Book Blurbs That Grab Readers

By Glenys O'Connell

Some days the words just don't flow. Usually, being a journalist, if you give me any subject and ask for 500 words, I'm right there. Done.

Yet this month, out of the blue, I looked at the lovely list of topics posted for this month for the Roses blog and - zippp! - my mind went blank.

That's an experience similar to staring at the blue screen of death when your computer crashes.

Help!

I tried all the usual things: extra strong coffee; refusing to leave the office chair until I'd written; moving out to the patio with a notebook hoping a change of scene would spur some neuron activity; taking a walk; eating chocolate - none of the tried and true tactics worked.It got worse as I watched my fellow Roses coming up with all kinds of clever blogs on the themes while my screen remained - blank.

I don't know why....

And when I did start thinking in a writerly fashion, it turned out I was way off topic. I was actually thinking about book blurbs, the short descriptions on the back cover that hope to hook you into buying.

So instead of something fascinatingly informative and witty about frogs or history or Easter, here are my thoughts on book blurbs:

If you are anything like me, you are attracted first by the title and cover, and then by the back cover blurb. 

According to the people who study these things, writers have something like 30 seconds to impress you once you, the potential purchaser, pick up the book. Getting you to open the covers and read the first few lines is crucial! If the book doesn’t grab you then, you'll quite likely put it back on the shelf. So the major part of that battle is to capture your interest enough to get you to actually pick up the book and open the covers. Which means you’ve got to have something pretty special in the back cover blurb.

Tough, but not as hard as it is in movies,where scriptwriters put together a one or two line pitch or ‘logline’ in order to grab a filmmaker’s attention. In classes, I ask students to write a ‘blurb’ about their story in just a couple of sentences and that usually evokes some pretty loud groans, although once they’ve mastered the art, most writers think it’s a real benefit. Distilling your story down to its very essence in a couple of sentences clarifies it for you; it also tells you pretty quickly whether you’ve got a strong idea or not.

Using these few sentences to describe your story can make an editor-grabbing beginning to a query letter! In this stripped down story line, you need to have the names of the main characters, something about their motives, the challenge facing them, and their reactions. The Who, What, When, and Why. You can keep the How part a secret for now – it’s good to leave the reader hungry to know the ending of your story and the fate of the protagonists.

Here’s the blurb for Marrying Money, my soon to be in print romantic comedy release from Red Rose Publishing

Diana, Lady Ashburnham, needs to find a rich husband, and fast.She’s the last of an aristocratic line stretching back 500 years, and she’s broke. The family fortunes have been eaten up by the crumbling mansion and impoverished estate. Not wanting to be known as the ‘Ashburnham Who Lost The Lot’, she refuses to sell off heirloom jewellery or let the estate be auctioned off to a dot.com millionaire or heavy metal rock star.That’s when Diana has her Great Idea – she’ll follow a new take on the way her ancestors raised money – by marrying money! So Diana corals her best friend, Sally Barnes, into joining her on a trip to Ireland to try to net a – preferably titled – millionaire.

See – an entire short novel condensed into six lines. Yet those lines tell the reader a lot about the story, the characters, motivation and setting, without giving away the whole plot.

Another way writers capture a reader’s interest is to have a few lines from a well-known author – or at least someone better known than yourself – praising your story. That’s not so easy to get until you’re fairly well known or you have made a point of making lots of writer friends who now feel indebted to you.

There are dangers inherent in this, however. Groucho Marx is supposed to have written the following note to an author who had requested some kind words to put on the back cover of his novel: ‘From the moment I picked up your book until the moment I put it down, I was convulsed with laughter. Some day I intend reading it.’ Uhmm, when you think about it, not really much of a recommendation!

Then there’s the equally obscure comment from a Victorian English Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, himself the author of several books: ‘Dear Sir, thank you for sending me a copy of your book, which I shall waste no time in reading.’ That’s a double meaning I wouldn’t want on my back cover!

One last thing – have you ever wondered where the word ‘blurb’ came from? (No? Okay, maybe it's just my mind that goes off at these tangents)You must admit it’s a bit of a weird word and doesn’t seem to have any scholarly Latin or Greek roots. According to an article in the Toronto Globe & Mail newspaper about this very topic, we can thank a writer named Gelett Burgess for the phenomena. It seems, according to the Globe, that Burgess wanted to grab attention for his funny book, ‘Are You a Bromide?’ published in 1907. He did so by putting a picture of a pretty young woman on the cover. This fictional young lady’s name was Miss Belinda Blurb, and she assured would-be readers that Burgess’ book was ‘…a terrific read.’

So, readers and fellow authors, what back cover blurbs have grabbed you? Do you like humorous ones, or those that hint of something dark and deadly? How important is the blurb to you when deciding to buy a book? Please share some of your thoughts in the comments column!

Glenys O’Connell is hard at work on a blurb for her next book, Saving Maggie, a romantic suspense/paranormal, and Naked Writing:The No Frills Way to Write Your Book.. Meanwhile, for those who like a lot of humor with their romance, her latest release is Marrying Money, a romantic comendy set in the UK and Ireland,currently an ebook and scheduled to be released in print later this year.

Civil War re-enacting depicts history

April is Confederate History Month. As a Civil War re-enactor, I’ve learned a great deal of information about that time in our history. I wish I had the space to share it all.

The rebellion started in the spring of 1861 with the fall of Fort Sumter and ended in April 1865 at the Appomattox Courthouse. During those four short years over 500,000 Americans died, more than in all the other conflicts all together. I recently saw a news release that added 100,000 to that total.

The United States is recognizing this terrible time with the 150^th Anniversary celebration of the battles fought across this land. First Manassas or Bull Run was last year, the second will be in July this year. We’ll go on to all the major engagements like Vicksburg and Gettysburg.

I’m encouraging everyone to attend a re-enactment of a battle. Tour the soldiers’ campsites. Watch the battle. Feel the ground shake at the cannon fire. Be awed by the Cavalry and the horses trained to ignore the surrounding melee.

Ask questions about our heritage. Every re-enactor is proud to share his or her knowledge of history. Learn why our ancestors fought. Be proud of them and all our soldiers. They sacrificed so we could have the freedoms we enjoy.

Barbara Edwards, 3^rd Florida Co. A, 12^th Georgia, Co F

 Website: http://www.barbaraedwards.net

Blog Site: http://barbaraedwardscomments.wordpress.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/BarbaraEdwards

Ancient Blood http://on.fb.me/naHRY5

Twitter: http://twitter.com/barb_ed

Buy hyperlink Ancient Awakening http://www.wildrosepress.us/maincatalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=177_136&products_id=4511

My "Inevitable Place" by Alison Henderson

In honor of Keep America Beautiful Month, I want to share a very special place with you—California’s Central Coast region. From Santa Cruz south to the wilderness of Big Sur and beyond, the golden beaches, rugged mountains, and stately redwood forests weave a unique magic. In the early part of the twentieth century, poet Robinson Jeffers wrote that upon cresting the hill from Monterey and looking out across the spectacular beauty of Carmel Bay, he and his wife knew they had found their “inevitable place”. I reached the same conclusion on my first visit. I can never go often enough or stay long enough.

America is filled with beautiful, special places from coast to coast. Think about the extraordinary natural areas in your own state. And it is up to each generation to protect them as a legacy for the next. These unspoiled gems are often fragile environments where man’s footprint can easily destroy nature’s handiwork, yet we all want to be able to see and enjoy them. That can lead to a delicate balancing act; I know it has on the Central Coast where water is a precious resource and development has been strictly limited. The restrictions occasionally lead to conflict, but the end result is an opportunity for the public to experience the raw grandeur of nature.

These photos were taken from the terrace of the restaurant of the Ventana Inn in Big Sur when my husband and I had lunch there last month. Every detail of the day was perfect: the food, the weather, the view. There may be other places where the ocean mists obscure the joining of land and sea in such a mystical way, but I haven’t seen them. For me, this place is literally heaven on earth.

Where is your “inevitable place”? If you can’t answer that question, maybe you haven’t found it yet. Keep looking. Special places are all around; you just have to keep your eyes open. Happy hunting!

Alison

www.alisonhenderson.com

Keep Earth Beautiful

Keep America Beautiful. A very powerful trio of words. Words I agree with 100%. Words I believe we must get children to latch onto as well for they are the problem solvers of tomorrow. They are the ones who will probably have to fight to keep America--the entire planet, really--beautiful. In fact, let's change it to Keep Earth Beautiful. I don't have any children myself, but I spend my days teaching fifth grade. I hope that in the 180 days we are together, they get the message that keeping Earth beautiful is one of the most important things they can do.

Our school is part of Roots & Shoots, a youth program affiliated with The Jane Goodall Institute. Every year we as a school community engage in Earth-friendly projects such as creating a schoolyard wildlife habitat, cutting a nature trail in the woods behind our school, raising money for our local Audubon society or the Big Cat Initiative through National Geographic, and participating in energy saving campaigns. Students get really involved in these projects. From planning, promoting, and executing, they are working together to make a difference. Hopefully, these experiences will extend beyond the school walls and start to shape the way they live their lives as stewards of the planet.

In the fast-paced, high-tech society we now find ourselves in, it is very easy to become disconnected to the little things that make this big blue marble revolving around the sun beautiful. Dewdrops on leaves. Rainbows after a storm. Butterflies fluttering above flowers. Ducks floating on lakes. Mountains reaching up for the clouds. Jungles, deserts, tundras, wetlands. All of it is gorgeous, and by not taking a moment to stop and witness the gift that is this planet, we're missing out. Big time. There have been many times in my own life where I've had a crappy day, my head aches, I'm tired, I'm stressed, I'm tense. A few deep breaths just standing in my backyard can change all that. Nothing like a fresh breeze to blow away all that ails you.

So you see, if you keep the Earth beautiful, she'll return the favor.

What will you do to Keep Earth Beautiful this month? Earth Day is in April, but really every day should be Earth Day, don't you think?

Chris
www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com

Southern by the Grace of God

        Confederate History Month. Do I have a choice but to write about Confederate History Month? Not really. Not with my Southern roots.  I grew up with the saying American by birth, Southern by the grace of God. I am proud to be Southern…always have been.

        Those damn Yankees….

        Where I grew up, you considered yourself Southern as much as you considered yourself an American. It’s in your blood. My great-great-great grandfathers fought for the Confederacy. Oh, I get lost in the greats, but you can get the picture. A couple of them died in the war; a couple of them were considered deserters for a short time. It was the only way you could check up on your family. They would leave the army for a brief period of time and would go back. When my grandmother talked of the past, she still carried a grudge against carpetbaggers.

         But I guess it was my great-great grandmother’s account of growing up during the Civil War that had the biggest impact on my feelings about the war. The tale turned from the frontlines to the home front which  included what it was like to live through the Civil War. She was born in the foothills of Alabama; the oldest of four children. Her daddy died from a wound inflicted at the Battle of Shiloh. She wrote of the hardships of surviving the war. As most of the deep South, her family was poor; lived in a log cabin, and barely got by after her Momma died from an illness. One of the most telling accounts was hearing cannon fire in the distance and knowing it was a battle.

        Kinda explains why we Southerners are a stubborn lot; why we hang on to the past the way we have. When I met my husband (yes…he’s one of those damn Yankees), he didn’t have a clue that we were still fighting the war.

         My first writing contest I entered was when I was in the fifth grade. The whole of my school had to write an essay about the Civil War, I won second place. Of course, the judges told Momma I would have come in first if I hadn’t said that the South should have never seceded from the Union. Probably didn’t help either that I wrote that Abraham Lincoln was my favorite president.

         Differences of opinions are another trait we Southerners have. We’re born with the innate ability to debate and we are never…never wrong. But in reality, it’s who we are as Southerners. We feel things with passion and attack things in the same manner. Good people. Really and truly. 

         I’ll leave you with one last little antidote. When my son was six, he flew down to visit his cousins in Mississippi a week before the rest of us followed. When I walked in Momma’s door after a week, I could see immediately he had something to tell me. As soon as I could, I pulled him aside and asked what was wrong.

         “Momma,” he said exasperated. “They keep calling me a Yankee. A little Yankee.”

         Trying to suppress a smile, I answered, “Honey, it’s okay. They don’t mean anything by it.”

         “Well, I told 'em,” he answered me.

        “Told them what?” I asked, now slightly confused.

        “Told I’m wasn’t a Yankee. I’m a Red Sox.”

As a writer, I do have a manuscript I am revising on the Civil War. At one point it was called Whispers of a Southern Heart. I've since changed the name to Belle of Charleston. Honestly, Belle of Charleston will probably be the only Civil War book I write...but I love to write about the South. I have a series with Whiskey Creek Press, The Tides of Charleston. This series deals with the Southern Campaign during the American Revolution. The Judas Kiss has already been released. The Promise is due in May followed by Another Night Falls. 

The Judas Kiss

COMING SOON!

American the Beautiful

By Jannine Gallant

One of our April topics is Keep America Beautiful. I feel blessed to live in an incredibly beautiful place – Lake Tahoe. I can walk out my door and hike for miles in the pristine wilderness. The lake is a few minutes walk from my house. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Of course there are drawbacks. When I’m fighting with a four foot high berm left by the snowplow, trying to clear my driveway in a raging blizzard, I tend to forget what a joy it is living in Tahoe. No place is perfect! But after the storm passes, the glistening snow covered world is magical.

When it comes to my writing, I’ve capitalized on the Beautiful America theme. Two of my books are set partially in Tahoe. Maybe This Time features Emerald Bay on the cover, something I specifically asked for from the cover artist.

The balance of the story takes place on the California coast. Our shoreline is truly spectacular, but then I’m a teensy bit biased being a California girl born and bred.

Not one of those SoCal beach babes, mind you. I grew up at the very top of the state in the Redwood Forest. You can’t really do justice to the sheer power of a redwood tree in a photograph. You have to stand beneath one, with your head tilted so far back your neck aches, to appreciate the grandeur of the world’s tallest tree. The thick redwood forest, shrouded in fog, has an eerie feel to it that called to me as a writer.

So I wrote A Deadly Love about a serial killer loose in these woods. This book will be released in August.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the photos of my beautiful corner of America. For more information on my books, please visit my website and blog.

April Fool's: The Good, the Bad, and the Great!

April 1st has got to be one of the most terrifying days in the year for me. That is the day that I fear my worst enemies will use my pet phobia against me. (Forgive me if I keep that phobia to myself. I don't want to hand out any more ammo.)

April 1st celebrated as April Fool's Day has many supposed origins, including the change of the calendar in the 1500s from the Julian to the Gregorian. This change caused New Years to be celebrated January 1st instead of April 1st. The fools were those who still celebrated the new year on the wrong day.

There are more less pausible reasons for its origin but I tend to agree with this one due to its logic.

To read more about the possible origins of April Fools, see what Snopes.com has to say about it. I enjoyed learning about the spaghetti harvest that came early in 1957. The harvest was abundant due to the conquering of the ravenous spaghetti weevils.

Museum of Hoaxes.com has a collection for your reading pleasure of the Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of all time. #1 on the list is the Swiss Spaghetti Harvest. I borrowed the photo from their site after reading about it on Snopes.com. If you have a bit of reading time today, I hope you get the chance to indulge.

Of course, April 1, 1958 was a most special day. It was the day that my darling husband was born, and that is not a joke. His mother said that he was supposed to be born in late March, but he held out for diamonds, the birth stone for April. He has told me several times that he hated his birthday when growing up as no one would believe it was his birthday. So, for all those who have the special day of April 1st for a birthday, Happy Birthday and I hope it will be the best day of your life!


April 1 is additionally the anniversary of the release of two books in the ShadowsForge Series, Three Times a Hero in 2006 and Retaking America in 2007.

Three Times a Hero was #1 Reader's Choice at Whiskey Creek Press that month.

Retaking America was deemed a "Recommended Read" by Fallen Angel Reviews. No bad luck there.

I'd say that in my life, April Fool's Day has been an extremely positive twenty-four hour period.

Cheers!