Saturday, December 28, 2013

Blurb - draft #2






 “It’s Mary, isn’t it?”


“What do you mean?”
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know.”
“You know something.”
“I don’t know anything.”
Spring, 1979: scandalous stories spread through a high school in rural Maine after a traumatic experience threatens to tear four childhood friends apart.  As Berrie struggles with a dangerous relationship, and Zana rocks her family by outing their secret, Mary's acting skills far outmatch her best friend, Lili's, and Mary isn't even in the school play.  In the end, it's up to Lili, who can't even keep her own secrets, to keep the biggest secret of all.  
This is the spring when tension rises, passion ignites, and strength prevails as four teens, on the verge of adulthood, discover how the power of friendship can hold them together while their fragile world is torn apart. 

So this is what I've been working on today.  It's HARD to get the blurb right, and it's likely not there yet, but I'm getting closer and it feels good.  I could not have gotten even close to this close without the help of my amazing and talented niece, Kat Brzozowski.  Thanks, Kat!!  I also looked at a bunch of online writing support on how to write a blurb, and again I am so grateful for the help.  What an awesome time we live in!  So much support all around us.  People really do want to help each other.  
That's it for now.  I'll likely update this blurb draft very soon . . . or who know?  Maybe this is the one!  Stay tuned . . .
Lava

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Preparing to launch my YA novel: DON'T TELL

Spring, 1979: scandalous stories sensationalize small town Maine's, Pine High School, as Lili, Mary, Berrie and Zana strive to keep their secrets sacred. This is the spring when secrets spill, passions rise, shame faces itself in the mirror and strength prevails, but not without our four girls first walking through the fire of transformation.

It's the day after Christmas and I'm alone (heaven!), drinking tea in the 3 Bean Cafe' in my sweet  Vermont small town.  I just completed an intense semester at Community College of Vermont (CCV) teaching two creative writing classes, including Autobiography & Memoir where the students wrote their hearts out and did an incredibly fantastic job.   During the break between semesters I will be launching my YA novel, DON'T TELL. The cover/back photo is done, the graphics are almost done.  The little blurb at the top of this page is the beginning of a rough draft for the blurb on the back of the book.  Getting the blurb right feels super important, so I'll keep working on it.  (Blurb is a fun word to say.)  (Blurb, blurb, blurb - try it! Say it a few times!)

More awesome news:

My play: MOMMYTALK, co written with Adriana Elliot, won a playwriting contest!  There will be a staged reading March 9th at the Chandler Music Hall (upstairs) in Randolph, VT.  More about this in a future post.

Also, I have stories in two new Chicken Soup for the Soul books: Just Us Girls, and Think Positive For Kids.  This makes ten Chicken Soup books for me!   Personal essays are fun; novel writing is torture.  Fun, but torture (in a non-creepy kind of way).

More later.  Write a note.  Love you!