Watching the Tree Limbs is on my all time favourite novel list.

It well deserves the Christy Finalist status.

Here’s my try:

After making his friend walk home alone, an abused boy undertakes a frenzied search for her.

I’ll look for your book. I like the title. May it go all the way.
It’s always great when “one of us” makes a breakthrough.

Thanks, all, for your congrats.

My try:
An anguished and abused Texas boy searches for his missing friend Daisy.

My try:
An anguished and abused Texas boy searches for his missing friend Daisy.

Another go at the summary sentence:

An abused boy undertakes a frenzied search for his best friend Daisy, whose abduction he could have easily averted…

Mary, what a terrific honor! I’ll be sure to read your book.

Kill-Joy

My heart it leapt for joy,
For some it might annoy,
Like heart of stone,
Or Dry as bone,
Kill-ing time,
Punch-ing clocks,
But destroy?

There’s only so many ways to say some things. Too much grasping is worse than cliche. What may be old to us is always new to the coming generations. And further to this, just use logic…

Really, for some things that need to be said, the long winding road isn’t necessarily the best choice.

I am one who loves the lengthiness of Dickens, but I also understand that sometimes brevity is what’s called for and cliche’s sometimes say it best.

If I wanted to express the notion of killing time, I wouldn’t necessarily be only wasting time because to kill it is an active process, and wasting seems more passive. And some characters might chose to waste; others to kill, and still others chose to take it–just gently.

Using cliche’s: another good example of knowing when to break the rules.

Blessings,
Joleena

Chose instead of Choose?
Cliche’s instead of cliches?

I think my editor went out for coffee, and then came back and hit submit.

Coffee is supposed to help?

Blessings,
Joleena

And nice change, Randy. I won’t even attempt to improve upon it. You clarified the summary beautifully.