Here’s a list of ways. Pick any one you like.
- Comment on my description of Sofia and Hope. Are you moved emotionally? Do you find the description thought-provoking? Do you find anything in the description “old hat” or “ho hum?”
- Suggest crazy, playful, serious, whatever-you-like, alternative titles to Sofia and Hope
- Recommend fiction or nonfiction books related to Sofia and Hope’s theme.
- List pros and cons of a novel with Sofia and Hope‘s theme and tone.
Thanks, and if I can help you brainstorm a creative project, let me know!
Working Title: Sofia and Hope
Present Description:
Sofia has run away to live under a tin roof in Mexico to prove she’s not a privileged brat and to protect her daughter Hope from becoming one. But luck is never on her side, it seems. Waiting in the plaza outside Hope’s primary school, Sofia notices a 100 dollar bill stuck to her shoe and turns to see a foreigner exiting the plaza. She suspects him of having dropped the bill and hops after him. But he gets away, leaving Sofia stuck with the bill. The man’s attire, manner, and quick exit raise suspicion. Was he a detective? Sent by her disapproving parents? Or by Daniel, her first love, then harsh critic (he called her “Sofia” ironically), and possible father of Hope? Or by the one person, a nonprofit do-gooder, who knows of Sofia’s winning California lottery ticket (which she uses as a bookmark in Edward H. Romney’s Living Well on Practically Nothing)? Could someone who’s not a privileged brat ever please Sofia’s conservative parents? Could she reconcile with the once radical protester and now settled professional, Daniel? Could she refuse to give the lotter ticket to the nonprofit do-gooder? Could she satisfy Hope’s unspoken longing to know her father, regardless of how wealthy or conventional he turns out to be?
Theme: Anxiety of relative privilege, striving to live in accord with idealistic values, and recognizing social and personal constraints without becoming complacent or losing hope.
Tone: Lightly ironic and playful with poignant moments.
I am totally engaged by the “Present Description” which seems to exhibit the “Tone” you aim at beautifully, and certainly captures your “Theme.” I can’t wait to read this book. If you’ve hit any speed bumps in the writing of Sofia and Hope, it would be my honor to noodle them out with you.
Thanks, Karen. I’m looking forward to getting back to Sofia and Hope–once I free up time from preparing for The Trumpet Lesson’s launch. So many steps to take before then. Event planning. Travel logistics to sort out. Interviews to prep. Articles to write. Networking, networking, networking. Daunting for an introvert and fun.