IWSG & TNBT

Welcome Insecure Writers, and much thanks to our fearless leader, Alex J. Cavannaugh (insecure, sometimes; fearful, nevah!).

As my regular visitors know I've embarked on a quest for The Next Big Thing and am answering one question a week about my current work in progress, which happens to be in progress at a publisher. :)   I'm taking a question out of order this week because it fits perfectly with an insecurity of mine.

Question #5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Are you kidding me???  One sentence?  Do you have any idea how long I struggled to reduce the thing into a 2-5 page synopsis?  And a 2-3 paragraph summary for the query? And even after all my work, I'm pretty sure the only reason that drivel made it beyond the acquisition editor's wastebasket is because I already had a relationship with the publisher.

So there it is, my insecurity: I suck at hooks and blurbs.  With a new book coming out---one I'm truly excited about---I've had lots of people ask,"so what's it about?" I respond, "Well, uh, there's this woman and then there's an angel.  And it's in the suburbs and she's divorced and...yeah...it's totally different from my last book." *apologetic shrug before changing the subject as quickly as possible*  How's that for the opposite of compelling?

Tell you what, I'll past the shortest version I've been able to come up with and if you can pare it down to one sentence, have at it.

Maggie Brock has everything under control.  Even her divorce, though painful at the time, only registers as a minor blip in her carefully constructed universe. Her life in Prairie Oaks has once again returned to a smooth, predictable pace…until an angel shows up in her bedroom.

The angel is just as bewildered as Maggie about why he’s been sent to her, but their unsuccessful efforts to gain understanding of the mystery fade to the background as their relationship grows. Soon, Maggie’s biggest problem becomes the angel himself, as her feelings for him develop into something less than saintly.

While Maggie struggles to keep her desires pure, a nefarious being lurks in the shadows of Prairie Oaks, watching and waiting for the opportunity to fulfill his ambiguous purpose. Preying on her conflicted emotions, the demon manipulates her at every opportunity, but the one to deliver Maggie directly into his hands is the last person she’d expect.

P.S. I'm wretchedly sorry for being so bad about bopping around the blogs lately.  I'm in the middle of a big project at work that I hooope will lighten up next week.