TITLE: YA
GENRE: Secret
There’s no glamor in vomit. I should know. I spend half my days up to my elbows in it. Today is no different. Our patient is Tommy, a seven-year-old boy with a nasty case of stomach flu. I’m quite certain Mother Superior saves all of the messy ones for me. She’s probably sipping tea at the bedside of some duchess with the sniffles, while I’m in the middle of Thornham attempting to pick regurgitated corn out of my laces.
With a grumble, I turn on the kitchen tap. Sister Bernadette is supposed to be helping me. Actually, I am supposed to be helping her, but she’s busy “resting her eyes” which is Sister-Bernadette-speak for “snoring on the settee”. I don’t know why they call me a nurse’s aide when I do all the work she is meant to do.
Miss Snark's First Victim
Fantasy! And can I say how much I love this first line? I picked up the genre when I reached the name of the place, Thornham. Before that, the mention of Mother Superior and a "duchess" made me think Fantasy or Historical fiction, but the fictional place name really solidified it. Great work! Not only am I grounded, with the voice I am totally hooked.
ReplyDeleteHistorical. Mention of the dutchess, mother superior and settee with no mention of very modern technology. Mention of a tap and the title nurse's aid make me guess that it take place sometime during the 1900's.
ReplyDeleteHistorical.
ReplyDeleteI feel for your character, up to her elbows in vomit! The duchess, the settee and the name Thornham all pointed me in the Historical direction. She reminds me of the young kitchen maid in Downton Abbey.
Can't tell
ReplyDeleteMy first thought was historical because of the mention of the duchess. But then you mention turning on a tap for water, and that seems very modern, so I guess it could be fantasy. I'm just not sure, but I do love the first line.
Historical - the laces, duchess, settee. Loved the opening line :). The only detail I wondered about was "kitchen tap." Sounded too modern for the rest of the description.
ReplyDeleteHistorical
ReplyDeleteduchess, laces, Mother Superior.
Historical.
ReplyDeleteIf this is correct, "kitchen tap" might be changed to "water tap." If this is more modern, "kitchen faucet" would be better.
Period Drama, which would actually be a fascinating choice for YA if I'm right. Not seeing a fantasy element, since Thornham sounds like such a traditional British manor name. But the language has an Austin vibe, and the medical realism is just very historical. I'm thinking there could be some romance later, but that it wouldn't be the main focus, just based on how much personality we have from the main character already. Very vivid.
ReplyDeleteHistorical? Not absolutely certain that I have the genre right but I am definitely hooked would love to read more, which is more important, really.
ReplyDeleteHistorical
ReplyDelete"Duchess" sounds that way to me.
Historical--
ReplyDeleteThe visuals all lend themselves to a glamorous former time...except for the kitchen tap. That brings it forward, time-wise, but still 'feels' historical to me.
Historical fiction, but I'm not sure. Good luck, Sarah
ReplyDeleteI'm going with historical though I'm unsure. The fact she's working as a nurse's aide among nuns seems historical, but the references to 'laces' made me think sneakers, which made it feel modern. But then, 'laces' could refer to a corset or some other article of clothing I know nothing about.
ReplyDeleteContemporary.
ReplyDeleteIn the worst convent boarding school ever.
Steam Punk
ReplyDeleteHistorical setting: mother superior is helping a duchess with the sniffles, with modern elements: tap water, understanding of vomit being a symptom of stomach flu
I am going to go with the masses and say historical BUT I acknowledge this could also be Christian fiction. I don't really get a 'she's-a-nun' vibe from the MC, but I suppose it's possible. Actually, I was thinking, up until the "nurse's aide" bit that the MC (female) was in an orphanage, tending to the younger children.
ReplyDeleteCONTEMPORARY
ReplyDeleteI don't feel a historical vibe here, not sure why. She seems quite modern to me. I get a vibe of an orphan or something who will soon be sprung into a new world.
historical
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope she's in for a change in scenery very soon!
I'm sorry, I just can't tell on this one.
ReplyDeleteHistorical
ReplyDeleteAnd I LOVE that first sentence. Hooked immediately.
Contemporary. It's got an old-fashioned feel, but not historical.
ReplyDeleteContemporary. Based on the voice of MC.
ReplyDeleteCONTEMPORARY
ReplyDeleteRunning tap water doesn't feel historical to me, else I'd say historical or fantasy. Feels very British :-)
Historical, but recent (1940's or later).
ReplyDeleteI say historical because I expect anything with nuns and duchesses in it to be historical rather than contemporary. That said, the tone is very contemporary and certain details (stomach flu, laces, kitchen tap) are contemporary.
Can't Tell
ReplyDeleteWas going to say Historical Romance but running water not very historical. I'm intrigued that a woman in a convent makes no mention of god whatsoever. This makes me think she does not belong here, which is why I might have said Romance.
Historical
ReplyDeleteBecause of all the sipping tea by a duchess and snoring on the settee references.
Historical
ReplyDeleteBecause of all the sipping tea by a duchess and snoring on the settee references.
Historical, early 20th cent?
ReplyDeletesounds like the church is more responsible for medical care than a hospital and that seems an appropriate timeframe for that along with the water tap
Contemporary
ReplyDeletethe language does not suggest historical, though I am curious about a modern teen working in a convent. Unless the MC is a volunteer or this is a Catholic school? This is one where I imagine the title would be helpful.
Historical.
ReplyDeleteThis one has some conflicting elements. The Mother Superior sipping tea with duchess sounds historical, as I don't think there are many nursing sisters around now. Duchess sounds English, but I'm not sure England has Mother Superiors. Cleaning corn from laces could mean shoe laces or dress laces. The term stomach flu is fairly modern. It was hard to tell.
Historical
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot that points to historical, but you do have those few modern touches -the tap water, the nurses aide, and I got the impression the 'sisters' weren't nuns, but nurses, who I believe the English call sisters?
I CAN'T TELL
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if it's present day or historical. It doesn't feel like fantasy or science fiction or mystery. I'm sorry. I just don't know.
Historical fiction.
ReplyDeleteThe laces, in particular (though if it's very old, particularly if set in England, corn was for animals rather than people). The kitchen tap could still work for historical if it's a recent history (say, 1940s?)
From the Author:
ReplyDeleteIt's Historical YA, set in England in 1936 (which is why they have running water and shoe laces and would use the word tap instead of faucet).
For those of you who guessed she's an orphan, you are very clever. She is an orphan working with a group of sisters (the religious type) who are also nurses (which is why she understands influenza).