Writing the Blurb with Wendy Davies

This week we have author Wendy Davies talking to us about writing a blurb. Her new book out this month is titled, Good Enough For Love: Willow's Bend Series, Book 1. 

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My numerous attempts at writing the perfect blurb

When it came to the blurb for my story, Good Enough For Love, I had no idea what I was doing. I’ve never written anything so…complicated and frustrating and so important in my whole life. Here’s the story of how I went about it.

I knew I had to keep it short. I knew it had to entice and was going to be, along with the cover of my book, the main avenue I had for selling my book. But how on earth was I supposed to condense an approximately 88,000-word story down to less than a hundred? This is my first go at doing so:

On her first night in Willow’s Bend, city-born Amber Hutchinson becomes stuck while trying to get through a window belonging to the country hotel she’s just inherited.

When a handsome sheep farmer pulls her out, her hopes of finding a place to call home, of financial security and independence, seems a long way off.

A determined and practical sheep farmer, Zach Wentworth gave up on ever finding love after a city-bred actress left him heartbroken. He was much better off alone.

As they grow closer, it’s Amber’s belief that she’s unworthy of love that stops her from gaining something she’s always wanted – acceptance and love.

Not bad, but it lacked what the main character wanted. So, I tried again. This is what I came up with:

Amber Hutchinson hopes the country hotel she's inherited will bring her financial security, something she's craved since she was 16. But her first night in Willow's Bend doesn't go well. She gets stuck while trying to break in through the hotel's bathroom window. And a sheep farmer pulls her out.

Zach Wentworth has no time for city-slickers like Amber. He has no illusions about her ability to survive in his home town. She can't. But when he finds out she'll be taking over the only hotel in town, he decides to give her a chance.

Amber settles into Willow's Bend like she's always been there. Even the locals welcome her with open arms. But it's Amber's belief that she's unworthy of love that makes it difficult for Zach to win her trust...and love.

It wasn’t horrible. I just wasn’t happy with it. I didn’t think it was all that enticing, and others agreed. There was nothing about what was at stake. Nothing to make you want to buy the book.

See how hard these things are to write? So much pressure, and so few words to convey such and impactful message. So, back to the keyboard I went and tried yet again. By now, I was hating the whole thing and wanted it done. Like yesterday. This is what I eventually came up with:

Renovating a country hotel challenges everything Amber knows…

When Amber Hutchinson inherits a country hotel, all she wants is to do it up, sell it and move on. But her first night in Willow's Bend doesn't go well. She gets stuck while breaking in through the hotel window and a handsome sheep farmer rescues her. He is everything she thought a cowboy knight in shining armour should look like, right down to his dusty boots. But her future is too insecure for any romantic entanglements. Besides, she's not in the market for love.

Zach Wentworth has no time for city-slickers like Amber. He has no illusions she'll stay in his hometown. She won't. But when he discovers Amber is the new owner of the Drover's Rest, the only hotel in town, he decides to give her a chance. And his attraction to the determined blond bombshell has nothing to do with this decision. None at all.

Besides, without the hotel his hometown will likely die a slow death. Zach just wants to do the right thing, for his town and for himself. But doing the right thing gets more complicated by the minute.

While the whole town eagerly discusses their every move, will Amber and Zach ever take a chance on love? Find out by reading Good Enough For Love.

It wasn’t until I took myself off to a book shop and studied every small-town romance book I could get my hands on, that I discovered the blurbs on those books were shorter, snappier and much more enticing. Why hadn’t I thought of doing this research before I’d spent hours and hours writing the rotten thing??

So, once more, I had to rethink the whole blurb-writing caper. Depressing as it all was, not to mention my lack of confidence that I could even do it with any flare, it still needed to be done. And quickly. The release date was rapidly approaching.

It’s amazing what you can do when you are under pressure to perform. In any case, with a few wise words from my husband and lots of coffee, this is what I finally settled on:

Renovating a country hotel challenges everything Amber knows … about family and about love

When Amber Hutchinson inherits a country hotel, she wants to sell it and move on. The money she’ll earn will secure her future, even if living in the country while renovating a hotel never featured in her plans.

Zach Wentworth, a local sheep farmer, wants to do the right thing. When he comes across a woman stuck in the hotel window, he naturally tries to help.

Sure, Amber knows their sizzling attraction won’t last. It never does, because she’s never been good enough for anyone to love.

Without the hotel, Willow’s Bend is likely to die a slow death, so Zach does whatever he can to secure his town's future. But doing the right thing might mean risking his heart.

With the town eagerly watching their every move, Amber and Zach must choose between protecting their hearts and taking a chance on love.

See the difference? Hopefully it entices you, makes you want to buy my book and read my story. And knowing how difficult these blasted blurb-things are to write, maybe you’ll have pity on the poor authors who write them.

Good Enough For Love: Willow's Bend Series, Book 1

Renovating a country hotel challenges everything Amber knows…

When Amber Hutchinson inherits a country hotel, all she wants is to do it up, sell it and move on. The money she’ll earn from the hotel is her only chance to secure her future, even if living in the country never featured in her plans.

Local sheep farmer, Zach Wentworth always does the right thing, but he won’t risk his heart being broken. All he wants is to improve his farm and keep his hometown of Willow’s Bend alive. So, when he comes across a woman stuck in the hotel window, he naturally tries to help.

Sure, Amber’s tempted by the handsome sheep farmer. But she knows their sizzling attraction won’t last. It never does. Because she’s never been good enough for anyone to love. Without the hotel, Willow’s Bend is likely to die a slow death, so Zach does whatever he can to secure the town's future. But doing the right thing just might mean risking his heart once again.

With everyone eagerly watching their every move, Amber and Zach must choose between protecting their wounded hearts and taking a chance on love.

Buy on:

Amazon Kindle

Amazon UK

Amazon Aust