Book #5 -- Take On Me

On prom night, Dylan Anderson caused the biggest humiliation of Sadie Post's life. Getting over her crush on him took a while, but now she's grown up and moved on. Until Dylan moves in--to her workplace, that is. Suddenly it's high school revisited--complete with her lustful thoughts about him.

But she's his boss and finally has the upper hand--she won't let her sexy fantasies change that. Too bad the tension spiking between them is so high, it's inevitable they hit the sheets--or the nearest desk. And once they do, Dylan is better than she'd ever imagined. She promised herself to leave him begging for more--but does she really want to?

The Book Geek Says: My first ever Blaze. I hate to admit I was disappointed. Do people in California (who I believe are Californian born and bred) say "car park" when they mean "parking lot?" I know Ms. Mayberry is Australian, and this might have been edited in Canada but...sorry, the disappointment is still there.

The Book Geek Also Says: I'm not giving up on Blazes just yet. I'm planning to buy Stephanie Tyler's Coming Undone. And I might check out Wendy Etherington. If you've got any suggestions, leave 'em in the comments.

More Synopsis-Related Help

I snagged these links from Charlene Teglia:


The Vivian Beck Agency's 5 Steps to Writing a Synopsis

Lisa Gardner's Tricks of the Trade: Conquering the Dreaded Synopsis

This Just In...

Everyone has "synopsis" on the brain of late!!

Snagged from Mel-O-Drama: Conquering the Synopsis by Claire Delacroix

A totally FREE workshop, y'all! Go forth and conquer!!!

The Dreaded Synopsis

If you're a writer and you've begun to submit your manuscript(s), chances are you had to write a synopsis. If not (lucky you!), I'm here to tell you there's no reason to be skeerd (or scared, depending on your vernacular and twang). Since I'm both a writer and an editor, I'll share what my brain has to say in the subject of Writing a Synopsis.

Writer Jana: Holy Hell!! I...(insert a string of curse words here...a long string...keep going...drink some sweet tea because cussin' takes a lot out of you and you need your sugar...okay...write the damn synopsis)...

Editor Jana: Let me flip over here to the synopsis to see when such-and-such will happen...

What Is A Synopsis
Well, simply put, a synopsis is your manuscript. The nuts and bolts. The bare bones. It tells the whos, whats, whens, wheres, whys and hows of your entire story. Only without the lyrical prose, witty banter and character development.

A synopsis does not outline your manuscript with bullet points or chapter by chapter, or consist of less than 100 words (unless you're writing a short, short, short story). A synopsis is not a repeat of your blurb and/or back cover copy. [A blurb is designed to tease and intrigue; a synopsis lays everything on the line.]

How do you write a good synopsis? Well, class, that's Part 2.

My editorial process when reading a submission is to

1) read the intro letter (because I want to know a bit more about you, i. e., are you a new writer? do you have a website/blog? are you previously published and with whom?)

and

2) read the partial manuscript (which can be 1-6 chapters). If I get stuck while reading the partial, I immediately read the synopsis.

A synopsis helps me to determine whether to continue reading the partial.

And how do you write a synopsis? Stay tuned...

For another editor's point-of-view(hi Imogen!), visit Imogen Howsen's post at the Samhain Publishing Blog.

Book #4 -- Lover Revealed

Butch O'Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard-living ex-homicide cop, he's the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world-to engage in the turf war with the lessers. His heart belongs to a female vampire, Marissa, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. And if he can't have her, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers.

But fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, he's found by a miracle, and the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back, though even her love may not be enough to save him.

The Book Geek Says: I'll keep reading Ms. Ward until she does something to tick me off. This series (despite its faults -- which I won't go into here but can be found at other places, I'm sure) consumes me. [I passed an old lady on the street who smelled like baby powder; my first thought was that she was a lesser.] I've simply got to get to the end of the book to find out what happens next!! Once I'm there though, I always end up kicking myself for devouring it so quickly.

As an aside -- anyone know why Ms. Ward's vampire heroines have names like Marissa and Bella, and her human heroines have names like Beth, Mary and Jane? It's an interesting pattern and something the English major in me would like to (rationally) discuss.

Help! I Need Somebody! Help! Not Just Anybody!

You're a new author, and you need some marketing advice!! Well, for the 5 of you that read my blog, I'm going to point you to the right direction.

I'll preface the sort of guidance by saying that, in my mind, I'm aiming to help e-published authors (or those writers targeting the e-publishing world).

First, Mandy M. Roth's website suggestions. I snagged this link from Jaci Burton, then rushed over to read it because Ms. Roth is a very prolific, very good author. She knows of what she speaks! (She's also planning to continue handing out advice on her blog, just for future reference.)

Since this is about e-publishing, I'll use the example of a new-to-me e-published author, Yolanda Sfetsos. Ms. Sfetsos is published with 3 companies, beginning January of this year (if memory serves). I mention Ms. Sfetsos because her website went live a few weeks ago and until that point, she used her blog for promotion. Ms. Sfetsos lists all her books on the sidebar. She's got links to her publishers, the cover pic, an excerpt link and a "buy it now" link. And this is on her blog! Which was free!! With no ads or pop-ups!

Also snagged from Jaci Burton is AuthorMBA.

AuthorMBA offers marketing, career planning, and business workshops specifically designed for writers. Every workshop is an interactive, hands-on event, so you'll walk away with a completed plan, marketing tool, or business checklist you can immediately put to use in your career.

Writing is the easy part, but in the world of e-publishing (perhaps publishing in general), many authors are floating around without a firm grasp of what to do once that contract is in their hands. Your writing is a business; you should treat it as such and research the best ways to reach your target audience, just as you would research what you're writing.

In Heaven

Book Geek Heaven, that is. My reasons are in no particular order.










I'm also considering taking a chance on:

Blood Son by Erica Orloff

Atlantis Rising by Alyssa Day

The Scent of Shadows by Vicki Petterson

Book #3 -- My Life as a Furry Red Monster

For the past seventeen years, Kevin Clash has lived a secret life of the best and most rewarding kind, taking on the identity of the beloved cherry red monster known as Elmo. The seven-time Emmy winner performs to an audience of 120 million boys and girls who tune in daily to Elmo's World, bringing Elmo to life in such a way that even adults forget that there is a man behind the muppet.

After spending so many years by Elmo's side, Kevin has been able to see beyond his alter ego's obvious, cuddly charms to the real way the puppet connects with those around him. In My Life as a Furry Red Monster, Kevin shares what he has learned about love, joy, creativity, friends, and more from this most unlikely of teachers- and how all of us can benefit from acting a little more like Elmo.

This inspiring memoir invites us on the remarkable journey that Kevin has been on since Elmo's rise to fame. As an ambassador bringing joy to children all over the world, Kevin has met heads of state and worked with stars like Robert De Niro, Jim Carrey, and Mel Gibson. With full-color photographs of the pair at work and play, this book is a treat for the eye as well as the heart. No one who reads of Kevin's regard for his mentor, the late Jim Henson, or of Elmo's bedside visits to the children of the Make a Wish Foundation will be able to deny the poignant impact of My Life as a Furry Red Monster.

The Book Geek Says: A very sweet, quick and easy read, especially if your child is as in love with Elmo as mine is!