Why I chose the excerpt I did

…to pitch Sonata at the end of Prelude.

To clarify:
it’s not chapter one. It’s not even in chapter one.
There’s also a prologue to the second book, but I didn’t post that either. The section that was posted is in chapter 3, near the end of that chapter.

So why not just use the prologue?

Because, honestly? I felt like it was too spoilery.

So why not use the first chapter?

The first chapter was a lot of the obligatory “let’s review” that wouldn’t have been interesting for people who just finished Prelude. Also, despite having some real purpose and interactions, it’s not hinting at the overall conflict of Sonata.

So I’m left with a strange balance to strike. When I pitched ideas to my line-editor and my mother (who is unfortunately saddled as my consultant on a lot of my story), they both agreed that it was a solid choice that didn’t give away too many details.

It couldn’t be too far into the story, however, because then there would be a major lapse in information. So that narrows it down.

It’s hard to be calculating and guess what people will assume or not assume based on a blurb, so it’s all fumbling and guesswork. In the end, I think it was a solid choice, though.