Writing flash-fiction by my reckoning, is the best means for any writer to learn the art of honing one's work and making every word count!  Even when a snippet is extracted from a novel for purposes of becoming an excerpt, impact is key. That excerpt is supposed to help sell your novel. It has to convey essence of the book's content. "But that's easy" you might say, "I'll select a thrilling or sexy bit."  OK, one or the other or both might capture a reader's attention, and just for that moment in time the thrill factor or the sexy bit may well incite the reader to look more closely at what's on offer, more especially if they particularly like sexy novels and or thrillers.. But, here's the "but factor" what if the reader is  thinking what else is there besides a bit of hot sex and the odd thrilling episode?

Die-hard readers of erotica seek sexy passages and die-hard thriller seekers buzz on hard-grit. How then can we as writers capture the reader who reads novels across the board - the person who likes a good story with romance and thrill factor, and a meaningful story that can shock one, make one cry and make one think? I hope I'm doing that with this snippet posted for the Romantic Friday Writers' challenge. I picked out a fourteen-year old boy's perspective of viewing the possibility of a new dad (step dad), plus his thoughts on his best mate's observations and something his elder sister mentioned, which affords a little insight as to his character and of things going on around him. Needless to say the snippet is from a Romantic Suspense/Thriller and posted on my blog.