I’ve chosen my 140 characters for my ad in Jason SurfrApp’s upcoming book, Creativity for Sale.
After mulling over all of your great suggestions, and then doing a bit of research on book and movie taglines, I came up with this for my submission:
Two sassy women from Ohio. One finds criminals. One finds dead bodies. They should meet. Books by Maddie Cochere – www.breezybooks.com
Want to know some of my thought process behind the line?
– I like the deadpan feel of the saying. I decided against using exclamation marks or trying to force the humor aspect.
– The word “sassy” gives the lighter feel I want to impart. The word fits both main characters – lively, bold, and full of spirit.
– Using “criminals” and “dead bodies” denotes the tone of the books. Granted, Susan unwittingly finds criminals, but that minor point isn’t important for the tag. If someone clicks through to the webpage, they are going to find pink and the words, “chick lit” and “humorous mysteries.” It will be obvious my books aren’t gritty, hardcore mysteries.
– I really do think the two main characters should meet…
Oh, wait. They will. My new book project for this year will have Susan Hunter traveling to Southeast Ohio to assist in the grand opening of a Slimmers Weight Loss. Jo Ravens and her sister are always trying new ways to lose weight, and they will be right there for the grand opening.
I can’t wait to see their reactions to each other.
Breezy Books 
I love when characters meet, Maddie–I had some characters from my first book, “Tempting Jonah.” meet when they came to Ohio to sing at a concert and met Jay (Galloway) & the Cincinnatians
It is fun, isn’t it. 🙂 One day things will slow down for me, and I’ll read about that meeting in your book, Nancy.
That would be great, Maddie…until then, how’s this?
“So I heard Naomi’s back in town,” Seth’s cousin, Norie, said. He and his band, The Four Questions, were practicing in Norie and her new husband, Chandler’s, garage.
“Yep,” Seth said, but didn’t elaborate.
Norie started playing her saxophone, getting ready for the concert the group had planned next month. They would be singing “Treat Her Right” and “Try a Little Tenderness” with one of Norie’s favorite bands, Jay & the Cincinnatians. Seth’s petite, blonde cousin was crazy about her new husband, so she believed that everybody she knew was destined to fall in love.
Her blue eyes sparkled when she stopped playing the sax. “Maybe you two will be a couple. I always thought you guys were cute together. I…”
“Shut up, Norie,” Seth said, but in a teasing way, not meanly. He saw Billie Horowitz, with her short pink and black hair, glaring at his cousin. Seth and Billie had once been boyfriend and girlfriend, but he thought Billie had gotten over him by now. Then he remembered that Billie was the jealous type. “Billie doesn’t want to hear about Naomi.”
“It’s okay, Seth,” Billie said, lightly punching him in the arm. “I’m completely over you. I just wish Norie hadn’t brought up that shameless hussy from your past.”
“See?” Seth teased. “Maybe we should get to work on that song, Norie.”
Thanks for the teaser, Nancy! Billie is an arm puncher just like Susan!! 🙂
You’re welcome, LOL, great minds think alike…I like Billie’s character…and I miss writing about Norie, too.
That’s a great taglline!
(And I’m looking forward to the proliferation of books.)
Thank you, El Guapo. I appreciate the support!!
That’s a great tagline, Maddie. When I first read it, I also thought of this: ‘Two sassy women from Ohio. One finds criminals. One finds dead bodies. You’ll find a good time. Books by Maddie Cochere.’ Kind of invites people to go check it out. And check them out they should, because Murder Under Construction is great! I hope to finish it tonight. 🙂
Carrie, great minds again! I actually mulled that over for a while to keep the “find” theme going. But I hesitated to tell anyone what they would find, because they might not! 😉 I also thought the open-endedness of “they should meet” would leave a curiosity. Why should they? Will they? If they do, what will happen? I hope it will induce more people to click.
It definitely piques the curiosity. I agree.
And I JUST finished Murder Under Construction. Honestly, I can’t believe how quickly you wrote that. I LOVED it. I think your Susan Hunter series is great, but I fell so much in love with Jo that this one’s my favorite so far. Maybe because I identify more with Jo than Susan, what with Jo’s awkwardness, goofiness, and unfashionable clothes. And yet she’s a strong, smart woman who is self-confident in spite of her flaws.
Loved the humor in this too. The bathroom scene with the cop? So funny. And “Two setters and a cellist” made me laugh out loud (one time among many). And don’t even get me started on the exercise equipment scenes. “That should be illegal.” Hahaha.
I’m going to go brag about this on Twitter and FB now. Have you thought about querying agents for this book? It’s a real gem. 🙂 I will be first in line for the next one in the series!
Carrie, I have a goofy grin plastered across my face! I am really speechless trying to find the words to tell you how much what you’ve written means to me. I’m delighted you were entertained and that I made you laugh! Thank you so much for reading. I’ll take you out to Chummy Burgers and More sometime. 🙂
Oh, Chummy Burgers! That was the other thing I meant to mention that I thought was hilarious. See? It’s those little things that made it such a great read. Mark my words, Maddie Cochere will be the next Janet Evanovich!
Oh my gosh! Now you’re just making me blush. I would never compare myself to Janet Evanovich, but I hope I could make someone laugh like she’s made me laugh. That would make me happy. Thank you, Carrie!
You sell yourself short, and you’re more than welcome. 🙂
Yay girl! You got this covered. 🙂
Thank you, Jackie! I really like the line. Once I had it, everything else I tried didn’t seem to work. This will tie in well with the books to come.
My office gets a deep clean tomorrow. I’ll be back to writing full time on Monday. You’ll probably hear from me more often. It seems you do when I’m most harried. 🙂
No problem! You know I love hearing from you 🙂 harried or not. I’m taking the weekend off of blogging to take care of some other things. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta. haha!
I’m hoping to be caught up with blogs tomorrow, so I can start writing without feeling like I’ve left things “unfinished.” Hope you have a good day tomorrow taking care of things.
I love it! I think it’s a great hook.
Thank you, Amy. Ned got me thinking in the right direction, and then when I researched loglines and taglines (and their difference), I had my line within about five minutes. I’m so glad you all chimed in and helped. Everyone’s individual ideas helped to make a whole in the end.
Cool! That’s the beauty of this place. I hope it brings you lots of readers.
Awesome line, Maddie. It blew me away. HA! 🙂
Hahaha. It’s that breezy thing. Thanks, Honie!
You had me at “Ohio”!
Seriously, I love it.
I’m glad you like it. Thank you, Ruth!
I love Ohio. I’m really glad I chose to write with real and fictitious settings in Ohio. Someday, I’ll have one of these girls drive by a farm near Marion. 😉
I think it suits you well. & I always love it when one book mentions another or characters meet and that sort of thing. I cannot wait to dig in. 😀
Thank you for your vote of confidence, DD. I think this will be a blast to write the meeting of the girls. I also think the wording I’ve chosen for the ad is a good fit for the reader who will be buying Jason’s book. Hope you have a good, relaxing Sunday!
I’ll be posting something very shortly about relaxing Sundays. 😉 You read my mind. You psychic, you.
🙂
Perfect. And I agree with Carrie, Jo is my favorite. I made my husband listen while I read aloud the part at the beginning where she rushes into her house and strips down accidentally in front of Stewie. And “fan dance with pillows” awesome line. Susan gets to do all the things I daydream of, but Jo is like my best friend and I want to hang out with her!
I’m delighted to hear people are liking Jo – even more than Susan. They are certainly two different characters. My husband met me when I was like Susan; today he would tell you I am like Jo. 😉
Gosh Maddie, you must be a mind reader!! I’ve just been thinking of you… yes, a few minutes before I sent on the rev three of my first novel to my 20 year old journalism student son… for a final edit!
My words to him… let’s get it done for e-publishing! That’s when I thought I’d better come crawling around on your blog… seeking advice on the process you have now made your own… and voilà, you pop up on my blog! It was meant to be…
Dayton Ohio? Harry Chapin sings a song about Mr Tanner from Dayton…
Hi AJ! You are so close! A final edit – very nice and congratulations! 🙂
There isn’t much to tell. I publish my books the same way every time. I format for Smashwords first using my .pdf file that I posted here: https://breezybooksblog.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/formatting-for-smashwords/
Be sure to read the entire Smashwords Style Guide before using my .pdf – it helps with understanding everything.
Then I use the Kindle Guide for formatting for Amazon: https://kdp.amazon.com/help?topicId=A17W8UM0MMSQX6
I simply upload my .doc file. I don’t save in .html, and I’ve never had a problem.
If you don’t write in Word, the style guides for Smashwords and from Amazon will still put you on the right path.
Good Luck!!
Dayton, Ohio is over in the SW quadrant of the state. I used to work in a racquetball club in Dayton. I haven’t had my characters go over there yet. 😉
I just love this, Maddie. I’ll be gazing sweetly in your direction next time I need a good tagline 😀
Thank you, Dianne. I enjoyed learning about loglines and taglines.
It’s so good to see your silhouette again. 🙂
Excellent! 🙂 Excited for you. 🙂
Thank you, Julia. I’m glad you like it. 🙂
Excellent work on the 140!
It was easier to write the books wasn’t it? 🙂
Thank you, Val.
And no kidding. Blurbs, short descriptions, 140 characters – all were harder than hundreds of pages of writing. 🙂
Best of luck Maddie……that sounds like the beginning of a veraaayy interesting read ! 🙂 🙂
Thank you, Ayesha! I can’t wait to start writing about these two women meeting. 🙂
I am once again in awe of your talent and rive, Maddie.
Well done.
You are always so kind, Hook. Thank you!
I think it’s a fab 140– breezy, sassy, punchy, pleasing, and leaves you wanting to know more. Beautifully reasoned and executed!! You’ve definitely got a knack for this sort of thing– have you ever considered becoming a writer? Oh… uh… wait a minute… : P
Some wonderful reader reviews sprinkled thruout the comments– sounds the Ravens Sisters have charged outta the gate, and are driving readers into a frenzy. Well, it’s a Maddie Cochere Mystery, so what can one expect?? : )
Well done on all counts, my dear Maddie!!
Thank you again, Mark. I really did wonder what you would think of the ad, and it means a lot to me to read your approval.
Yes, I’m delighted with the first reviews! They have certainly helped to settle my nerves down. After yammering about Susan Hunter for two years, I wasn’t sure how a new set of characters would be received.
Have a wonderful day! I’m sure you looked smashing in church today with your crown!
Nice tag, intriguing and yet informative
Hey! You didn’t have to stop by and leave a comment. But I’m glad you did. I appreciate the vote of confidence for the tag. I submitted it and haven’t regretted the decision, so I’m good to go.
I see most of your photos, and I try to remember to push Like to let you know I’ve been by. I loved the recent hills, and the sky above the wires was beautiful. Hope you’re balancing your time better – keep the great shots coming!
Cheers mate, it is still a bit up and down, I am missing posts all over the place.. But the work is good even if somewhat consuming
Remember to let me know when the next book is out!