The Pyrenees---Southern France

The Pyrenees---Southern France

Friday, July 28, 2017

All About Ravens and Back-of-the-Book Blurb # 69

        
         While at the Grand Canyon last week, I learned some things about ravens that made me admire the birds even more than I previously did.

          These fascinating birds--about the size of red-tailed hawk--fly upside down and do somersaults in the sky, just for fun. They drop sticks and then swoop down to get them before they hit the ground, in their solo game of fetch. They live to be 25-30 years old, and can make 100 different vocalizations--everything from a wolf to a toilet flushing.

          However, the most surprising thing I learned was a study they did with ravens. People wore masks with different expressions. People with a certain mask were mean to the ravens. People with a certain mask were kind to the ravens. People with a certain mask were playful with the ravens.

          Generations of ravens later, the birds still responded correctly. The younger birds--birds that had never seen people in the masks--stayed away from the masked people who were deemed as dangerous. They flocked to the kind ones and the fun ones, even though they had never encountered the people in the original study.

         Wow. What brilliant birds.

         And now onto the business of book blurb.

Look at the photo below. That is the cover of your bookYou choose the genre. Is it a nonfiction piece? Is it a guide for nudists? You decide.

Write an enticing blurb--150 words or less. (The title doesn't count in the word count.) Blurbs are those enticing bits that prod you into buying the book. Sometimes they're on the back cover of the book. Sometimes they're on the inside front cover. What they always try to do is lure you into purchasing the book. 


Lisa Ricard Claro was the original creator of this writing challenge. She moved to Florida and is now enjoying some much-deserved beach time--on a weekly basis, probably. (If you check out her blog and read this week's post, you can even see what she sees when she looks out the window of her writing room. Be prepared to drool. It's a lovely view.)

Include your blurb in a blog post. Include a link to this post. Also, link your post to Mr. Linky. Mr. Linky is easy. If you've never done it, you'll be impressed with how simple he is. And then, check out the other blurb(s). It's interesting to see the different directions writers take, given the same photo.

Here's the book cover, along with my blurb:





The Man With No Plan


Edwin went to the Grand Canyon for the first time. He was a pantser. In his everyday life he flew by the seat of his pants, so the trip was no different. He went into the park with only the clothes he wore, a half-filled tube of sunscreen and a gallon of water.
Unaware that the terrain was quite rough in spots, he snagged up this pants, shirt and boxers until they were shredded. Having no other choice, he took them off, and then admired the view below him.
Then Edwin realized that somewhere during his hike, he’d lost his car keys.
Will he have enough water to avoid dehydration? Will he have enough sunscreen to avoid his man-bits turning into crispy critters? Will he make it out alive, or will he have to find a herd of elk to live with? (147 words)




And for Val and Pat and anyone else who'd like to play along, here is the photo for next week:



How about you? What animal do you admire, and why?

13 comments:

  1. A raven chased me and my friend in Alaska and dropped rocks on us. TRUE!
    Your blurb photo makes me concerned about the nudist and the ravens.

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    Replies
    1. Linda--I hadn't even thought about putting the ravens in there. Those sharp beaks would make for a more tragic story, I'm sure.

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  2. Been awhile since I have seen a naked man ..... standing on a big rock. I see a naked man every night ..... but, alas, no big rock.

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    1. Kathy--Your comment made me chuckle. Maybe you need to buy the big rock yourself and present him with the bill?

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  3. Sucks to be Edwin! I hope he watched some survival shows!

    I admire most animals. They each have adapted characteristics that allow them to survive. Except maybe possums. I don't admire possums. They need to get to work on that whole road/car thing.

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    Replies
    1. Val--Armadillos, too. They get frightened and jump up in the air, ensuring the car's bumper/grill hits them. If only they jumped off to the side--onto the shoulder.

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    2. Possums are freaky but they are great at eating ticks! So having some around is not a bad thing.

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    3. We used to have 26 chickens who were good at eating ticks. But the neighbor dogs were better at eating chickens!

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  4. We saw ravens at the West Rim. They were huge and loved to hang around the picnic area to beg for treats.

    Pat
    www.patwahler.com

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    Replies
    1. Pat--There's where we saw most of them as well--where the food was.

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  5. Well, that is fascinating about the ravens! As for animals I admire, I'd have to say the simple house cat. I mean, look at how cats have trained humans to wait on them paw and uh, other paw, while cats do what? Sit around looking cute and/or arrogant? It's absolutely amazing. :-)

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    Replies
    1. Cathy--We also clean out their kitty litter pan and wipe their butt when they get too old or fat to do it themselves.

      Yes, a cat in a good home has a wonderful life.

      Delete
  6. Love the blurb! Travel and hiking are right up my alley! Of course, I'm petrified of losing my keys when we hike so we always carry both sets with us in case one of us loses one.

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