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estiroseI wrote four possible "blurbs" for ABNA. They're below cut, and I'd love it if I had feedback on which one was best, etc.
I realize it's last-minute, as the entries open in about an hour, and I intend to turn mine in sometime tonight.
ETA: Blurb and manuscript entered!
First one:
She's not what she thought she was....
When Caroline Rulf had her daughter borne by an alien fifteen years ago, she couldn't have imagined the result. Now Erin, Caroline's daughter, has feelings she doesn't understand and impulses she finds hard to control, things that can't be explained away by mere puberty. After an incident with her best friend Annie, Erin desperately seeks the answer to why she's feeling and acting that way. An answer that may lay with the aliens, in particular the alien that gave birth to her all those years ago.
But the aliens are recluses, reluctant to come into contact with humans. Only allowing a small amount of human staff to talk to them, it's doubtful that they'll want to talk to Erin or her starry-eyed mother. Persuaded by human staff to do so, they do - and kidnap Erin, their one hope to see their species continue. Trapped in an alien enclave, Erin must talk the aliens into letting her go, something they don't want to do, even if it means being evicted from their home by the millitary. And then there's the whole thing with Annie, where Erin has to fix their friendship before it's too late....
A coming-of-age story with a science-fiction twist, "Delicate Appendages" is the story of a girl that isn't a girl, and the hopes and desires of a slowly-dying alien race.
Second one:
Erin Rulf's mother made a decision years ago to have her baby daughter carried to term by an alien. That wouldn't bother Erin so much if she didn't have emotions and impulses she could hardly control, and alien body parts she'd be happy to get rid of. When Erin pushes her best friend Annie against the wall, she's horrified and decides to get help.
That help, it turns out, is the reclusive alien that gave birth to Erin. But Erin's quest for answers is interrupted by the aliens kidnapping her - apparently, she's one of them, a third gender, more alien than she thought she was. To protect her, they intend to keep her. However, Erin has other plans, as does the military if the aliens don't return her back. Finding herself the unlikely savior of a bunch of aliens, Erin must either choose to be human and turn her back on what she is, or choose to be what she is, and become the savior of an entire species. And all she wants to do is make up with her best friend....
A coming of age story that blurs the line between human and alien, "Delicate Appendages" hinges on the choices of Erin, a normal fourteen year old girl who isn't very normal after all.
Third one:
In the farmlands of Central California, there's a small enclave of alien surrogates, the reculsive remnants of an alien invasion. College student Caroline used one of those surrogates to carry her daughter Erin to term - and now Erin's paying the price.
Erin Rulf just wants to be normal. But with tentacles coming out of her private spot, as well as feelings and impulses she can't always control, she is not. And even less so when she pushes her best friend, Annie, against the fence. Immediately sorry for what she did, she seeks out answers from her mother - but finds that the only answers might be from the aliens.
The aliens are far more willing to talk than anyone would suspect, but Erin intrigues them and they kidnap her. Caught in the aliens' world of strict roles and unbending loyalty to their own sex, Erin must find her way out, figure out who she is, and decide what she's going to do now. And that doesn't even touch the fact that she has a best friend to apologize to....
In a world of humans and alien surrogates, "Delicate Appendages" takes a look into what might be. A science fiction twist on the story of coming of age, it features discussions of gender roles, alien cultures, and what it means to be human in a world that's not quite our own.
Fourth one:
Erin Rulf is a normal kid. She's got ordinary plans, plans to go to high school, go to college, become a CPA. But what's not so normal about Erin was that she was birthed by an alien surrogate parent, and she has the tentacles to prove it. Now, those are more embarrassing than bad, and she'd put up with them if it weren't for the feelings and impulses that went with them - feelings and impulses that ultimately cause her friend Annie against the wall to do something unimaginable to her.
Fortunately, Erin stops in time, terrified and confused. Running home, she suggests to her mother that they put her away somewhere safe. Her mother suggests, however, that the answer may lie in the alien that birthed her - one of the few remnants of an alien invasion from long ago. Hoping that she might be cured, Erin reluctantly agrees, and they go to see the aliens.
But when that plan results in Erin being kidnapped, she must find a way to understand the aliens that have kidnapped her while finding a way out. Because if she doesn't, not only may the aliens be evicted from the place that they have come to call home and return to raping pregnant women, but she may never find a way to reconcile with her best friend.
"Delicate Tentacles" is a coming of age story with a twist. As Erin tries to figure out who she is, she explores gender identities and roles, and what it means to be a human among aliens, all while trying to prevent her world from coming to an end.
I realize it's last-minute, as the entries open in about an hour, and I intend to turn mine in sometime tonight.
ETA: Blurb and manuscript entered!
First one:
She's not what she thought she was....
When Caroline Rulf had her daughter borne by an alien fifteen years ago, she couldn't have imagined the result. Now Erin, Caroline's daughter, has feelings she doesn't understand and impulses she finds hard to control, things that can't be explained away by mere puberty. After an incident with her best friend Annie, Erin desperately seeks the answer to why she's feeling and acting that way. An answer that may lay with the aliens, in particular the alien that gave birth to her all those years ago.
But the aliens are recluses, reluctant to come into contact with humans. Only allowing a small amount of human staff to talk to them, it's doubtful that they'll want to talk to Erin or her starry-eyed mother. Persuaded by human staff to do so, they do - and kidnap Erin, their one hope to see their species continue. Trapped in an alien enclave, Erin must talk the aliens into letting her go, something they don't want to do, even if it means being evicted from their home by the millitary. And then there's the whole thing with Annie, where Erin has to fix their friendship before it's too late....
A coming-of-age story with a science-fiction twist, "Delicate Appendages" is the story of a girl that isn't a girl, and the hopes and desires of a slowly-dying alien race.
Second one:
Erin Rulf's mother made a decision years ago to have her baby daughter carried to term by an alien. That wouldn't bother Erin so much if she didn't have emotions and impulses she could hardly control, and alien body parts she'd be happy to get rid of. When Erin pushes her best friend Annie against the wall, she's horrified and decides to get help.
That help, it turns out, is the reclusive alien that gave birth to Erin. But Erin's quest for answers is interrupted by the aliens kidnapping her - apparently, she's one of them, a third gender, more alien than she thought she was. To protect her, they intend to keep her. However, Erin has other plans, as does the military if the aliens don't return her back. Finding herself the unlikely savior of a bunch of aliens, Erin must either choose to be human and turn her back on what she is, or choose to be what she is, and become the savior of an entire species. And all she wants to do is make up with her best friend....
A coming of age story that blurs the line between human and alien, "Delicate Appendages" hinges on the choices of Erin, a normal fourteen year old girl who isn't very normal after all.
Third one:
In the farmlands of Central California, there's a small enclave of alien surrogates, the reculsive remnants of an alien invasion. College student Caroline used one of those surrogates to carry her daughter Erin to term - and now Erin's paying the price.
Erin Rulf just wants to be normal. But with tentacles coming out of her private spot, as well as feelings and impulses she can't always control, she is not. And even less so when she pushes her best friend, Annie, against the fence. Immediately sorry for what she did, she seeks out answers from her mother - but finds that the only answers might be from the aliens.
The aliens are far more willing to talk than anyone would suspect, but Erin intrigues them and they kidnap her. Caught in the aliens' world of strict roles and unbending loyalty to their own sex, Erin must find her way out, figure out who she is, and decide what she's going to do now. And that doesn't even touch the fact that she has a best friend to apologize to....
In a world of humans and alien surrogates, "Delicate Appendages" takes a look into what might be. A science fiction twist on the story of coming of age, it features discussions of gender roles, alien cultures, and what it means to be human in a world that's not quite our own.
Fourth one:
Erin Rulf is a normal kid. She's got ordinary plans, plans to go to high school, go to college, become a CPA. But what's not so normal about Erin was that she was birthed by an alien surrogate parent, and she has the tentacles to prove it. Now, those are more embarrassing than bad, and she'd put up with them if it weren't for the feelings and impulses that went with them - feelings and impulses that ultimately cause her friend Annie against the wall to do something unimaginable to her.
Fortunately, Erin stops in time, terrified and confused. Running home, she suggests to her mother that they put her away somewhere safe. Her mother suggests, however, that the answer may lie in the alien that birthed her - one of the few remnants of an alien invasion from long ago. Hoping that she might be cured, Erin reluctantly agrees, and they go to see the aliens.
But when that plan results in Erin being kidnapped, she must find a way to understand the aliens that have kidnapped her while finding a way out. Because if she doesn't, not only may the aliens be evicted from the place that they have come to call home and return to raping pregnant women, but she may never find a way to reconcile with her best friend.
"Delicate Tentacles" is a coming of age story with a twist. As Erin tries to figure out who she is, she explores gender identities and roles, and what it means to be a human among aliens, all while trying to prevent her world from coming to an end.
