I’m preparing to create the pre-order page for The Shadow War, the second book of The Wishing Blade series. I’m still in the editing phases, and it’s going to be a little while before it releases (I’m planning to set the release date for February, though I’m hoping to release it sooner). But I want to have the page up before I do the Stone and String freebie days from Kindle Select.
Before I can create the page, however, I want to have a blurb ready (those dreaded, tricky things that entice readers to buy the book). The Shadow War is a YA/Middle Grade fantasy novella (47,000 words), the second of The Wishing Blade series. (You can read the blurb for the first book by clicking here).
So I’ve been thinking about a blurb, and this is what I’ve come up with:
The kingdom of Cirena is under attack from an army of shadows—beings who can only be hurt by magic or fire. But magic has been stolen, and as the shadows spread, infecting all they touch, the last two ribbon mages race to the nearest port city to warn them of the impending invasion. One of those mages, Toranih, is among the few who can even see the Trickster-cursed army, and she’s determined to get magic back—no matter how much she distrusts it. But when she gets captured by the shadows and a secret is revealed about her future, her only chance of survival may be to fight the shadows from within.
While this may be what I use for my initial post of the pre-order page, I want to make sue it works in the long run. So my questions for you are these:
- Is the blurb intriguing?
- Does it reveal too much? Too little?
- Does it show clear goals and motivations?
- If you’ve read Magic’s Stealing, does it interest you in reading The Shadow War?
- If you haven’t read Magic’s Stealing, does it interest you in learning more or looking inside either of the books?
Thanks for your input! I appreciate it! 😀
I hope you find this post helpful for your own writings. What pitfalls have you run into when writing a blurb?
Stephanie Flint - Author and Artist 