Frances Avnet

The Tale of Deirdre by Frances Avnet

The Tale of Deirdre is an entertaining swashbuckling tale about Deirdre, a free spirited noble woman who joins her pirate husband, Murtagh, in an attempt to hold onto their way of life.  Full of exciting battle scenes on land and sea, my novel gives a glimpse inside an Ireland most people didn’t knew existed—the Emerald’s Isle piratical past.

The couple battle the English government, other pirates and Murtagh’s brother, Owen, to preserve their livelihood, their land, and yes, themselves.

This is not a sugary romance novel, laced with x rated sex scenes, but a fast paced historical novel that will appear to both men and women, especially those looking for a good beach read.

 

The Book Doctors: Everybody loves a great pirate story.  And in a very crowded marketplace, you seem to have swashbuckled your way into a nice little hole in the pirate story landscape, the Irish Emerald Aisle section.  That being said, the pitch needs lots of work.  I think it’s always dangerous to tell somebody that you’re entertaining and exciting.  I also don’t think it’s a good idea to say that your book is thrilling, romantic, sexy, or funny.  You have to prove that in the pitch.  Your pitch is your audition to show what a great writer you are.  Display for me that you can write an entertaining, exciting scene.  It’s like those people who wear shirts that say: SEXY.  Let me be the judge of that if you don’t mind!  And sadly I see no evidence in this pitch that your scenes are going to be different, unique, and yet still in the wonderful tradition of the great pirate battle scenes on land and sea that I know and love.  You need some word pictures to show me that you can paint a historical scene about Ireland’s “Aaaargh matey!” past.  Give me a villain that I can hate, that makes me want to hiss and boo.  Don’t tell me that it’s fast-paced, show me some action that moves by so fast I feel like I’m on the edge of my seat.  And I know so little about our hero.  How is he different than all the pirates I’ve known and loved?  And what exactly does his wife, the noblewoman, do that’s free-spirited?  What does she look like?  What does she desperately want in life on the inside that she can’t have?  What am I rooting for her to succeed at, besides just staying alive and not being killed by the evil English government?  And of course the same must be said of her husband.  I also don’t get any comparable title so I know exactly what kind of readers are going to love this book.  Promising idea but needs specificity.

 

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