Thursday, January 17, 2019

Would you read this? Vol.4 #OurAuthorGang


Welcome back. See volume 1, 2, and 3 of this series at the links provided.

I’ve written a lot of short stories in the last few years. Some have been published in a collection while others are simply awaiting their time to shine. As I considered how to organize my collections, I began to wonder if the stories themselves are worth reading on their own. As a collection, these short stories have the benefit of being part of something greater, but I want to know “would you read these stories?” if they were presented on their own. That’s also when I begin to consider that I write blurbs for the books I release, but I don’t write blurbs for individual stories in a collection, a tagline usually does the job. Well, that’s about to change. In this series, I’ll be sharing unpublished blurbs to stories that may or may not yet be released. These blurbs are not meant to be used to pitch or sell these stories. This is just a practice on the concept of writing a blurb? I just want to know if the blurbs are any good. I may also offer some ideas of what cover designs for these stories may look like. I hope you enjoy this adventure.

For the fourth post in this series, I thought I’d start with a blurb for my first attempt at a contemporary piece. It, like the last story, is included in my collection, Legend of the Boy, In the Window, and Other Short stories.

Our Place is a story derived from a prompt. I don’t remember all the specifications, but I do remember the story had to be less than 1k words, contain some type of bug, and feature a mystical element (not necessarily magic)- remember, it’s supposed to be a contemporary. Sounds easy right. Well, I knew right away I wanted to write a sad story that had an element of hope toward the end. For some reason, I ended up with the tragic story of three childhood friends.

Below is the proposed blurb for the story (all three parts) and two book cover mock-ups for you to vote on. These are rough drafts that will never be produced, but I’d still like to know your thoughts on making them better, if you have any.
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The old Funhouse was the epitome of summer fun and she was the center of their world. They were three friends, as thick as thieves. 

When the years and the discovery of attraction catches up to them, Lewis and Billy understand- they can’t both have her. 

One night of passion will change everything, for better or for worse.
~

Don’t be shy. Your feedback is welcomed, but please be nice. 😌

Forms response chart. Question title: Which do you prefer?. Number of responses: 8 responses.
Results as of 1/18/19

Find out more about me, my work, and my inspiration at the following links:

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COMMENTS

Erika M Szabo shared this via Google+

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Tricia Drammeh

1 week ago  -  Shared publicly
 
The blurb is very intriguing, Toi. It definitely makes me want to read the story!
 
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Ruth de Jauregui via Google+

2 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Toinette Thomas shares a new blurb and cover choices on #OurAuthorGang today! -- What do you think??
 
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Ruth de Jauregui

2 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
I think it's good, but you could leave out the middle paragraph.

"The old Funhouse was the epitome of summer fun and she was the center of their world. They were three friends, as thick as thieves.

"One night of passion will change everything, for better or for worse. "

Well done, Toi!!
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Thanks for the insight. That does make it more concise.

Joe Bonadonna

2 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Another great post, Toi! The blurbs are good and I like the first one best. I, too, chose the second cover.
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Thanks Joe. I'm finding this to be one of my favorite series. It's a lot of fun to play with the cover designs.
 
+Toi Thomas - you're welcome! One of these maybe I'll dabble in some cover art. 

Joe Bonadonna via Google+

2 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Today on #OurAuthorGang, Toinette Thomas talks about story "blurbs," offers up a few samples from her own books, and asks which of two book covers you like best.
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Chris Weigand

2 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
The blurbs sound intriguing I would definitely read the book. The covers are a little harder. I like both of them and can't say which one is better.
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Thanks for that Chris. Glad to know the story sounds interesting enough to read.

Chris Weigand shared this via Google+

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Cindy Smith shared this via Google+

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Cindy Smith

2 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
I love the blurb and prefer the second cover, it feels more inclusive to me.  Three friends going to have fun, while the Ferris wheel one makes me feel differently, maybe gives away the outcome?
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Thanks for the insights.

Toi Thomas via Google+

2 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
Today, I offer up another blurb and two covers for readers to vote on. #OurAuthorGang
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Eva Pasco

2 weeks ago  -  Shared publicly
 
I prefer the second blurb.  In the first you duplicate the verb "was". The third seems a little cliché. The second is perfect.   I chose the first cover for its clarity.
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Thank you so much for your feedback. All three lines make up the blurb, but I do agree that the last one is troublesome. When I wrote it, I knew it was, but figured I'd see what others thought. Great insights.

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