The Pyrenees---Southern France

The Pyrenees---Southern France

Friday, August 5, 2016

Beginning of Post-Retirement Work... and Back-of-the-Book Blurb Friday #20

          Yes, while some of my newly-retired writing friends like Pat and Val/Kathy are lolling around in their jammies all day (Every day is Saturday!) I have officially started working this week. Official meaning all-day workshops and schlepping stuff up to my third floor classroom. (I did some unofficial work last week with some of the heavier things.)

            Yesterday, as I made my sixth trip up the steps with a tall stack of stuff, the custodian said, "You should have put it on the elevator." For a millioneth of a second, I thought it might be possible I'd missed a door that said "elevator," but then he laughed.

          Hysterically. 

          I already have a plan to prank him back.

          So Val/Kathy and Pat--drink some Diet Coke or coffee while you're lounging around the house this morning... and afternoon, and take a few sips for me.

           Now onto book blurb fun.
  • Look at the photo below. That is the cover of your book.
  • You choose the genre. Romance? Sci-fi? Contemporary lit? Nonfiction? Poetry anthology? A collection of polka lyrics. You decide.
  • Write an enticing blurb--150 words or less. (The title doesn't count in the word count.) Lisa Ricard Claro was the creative brain behind this activity.
  • Include your blurb in a blog post. Include a link to this post.
  • Link your post to Mr. Linky. Mr. Linky is quite easygoing. If you've never done it, you'll be impressed with how simple he is.
  • Check out the other blurb(s). It's interesting to see the different directions writers take, given the same photo.
  • And most importantly, have fun. This is supposed to be enjoyable.
          Here is the photo for this week, and my finished blurb:





They Never Forget

She stared at him. The man who screamed at her. The man who humiliated her. The man who jabbed a bull hook into her so many times, she had scars on top of scars.

And then she let loose.

She let loose of all her heartache over having babies wrenched away from her. She let loose of all the humiliation over having to perform for a jeering crowd. She let loose of all the pain she felt every day: a small stall was no life compared to being free in a herd of elephants.


Tossing her trainer in the air, she trumpeted her joy as he catapulted across the circus ring and landed with a loud thud. And then she trotted towards the audience to try and tell them her story... so they'd never go to a circus until all wild animals were retired and sent to sanctuaries. (148 words)



       And for those writers who want to work ahead, here is the photo for next week (August 12th):


(This is a photo by Lynn Obermoeller.)




8 comments:

  1. Oh, you poor working woman! I did, in fact, read this in my pajamas, around 10:00 a.m. Then at 11:30, I went out to fetch my daily 44 oz Diet Coke.

    Oh, dear. Yours has a message as heart-wrenching as a Sarah McLachlan commercial. I hang my head in shame at the frivolity of my fake book! Well done, Madam.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Val/Kathy--It's a shame you actually have to get dressed to get your daily elixir. If you had a soda dispenser and got the right tanks, you could run around the estate sans clothes and STILL get your Diet Coke fix every day.

      I'm playing a microscopic violin right now. Can you hear me?

      Delete
  2. Good here, Miss S, and some things rolling through my head. I might like to try to do it this week if at all possible!

    Please don't overwork yourself. I know this job will be more fun for you , but be sure an build lots of good times for yourself otherwise. Learn from me, you don't whats around the corner and now it time to have some fun! You have worked for it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Claudia--I'm glad you're feeling better at this moment... or at least I hope you're feeling better. You do know--don't you?--that you've got lots of people thinking good thoughts and saying prayers and pulling for you.

      Thanks. I think the work I'll be doing will be enjoyable, which makes all the difference in the world.

      Delete
  3. This was a great story! I just finished reading something about a city in TN where in the early 1900s an elephant from a visiting circus killed 2 people. A trial was held and the elephant was sentenced. When 5 bullets didn't kill her, she was sent to Erwin, TN to be hung from a crane until death. Amazing that I just read that before reading your story!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pst--It's horrifying what has been done and is done to elephants. There is a children's book called "The Faithful Elephants" that is a true story and makes me cry every time I read it. It's about what the zookeepers did to the animals at a Japanese zoo (I think the Tokyko one) during the war, and is read aloud on the radio every year to remind people the horrors of war.

      Delete
  4. Will miss seeing you at critique! Maybe you can stop in when you have a day off. Looking forward to hearing all about your new gig.

    Pat
    Critter Alley

    ReplyDelete
  5. Will miss seeing you at critique! Maybe you can stop in when you have a day off. Looking forward to hearing all about your new gig.

    Pat
    Critter Alley

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your comments. I appreciate you taking the time to stop by...