I didn't reply. I knew that even if I said, "My favorite pie is Norma Rae's raisin and French fig," (a made-up pie) she'd surf the internet and then failing to find it, would improvise. Lynn is like that. She'll find out what our favorite pie/cake/candy/entree is, file it away, and then--voila--she prepares it when it's our birthday or some other special occasion.
Lynn's also a master baker. She makes her melt-in-your-mouth pie crusts from scratch.
On Wednesday, I was hoping for coconut pie. I hate coconut, which meant I could easily resist eating a piece.
What I found (instead of coconut creme pie) was irresistible. Lynn made my grandmother's chocolate chiffon pie. It was sponge-y. It was decadent and it was spectacular. She had gotten the recipe from me years ago and--of course--had not misplaced it.
(Perhaps you can't see them in this photo, but the sign of a great chocolate chiffon pie are the tiny air pockets, which come from the whipped egg whites that are folded into the chocolate mixture. It makes a light and frothy filling. I was at least glad to hear that Lynn doubts her "folding" ability when it comes to baking because I do, too. I always wonder if I am indeed folding, or if I'm merely stirring in a screwy way, resulting in a heavier pie.)
What my critique partners know is that my story would not have been accepted as a Listen to Your Mother piece in its original form. It's a story about my son, and I worded some details that made the reader think that, well... well, the way I wrote it, it seemed like my son and I had an unnatural (and illegal) relationship. If I hadn't gotten a great deal of much-needed constructive criticism, after I auditioned, the show's producers would have called the DFS child abuse hotline on me.
Thankfully, I got the support and help I needed before the audition happened. And when we met this past Wednesday, we found we had a more important reason to celebrate: Kim has a new grandson. (Kim's daughter has been trying to start a family, she and her husband waded through piles of paperwork and created a video and two-and-a-half weeks after their story went "live" on the site, she got a call... and a baby boy.) Congratulations, Kim!
And now--onto that book blurb stuff...
Look at the photo below. That is the cover of your book. You choose the genre. An informational book on car mini Mariachi bands? A crime story about little boys who form a gang of robbers? 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.
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. However, she's been busy for the last few years. A three-book publishing deal. Another novel (or two) in the works. Building up her editing business...
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:
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| photo by pixabay
Getting Rich to Get Candy
Juan and Carlos loved candy, and they loved Sour Patch Kids candy the best. When they’d do their chores or make good grades in school, they’d beg for the makes-your-mouth-pucker stuff, but their parents believed in only nature’s candy: fruit. In the Gonzalez house, it was all healthy, nutritious food, all the time.
The boys dreamed of the sugary stuff… so they came up with a plan to make some money so they could buy their own candy.
Picking a spot on the street near their home, Juan and Carlos set up their own miniature musical venue. They borrowed some accordions their uncle had up in his attic, and started playing.
Will they be able to teach themselves how to play the buttonbox? Will they learn to squeeze some pleasant tunes out of the squeezebox? Or will they start making the most money from people who beg them to stop? (150 words)
And for Val, who likes to work ahead, here is the photo for next week.
photo by pixabay
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