WHAT IS YOUR BOOK ABOUT?

May Day! I was awakened by a flute shrieking next to my head, a flute I thought was well hidden. The piercing squeal created flowers of lightening in the dark sky of my brain. . . which is perfect for the first day of May, the day to deliver flowers and run. But Auggie didn’t run quite fast enough. I am once again in possession of the flute. Happy May Day!

A question I expend a lot of energy to avoid: WHAT IS YOUR BOOK ABOUT?

Ugh, for such a straight-forward novel, it’s hard to explain. One, pinning it to a genre label is tough, no matter how badly publishers want to stab it neatly to a corkboard. Two, the basic storyline sounds so self-indulgent it’s embarrassing.

Literary genres are delightful. And by delightful I mean acidic rubs on scalped skin. They’re helpful for readers who want to find dystopian science fiction, or feline erotica; they’re helpful for publishers looking to sell vampire fantasy or historical meta-romance. They are not helpful for writers of general novels that can fall, partially, into the following: comedic coming of age lit, commercial lit, general lit, school lit, chick lit (noooo!), sport lit.  In order to understand what I’m saying, I guess I’ll have to tell you what the book is about . . .

Let’s start with theme. The big picture: David versus Goliath. Littler pictures: coming of age, discovering inner strength. Next, the storyline: Addy, a brand new English teacher, starting out at a tiny rural school. She is afraid of conflict, rarely speaking up for herself (her internal monologue is sarcastic, biting, but never leaves her mouth). The first day on the job ends with her being forced to coach a debate team, a job that provides plenty of internal, love interest, administration, and competitive conflict. There’s even conflict with Mother Nature.

Yeah, I know. It sounds somewhat like my life. But let me remind you, I’m not afraid of conflict. Just ask my husband. Or co-workers.  Speaking of co-workers – no, you are not in the book. Stop asking me. I swear, your secrets are safe with me. Unless you piss me off. Bwahaha. For instance, the woman who showed up to work with her pants on backwards and mismatched men’s socks . . . you might consider sending me a supersize Carmello. Perhaps a case.

The characters in the book are made up people, though I do pull from stories, experiences, values, traits and dressing habits of the many people who came through the school doors, including myself.  I’ve enjoyed reviewing my classroom and speech team experiences through storytelling.

I hope to be done with all edits and revisions in the next couple weeks and then have an agent and publisher fall in my lap, bearing a case of large bills. While I’m working on that, I’m also writing three other projects. One is a children’s book that Auggie and I have been writing together. He is an excellent storyteller, which plays out with every elaborate lie he tells. I’m predicting he’ll be a famous author or a successful Congressman.