LOGLINES

In a moment of delirium, I signed up for an agent-pitch at the ANWA writers' conference. It must have been delirium that made me think I could sit face-to-face with an agent and talk coherently about my work.

It's one thing to write enticing loglines for your novel, it's another thing all together to remember it when someone asks about your book. However, in anticipation of the conferoence and the agent pitch looming in my near future,I have written a logline for each of my novels.

You think I'm a gifted writer? You want to read more? Why, yes, I happen to have copies of all five of my novels here in my purse.--This is the way a writer dreams--it's the way I do, anyway.
Here are my loglines. I'd love a comment on what you think.

Farewell, My Denmark:
A Danish convert reluctantly joins the 1863 Mormon pilgrimage to America. She gets more adventure than she bargains for when thieves catch her searching for stolen heirlooms, and she fears she may not live long enough to open her heart to love.

My Sweet Danish Rose:
When her family immigrates to America, a Danish girl stays to care for her aging aunt, but is left on her own when the aunt is sent to the poor house. In order to escape the home of the tyrant who has taken her in, she must decide whether or not to forsake her religion for love.

The Almost Missionary:
A young man sets out on his mission hoping, but not believing that he can defy his family genetics and be a successful missionary. It isn’t until after his father’s heart attack, and he almost goes home early, that he learns what it means to be the Lord’s servant.

Fairy Dust:
A menopausal woman wakes to discover she has fairy wings and a fairy mission to perform. She must master the art of flying, solve the fairies dilemma, battle pixies, deal with a hateful neighbor, and turn her family into believers—all while keeping the house clean and having dinner ready on time each night.

East of Eden, a ghost story:
A young man has a strong attraction to a beautiful ghost who haunts him. It’s through recurring dreams that he’s his great-grandfather, a man who was involved in Arizona’s biggest unsolved gold heist, that he learns the identity of the spirit and gains the strength to battle the demons in his own life.

The Upside of Down, by Rebecca Talley

One of my multi-published author friends, Rebecca Talley, recently had another book published. This is the back cover blurb for, The Upside of Down:

“Hmmm,” the doctor muttered.
Natalie wrinkled her forehead, almost afraid to ask, and said, “What does that mean?”
“You do know you’re pregnant, right?”
Her breath caught in her throat. “Excuse me?”
“You’re pregnant.”
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. “I’m what?”
Natalie Drake certainly has her hands full raising a large family, dealing with her difficult mother, and maintaining a relationship with her rebellious teenager. Just when things seem to be going smoothly, she finds out another unexpected surprise—she’s going to have a baby. Faced with so many challenges, Natalie must learn to trust in a plan that isn’t what she imagined and discover that every situation has an upside.
Beloved author Rebecca Talley carefully creates this touching and heartfelt story that is sure to inspire you. With true-to-life characters and situations, The Upside of Down will reignite your faith and remind you of the importance of family.

Rebecca, tell us a little about yourself.

I grew up in Santa Barbara, CA. I attended, and graduated from, BYU where I met my husband. He was the FHE “dad” and I was the FHE “mom.” We have been happily married for over 25 years and are the parents of 10 wonderfully creative and multi-talented children. We live in rural CO on a small ranch with a dog, cats, a spoiled horse, and a herd of goats. It took me a bit to adjust to the rural lifestyle after growing up in southern CA, but I love living in the country.
Your newest novel, THE UPSIDE OF DOWN, was released in January. What was the inspiration for this novel?

While I was watching the new version of Cheaper by the Dozen, I thought it would be fun to write a similar story set in an LDS household. Since I have a large family, I drew from many of my own experiences to create my characters and establish the storyline. I had lots of fun writing it, especially as I relived some of the funny things that have happened in our family.
What do you hope people take away from THE UPSIDE OF DOWN?

I hope people realize that no matter who we are, none of us is spiritually invincible. We all need to rely on the Lord, in good times and in bad. No matter how desperate a situation may seem, the Lord can lighten our load if we’ll turn to Him. The atonement is for all of us. And, even in the midst of trials, we can have peace.
I also hope people will learn something from my book about Down syndrome and realize that underneath it all, we’re all children of God and we all deserve love and respect, no matter our chromosome count.
Where can we purchase THE UPSIDE OF DOWN?

Amazon carries it and it should arrive in LDS Bookstores soon.
You can learn more about Rebecca at www.rebeccatalley.com and www.rebeccatalleywrites.blogspot.com and www.theupsideofdown2.blogspot.com
Thank you, Rebecca, for the interview.

THE TAGLINE

The ANWA writer’s conference is fast approaching. I signed up for a pitch session with agent Kelly Mortimer. YIKES! It didn’t affect me when I signed up—I’d done one before—years before. Years before I knew enough to be nervous.
Before (that first time when I had a finished manuscript that I thought was perfect—but it wasn’t) all I did was bring a first chapter and eagerly answer questions like a kindergartener proving to her teacher that she knew her ABC’s. HA!
On the eve of my last rejection, it’s been all I could do to keep my head above water. Chanting, “I am an author, I am an author” had started losing its effectiveness, so I had to call on author and friend, Jennifer Griffith to help cheer me on. Hearing someone who has been there, and done that cheer me on, “You are an author. You can do it” has a much sweeter ring to it.
Okay, so I’m recommitted and refocused. But now, I hear the buzz—“Have a tagline!” What? I’d never heard of a tagline before—what was one and why should I care? At first, I thought a tagline was a jazzy 50-words-or-less book description. An elevator pitch.
No problem. I’m an award-winning writer. I can do this. But, no sooner had I gotten my nifty 50-words-or-less elevator pitch, I learned that a tagline was 15-words-or-less. BIG PROBLEM!!! I was having a hard time figuring out why I needed a tagline. After all, the agent wasn’t going to sit there and count my words when I spewed them to her. Would she put a red mark across my name if I gave her a 20-word tagline? I couldn’t imagine it would happen.
I’m one of those people who are annoyingly curious. I have a hard time doing something if I don’t understand the reason behind it. Just because everyone else is doing it isn’t good enough. I was the same way with piano lessons. Today I got up and decided to do a bit of research on the tagline so that I could get motivated to listen to those who were telling me I needed one. And, guess what??? I DO need a tagline.
Think of it as a super-hook. Short and succinct—and full of power-words. For anyone wishing they knew why they need a tagline, go to Kathryne Kennedy’s blog and read what she has to say on the subject.