Introduce the hero and heroine - This information allows you to give the reader some insight into who is going to play a role in your book. Descriptive words are best here. I use dog whisperer in my Leashed blurb to describe Callie and nightclub owner to describe Owen. That already gives the reader a wealth of information as to who will be playing the major roles in the novel.
Setting - I don't do this in my blurb, but indicating where your novel is set is a good way to define the world you've built with your hero and heroine. I could have mentioned somewhere in my blurb that Callie lives in New York City. It already has a dog culture and reinforces the other two characters in my book, the Great Danes Jack and Jill.
Simple Plot Setup - Show what the story is about. What brings these two people together. What is happening in the story that the reader might be interested in. What happens defines your story and gives it that concrete feeling.
Internal and External Conflict - In a romance, it's important to see who these people are. What they're goals are and how conflict will change and make them grow. So a glimpse of what will influence the couple tells the reader what difficulties they need to overcome.
Romantic Conflict - This element of your novel defines what is keeping these people apart. For Callie, she gets involved with emotionally unavailable men and gets her heart broken. She vows to stay away from them. Owen is afraid of commitment. It's intriguing to find out how this couple overcomes these obstacles in their lives and relationship to achieve their happily ever after.
Premise - This concept identifies not only the tone of your book, but it's a way to hook the reader into your novel. My premise is comical. Next door neighbors have to interact because their dogs have mated and fallen madly in love. It's a cute setup. The reader has to know that the dogs are smarter than their owners. They know Callie and Owen are perfect for each other.
So, check out my book blurb and rate it. Leashed is featured on The Book's Blurb Blog. Don't forget to comment to be entered in their monthly contest. Comments made on the blog will count toward the November contest and the winner will be announced on Thursday. Happy reading and writing!
