The PNWA writers’ conference is coming up, and here’s a draft of a pitch for novel number two, You Jane, first constructed in 2010’s NaNoWriMo frenzy. I’m not sure I’ve got it right yet – tell me what you think:

Jane’s a frustrated writer who’s been in love with her best friend Charlie since their college days. Charlie just wants to be a good dad to his little son, even if it means staying in his unhappy marriage. Their friend Sam roams the country with only his knapsack, trying to find his way out of his own personal hell. They’re stuck, but their world is about to be shaken up by the “parables” Jane writes: little stories that have an upsetting tendency to come true in the real world, creating havoc for Jane and her friends. Jane’s tried to stop the parables by running away to Spokane, Japan, and an ashram, and by drowning them (and herself) in booze. One of these parables nearly destroyed her friendship with Charlie almost twenty years ago; now another story’s sending his little boy into grave danger.

Jane, Charlie, Sam, and their friends gather around Molly’s bar, drawn by the manipulations of a wicked spirit who knows it’s time for their world to turn upside down. The stories come thick and fast: dogs, cats, frogs, a pygmy goat, a sock monkey, and a talking fox all play their roles to the hilt. Jane will have to put down the booze, face her fears, and conjure up one more parable to save Charlie’s son – and maybe lose him forever in the process. By telling the truth, Jane finally learns how to create a real story of friendship, sacrifice, and love.