not have to ‘live’ in that initial response. God can change our responses. He’s given us NEW hearts.

How can we battle the green-eyed monster?

1. Count Our Blessings – what DO we have? What HAVE we done? Even if you’ve only been writing for 1 week – think about what you’ve accomplished in that time.

2. Remember that you were knitted by God for a specific purpose – Celebrate YOU –
You are not an accident. God designed you for His glory in His moment. Only YOU can write the story He’s called you to write. He braided that store into the fiber of our souls when he formed us in our mother’s wombs. Yep, it was THAT special to Him. YOU are that special to Him – and He has a plan for YOU and your stories.

3. Cultivate a heart of contentment – Keep your eyes on the prize, instead of on other people’s prizes. Most importantly, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus – who loves us with an everlasting love. Understanding God holds us helps us become patient (or more patient). Focusing on what ‘might have been’ only makes us miss out on the ‘now’.

4. Hindsight with a purpose – take a look at how far you’ve come and how far God’s brought you. Our eyes should only focus on other people to 'serve' them and learn from them, not to compare ourselves to them. When we see our own writing path through the months or years, we can see our growth. If you don't believe me - go read your very first manuscript ;-)

5. Remember that there is a PERFECT moment – As you are writing your novels, don’t forget that God is writing your story. In fact, it’s already written – and He’s designed the perfect moment to bring out the dreams HE dreams for you. Resting in His love is hard, especially when we want to help along the process, but “He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it…”

If you need more encouragement against jealousy, check out this great post at Seekerville - http://seekerville.blogspot.com/search/label/jealousy

Psalm 139: 13-16

13- For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14- I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15- My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16-Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.


Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.





Photos courtesy of:

http://mamadeon.wordpress.com/2011/07/16/the-green-eyed-monster/
http://mistermamasir.wordpress.com/2011/04/15/jealousy-its-an-ugly-look-on-everybody-especially-me/
http://www.bentleyfarm.org/2011/03/gods-love.html

What's Up the Street For Next Week? CONFERENCE EDITION

Look at this great pic of The Alley Cats (Wendy, Mary, Casey, Sarah, Angie, Pepper) who attended ACFW (we truly missed our sister cats Sherrinda, Cindy, Julia, &, Krista). What a crew ;-)

Pepper, Mary, and Casey here.

Are you ready for more conference pics?

Well, we have them for you!

And here's a wonderful pic of Casey, Angie, and Mary. Aren't they cute?!?











Drumroll here... Pepper got to meet RUTH LOGAN HERNE!! YAY! Ruthy is even cuter and snarkier in person than she is online at Seekerville - so Pepper met the people she wanted to meet MOST OF ALL (except Liz Curtis Higgs....but there's always tomorrow!)

What can be better that Christian writing friends meeting, chatting, reacquainting, learning, networking, critting, staying up late to do blogs, writing, rewriting, writing, rewriting....in cyberspace or at a conference?

Have a super day writing--we'll post more from the conference tomorrow.

Feature:  THE GALA BANQUET!!

The Pitch & Blurb

Jesus was really great at being direct - to the point. Breaking down a big idea, like God’s grace, and putting it into a concise form. For example, in only a few paragraphs he gives the entire beauty of God’s grace in the story of the Prodigal Son. A BIG idea summed up in a way we can understand.

That’s HARD. To. DO. 

Pitch and Blurb are ways writers do the same thing. (Hmm… Pitch and Blurb - sounds like the name of a pub in the U.K J

Lots of times as writers, we’re expected to create elevator pitches and book blurbs (compressing 95K words into a 50 word summary....AHHHHHH!). It can be a stress inducing activity - especially for those of us are particularly 'talky'.

In fact, last week Casey and I exchanged pitches and blurbs with our good pals, Carol Moncado and Michelle Massaro  It was a great learning experience. I came out with some wonderful tips and ideas. (Thanks so much, ladies).

Casey’s a much better pitch & blurb writer than I am. I think it has to do with my propensity toward long-windedness, but making it short is a key factor in pitch & blurb writing.

Here are a few general tips:

Pitch:

-          Usually 25-30 words

-          Basically sets up the conflict/motivation of the story

-          Strong verbs

-          Power words

-          No names necessary

Here are a few examples I’ve written about famous books/movies.

After a Kansas tornado traps her in a magical land, a young girl must find her way back home before a wicked witch kills her. (25)

An orphaned boy discovers he’s the only wizard who can rid the world of an unnamed evil before it destroys everything he loves. (23)

A disrespected historian seeks to save the Declaration of Independence from international thieves and in the process discover a thousand-year old Templar treasure that will restore his family’s reputation. (29)

Now, what is a blurb?

It’s one of the most important selling features of a book. We walk into a bookstore, pick up a book off the shelf, maybe notice the pretty cover, and…then what do we do?

Flip the book over and read the back blurb.

Blurb

-          Typically run between 100-250 words.

-          Intrigue is usually increased through questions.

-          Spoiler free.

-          A first sentence hook to GRAB the reader’s attention.

-          Try to exhibit the voice and uniqueness of the book.

-           Keep it simple, no complex storyline at this point.

-           Direct.

-          Your main goal is to ‘hook the reader’.

-          Some people pull out a great line from the book and place it here.

Janalyn Voigt has some great tips at Author Haven about pitch/blurb writing.

• “Desire -- What does your main character want? This desire drives the plot toward a specific goal.
• Problem -- A shift or change in your protagonist's life causes a problem.
• Cost or risk -- What will the solution cost? What are the risks?
• Solution -- How will your story resolve? Will your main character realize his or her goal -- or not?

Use your story problem and theme to create a pitch sentence. Be sure and add a hook -- something that sparks interest in learning more. Examples:

Story Problem: A grieving widow longs to find happiness again (desire). When a suitor presses her with his attentions (problem), she must let go of the past (cost or risk) in order to realize her goal (solution).

Theme: Is it possible to find happiness by letting go of the past?Pitch Sentence: A young widow wants to take a chance on a new suitor but what will it cost her to let go of the past?”

Isn’t that a great summary? I thought it might be helpful for getting our minds in ‘concise’ writing mode J

Another FANTASTIC site for pitch & blurb help is on CamyTang’s Story Sensei.

Here’s Camy’s example:

Character--Sydney Bristow, secret agent
Situation--Discovers she's been tricked into thinking she's working for the CIA when in truth it's a terrorist agency
Objective-- To topple the powerful organization called the Alliance by working as a double agent
Opponent--her boss Arvin Sloan, who has been a family friend for years, who lied to her about her job
Disaster--Sloane suspects her because she told her fiancé, and he had him killed.
Summary:
After discovering she was tricked into thinking she's working for the CIA, agent Sydney Bristow becomes a double agent, determined to take down the terrorist group called the Alliance. But can she fool her boss Arvin Sloane when he kills her fiancé and suspects her enough to kill her?

Here’s another great link to read related to pitch & blurb:

http://www.writethatnovel.com/novel-step2.htm

OKAY now it’s your turn!!

Any brave people out there?

I’m not great at these, but here are my examples (and you’re welcome to pick them apart to your heart’s content. I’m a lifelong learner ;-):

25-ish word pitch: A speech therapist determined to leave Appalachia must reform a cattle farmer and develop a new speech pathology program without losing her heart in the process. (25)

or

To escape her bruised past and a professional dead end, a speech therapist must transform an Appalachian cattle farmer into corporate-world material by Christmas. (24)

50-ish word pitch: To escape Appalachia, Dr. Adelina Roseland makes a daring wager to transform a rustic cattle farmer into corporate-world material before Christmas. But getting involved with this single-dad thrusts Dee into a world she’s spent fifteen years trying to forget, which may change not only her mind, but her heart. (49)

Blurb (100-200 words):

 The language of love doesn’t have an accent…
To escape Appalachia, speech pathologist Dr. Adelina Roseland makes a daring wager to transform a rustic cattle farmer into corporate-world material before Christmas. If she succeeds she can present her research at the national convention, launching her career beyond her bruised past and the professional dead-end of a small town.

But Adelina didn’t plan for the faith and friction of single-dad, Reece Mitchell. Drawn into a culture she’d been trying to forget for fifteen years, Adelina finds the warmth of faith and family healing the wounds of her heart. When Reece discovers that he’s been a mere pawn in her step up the corporate ladder, will he forgive her deceit or will their miscommunication end in two broken lives? (128)
(It's My Fair Lady meets Andy Griffith) :-)

YOUR TURN!