[Peter Graham]

Hello and welcome, Lyrebyrd,

Empathy (noun): The gift of understanding or ability to sense the feelings and experiences of another without having such communicated fully or explicitly.

It’s the mid-5th century BCE and Corinth has become a busy, bustling metropolis with ships and traders coming in and going out daily. Streets are packed with people, merchants shouting their wares, and priests conducting sacrifices to the gods, and it seems the world comes to Corinth - if they can afford it. It’s the place to be, should you desire to make or lose money, and there is no place with so much chance for pleasure and entertainment as this city where Aphrodite holds sway.

To Mina, daughter of a Corinthian heterae, an expensive and skilled prostitute, it’s a headache at best, and living hell at worst. Born with a curse that had her thrown out on the streets and with no skill at any particular trade, her twentieth birthday is approaching with no prospects in sight. Her only use for the gods is their sanctuaries, where she can get a place to sleep at night, and a dim hope that a set of priests will accept her as one of theirs so that she has a foundation to work from.

On top of that, her curse is getting worse, and she’s no longer just fighting to survive, but to keep from slipping into madness as she slowly loses sight of the blurring line between herself and the thousands of Corinthian inhabitants.

Sometimes the difference between a gift and a curse isn’t all that different.

If I were you, I wouldn't spend any more time thrashing out the perfect blurb, unless you have a fair part of the story down and written already. What you appear to have here is notes or even a precis for the work, rather than a book blurb. I'd keep it that way. My own notes are scribbled on the back of my car insurance cover note and, in my view at least, don't need any more formality.

Your story sounds interesting and Mina could be a very engaging and complex character. The very word "Corinth" conjures up long hours exciting daydreaming during Classics lessons when I was naught but a cub.

Stick the blurb in the drawer and let us have a look at a bit of the action.

Regards,

Peter