Brenda Drake . . . under the influence of coffee: TRICK OR TREAT #B1: FIRE, LIGHTS, AND SLEEPLESS NIGHTS

Sunday, October 28, 2012

TRICK OR TREAT #B1: FIRE, LIGHTS, AND SLEEPLESS NIGHTS

Genre: Contemporary
Category: Young Adult

Title: FIRE, LIGHTS, AND SLEEPLESS NIGHTS

Word Count: 65,000

Three Sentence Pitch:

When Tess finds out she’s moving in three weeks, she sneaks out for a last hurrah. Meanwhile, Julian avoids his fighting parents by painting the town—literally. Their lives collide amid fireworks and burnt art, but they wonder if these sleepless nights will lead them to destiny—or disaster.

Question 1: In your MC's voice, what costume character do you relate most to and why?

We're going as the Sun and Moon from the book The Masquerade by Kit Williams. Despite being in love, they're doomed to never share the same space.

Question 2: As an author, what makes your manuscript a tasty treat (aka marketable/unique)?

Chris: It’s the perfect blend of bitter and sweet, as you want more, can’t stop until you devour everything in sight, and by the end—you won’t be sick. Holly: Plus, having two main characters is more delicious than a double-stuffed Oreo.

First 200 Words:

Tess:

I hate goodbyes. But at least this isn’t the one where I move across the country right before my senior year. No, it isn’t that kind of goodbye—yet. This is the one I give to my three best friends before they leave me for effing Europe…right before I move across the country. It’s good practice, I guess, because if I feel this bad now, who knows how I’m going to feel in three weeks.

Natalie throws herself at me, hugging me tightly. Her pale arms feel slick with sun screen on the back of my neck. “I can’t believe you’re not coming, Tess,” she whispers in my ear, her voice quivering just a little on the way out.

I’ve already secured my own arms across Natalie’s back, but now I squeeze harder. “Me, too.” I’ve tried to be as cheery as possible about this whole situation, but my words fall flat. I could kill my parents right now. They’re the ones who made me stay behind to help pack up the house instead of letting me go. Natalie releases me, putting her hands on my shoulders, and I try to smile.