My entry to the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards
It's Monday, Jan 28. I am part of a large blogging event called the "Re-Introduce Myself" Blogfest where I get to introduce myself to new audiences. My name is Dwight Okita. I live in Chicago where I design websites and work at a nonprofit for the visually impaired. I just finished writing my second novel THE HOPE STORE and I've entered it in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest. You can learn more about the contest at www.amazon.com/abna
Below is the pitch for my book:
"We
don't just instill hope. We install
it."
That's the slogan for the first store in the world to sell hope over
the counter.
Luke
Nagano goes to sleep each night dreaming about hope and how to make more of it,
ever since he lost his sister. He and his partner prepare the store for its
grand opening. As media interest grows, an activist group called the Natural
Hopers emerges with the mission to warn the public about the dangers of
synthetically created hope. Though the store investors become rightly
nervous, a steady stream of hope-enhanced customers begins to sing the store's
praises.
When hopeless Jada Upshaw first hears of the Hope Store, she's
outraged. She's wasted plenty of time and money on magic bullets that haven't worked.
Jada sets out to expose the Hope Store for the fraud it must be --
but to do so she must have a hope installation herself. Jada's response to
the installation forces her to change her plans dramatically, and to re-think
the meaning of hope.
A
TV station offers to present a town hall meeting about the controversial nature
of enhanced hope in the new millennium, and Luke is tempted by this chance for
big exposure -- but it means they'll have to face the Natural Hopers who
can be loose cannons. Everything is at stake as this high-profile event could
either signal the beginning or end of a global conversation on hope.
THE HOPE STORE tells a story of an unlikely friendship set in the
near future, and the thorny relationships between science and faith, placebo
and cure, hope and hype.
My first novel THE PROSPECT OF MY ARRIVAL was a finalist in the Amazon contest in 2008.
I look forward to meeting the other bloggers in this blogfest!
Great to meet you Dwight. Good luck with ABNA! The premise for your book sounds really interesting, "synthetically created hope"...well that catches my attention! Thanks for participating in the blogfest. (:
ReplyDeleteHi Dwight! Great to meet you! Good luck in the ABNA!
ReplyDelete<3
Hey, Dwight! I must say, you look great in that dress! *shifty* You know, I'm not so far from Chicago. At some point I will get over there, so we will have to get together for a meal or a beverage.
ReplyDeleteGreat pitch. I have always loved your title. So hopeful. Some days everyone could use a little. Good luck in ABNA 2013. Sci-fi, right?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Janet. Yup. I'm sticking my toe in the sci fi water this time. Good luck to you.
DeleteHi folks, thanks for visiting. I'm getting your messages by email but for some reason they are not posting on my blog. Did anyone have trouble posting a message?
ReplyDeleteHey Hart, that would be cool to get a meal together. Where do you live?
ReplyDeleteHi Miya and Elise, great to meet you.
ReplyDeleteWhat a clever idea. Everytime I think every story plot has been done I meet someone like you with a unique idea.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan, thanks. I will hop over to your blog too.
DeleteIts great to meet you Dwight. Good luck with THE HOPE STORE. And thanks for participating in the Re-Introduce Myself Blogfest!
ReplyDeleteThanks Stephen, these blogfests are fun. Do you know where people get the Re-Introduce nametag graphic? I'll visit your blog soon.
DeleteGreat to meet you Dwight.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with ABNA.
"selling hope over the counter"... quite a unique concept...
Good Luck with your latest book! Sounds like a great screen play.
ReplyDeleteGreat to meet you too Michelle.
ReplyDeleteRooibus is good.
Hi, Dwight,
ReplyDeleteVery interesting premise on your novel. Good luck in this year's contest!