Pitch Perfect

by Christine Wells

Many of us in Romanceland are eagerly anticipating the national conference of Romance Writers of America® in Washington D.C. next week. A large number of our Bandita Buddies are aspiring writers, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to talk about pitching your manuscript.

There are all kinds of pitches, from the short elevator pitch (useful for cocktail parties or casual encounters with publishing professionals) to the longer, blurb-style pitch you might use in a scheduled meeting. Which you use depends on the circumstances, but two things must be present: conflict and what I call ‘sexy’ words—specific details from your story that have that ‘wow’ factor. These are the kinds of words that imply high stakes, immediacy, humor, quirkiness, mystery, intrigue or yes, sometimes, plain old sex. We’re all interested in those things, right? Specifics will set your book apart from the herd.

Taking a well-known concept and giving it a twist can be an effective way of pitching a story. The high concept pitch Anna Campbell used for her debut novel CLAIMING THE COURTESAN, which sold to Avon at auction, was Pretty Woman by candlelight. Everyone has seen the movie Pretty Woman or at least knows the premise. The twist is setting the story in the Regency period (the candlelight reference), when a courtesan was wholly in her keeper’s power.

When Kirsten Scott sold her young adult novel, DELCROIX ACADEMY: THE CHOICE in a ‘good’ deal to Hyperion, her agent called it X-Men for girls. That succinct, three word pitch speaks volumes, doesn’t it? It gives you the tone, the subgenre, the type of conflict and the fresh twist.

My pitch for WICKED LITTLE GAME was Indecent Proposal with a Regency twist.

Of course, the movie world is where the high concept pitch was born. The movie ALIEN was pitched as Jaws in space. If you want to find more examples of high concept pitches for movies, you can search IMDB by keyword.

But the movie with a twist won’t work for every story, and can be risky unless you refer to a blockbuster or a classic. Even then, if the editor or agent hated the movie or didn’t see it or just doesn’t get the significance of the twist, you’ve lost her. So, let’s move on to the slightly longer logline.

Anna Sugden, whose fabulous Panic-Free Pitching workshop handout is on her website, has a perfect logline for LOVE BY BEQUEST: A Texas cowboy inherits an English sheep farm. Now, the conflict is obvious, isn’t it? A classic fish out of water story. For the logline, you don’t even need to know who the heroine of this romance is. That comes later in the blurb-style paragraph in your query. Don’t try to tell the whole story in this short, one line pitch.

For her recent release, THE EDUCATION OF MRS. BRIMLEY, Donna MacMeans used this logline: A Victorian strip-tease. Yep, that’s it. Intrigued? Go buy the book!

Donna’s next novel for Berkley, THE TROUBLE WITH MOONLIGHT, was about a Victorian heroine who turns invisible in moonlight. Just her, not her clothes. Donna says: ‘Did I mention she's a bit of a thief? If you want her to get something for you, she'll do it for a price but it's always during a full moon and, of course, she must be...’ You fill in the blank! A nekked invisible heroine thieving in Victorian England? Now that’s something I want to read. This pitch juxtaposes paranormal and historical romance in a fresh and intriguing way.

For her manuscript REFUGE, Suzanne Welsh’s more detailed pitch uses specific language to convey high-stakes action and conflict. After witnessing a senator's assassination, a spinster-librarian flees into the west as a mail-order bride to escape the clutches of the murderer.

Look at how many specific, ‘sexy’ words Suzanne uses to really enhance the punch of her pitch: senator (high profile implies high stakes) assassination (again, high stakes) spinster librarian (rightly or wrongly, we assume someone intelligent, sheltered and quiet, someone who must struggle to face the challenges ahead of her) the west (again, fish out of water scenario here) mail-order bride (hints at romance and an interesting conflict for someone labeled ‘spinster’) escape a murderer (high stakes, suspense).

I pitched my Berkley historical romance, THE DANGEROUS DUKE like this: A duke accidentally steals a lady’s erotic diary. Can you see this is going to be a sexy story about stolen secrets? Are you already wondering what will happen when my hero reads that diary and whether he’ll be caught out? I hope so!

Notice that none of these pitches goes into detail about the story. They focus on piquing the reader’s interest, that’s all. Usually, in a query letter or formal pitch session you need more detail than that, but it’s a great tactic to have the logline front and centre, before you move on to the longer blurb. A real sock-it-to-’em sentence that makes an agent or editor give the rest of your query their full attention. The ‘what if’ question can work well for this purpose, too.

For more examples of pitches that work, read through the deals on Karen Fox's wonderful website.

Now, not every book lends itself to a logline. My advice—write a book that does. That’s not as flippant as it might appear. Think about it—if a book lends itself to a dynamic, interesting hook, isn’t it more likely to be a dynamic, interesting book? Plus, writing a logline for your story before you begin gives you a sharpened focus, a touchstone to keep your story on track.

However, if you are submitting and you just can’t get that snappy one-liner, don’t despair. For my first novel, SCANDAL’S DAUGHTER, I wrote a standard one paragraph pitch and it had a 100% success rate. Which is not to say that every editor or agent offered representation or a contract, but everyone I queried asked for more.

That’s all a pitch can do for you. In the end, the proof is in the pages.

If you're a reader, do you find the 'high concept' attracts you to a story if you haven't read an author before? Can you think of any intriguing ways just one line about a story or a movie has captured your attention? I'd love to know your thoughts.

If you're a writer, pitch us your logline (and yes, published and unpublished writers are welcome to do this). Or share your own tips for writing great pitches. We have it on good authority that some editors and agents read our blog, so if you're an unpubbed, give it your best shot!

For those attending National, if you would like to win a one hour session with me at National to work on your pitch or even just chat about writing in general, please state it in your comment. I'll post the winner before I leave for D.C. on Monday and we can arrange a mutually convenient time.Source URL: http://plasticsurgerycelebrities.blogspot.com/search/label/Wicked%20Little%20Game
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Wicked Little Winners!

WENDY NICHOLS and JULIA SMITH, come on dooowwwwnn!! You've won a signed copy of WICKED LITTLE GAME.

CONGRATULATIONS! Please email me at christineATchristine-wellsDOTcom with your snail details to collect your prize!Source URL: http://plasticsurgerycelebrities.blogspot.com/search/label/Wicked%20Little%20Game
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A WICKED LITTLE PARTY--RELEASE DAY!!

by Christine Wells

As if the Lair weren't rowdy enough on any given day, we're throwing a WICKED party for the release of my Berkley Regency historical, WICKED LITTLE GAME!!

The cabana boys are all dressed up as your favourite rakes and rogues from romance, and YOU, my dear ones, get to come along as any wicked character from history or fiction you care to name!

Despite the title, neither my hero, the Marquis of Vane, nor my heroine, Lady Sarah Cole, is particularly wicked in this book. The game to which the title refers is played by Sarah's husband, Brinsley Cole, a gorgeous, dissolute scoundrel. It begins when Cole offers Vane one night with Sarah in exchange for ten thousand pounds.

Vane has been obsessed with Lady Sarah for years, and the temptation Cole presents is almost too much for him to resist--



Vane sat on a gilt and white loveseat to yank off his boots. The operation required concentrated effort. That was a good thing. As long as he did not think, all would be well. He plunked the second boot on the floor, cursed and dropped his head in his hands.

He must be mad. Surely, he had never made such an ass of himself about a woman before. It had been years since that cold rebuff she dealt him. Years since he’d exchanged more than idle social chatter with her, and that had been infrequent enough. He didn’t even know her, not really. Yet she seeped into his thoughts when he wasn’t paying attention, curled under his skin in the darkest hours of the night.


There's something very enticing about being the sole focus of a man's passion, don't you think? As long as it doesn't seep over into stalker territory, of course! But where do you draw the line between obsession and true love?

Ah, obsession. I think as writers, we have to be obsessive to succeed. After all, it takes many, many hours to get a hundred thousand words onto the page.

I've always been a bit obsessive, even before I began writing fiction with a view to publication. When I was a child, there was a limit on how many library books one person could borrow from our local library, so I would borrow on all the cards of every member of my family. If there was a reading list from which we had to choose a book to review at school, I'd read the entire list. I used to devour all of my elder brother's required reading for his school as well as my own before the school year began. I would also read all my textbooks from cover to cover (except Maths, I hated Maths). Yes, I was a total geek but I'm hoping some of you will identify with this; that I'm not alone in my obsession with books.

I've had small obsessions about other things besides writing and reading, of course. Fashion, drama, antiques, milk chocolate Lindor balls, Spencer & Rutherford handbags, Richard Armitage... *g*

Are you obsessive about something, or unlucky enough to live with someone who is? And don't forget to tell me who you have decided to be at our party today, and what wicked character you've brought as your date!

I have not one but TWO signed copies of WICKED LITTLE GAME to give away!Source URL: http://plasticsurgerycelebrities.blogspot.com/search/label/Wicked%20Little%20Game
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Warriors...Why We Love Them

by Christine Wells

Despite certain aspersions cast by one Anna Campbell in yesterday's blog:), I'm a peaceable person by nature. As a child, I practised the odd faux karate move on my brother and the other annoying boys in my neighbourhood, but since those days, I haven't really been one for confrontation of any kind, much less the physical.

There are incidents in every woman's life when her man might see the need to defend her with his fists. A couple of times, I've been sick with apprehension in just that situation, because rather than thinking how romantic it is to have a man protect me, I get scared that maybe the other fellow has a knife or has friends nearby, or if my defender did punch the other guy's lights out, he might get arrested.

In fiction, however, it's another matter.

Big strong men who are prone to violence--I love reading about them and I love writing about them, too. THE DANGEROUS DUKE opens with my hero, Max, Duke of Lyle, dangling a man over a balustrade by the ankles until he agrees to hand over valuable information. In fact, that was the image from which the entire book sprang. If you read Max's story, you'll get a sense of a man who will stop at nothing to achieve his aims.
In my July release, WICKED LITTLE GAME, the Marquis of Vane has the huge, honed physique of a seasoned prizefighter. Unlike many of the Regency beaux who spar in Jackson's Boxing Saloon, Vane is a serious athlete. He trains with commitment and passion, the same way he does everything else (including love my heroine, Lady Sarah, but that's another blog!) I modeled him on Captain Barclay, a gentleman athlete who trained many top prizefighters of the day.
When Lady Sarah sees Vane stripped to the waist, engaging in sparring practice with a hulking great giant in his empty ballroom, she experiences a visceral reaction:

Nothing could have been farther from his usual demeanor than the sight that met her eyes in his ballroom tonight: a wild, primitive display of masculine aggression.

She ought to be disgusted. She’d never seen anything more magnificent in her life.

What is it about these fictional warriors that we love so much? Have you ever had your honour defended? (I know Donna has a story about that!) Were you scared, disgusted, triumphant? Did you tell him to step out of the way so that *you* could kick some butt?

Who is your favourite fictional warrior hero?Source URL: http://plasticsurgerycelebrities.blogspot.com/search/label/Wicked%20Little%20Game
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Bandita Booty Strikes Again!

OK, it's Belated Bandita Booty, so I'm very sorry about that. But our lovely winners will still have a chance to read WICKED LITTLE GAME well in advance of the July release date, and even in advance of most reviewers!

So the winners of a WICKED LITTLE GAME arc for a made-up fragrance slogan are:

Elyssa Papa, who said: "Well, I think WICKED LITTLE GAME should be its own perfume. Be a little wild and dare to play a . . . Wicked Little Game." Congrats, Ely!

And

PinkPeony who said: "Beguile: A first smile, a second glance...be unforgettable."

And when you've got yer man and you want to keep him-

"Bliss: NASCAR weekends, love in the double-wide, spicier than Skoal, smoother than Naugahyde."

Congratulations!!! Just contact me through the contact page on my website and send your snail addresses so I can get those ARCs out to you.Source URL: http://plasticsurgerycelebrities.blogspot.com/search/label/Wicked%20Little%20Game
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Scent of a Woman--Win an ARC of WICKED LITTLE GAME!

by Christine Wells

As you'll know if you've read the teaser in the back of THE DANGEROUS DUKE, Lady Sarah Cole, the heroine in my July release, WICKED LITTLE GAME, makes and sells perfume to try to supplement her scoundrel husband's erratic income. Scent plays a large role in the story.

Our sense of smell can be the most evocative of the senses, reminding us viscerally of certain experiences. Who can forget the whiff of stale sweaty socks and chalk dust of school days or the powdery softness of a newborn baby? The salty tang of the ocean, the fresh, green whiff of crushed pine needles, the pungent bush scent of eucalypt?

How did you choose the perfume you use? Was it given to you, or did you go out and test hundreds before deciding on a signature fragrance? Do you use a particular scent all the time, or different ones for different occasions? Do you use scent because you feel a certain way, or because you want to feel a certain way? When I worked as a solicitor, I had a small bottle of Clinique's Happy in my purse. Guess why? *VBG*

My favourite perfume of the moment is Chanel's Mademoiselle. I don't know whether it's the name, the branding, or just the way the sophisticated yet youthful scent makes me feel when I put it on. My parents gave it to me and they got it exactly right--I love it.

Does perfume or some other scent evoke memories for you? I can't ever smell Georgio's Red without thinking of the ratfink boyfriend who gave it to me. It was a huge bottle and it was still half-full when we parted ways. I coined my own little advertising slogan for that perfume:

Red. The fragrance that lingers longer than he does.

Ha.

So as our little Saturday game, I'd like you to come up with a fun advertising slogan for your favourite (or your most hated) smell. It can be perfume, it can be your son's sweaty socks, it can be mouldy cheese, whatever takes your fancy.

My favourite answer will win an ARC of WICKED LITTLE GAME!!

I forgot to announce a winner for last month's chocolate--the appeasement of Sven! DEB MARLOWE who suggested that Sven be the prize for the last person to comment on a particular day. Woohoo!

Oh, and here's a sneak peek of the trailer I made for WICKED LITTLE GAME. Enjoy!

Source URL: http://plasticsurgerycelebrities.blogspot.com/search/label/Wicked%20Little%20Game
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