Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Synopsis of my novel Thicker Than Blood

Two sisters, estranged for 15 years.
Their blood ties weren't enough.

Only something stronger could bring them together again.


Christy Williams finally has her life on track. Her career as an antiquarian book buyer at the renowned used bookstore Dawson’s Barn of Books is taking off. Hunter Dawson is teaching her the fine points of purchasing collectable books, and so far she’s been able to keep her drinking problem from interfering. But when she discovers her ex-boyfriend, who also works at Dawson’s, is stealing valuable books right off the store’s shelves, she’s unable to stop him for fear he’ll expose the skeletons in her closet.

Her life begins to unravel when a stolen Hemingway first edition is found in her possession, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. With no one to turn to she yearns for her estranged family, especially her younger sister May, who she abandoned in their childhood after their parents’ untimely deaths. Now the owner of a failing cattle ranch, May couldn’t possibly want a relationship with her, the big sister who didn’t even say goodbye all those years ago. Could she?

Soon Christy’s fleeing from her shattered dreams, her ex-boyfriend, and God. Could the Triple Cross ranch be the safe haven she’s searching for, or will her sister’s new-found faith give her even more reason to reject Christy? Will they realize before it’s too late that each possesses what the other desperately needs?

4 comments:

Julie Carobini said...

Scratch my earlier email message to you CJ--got this comment's box to open up afterall.

Just wanted to send congrats on entering the blogging world. I also enjoyed reading your synop. Clearly written and interesting! I'd like to see the whole book :-)

Heather Ivester said...

Hi C.J.,

Thanks for sharing about your new novel. It sounds fascinating! We've crossed paths in the comments of Terry Whalin's blog. I read that you got some business cards from VistaPrint. I did too!

I wish you all the best as you send out your novel for publication -- I wonder if you have experience working in a used bookstore. I've always wanted to work in a place where I could be surrounded by the smell of old books.

C.J. Darlington said...

While I haven't worked in a bricks and mortar used bookstore, I have been involved in the used/rare bookselling world for almost ten years. I started out book scouting (selling books wholesale) for a store similar to the one in my novel, then eventually branched off into starting my own online bookstore.

The world of rare books is a strange one sometimes. I'm looking forward to sharing it through my stories.

There truly is nothing like the smell of old books. Especially the really old ones, like from the 1700's or early 1800's. Sometimes I've stuck my nose in between the pages of an old leatherbound and drawn in deep to get the full effect of the odor. To anyone who doesn't understand, I'm sure it would seem quite odd.

M. C. Pearson said...

Cool, I see you have the FIRST button up!

I started blogging because of my book, too. Now I have a couple of blogs for various things. It gets addicting. :)

Thanks for being an e-mail FIRST poster!