"What's your book about?"

Now that Slider is getting some traction in the market place and it's reviews are coming in, I'm being asked that single question that confounds so many authors. What's your book about? They don't spend much time at all on it in writers school. How do you pick out the essence of your 90,000 word novel in a single sentence? And make that sentence describing your characters, their heart-stopping plight, and the death-defying risks they take in overcoming the demons who want to stop them. It's a tough task; one I've thought about quite a bit. Then it dawned on me. The characters in Slider had already described what the book was about and better than I could. Here's what they said:

“Slider is a journey book,” Carol said. “It’s a rescue book too. It’s also a book about a very special group of people saving one another.

“Wait.” Ms. Solarz looked at Carol and shook her head in disbelief. “You actually read my book? That was never our deal. I wouldn’t ask such of a thing of someone like you. This was supposed to be about teaching Bernie a lesson.”

“I believe,” Carol began slowly, as if carefully considering each word, “a very special group of people saving one another is still happening right now as we sit here. Bernie screwed up royally. There can be no doubt about that. You’ll have to figure out what to do with him later. However, destiny cannot be denied. So, yes, I read it. Actually, I planned on reading just the first page. Then I read the second, the third. I finished it the same day. I want to know, Barbara, why are you writing Slider?”

So there you have it. Slider is a journey book, a rescue book, and the story of a very special group of people saving one another. 90,000 words condensed in one sentence.

Thanks for reading,

Chris