How do you make your novel sound unlike anything else, make it fascinating and also make it accurate? I have been devouring the backs and flyleaves of every good novel on my shelves. There is definitely a pattern, a particular way to convey one’s story for this purpose, but what if what one has written doesn’t fit into that pattern? Well , that’s another good reason to stop writing, right?

No, just kidding.

I had the idea that I would put it out to the public as a contest –  write the synopsis for my novel and the one who nails it and gets me a publishing deal wins… an autographed copy of my book! Cool idea, hey? Except everyone would have to read the book first and that’s a bit like putting the proverbial cart before the nag.

Some of my scribblings follow. Perhaps then you will see why I want to stop altogether.

Weather Vane is about a radio host/meteorologist who loses contact with his daughter after being her sole caretaker until she is two and a half. The story is about his inner transformation as he tries to get her back from the mother who is a manipulative narcissist.

When Simon realizes the mistake he made in relinquishing custody of his two-year-old daughter Sophia he is confronted both by helplessness to challenge his ex-wife, Beth, and a legal system that favours the mother.  

Weather Vane opens as Beth is giving birth to Sophia six weeks early. Beth has shown no interest in her own pregnancy and this indifference continues to the point where she attempts to have the child adopted soon after birth. The relationship between Simon and Beth had deteriorated to the point of separation, but when the pregnancy is discovered, he stays and takes a passionate interest in all aspects of the birth.

Simon thwarts the adoption attempt and raises Sophia until she is two-years-old when the tempestuous and manipulative Beth convinces him to allow Sophia to live with her with the agreement that they will share custody.

his naivety and

When an unplanned pregnancy results in the premature birth of Sophia, the tensions escalate between Simon Rendler, an aspiring meteorologist, and his ambitious wife Beth. Set primarily in modern-day Toronto, Weather Vane tells the story of Simon as he foils Beth’s attempt to have Sophia adopted, and then raises the child unassisted until Beth convinces him to share custody and allow Sophia to live with her.

It is soon apparent that Beth does not intend to share Sophia’s upbringing and offers numerous excuses to withhold access.

The loss of contact with his daughter re-ignites Simon’s search for his sister Rachel, who mysteriously disappeared when he was a child. he is a late-born child of Hitler Youth parents who ruled a stifling household.

Simon struggles with Beth’s ruses and manipulation, the legal system and his career, first as a meteorologist and then as a radio host.

Finding Rachel and discovering her story fuels the urgency of his quest to bring Sophia back into his life.

blah blah blah…. help!