Hi, all. Ever since I published San Jose's Darlings, the blurb / summary on the Amazon page for it has been bugging me a lot. It's because the blurb just really sucked and I didn't know how to improve it or make it better. Writing blurbs and summaries for your book is really hard. You're basically boiling down your 400-page book into just a few sentences. Not easy, and I am very inexperienced at doing stuff like that, so it was a tremendous, gut-wrenching chore. Having a terrible blurb / summary / whatever on your Amazon page is not a great way to sell books.
So, below I've included the updated version. I think it's much better and more accurately represents the book, its quality and craftsmanship.
Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your feedback.
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A mentally-ill man grieves. A homebound girl despairs. A madman promises the impossible.
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Several years after his mental breakdown, Robert is still scraping and clawing to put his life back together. This feverish, desperate struggle for survival is all-consuming, taking from him any chance at finding love. Nevertheless, when Robert meets a kindred spirit in Heather, a timid spark of hesitant hope is ignited inside of him.
With hope comes pain--especially for something Robert's heart was never meant to have yet desperately wants. While Robert wrestles with romantic aspirations, which rain down upon him torrents of excruciating pain, an eccentric stranger steps into Robert's life proclaiming his ability to grant to Robert everything he has been yearning for. However, gifts such as these never are freely given. A sacrifice must always be made.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE
So, um, psychologists would totally call this novel a cry for help, and stuff. Well, I would have to agree. Although this is a fantasy story, at its core this is a book about mental illness and the havoc and destruction that that ushers into a person's life.
I didn't just write this book on a whim. I wanted to shake off misperceptions, as well as a lack of understanding, about what mental illness actually is, OCD in particular. Mental illness comes in all shapes, sizes, and forms and in all sorts of feverish, intense experiences. As an example of this diversity, I chose to showcase a small portion of my struggle with mental illness. My condition is rather extreme, and it has completely destroyed my life in many ways. On the other hand, it has saved my life by introducing me to writing. There is nothing in this world (other than my religion and faith) that fills me with more intoxicating beauty, power, and sheer excitement. Writing drives me, pushing me from one day to the next, always keeping me going. It has given me purpose, which is extremely important for someone like me.
The story told in this book means a great deal to me. A lot of sweat, tears, hard work, dedication, and sheer determination went into every last word of this thing. I am very proud of it overall, and I am very proud of what I was able to accomplish through this story.
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