Monday, June 20, 2011

My Dirty Little Secret

It’s not a secret exactly but I haven’t done much talking about my newest project other than mention it’s a YA romantic comedy- something I’ve never written before and also something I haven’t had a lot of experience reading. There are dramatic YA romances, contemporary romance or paranormal/supernatural/fantasy with romance.  And yes, some of them might have funny elements or situations, but I wouldn’t call them a comedy.

My current WIP, ‘Kissing for Coffee’ is a story about a girl who’s trying desperately to hold on to her status as the most popular girl in school and ends up starting a trend that spirals completely out of control. I haven’t perfected the query letter but this is a rough draft of the blurb:

After a freak dodge ball accident, seventeen-year-old Sadie Brook’s reputation has gone from ‘Princess of Popularity’ to the ‘Projectile Puss Wonder’.  She is desperate to keep up appearances.  So when her coffee geek,  Jake Sterling, decides he’s had enough of serving ‘her highness’, Sadie resorts to using her not-so-used womanly wiles in order to keep him in line.

But one secret kiss for coffee turns into something much bigger when word travels through Geekland that Sadie locks lips for her morning java.  She arrives at school to find her locker surrounded by a dozen candidates from the Land of Misfit Dudes- all of them holding coffee and hoping for the same payment.  In order to save face, Sadie kisses Jake Sterling in front of half the student body.  She never expected her friends to follow suit and take the geeks up on their offers.  

In a matter of days,‘Kissing for Coffee’ becomes the newest sign of popularity and a clear indication of desirability.  The more boys vying to hand you a cup, the more pretty and popular you must be.  Sadie has unknowingly lit the match on a full-out trend and it’s spreading through surrounding high school districts like wildfire. The owner of Coffee Lovers is contacting her, thanking her for the publicity.  News cameras are showing up at her school.  ‘Kissing for Coffee’ commercials are even running on TV!
 
But Sadie soon discovers that 'Kissing for Coffee' doesn’t only have its perks. 

She becomes the focus of controversy when Rebecca Marshall, President of the ‘Purity Waits’ club begins protesting against the act of ‘prostituting your lips out for a three dollar beverage’.  And then there’s Jake Sterling, whose deceptively talented mega mouth has Sadie craving his kisses at odd non-coffee hours.  Sadie needs to find a way to put a stop to the trend she set in motion before she ends up losing her popularity, her geek, and her coffee for good.

KISSING FOR COFFEE is (will be) a 70,000 word YA contemporary romantic comedy.


There you have it.  I’ve still got about 14k to go before it’s finished and I honestly have no idea how this kind of book will be received with agents.  There isn’t a huge call for YA romantic comedy out there.  What do you guys think?

41 comments:

Laura Pauling said...

Sounds totally cute! Hope you have fun writing it!

Sarah said...

This made me smile! It sounds tremendously fun, and I think there needs to be a space for lighthearted stuff--we all need levity, after all!

Unknown said...

That sounds awesome and like something I would be interested in reading, which is completely out of character for the kinds of things I normally read. I hope the writing goes really well. (Although, a quick note that you missed out a word in this bit of the last paragraph "stop the trend" - though I should point it out in case you miss it =))

Stina said...

I can't wait to beta read it. :D

Unknown said...

I love it Katie. Sounds like such a cute read! It sounds like Easy A meets The Espressologist. Both of which I loved (one being a movie the other being a book)... too fun!!

S.A. Larsenッ said...

There's nothing wrong with thinking out of the box. Sometimes, that's just what the industry ordered. Best of luck with it. It sounds so cute!

Anne Gallagher said...

That sounds fantastic! Go you!!

Unknown said...

Sounds SO cute!! <3!! Good luck getting it finished!!

erica and christy said...

Love it! Have fun finishing it and perfecting that query! I can't wait to read it! Christy

Gina Ciocca said...

I think you are so creative and I envy your query writing ability! I just won a query critique + 10 pages from Weronika Janczuk, and (excuse the expression) I'm crapping myself!

Renae said...

Sounds adorable! And what a great query! Good luck with the final chapters!

Tracy said...

Umm, I am ready to read it!! Even teens need a break from all the paranormal/world-shattering drama every now and again!

Lindsay said...

I like it. Good luck with the last chapters :)

Matthew MacNish said...

It sounds really funny!

Suzie F. said...

What a fun idea! I'd would love to read this. If you need someone to bounce ideas off of let me know!

Cherie Reich said...

"Kissing for Coffee" such a cute title. It sounds like a romantic comedy. I think the premise sounds cute too. I bet it's fun to write. :)

Carolyn Abiad said...

That is a very cute idea! Good luck! <3

Misha Gerrick said...

I love the idea! Hopefully an agent will too.

:-)

Karen Jones Gowen said...

It's original, clever, timely, and I think this just might be your breakthrough book. Good luck!

Karen Jones Gowen said...

Plus the query rocks!

Old Kitty said...

I will never look at my favourite cup of extra strong capuccino given to me by the nice young barista man in the same light ever!

LOL!

Awww what a wonderful fun concept!! Well done you- you go girl!!! Take care
x

Dianne K. Salerni said...

Katie -- I love it!! I didn't see this coming from that one page sample I critiqued. First pages are SO important for hooking the reader, but you can't always tell much about the overall book from them, huh?

I hope I'm in line for beta reader status.

Dianne K. Salerni said...

Coming back to add -- I just read your summary out loud, and my daughter asked if that was a book I had on my Kindle and if I could send it to her Kindle. :)

Nicole Zoltack said...

I think it sounds cute! Don't worry about agents right now - just focus on finishing it. That's my advice.

Cynthia Lee said...

That sounds cute.

Unknown said...

You had me at "After a freak dodge ball accident"...

There's no bad way to follow that up!

Bethany Elizabeth said...

It sounds adorable! And creative. Great blurb, it sounds fantastic!

Creepy Query Girl said...

thank you guys so much! Your comments are really encouraging!

NiaRaie said...

You're right, this is very different and there aren't a lot of true romantic comedies. This sounds hilarious though. I'm dying to find out how the geeky boys react.

Talli Roland said...

It sound really fun and a bit like Sara Mylkowski (there's no way I've spelled that right, but hopefully you know who I mean!). Good luck!

Anonymous said...

I really like this idea--I think the YA audience is ready for some smart, funny stories that do not include angsty scenes of growing old vs immortality dilemmas. Love it!

Jennifer said...

I think it sounds like a really fun read. I don't know anything about the YA market but romance usually sells...right?

Shannon O'Donnell said...

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this story premise, Katie! Good luck--I can't wait to read it! :-)

Janet Johnson said...

Sounds like a super fun book! Can't wait to hear where it goes. :)

Stephanie said...

LOVE it!!! Sounds really awesome! Query is a bit too long...but it is good!

Meredith said...

This sounds like so much fun! I LOVE the concept--you can totally see a high school doing this. I'm also so intrigued by this freak dodgeball accident. :)

Vicki Rocho said...

Fun! Love the "has its perks" pun. Not a coffee drinker, but I have indulged in a kiss or two over the years ;)

Colene Murphy said...

WOW! That is a rough draft!? It's awesome! I so would read that in a heart beat!!! I bet it rocks. Awesome job!

Angela Ackerman said...

I have to tell you...I love this book already and it isn't even finished. Finish it, polish the crap out of it and send it out there when it's ready. Provided the writing is as strong as the idea, I'd be shocked if it didn't sell!

Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse

Tamara Narayan said...

I think this is very strong--both the book and the query. I love the title and how well it is integrated throughout the query.

I don't know squat about the YA market for romantic comedy but one of our fellow bloggers, Medeia Shariff, is having her YA book Bestest. Ramadan. Ever. debut next month which looks like it would fall under this category. She has her agent's name on her blog--someone to consider for your query list.

mshatch said...

I think you should follow your heart.

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