With July 1 looming as my projected publishing date for The Storm and the Darkness, I realized it was time to stop putting off updating the synopsis. The one I had was too detailed, and a bit sloppy. So I’ve created two versions; one for this site, Amazon, and other sites that may feature the book, and one for the back of the book.
I’m posting them both here, and welcome any feedback on either!
Shorter Blurb (Book Cover)
(Special thanks to Jennifer Stevens for helping me on this one)
Ana Deschanel has made a terrible mistake. The only chance of protecting the other people involved is to flee New Orleans, the only home she has ever known, for the quiet solitude of Summer Island.
Summer Island, Maine (population 202) is not the tranquil escape Ana imagined. The locals are distant and cold, especially her neighbor, the reclusive veterinarian Jonathan St. Andrews. Her only lifeline is the kind but odd caretaker Alex Whitman. Showing up at all the right moments, he warns her she is completely unprepared for a Maine winter. As the first winter storm approaches to whispers of an island shutdown- Ana realizes that she may soon be cut off from the rest of the world.
After a surprising encounter with Jonathan’s brother, Finn, Ana finds herself braving the storm to return something to him. Unprepared for the Maine storm, she slips and falls onto the jagged rocks along the shore. The St. Andrews brothers find her in the nick of time, but she remains unconscious. As the storm worsens, the St. Andrews brothers learn there are other, more sinister forces at work closer than they ever imagined.
With no help from the outside world, they must find a way to protect themselves from both the storm, and the growing darkness that looms across the island.
Longer Synopsis
Ana Deschanel has made a terrible mistake. In one singular and desperate lapse in judgment, she put everything- and everyone- she cares about in jeopardy. She knows the only chance of protecting the other people involved is to leave town, so she flees New Orleans, the only home she has ever known, for the quiet solitude of an old Victorian on the shore of Summer Island, Maine.
But Summer Island, population 202, is not the tranquil escape Ana imagined. The locals are distant and cold, including her neighbor, the reclusive veterinarian Jonathan St. Andrews. Calls home to her best friend and cousin Nicolas only leave her feeling an empty sense of regret at what she left behind. Her only lifeline is the kind, but odd, caretaker Alex Whitman, who continues to show up at all the right moments, reminding her that she is completely unprepared. As the first winter storm approaches- amidst whispers of an island shutdown- Ana is struck with the realization that she may soon be cut off from the rest of the world.
After a surprising, but charming encounter with Jonathan’s brother, Finn, Ana finds herself braving the storm to return something important to him. Along the way she has a terrible accident, slipping and falling onto the jagged rocks along the shore. The St. Andrews brothers find her in the nick of time, and work to save her life, but she remains unconscious as the storm rages outside. Back home, Nicolas begins to worry when he hasn’t heard from Ana, and he enlists the help of his friend Oz to investigate the situation.
As the storm worsens, the St. Andrews brothers learn that there are other, more sinister forces at work, involving someone they have known their whole lives who is harboring a dark secret. With no help from the outside world, they must find a way to protect themselves from both the storm, and the growing darkness that looms across the island.
...and then there was Sarah 