Writing the manuscript was relatively easy.  I had a plot in mind, I knew the weaknesses and strengths of my main character…and then I let her come alive through my fingertips.  The other characters came about organically.  I needed them to challenge her, push her out of her comfort zones, mold her.

And now I have to sum all that up in an enticing 5-10 sentence pitch and make that paragraph #2 of my three paragraph query letter to submit to a book agent.  If the pitch isn’t good enough, they will never even look at my manuscript.  If I’ve too vague, no good, if I give away too many details, no good.

I’ll be pitching this to agents that want to represent “women’s fiction” and “beach reads”.  It’s a light, feel good book that will hopefully make you smile and laugh.  And here is the pitch…

Ever since she lost her husband in a tragic accident, Melanie has spent far too much time wallowing in depression, avoiding topics of love, going so far as to tell her second grade class that Valentine’s Day doesn’t exist anymore. Her eccentric best friend, Karen, knows what Melanie needs, a vacation to a relaxing Bed & Breakfast and some time spent with her golf-addicted parents. Things take a turn when the Inn Keeper, Bee, who quickly befriended Melanie, gets injured and the inn is in jeopardy of closing down.  Determined to help out, Melanie realizes she can’t make coffee or fry an egg, and the thought of touching other people’s underwear so she can make up the beds gives her the jitters, but she pushes herself to overcome her own obstacles. Melanie finds a new purpose in helping Bee, learning how to face her personal fears through interactions with the other guests, such as the fighting-by-day/lovers-by-night Hellins and the beach bum Roger, and comes full circle on what life and love are all about.  She even learns how to fry an egg, which apparently doesn’t mean deep frying an egg.

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