Observations

Observations accrued by reading mistakes in romance novels (that aren’t addressed by the arc):

A man in love will never forget his woman’s things-to-do-together list. Her list is his list.

An act of love is shown through the mind or thoughts of the hero, through his lips as he translates his thoughts into action (and a kiss would work well to seal the thought) and in his heart as he puts into effect the action with joyful work.

Being “that” strong man in a relationship implies everybody else is weak. If he has something to give, he should also receive.

It’s not a climatic moment (pertaining to the climate) unless he’s a meteorologist. It’s climactic and they (including the reader) damn well deserve it!

Crossing racial and cultural barriers gives an author more to write about. This is done all the time in paranormal romances.

* * *

Below is for anybody interested in back cover/jacket/ or other promotional material. I would love any suggestions you might have on my attempt.

I've read some material on how to write back covers, etc. Basically, the author should grab attention, describe the story and subtley mention the benefits to clinch the sale.

Writing (copy) must include:

1. A call to buy.

2. A stressing of benefits.

3. Arouse interest.

4. Should not have empty overstatements.

5. Be accurate.

6. Be specific.

7. Be organized.

8. Write for easy reading.

*9. Appeal to emotions rather than intellect.

10. Don't offend.

11. Make use of reviews, etc.

12. Ask for a buy (in an indirect way in the case of romance novels).

13. Okay, start over, revise and edit.

THE THREE AND THIRTEEN POINTS above come from Words That Sell by Richard Bayan. It's a book on promoting products, services and ideas. I think it is a growing illuminating experience to study other media methods and apply them to fiction. have fun with it.

Here's my jacket material, third edit of Angel's Eyes.

She’s made of hunter/tracker stock. She is a blindfold and regular chess master. And not least, first in her class at West Point.

Colonel Bekah Carthage’s brigade loves her. Not because exotic looks made her the Stars & Stripes favorite pin-up. No, in order for a woman to lead, she shows talent and earns respect. To demand this, she adopts a hands-off approach. Due to her eerie ability to “see” enemy placements, no one fighting under her leadership has died.

She’s so effective, the enemy makes her death their top priority.

They almost get her six feet under. But, almost doesn’t quite count.

She loses her sight in an ambush. Then she’s forced out of the Army. And has to be sneaked out of the foreign war zone. The prescient and persistent enemy will not stop until they find her.

A newly recruited spy, Jay Boone, rescues a woman who still thinks she can do it all herself. To argue for her self-reliance she talks up her newfound talent, Blindsight, a sort of “seeing” while blind. So, she wishes, she could still serve in some way. She doesn’t want a man to lean on, not even this brainy hunk. He, a professor turned spy, debunked the paranormal or unexplained phenomena for NYU undergrads. But he remains objective, and not only because he crushed on her in high school. It’s either real or not. Nothing but the truth drives him, even while old unrequited feelings overwhelm him.

The two had shared a common bond on the high school chess team and maybe that’s the key he could use to open her heart and save her pretty behind. You might wonder if checkmate, an old friendship and her desire to serve is all that is on her mind when she begins to accept Jay’s help. Watch, with your eyes open, even while she can’t, as she explores her dormant femininity.

This story dives into the unexplained, celebrates a great woman and the man who loves her. The novel watches her harness her unusual talents in death-defying ways while she tries to understand what’s happening to her heart.