Sunday, August 30, 2015

The Pitch

So in this grand world of writing, there is often the need to have a pitch. Different people/publishers require different things it seems. The current one I'm playing with needs a pitch outlining the story concept, plot, characters, conflict and setting - in 100 words or less. After writing tens of thousands of words, that seems so little.

How do you get all the drama and emotion into something that short? I have no clue, but here are six takes I've been working on. There's a poll underneath them that I'd greatly appreciate knowing which one sounds the best, or if they all sound like crap. This is a new aspect of writing for me, so I'm learning and won't be offended at all if I'm going down the wrong path.

1.
Being set up with a date by her dad was the last thing Casey Holcomb needed. Learning to tell him no was on her to-do list, but first she had to make it through the annual breast cancer fundraiser they held in one piece.

As a star hockey player, Dylan Jones had more female attention than he knew what to do with, but none of it was from the woman he’d dubbed his number one fan. Having Casey as a date was a dream come true. The only problem was that he needed to convince her she shared the dream.



2.
Dylan Jones had almost everything. He was the star player on his hockey team and the line of women vying for his attention seemed endless. His face was even on the cover of a video game. What Dylan didn’t have was the woman of his dreams, and finding her in a sea of fans proved to be an insurmountable task.

Casey Holcomb’s dad didn’t usually butt into her business, and because of that she had trouble telling him no. When he sets her up with a date for the breast cancer fundraiser they host, Casey’s life is turned upside down.



3.
As a star hockey player, Dylan Jones didn’t have a problem finding women willing to spend time with him. The problem was he wanted the woman who didn’t mince words when she yelled what she thought of his skills during every game. He just had to find her.

Casey Holcomb decided at a young age she didn’t have time for men and the games they played. Work and health issues were more than enough to keep her mind occupied, but when her father sets her up on a date, Casey quickly learns maybe there is something missing from her life.



4.
A family history of breast cancer has Casey Holcomb’s attention divided between work and her health, leaving little time to deal with relationships. When her dad decides to set her up, she’s not happy about his interference, but she can’t tell him no.

As a star hockey player, Dylan knows it’s hard to find someone who’s interested in you based on who you are and not the fact that your face is on the cover of a video game. Meeting Casey is a dream come true for him. He just needs to prove to her that she shares the dream.



5.
When you’re set up on a date with one of the city’s most eligible bachelors, you become a hated woman. Casey Holcomb finds that out quickly while dancing at a charity ball in Dylan Jones’ arms. People didn’t understand there were more important things on her mind than being wooed by Dylan.

Dylan, on the other hand, was thrilled to be Casey’s date. As a star hockey player, women threw themselves at him all the time, but she was different. Dylan knew she was worth every second it took to win her over. He just hoped it wouldn’t take years.



6.
He’s a star hockey player. She’s his biggest critic.

Casey Holcomb’s taunts during hockey games don’t necessarily mean she hates Dylan Jones. She just hates that every unattached female in the stands seems to be in love with him. For her, there are much more important things to focus on, like work and her health.

After being set up on a date by Casey’s dad, Dylan uses the opportunity to try to win Casey over. Will her stubbornness and the army of women vying for Dylan’s attention stand in their way, or will Casey learn that happy endings aren’t fantasies?

polls

Friday, August 28, 2015

Days off

I feel like I've gotten so much done since having most of this week off from the day job. Both The Call and The Pull have made it out into the world. Now I'm really focusing in on marketing them and finishing up Game Misconduct in hopes of seeing if I can find someone who wants to publish it.

Here's the working cover for it:


I won't be holding my breath, but I'm looking at Kindle Scout and some publishers that don't require agents. It's been a fun story to write and I really like how it turned out because it's nothing like I first imagined. When I first started writing it my mind was a little more focused on elements that wouldn't have made it a romance, and I decided I like somewhat happy endings.

Aside from that, I've been connecting more with writers and am trying to learn something from everyone I digitally meet. It's always great to hear you're not the only one going through something. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Saturday, August 22, 2015

How do months just go by?

I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that a month has gone by since the last time I posted anything. Seriously, how does time just fly like that?

I jumped right into the contemporary romance I was working on, and ended up leaving The Call and The Pull on the back burner. It wasn't very nice of me, but I'm trying to focus more on getting something out there that a publisher will maybe pick up instead of just self-publishing everything. That tends to mean the quick month of writing it usually takes to turn out a story is stretched out for at least a month or two as I wait for someone to tell me whether they like my book or not.

One of my biggest problems when I end up finishing a book and reading it over and over a handful of times to try to find all the issues is that I never feel it's good enough. I've said before that I don't like giving up control of my stories, and so far never have, but a part of me really wants something that tells me that what I've written is good enough to have someone else publish it.

I think more than just the fact that my brain won't stop coming up with new stories to tell, I write because it's a way for me to connect with people. I've always been horribly shy, which is why you will very rarely find a picture of me somewhere or things I write on my blog or in emails come out somewhat stiff.

Writing has given me the ability to grow a thicker skin and express myself in a way I don't think possible in my daily life. I'm not really sure how I got going down this road for this post, but I guess it's been something on my mind lately.

In actual writing news, I have finished up Game Misconduct, which is my first foray into contemporary romance without things that go bump in the night. Here's the kind of quick working description of what the book is about.
As a star hockey player, Dylan Jones never had a problem finding women who wanted to spend time with him. The problem was he didn't want just any woman. He wanted the one who yelled what she thought of his skills during every game, and she didn't mince words. When he finally comes face-to-face with his number one fan, he finds out that falling in love with a woman you've never met doesn't prepare you for the reality you're in store for trying to convince her you're the man of her dreams.
It ended up being an interesting book to write. I thought it would be hard not to throw a vampire or werewolf or Greek deity in there, but since it was about hockey and I may have worked my new love for tiny homes in there, it turned out pretty good.

I'm currently deciding exactly what I'm going to do with it. Part of me says try the Kindle Scout route again even if it didn't work with The Call. Towards the end of the run, The Call had three straight days with the Hot label. I just need to figure out how to get people interested from the start. I had great plans of a social media campaign, but then I got a little freaked out or something and kept silent.

If I do decide to roll the dice and try again, I will apologize now to anyone who follows me on Twitter, because I will be campaigning hard for Game Misconduct. I have most of next week off, so I'll know by then what I'm going to do. During that time I'll also give The Call and The Pull final reads and get them out there. I'm sorry for anyone who was excited to get those read. They'll see the light of day soon.