Back-of-the-Book Blurb Friday #7

         It's book blurb time. Time to stretch your succinct skills. Here's the basics:

• Use the photo (by Bryan Hanson over at Morguefile) of the tennis shoes as the front cover of a book.
• You decide what kind of book it is. A sci-fi novel. A YA story. A murder mystery. The possibilities are endless. You could even use this as the cover of romance novel. (Just picture heaving bosoms overflowing the shoes.)
• You come up with a title and a blurb--the blurb is the bait that will appear on the back cover.
• Your blurb should be 150 words or less (not including the title).
• You can jazz up the photo any way you'd like. You can put a title on it. You can also include fake reviews. 
• Post your blurb on your blog, and then link it to this post via Mr. Linky. If you have the time and the inclination, you can also check out the other blurbs, to see what direction they headed in...
• And if you enjoy reading these blurbs, go over to Lisa Ricard Claro's site and thank her. She was the writer who began this prompt a long time ago. Now she's a big-time, multi-book author (she calls James Patterson "Jimmy-Boy," that's how famous she now is).
   

Here's my blurb: (I've set the bar really low this week ;)

The Skinny-Dipping Damsel's Distress

It was a sweltering July. Her summer job crammed every day full of boredom, but the afternoons and evenings were Savannah's to savor. And savor she did. Swimming. Midnight bonfires. Cruising through town with the radio blasting.

One Tuesday, it was too humid to walk home without doing something to cool off. The river seemed to beckon her, as it often did. Savannah peeled off her damp clothing. There was a steep hill that overlooked the river, and she always chose a secluded spot around a bend of the river, so she felt completely safe.

But when Savannah finished skinny-dipping, her clothes had vanished. Frantically, she ran up the hill... and what she saw--along with her shoes--made her scream. Read to find out how Savannah's innocent swim session turned into something awful. (135 words)

           And of course, here's the photo for next week. Drink in all the details, and think about what kind of story you can cook up.

photo by Bryan Hanson at Morguefile

Everybody

       Everybody has a story to tell. I firmly believe that. In fact, most people have many stories to tell. Or they have one really long story to share.

       Last night I had the privilege of dining with some fabulous women... and then I was lucky enough to be on a panel with them.

From left to right: Donna Volkenannt, Linda O'Connell, Sherri Stanczak,
Pat Wahler, and some random passerby (Dianna Graveman--
not pictured as she--cleverly--chose to be the photographer for the evening)

      The message of the night was: write. There were people in the audience who are dreaming of being published. There were people who are hesitant--they're on the brink of being a writer. The panel shared some tips for getting a story published by Chicken Soup but really, they were all great suggestions for writing in general.

       And for some of us, we might have to be the one taking down another person's story. If you have a parent or other elderly relative (an aunt/uncle, a cousin or grandparent), maybe you need to sit down with them, turn on your phone or your tablet, and start them talking... while you're filming them. Simple questions like, "What did you do for fun when you were a kid?" and "What were holidays like with your family?" and "Talk about any trips you took with your family" are invitations for them to talk. And talk. And talk. Make it casual and fun.

        If you're thinking, 'I can do this during the summer,' or next month or next year, do it now.

       Because this summer or next month might be too late...