…and if that isn’t a mouthful of a name for a genre, I don’t know what would be.
I am conscious this has recently turned into a blog for my weird artistic pursuits rather than for anything directly related to my transition, but so be it. Since my fiction has for many years been a channel (or a coping strategy) for my gender dysphoria, it may as well have its due as long as there is no more obviously relevant news, and real-life news has been pretty scarce for both the hubby and I of late.
This novel I am currently working on is now in the 90% region of completion, so I will fairly soon be pleading for readers… For the present, however, I would just appreciate opinions on this synopsis. I will be using this, or something like it, to pitch the finished story to potential publishers and / or agents, so please tell me if it fails to grab, or share any advice you may have for improving it (and be as harsh as you please).
Wolves of Dacia (Synopsis)
Berlin, 1933: Andreea Petrescu, a Romani gypsy biology student, is expelled from university by the Third Reich. She returns home to Transylvania, to face a grim future of poverty, misogyny, and the stigma of having associated with outsiders: a fact her insular community regards with distrust. Just before she returns, her mother – a gifted medium – strikes a terrible deal in order to protect her.
Eight years later, Andreea’s circumstances have only worsened: her mother is dead, her father is unsupportive, her community is as estranged from her as ever, and fascism has spread to Romania. The Nazi-allied government takes measures to deport gypsies to concentration camps, forcing Andreea and her father to go on the run from the SS. Their flight leads them to seek refuge in ancient catacombs, where they soon discover that they are not the first to have taken shelter.
Though her superstitious father is repulsed by their discoveries, the scientifically-minded Andreea finds herself fascinated, and drawn into the activities of the mysterious resistance unit that has set itself up in the area, and of their leader, the charismatic and ruthless Miss Bendice. She seems eager to recruit the brilliant young fugitive to her cause, and offers Andreea a unique opportunity to escape from her degrading circumstances, but at no insignificant cost.
As Miss Bendice’s hubristic plans escalate to a world-threatening climax, and as the SS death squad closes in, Andreea finds herself caught in the vice. Forging unlikely friendships with a naïve Wehrmacht lieutenant, an amnesiac teenage vampire, and a scatterbrained Welsh parapsychologist, she finds her knowledge, her courage, and her integrity put to the test as she struggles to survive, save her loved ones, and stay true to her principles, though it may entail sacrificing everything she has dreamed of.
© Eleanor Burns, 2016.
Persephone's Playpen 
I am looking forward to reading the story. I liked the synopsis. I hope when I publish my Sci-Fi graphic novel you return the favor! 😉 Best of luck!
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Thank you, and I am very interested to hear more. 🙂 x
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Enjoyed reading this. No suggestions about changes: I did get intrigued by the wanting to know what deal her mother had struck as it doesn’t seem to be working (or is it?). Any trans characters? Good luck with publishers.
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It does work… temporarily. Suffice it to say her mother’s death does not help matters.
No trans characters, alas. I tend to express dysphoria through metaphor in fiction, hence why most of my books dwell on themes of mutation and identity. I am a little afraid to write too directly on trans themes, lest I become polemical. Also, I do like writing to be a bit of an escape…
Thank you for reading, and I am very happy to get your feedback.:) x
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I like it! More of a hint about the nature of the mother’s terrible deal would be good – is it why the mother is dead 8 years later? Or has the deal worn off because of her death? If it’s not a big plot reveal later on it might be stronger to say exactly what the deal was. 🙂 x
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It is a big plot reveal, sadly, but I will think how I can revise the synopsis along these lines, since this issue has come up a couple of times now. Thank you for the illuminating feedback. 🙂 xxx
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Hooked! 🙂 You can count me in on being a reader! 🙂 ❤
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I would be very glad to indeed, and hopefully you won’t have to wait too much longer for the full draft… xxx
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Ps..Shared this in my Posts of Note. Let’s get a HUGE crowd waiting for the final product. 🙂
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We’re a little way off that yet, but readers for the first draft will be very useful in helping me decide where if anywhere to take it next, so thank you dearly for sharing it about. 🙂 xxx
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Does exactly what a good synopsis should do. I can picture the setting, I’m interested in the characters, I have a feeling for the story, but nothing is given away. When I read a good book synopsis, I always picture actors for characters. I’m off to decide who should play Miss Bendice when your book is turned into a movie.
-Steve
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Sadly, the actress I almost always picture her as is dead, and I’m at a loss for anyone living who could bring the same gravitas to the role, but will be intrigued to hear your suggestions. 😉 Thank you for the very encouraging feedback. 🙂 xxx
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Fascinating. Also no real feedback other than very creative and well-written. I enjoy your style.
PS I switched my account to private, but if you still want to read I would love to grant you access. If you click on the link that the page takes you to, you just request access and your user name should pop up. I wasn’t sure if one was you, ‘bodypolitical?’
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No, bodypolitical is not me, but I would love to follow if you are happy for me to, and thank you for the very uplifting feedback. 🙂 xxx
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