Cat Got Your Tongue?

It sometimes amazes me how difficult it is to say much with so few words.  I once prided myself on the ability to be what I called "The Reader's Digest" of writers.  I still omit much more detail than most writers, but I am no longer short story driven.  I seem to enjoy the depth and intricacies of a novel.

Now I am faced with the challenge of taking that novel and summarizing it in a few words.  Knowing what I put into the various layers of the novel, I am finding it hard to shrink it to less than a hundred words and still capture the depth of the novel's meaning.

My second challenge is:  "About the Author."  What does one say about himself?  Too much and I am conceited...too little and I am seen as boring.  How do I balance humility with important detail?  Would love some advice.  I guess the cat's got my tongue.