I’ve finally written my story structure and secured the main plot points. Now it’s time to start drafting. My first book, took about a year and a half to write (lots to learn and plenty of darling killings). I’m aiming for about 6 months for this book. I’ve learned so much about writing since then.
When a storm strands sibling Kai and Ellie on an island littered with shipwrecks, Kai races to rebuild their inherited sailboat from the wreckage while Ellie follows three locations in their missing father’s logbook, until both trails lead to an illegal fishing crew and the father they thought was dead.
If you got this far, here is what a potential back cover summary would say.
Kai wants to sell their inherited ship, Rosebud. Ellie wants to know where their missing father sailed it. Hidden inside the old boat is a mysterious logbook filled with coordinates, sketches, and three locations Ellie is convinced will finally reveal who their father really was.
But on the voyage to sell Rosebud, a violent storm wrecks them on a tropical island littered with destroyed ships. With their captain injured and Rosebud stranded on the rocks, Kai must salvage the wrecks and use every bushcraft skill he knows to get their boat sailing again to escape, while Ellie follows her father’s clues deeper into the island and meets Nia, a girl who knows its reefs better than anyone.
Then red sails appear offshore during their escape. The boat belongs to illegal fishermen Nia has spent years trying to stop, and Ellie’s final clue leads straight toward the poacher’s hiding place. Now fixing Rosebud won’t be enough. To escape Shipwreck Island, Kai and Ellie will have to decide who they can trust and whether some family mysteries should have remained mysteries.
Mars Hong Books and Stories 