Back of the Book Blurb

​Those few paragraphs on the back cover of a paperback book are called - back of the book blurb.  The purpose of the blurb is to entice potential readers, tell a little bit about the story with the hope of the reader purchasing your book.

Blurbs are intentionally brief, often 100 words or less.  Blurbs are a challenge to write because you don't want to "give away" the story.  I've been working on the blurb for Dead Reckoning for a month.  I ran into a brick wall and enlisted the help of marketing guru Valerie Biel from Lost Lake Press www.lostlakepress.com.  She provided focus to the project.  Below is the blurb for Dead Reckoning - - -


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​After Ian Murphy’s life-long friend, Kieran Fitzparick, dies unexpectedly, Ian’s brief sobriety is shattered, and his life is set adrift. Ian feels incapable of fulfilling Kieran’s last request—to serve as mentor to his 22-year-old nephew—but accepts the role to honor Kieran, never anticipating how important this relationship will become.
 
Shouldering his reluctant role as mentor, Ian returns to his life in Cork but suffers insurmountable writers’ block. When a new friend suggests that guilt may be standing in Ian’s way, Ian agrees to offer an act of contrition to the Irish people for his role in the IRA.
 
With the belief that a work of art is a confession, Ian writes a memoir stage play, “Dead Reckoning”, where he reveals his secret life in the IRA, and relies on the aid of Kieran’s nephew to direct this act of remorse. Can Ian’s repentance for his complicity in the horrors of The Troubles alleviate his guilt and allow him to truly live again?
 
 

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