women’s fiction – Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

I loved the idea behind this blogfest and thanks so much to DL Hammons and Elise Fallson for creating this opportunity for us to share and connect.

WIP Title: Another New Life

Word Count (projected): 70,000

Genre: New Adult Romance

How long have you been working on it?: Mentally, I have been working on it for 2 years, I finally put a scene list together two weeks ago and have been tweaking it daily in preparation for JuNoWriMo (June 1).

Elevator Pitch (if you came across an agent in an elevator ride, what couple of lines would you use to summarize your book): Can a girl separate the good from the bad parts of her traumatic childhood, especially 8 years later when the good shows up on her college campus?

Brief Synopsis (250 words or less): A traumatic event from Miranda’s childhood causes her parents to move to a new town in hopes that their daughter can start a new life. The move meant that Miranda would never get to see Troy, her best friends since preschool. He is the only positive memory she has from that time in her life, but her parents refused to let her communicate with him.

In high school, those negative memories caused Miranda to make self destructive choices especially when it came to dealing with the opposite sex.

As Miranda prepares for college, she has made a promise to herself to not let her past dictate her future, anymore. She goes to a college where no one knows her, to start another new life. This time on her own terms and her plan works great . . . until the first day of class when Troy, looking gorgeous and all grown up, walks into her calculus class and sits down next to her.

Miranda and Troy picked up where they left off and their relationship quickly turns into more then just friends. Miranda is happier then she’s ever been, but its only a matter of time before the truth about her childhood comes out and causes Troy to leave her and ruins her life, again.

Are you looking for a Critique Partner?: Yes, I would love to find a CP who writes, New Adult, Women’s Fiction or Chick Lit.

Are you looking for a Beta Reader?: Not at this time, but I am open to read other people’s work. I read everything, but fantasy and paranormal.

Visit the other participants of the Whip It Blogfest and see the talented and creative stories you may see on your Kindle in the future.

When searching for the perfect title and best cover art for my latest book, Stardust Summer, I’ll admit that this novel presented me with several challenges. My first two novel titles came into my head fully formed (Stay Tuned and Dancing Naked in Dixie), but, this time, finding the right title took almost as long as it did to type, edit, and proofread the entire manuscript!

Stardust Summer explores the tragic loss of a daughter-father relationship and how those ripple effects play out over the course of several weeks in Upstate New York. Single mom Grace Mason is wrenched out of her idyllic, quiet existence as a teacher in Mississippi when her estranged father suffers a heart attack. Grace’s journey is a physical and emotional one, as it forces her out of her comfort zone—and straight into facing a multitude of issues she’s kept buried since childhood.

While the story does examine family dynamics, parental drama and broken bonds, the manuscript is not purely a tearjerker. The novel also explores opportunities for forgiveness and second chances—and finishes on an uplifting note (for those of you who like happy, but not cookie-cutter-perfect endings).

One day, about two months ago, after reviewing what felt like one hundred possible combinations for my title, I stumbled across Frank Sinatra’s version of the song, “Stardust.” The haunting melody seemed to fit the mood and manuscript, and I added the “Summer” to represent the season during which the book takes place.

Thankfully, the cover concept came a little easier, with many thanks to my brilliant creative designer, Damonza. I sent him recent photographs of Keuka Lake in Penn Yan, New York, where the story takes place. Perhaps I’m biased, but I am thrilled with the result and feel that he captured the essence and magic of a “Stardust” time of the evening—a deep blue twilight—when the color begins to fade from the day and the moon and stars peek over the horizon.

The water’s edge image that Damon chose for the cover also accurately depicts Keuka Lake’s shoreline. The photograph bears uncanny resemblance to the scene from my parents’ cottage; a vision which I can bring to mind in a moment’s notice. When I close my eyes, I can almost hear the water lapping against the dock, the soft purr of fishing boat engines, and the flap of birds’ wings in swaying trees overhead. The air is sweet and fresh, perfumed with peach groves and berry-ripe bushes along gravel paths.

I also love that the title and cover design represent the end of a day, which, on a conceptual level, can also represent the conclusion of Grace’s relationship with her father. While this transition isn’t easy, the stars in the sky make me think of heaven and afterlife, which bring comfort to Grace, her son, Evan, and Henry’s wife, Kathleen.

I’ve often spent long evenings on the dock outside my parents’ cottage, contemplating life and love—I’d like to think that Grace would be doing the same—and knowing that, for her, the sun will come up in the morning. Part of Grace’s journey is the realization that forgiving her father and forgiving herself free her to live the rest of her life in a healthy and happy way. She becomes a better mother, a better friend, and a better daughter, even after her father’s death.

Overall, I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome of the title and cover art. The creative process—given enough time—is always rewarding. Sometimes, if you wait long enough, I’ve found that the answers just appear when the time is right. (Who knew that Frank Sinatra could have helped me with this title?)

How do the titles of books and cover art impact the novels you buy? What are some of your favorite, most memorable book titles?

Title: Stardust Summer