More than I can chew and 'The Mark' by M.R. Bunderson

I think I've over-reached. My goals this week keep getting loftier.

1. Finish hard copy line edits on ENTIRE manuscript- I'm about half way done.

2. Rewrite query and prepare to send it to editor for comments on ways to improve it by next week.

3. Write five three crits (two done!)

"Where's the fire?" you ask.

I have my first pitch with an agent on May 15th at the Atlanta Writer's Conference! I hope to have my first 50 pages polished to a high sheen, my outline, my query, and be able to quickly share what my book is about. I will be posting once a week until these goals are met, on Tuesdays.

I could have gotten through another 50 pages of line edits yesterday, but I picked up a copy of 'The Mark' by M.R. Bunderson from my local LDS bookstore and read all afternoon. It was a very intriguing YA mystery/light romance/fantasy and is available on Amazon. I paid for this book out of pocket and have no relationship with the author. I just liked it.

Isn't this a great cover? It matches the book perfectly.

Seventeen year old Tori discovers that a small mole isn't really a mole- it's a symbol, perhaps from an unknown language. A few other people that enter her life- seemingly by chance- also have the same mark and even stranger, Tori can sense their emotions with her touch. From the first time they meet, Tori and Eric share an especially deep connection. Their relationship is difficult because Eric's touch threatens to overwhelm her emotions, making it dangerous to even hold hands. As Tori and her new friends discover their similarities, they begin to wonder if they really belong in this world and what it will cost them to uncover the secrets of their origins.

It is the closest I've come to a comparable novel to my book, although my book has a much sharper edge. Don't laugh, those who've read my stuff. I know I don't write 'dark' fantasy, but I do use some medium bad words (like that really hot place you don't want to end up in and the action word for getting sent there) and my characters kiss (french, not peck!), and some people die 'on-screen'.

Bunderson's MC has an ability to read the emotions of the few people who are from the same mythical land she's been stolen from, and the author had to deal with some of the same things I do. It was very interesting to read how she handles the same issues with emotional powers- that you still can misunderstand what people mean, that motivations are different than emotions, etc. This was not a religious book, simply a clean book, and I really enjoyed it. Sometimes I've read specialized audience books and don't get the impression that the writing is quite there, but 'The Mark' was well done. I'm glad I bought it, but no more reading until after May 15th! (Except for 'Writing the Breakout Novel' by Donald Maass. I had to triple check the spelling of his name. Is it just me?)

Have a great week!
Glutton for Punishment?

Breakthrough on Comparable Novels and Genre

Whenever I see a book that has a concept- however trivial-that is remniscient of something in my book, I feel a bit sick. What if someone has my idea-gasp-and they've already published it?

A book featuring sinkholes as spiritual portals churned my stomach- until I realized their concept was totally different than mine. Big sigh.

But...what if...that attitude is wrong?

Genres get hot because bestsellers leave people wanting more. Haven't we all picked up a book hoping it will be as good as ______?

Writers should wish comp books a great run in the same way that homeowners want houses in the neighborhood to sell high when theirs is going on the market.

I'm going to read some reviews and see if anything resonates with the themes, plot, world-building, etc. of my novel, then pick a few books to actually read and see if anything makes the short list.

Finding comps is a problem because my paranormal romance is not full of heaving bosoms, ripped clothing, or even sex. Anybody know of a 'clean' paranormal romance? Do they exist?

Outside of Christian Lit, all I can think of is Twilight, and it's YA. Can I say that I am glad that Twilight is big? It has proved that you don't have to show everything to take the reader back to the thrill of first love.

My book is comparable to "The Giver" by Lois Lowry (for the theme of the need to experience all of life- the good and bad) crossed with "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer (for the romantic tone), plus some Jewish mythology thrown in. The problem is my book is not YA. Are there any adult fiction books that sound anything like this? Is this Urban Fantasy? Except the main section of the book takes place in the country, which would make it Rural Fantasy.

Seriously, the line between paranormal romance and urban fantasy is very fine. I pulled this Gwenda Bond quote from Wikipedia, which got it from Publishers Weekly, 2009-

"T]he terms urban fantasy and paranormal romance are often used interchangeably. But most of the category's major editors work on books that fall into both categories and caution that while the two frequently cross over among audiences, there is a key distinction. Avon executive editor Erika Tsang explains: "In paranormal romance the relationship between the couple is the focus of the main plot. In urban fantasy, the world that the couple exists in is the focus."

I suppose that the focus is on the couple, which would make PULSE paranormal romance. It just doesn't fit in with the paranormal romance I've read so far.

In a side note, I would never compare my novel in a query to "Twilight" because it can't be done without coming off as presumptuous. Unless you are Stephenie Meyer. Then it's fine to say "I've been working on something a bit like Twilight."

But it's an indicator of unrealistic expectations and uncontrolled ego for an unknown author to do so. And I don't want to admit my unrealistic expectations straight off the bat.
Glutton for Punishment?