What We're Writing: Hank Needs Your Help

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I don’t have to tell you that it’s difficult to write a book. Everyone knows that, except, perhaps, the people who have never actually tried it.

But once that darling book baby is put to bed, all nice and proofread and copy-edited and as good as it could possibly be–and that's the status of One Wrong Word right now---then comes  the scariest work.

 

The hideous, impossible, ridiculous task of trying to write the back cover copy.

 

I mean it. It is torture. It is horrible. The key is to write a few make-or-break absolutely irresistible paragraphs. So enticing that someone who picks up your book in the bookstore will read it and think oh! I absolutely have to read this this very instant, without fail!

 

Because, of course, what you are picturing at every moment, fearing beyond fear,  is that the potential valued reader is scanning the back cover copy, thinking about it for a second, and then– putting the book down. And boom, you have missed your chance.

And that, darling Reds, is why we have friends, right? Here is a super-early  draft of the cover copy for One Wrong Word.  Read it, okay? And we will talk on the other side.

 

Greed. Gossip. Revenge. Words have the power to change lives, and no one knows that better than crisis management expert Arden Ward—because she's facing a crisis of her own.  She's accused of having an affair with a client. It's not true! She would never do such a thing.  But she gets the blame—and she's fired. 

 

Arden gets two weeks to save her career and her reputation. And then she meets Cordelia Bannister.

 

Cordelia needs help for her husband Ned, a Boston real estate mogul. He was recently acquitted in a fatal drunk driving accident--but his reputation was utterly ruined, and the fallout is devastating to the Bannisters and their two pre-teen children.

 

Arden devotes her final days on the job to helping this shattered family, but soon, revelations about what really happened the night of the accident begin to emerge. And then--another tragic car crash throws Ned back into the spotlight. 

 

This case is Arden’s last chance to protect her own future and clear her name--and the Bannister kids may be in danger.  But as she tries to untangle the truth, a disturbing question haunts her—what if she’s protecting a murderer? 

 

Greed. Gossip. Revenge. And Arden she soon discovers that one wrong word will not only kill her reputation—it may kill Arden herself. 

 

Scandal meets The Undoing in this diabolical cat and mouse thriller. 

 

Couple of things. Arden Ward is  an extremely likable, spunky, plucky character. She is good through and through. She is tough, and good at her job, which includes public relations, which takes a bit of savvy and negotiating skill, but she’s no pushover.

She has had something really unfair happen to her, through absolutely no fault of her own, and she is very upset by this. However, she instantly fights back. There is no self-pity, only anger and fear of the future. And she takes charge.

She values the power of words, and has used her job, as much as she is allowed to, to help other people. Especially people whose lives have been unfairly harmed by greed, or gossip, or revenge. 

Sadly, (but luckily, for the book), this is exactly what has happened to Arden herself now. And now she must use her own skills to manage her own crisis.

There’s danger, and high stakes, and children, and a dog, and possible romance, and money, and power. 

But. Does this tell all that?

I am not happy with the "it may kill Arden herself" line, it seems forced and awkward.

Do you understand the comps? Do you know The Undoing? 

 

There’s an entire paragraph I could take out. Should I? Which one do you think that is?

Don't get me wrong. I adore this book. I am SO excited about it, and it was a massive challenge, and I cannot wait for you to read it. I just want to make sure that's conveyed in the cove copy.

 

So, if you read this kind of book–(about which Mary Kubica says “Ryan never fails to amaze me,” and WAIT til you see the other incredible blurbs!)– or even if you are on the fence about this genre, would this entice you to read the first page?

What makes you say meh? And what makes you say ooooh? Do you read the back cover copy? Help, Reds and readers, help.

AND: There is a Goodreads giveaway for ONE WRONG WORD right now–and it’s for a physical ARC! ! Click here to enter!  Then, watch for ONE WRONG WORD, coming on February 6, 2024.

(The same pub day as every big book on the planet. But that's another blog.)