Writing a blurb is like torture only more painful

Having an inquisitive mind, I set out to do some research on writing blurbs... you know, those teaser paragraphs on the back cover of a book... What I learned sounds easy. Write a synopsis of the story that will make people want to buy your book.  More than that, you need to tease the prospective reader, seduce them, sell them on spending some of their hard earned money. You have to include enough detail to illustrate how your book is different from all of the millions of others available without giving away any spoilers and you only have just 200 words to get all that done.  No pressure.

Argh.

I spent the better part of Sunday writing and re-writing over and over again only to delete the whole thing and begin again.  I have written 10K words in less time than it took to write the following 211.  I still hate it, but that isn't a good measure for me.  I tend to hate everything I write until I get some distance from it.  I put chapters aside for few days before I can decide how I feel about them.  When I finished the book, I put it away for six weeks before I did my first major edit.  

Here's the blurb for Where I Belong...

At seventeen, Harper Ellison lost everything—the love of his life, his family, his friends and his community. Ten years later, Harper has built a new life for himself and while it's not perfect, he isn't looking to revisit what happened. When the sister  finds him and asks him to come home before it's too late, Harper is torn between protecting his heart and finally letting go of the past so he can find some peace.

Harper returns to his small North Carolina hometown to see if it's even possible to reconcile with the family who shunned him for being gay and the town that blamed him for a tragedy that wasn't his fault. In the process, he meets Lucas Rhodes and learns that home isn't necessarily a place and where you belong isn't always where you expect it to be.

How do you forgive the people who were supposed to love you unconditionally after they failed you in every conceivable way? How do you tell someone all of your secrets and trust them not to walk away?  One way or another, Harper is going to find out.  

Let me know what you think.  Does you want to know more about the book or is it the the cliche drivel I currently think it is?  

While you ponder, enjoy the eye candy...

(Source:  Lionelphotographe)