STORY STATEMENT
Find the will to survive amidst the dangers hidden so close
THE ANTAGONIST
Escalus in Measure for Measure claims that “Some rise by sin and others by virtue fall.” Certainly, this is true for Martin Stevens whose excess of virtue paves the path to ruin. After four years in Afghanistan, he personifies two of the three Marine Corps values: commitment and courage. These characteristics make him a reluctant antagonist. Martin does what he thinks is right, no matter the cost. After his mother’s cancer diagnosis, he is unswervingly devoted to her care. When his sister refuses to move back home to help, Martin won’t let up until she does the right thing.
The same goes for society at large. Seventeen of his brothers have sacrificed their lives for America, yet the civilians in the Mojave Desert couldn’t care less. They’re more interested in the next mall sale than a war paid for in human lives. When society deals one fateful blow after another to Martin, he decides to send a message. He will avenge his brother’s deaths by meting out justice Hammurabi style, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
BREAKOUT TITLE(s)
Between Two Deserts
West of Registan
A Desert No Longer
GENRE and COMPS
Suspense
Between Two Deserts melds The End of Everything's family-based crime drama with Notes on an Execution’s finely-crafted prose.
LOGLINE with conflict and core wound
Between Two Deserts, a suspense novel, is a modern reinterpretation of The Heart of Darkness told by two very different siblings. After her fiancé is killed overseas, eighteen-year-old Chelsea Stevens searches for a raison d'etre when her older brother returns from the Iraq War broken and disturbed.
OTHER MATTERS OF CONFLICT: TWO MORE LEVELS
At the beginning of the novel, Chelsea learns that her fiancé has been killed in Iraq. Crushed with grief, she wants to end her life. But another part of her wants to find a reason to live. To do so, she must avoid the mother who has earned her major in alcoholism and her minor in manipulation. When Mom is diagnosed with aggressive pancreatic cancer, Chelsea’s caught in a major dilemma.
In the meantime, her brother, Martin, has become increasingly violent and erratic. Haunted by war memories he cannot escape, he’s pulled into a precipitous descent. Chelsea wants to save him, but doesn’t really know how to help. Chelsea’s primary conflict, then, relates to family. How much should she give up to save her brother? Is her family worth her life? Are they worth her dreams?
*****
In terms of the secondary conflict, grief is a ubiquitous presence in Chelsea’s life. One night, she joins her friend at a nightclub hoping to forget the past. Chelsea winds up getting drugged and date raped – pictures of the debacle get posted online. Strangers tear her apart on Reddit and other sites. Ashamed, Chelsea walls herself off from a world adeptly skilled at dishing out pain.
When a new friend continues to show up in unexpected places, Chelsea is suspicious of his motives. Though he seems like a genuinely good person, how can she be sure? Her brother doesn’t like the new guy, which adds fuel to the primary conflict. The secondary conflict, then, relates to love and trust – should Chelsea allow herself to get close to someone again? Is the gift of love worth the potentially substantial cost?
SETTING
The Mojave Desert has no clear beginning and no clear end. Cannibalistic creatures like the desert wren thrive in this harsh environment. Flora, such as cottonwoods, brittlebush, and yucca dot the landscape – plants tough enough to withstand brutal afternoon sandstorms and frozen high desert winters.
In this waterless place, the sun is a kind of Leviathan. Even when not directly overhead, it bears down like an enemy, taking no prisoners. During twilight the cicadas emit a rhythmic whir. They gossip about the sun, the overlord hidden on the other side of the world. In celebration of their freedom, mad dogs and coyotes howl into the big wide sky full of stars.
STORY STATEMENT Find the will to survive amidst the dangers hidden so close THE ANTAGONIST Escalus in Measure for Measure claims that “Some rise by sin and others by virtue fall.” Certainly, this is true for Martin Stevens whose excess of virtue paves the path to ruin. After four years in Afghanistan, he personifies two of the three Marine Corps values: commitment and courage. These characteristics make him a reluctant antagonist. Martin does what he thinks is right, no matter the cost. After his mother’s cancer diagnosis, he is unswervingly devoted to her care. When his sister refuses to move back home to help, Martin won’t let up until she does the right thing. The same goes for society at large. Seventeen of his brothers have sacrificed their lives for America, yet the civilians in the Mojave Desert couldn’t care less. They’re more interested in the next mall sale than a war paid for in human lives. When society deals one fateful blow after another to Martin, he decides to send a message. He will avenge his brother’s deaths by meting out justice Hammurabi style, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. BREAKOUT TITLE(s) Between Two Deserts West of Registan A Desert No Longer GENRE and COMPS Suspense Between Two Deserts melds The End of Everything's family-based crime drama with Notes on an Execution’s finely-crafted prose. LOGLINE with conflict and core wound Between Two Deserts, a suspense novel, is a modern reinterpretation of The Heart of Darkness told by two very different siblings. After her fiancé is killed overseas, eighteen-year-old Chelsea Stevens searches for a raison d'etre when her older brother returns from the Iraq War broken and disturbed. OTHER MATTERS OF CONFLICT: TWO MORE LEVELS At the beginning of the novel, Chelsea learns that her fiancé has been killed in Iraq. Crushed with grief, she wants to end her life. But another part of her wants to find a reason to live. To do so, she must avoid the mother who has earned her major in alcoholism and her minor in manipulation. When Mom is diagnosed with aggressive pancreatic cancer, Chelsea’s caught in a major dilemma. In the meantime, her brother, Martin, has become increasingly violent and erratic. Haunted by war memories he cannot escape, he’s pulled into a precipitous descent. Chelsea wants to save him, but doesn’t really know how to help. Chelsea’s primary conflict, then, relates to family. How much should she give up to save her brother? Is her family worth her life? Are they worth her dreams? ***** In terms of the secondary conflict, grief is a ubiquitous presence in Chelsea’s life. One night, she joins her friend at a nightclub hoping to forget the past. Chelsea winds up getting drugged and date raped – pictures of the debacle get posted online. Strangers tear her apart on Reddit and other sites. Ashamed, Chelsea walls herself off from a world adeptly skilled at dishing out pain. When a new friend continues to show up in unexpected places, Chelsea is suspicious of his motives. Though he seems like a genuinely good person, how can she be sure? Her brother doesn’t like the new guy, which adds fuel to the primary conflict. The secondary conflict, then, relates to love and trust – should Chelsea allow herself to get close to someone again? Is the gift of love worth the potentially substantial cost? SETTING The Mojave Desert has no clear beginning and no clear end. Cannibalistic creatures like the desert wren thrive in this harsh environment. Flora, such as cottonwoods, brittlebush, and yucca dot the landscape – plants tough enough to withstand brutal afternoon sandstorms and frozen high desert winters. In this waterless place, the sun is a kind of Leviathan. Even when not directly overhead, it bears down like an enemy, taking no prisoners. During twilight the cicadas emit a rhythmic whir. They gossip about the sun, the overlord hidden on the other side of the world. In celebration of their freedom, mad dogs and coyotes howl into the big wide sky full of stars.