Book description for Aunt Truly's Tales
One of the many tasks to complete before publishing a book is crafting a description. For most writers, me included, this is not easy.
Recently, I've been working on a book description for Aunt Truly's Tales: Enchantment for story lovers young and old. I've done several drafts and have refined it to a point where I want to share it. So here goes:
People have been stuck on stories for thousands of years. Today, technology enables us to spin yarns in a multitude of formats.. But nothing dazzles like a story told in person. In the right teller's hands, a simple narrative has unfathomable power. Such is the case with Aunt Truly, a character in Laura McHale Holland's novel The Kiminee Dream. When folks listen to Aunt Truly, they are entertained and empowered.
The ten tales in this book present traditional and original stories Aunt Truly would tell you if you happened by her home, Windy Wood, where snow falls from November through April, and reality is open to interpretation. You'll meet a determined frog, clever seamstress, wise handyman, stolen wife and more unlikely heroes who face daunting trials. Some succeed; others do not. In the process, they are all transformed.
Aunt Truly's Tales offers a dose of enchantment and a dash of wisdom for uncertain times. If you like stories that call to mind a simpler era, and if you enjoy words strung in lyrical ways, this collection will tote you tenderly to a world where ordinary rules do not apply.
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Does this description draw you in? Would it entice you to open the book? How can it be improved? I will be most grateful for your feedback in the comments section of this post.
(The illustration at the top of this post is for "Hidden Skin," one of the stories in Aunt Truly's Tales.)
Update:
Here's a slightly revised version based on feedback in comments and in my weekly critique group:
Podcasts, blogs, movies, vlogs—people spin yarns in many ways. But nothing dazzles like a story told in person. In the right teller's hands, a simple narrative has unfathomable power. Such is the case with Aunt Truly, a spellbinding character in Laura McHale Holland's novel The Kiminee Dream. She is old, but no one knows her age; she travels, but where she goes is a mystery. One thing is certain: she collects stories.
The ten tales in this book present traditional and original stories Aunt Truly might tell you if you happened by her home, Windy Wood, where snow falls from November through April, and reality is open to interpretation. In her tales, you'll meet a determined frog, clever seamstress, wise handyman, stolen wife and more unlikely heroes who face daunting trials. Some succeed; others do not. In the process, they are all transformed.
Aunt Truly's Tales offers a dose of enchantment and a dash of wisdom for our times. If you like stories that call to mind a simpler era and words strung in lyrical ways, this collection will take you to a wondrous world where ordinary rules do not apply.