Vindaloo is Whoo Hoo... Margaret Atwood Came to St. Louis... and Back-of-the-Book Blurb #77

         A month ago I fell in love with a vindaloo sauce. Slip some chicken into that stuff, bake it, and it was spicy... but just the right amount of heat.

        My husband looked for more (at the same grocery store) but they had discontinued stocking it. I was cranky acting like I always do. I was jonesing for some vindaloo. 

        Hubby came to the rescue. Or was he trying to kill me? He found some online, and ordered a six pack of the jarred concoction of the gods. Waiting for that package was difficult as I salivated over future vindaloo dinners. I promised my daughter-in-law a jar of it. ("It would make a great quick dinner for you, after teaching all day," I said. Little did I know that my promise might later be construed as premeditation...)

      Well, that sauce that was delivered was labeled "hot and spicy," and they didn't mean hot by white-as-notebook-paper people standards. Immediately, I discovered that "hot" by Indian standards means "permanently burn your tastebuds" hot. 

      (If anyone would like a jar of it, I'd be happy to give you one. Don't be nervous when I hand it to you and I've got an oven mitt on...)

       Now onto a hot writer--Margaret Atwood.

       She's the author of The Handmaid's Tale and earlier this week, she came to St. Louis. I didn't get to see her, but my daughter sent me a link to an article about her appearance... in case you're interested.

        Tonight I'm going to see Sherman Alexie (I am pinching myself, I'm so excited) so I won't be able to respond to the dozens one comment on this post until much later this evening. 

        And now onto book blurb stuff:


And now onto our book blurb of the week.

            Look at the photo below. That is the cover of your book. You choose the genre. Is it a love story about a senior citizen and her bingo dauber? Is it an insider's tale, exposing the horrors of bingo halls? 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 too busy to host a weekly book blurb. Her first romance novel, Love Built to Last, just came out as an audio book. Thankfully, she and her hubster and their home are safe and sound. (By the way, years ago, Lisa predicted that writing these silly blurbs would help with writing the real thing and by cracky, she's right.)

          Okay, back to book blurb stuff.
       

          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: 

   

Jean’s Packin’ Something in Her Depends

Jean was sick and tired of the fast and loosey-goosey bingo games at the nursing home. She’d complained. She’d written letters. Now she’d have to show them she means business.

Every Tuesday, she’d come early, set up her daubers and her good-luck trinkets, and then she’d peruse the prize table. No matter what Jean set her sights on—a dollar-store stuffed animal or a plastic rain bonnet—and no matter what threats she’d hiss (“That one’s gonna be mine! Stay away from the pink panda or I’ll slip you a whole box of Ex-Lax in your pudding.”), some blue-haired biddy would snatch Jean’s prize before she had the chance to win it.

Some hot lead will show ‘em she’s serious. Are those old folks feelin’ lucky… ‘cause Jean sure is. (128 words)

For those who want to work ahead on next week's blurb, here is the photo:

Silence is NOT Golden... Back-of-the-Book Blurb #76... and Radar's Got Some Bling

       The late comedian and activist, Dick Gregory, once said, "You must have agitation. Think about it. You put water and soap into the washing machine. If you don't have any agitation, you just end up with a bunch of dirty laundry." (This was the quote to the best of my recollection. I heard him say it on an interview that I watched on TV.)

        In St. Louis, we have a bunch of dirty laundry that has never been fully aired... and some people wonder if agitation is truly necessary.

       Since Friday, St. Louis has been on fire. Protests. Face-offs. Concerts have been cancelled (U2 and Ed Sheeran). Shops have closed down early. Malls have filled up with protesters. Business has been disrupted.

        Some people wonder if "all that" is necessary.

        I wonder what's going to work...

        Mere conversations haven't worked. Marching in the streets hasn't worked. Chants. Signs. Collaborations between communities and churches and community representatives haven't worked.

        As the Cuba Gooding, Jr. character in the movie Jerry McGuire says, "Show me the money," perhaps it might make a difference if St. Louis residents don't show the money. Back in Montgomery in 1955 and 1956, the bus boycotts worked because they disrupted business. Business-owners' pocketbooks were hurt... and a change came.

        A sign I saw (via the televised news) this weekend gave me a hard nudge. "White silence = violence." I know what they're saying. However, I might be tempted to make the plea to change "violence" to "acceptance," although I know that silence/acceptance leads to the violence.

        I am going to have to start opening my mouth...

       Before we get to the book blurb (which is late, I know, I know), I wonder: What is your BHAG? If you wonder what a BHAG is, check out my post on The Muffin. (Hint: It involves the brilliant and talented Renee Roberson.)

 And now onto our book blurb of the week.

            Look at the photo below. That is the cover of your book. You choose the genre. Is it an insider's story by Michael Moore? Is it nonfiction book about the meat industry? 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 too busy to host a weekly book blurb. Her first romance novel, Love Built to Last, just came out as an audio book. She left Florida temporarily, supposedly because of Hurricane Irma, 

          Okay, back to book blurb stuff.
       

          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 Newest White Meat on the Block

“Not all of those wackadoodles are vegans. Some of ‘em just like to play around with knives and swords and run around in kilts and puffy shirts. And most of those crazies love meat.”

It was Renaissance Faire time. The time when women hoisted up all the cleavage they could summon… so they could put it on display. The time when lute music wafted through the woods. The time when mermaids, unicorns and jousting collided in one wacky weekend.

           Walter Theodore Franklin and Ima Knot Kidding wanted to offer a new taste sensation to lure an even bigger crowd than last year--and they found what they figured would be a winner. Unicorn meat.

They got the meat certified (by a butcher that was certifiably crazy), thanks to some plaster-of-paris and duct tape. Now all they had to do was create some delicious dishes…

… and hope for rave reviews. (149 words)

Love a Golden Rescue had their reunion picnic on
Saturday, to celebrate the families who've adopted our dogs.
The theme was "Doggywood" so the girl dogs got carnations to
clip onto their collars and the boy dogs got gold lame' bow ties.
Unfortunately for Radar's tres macho reputation, the bow tie
was so small, it was eclipsed by his ruffly fur when worn the
way it was supposed to be worn... hence the more feminine
positioning...

         For those folks who want at least a few days to work on the blurb for this week (since it's Monday already), here is the picture for the next book blurb: