I am working on my synopsis as I work on a pitch for a contest online. The great mistake I've made is to fail to highlight the humor in the novel. It's all good stuff, but in focusing on the drama I've pigeonholed the work into the world of Ponderous, Slavish Historical Fiction. Which some of the action does feed into, to be sure. All the religion, death, and ruling-of-stuff - it's natural Ponderous Fiction fodder. I know it.
But Clovis is a sharp character, and not only in his ability to strategize. Throughout the novel, humor cuts, humor alienates, humor leavens, it even binds. The relationship with his queen is characterized, at times, by the way they duel with one another's words, and by the way they use the to manipulate themselves closer.
This post is a piece of what I am working on for the pitch, I won't pretend and you're all smart enough you know that.
Humor. I need to remember it - and honor it. It's one of the aspects of the work I find most alive and engaging, actually.
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