The Pyrenees---Southern France

The Pyrenees---Southern France

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Jokes, Anyone? and Back-of-the-Book Blurb #83

        Well, it's day three of NaNoWriMo. I've written all three days, but am already two-days' worth of words behind. By the end of today I should have written more than 4,8000 words. Instead, I have 1,788 words...

      ...which is okay, because I like the gauzy as cotton candy plan I've created. I'm writing a middle-grades novel. The main character: Nathan, an 8th grader who loves to pull pranks and tell jokes. When he finds out a teenager was lynched in 1955 all because of a joke, Nathan does some research... and gets immersed in a horrible historical moment.

       I began from a different perspective, but it didn't feel right. At all. So, today I switched, and the story's being told from Nathan's perspective... and it feels right.

      Will I be able to rack up 20-25,000 words by the end of November? Will I be able to write the story from beginning to end by November 30? Only time will tell. However, one thing I know for sure: I will have made more progress than if I hadn't even started NaNoWriMo.

      But I need your help. If you have a favorite joke or two--they need to be kid-friendly--I'd love to hear them. Pranks and jokes are going to pepper the story. One of my students was reading over my shoulder on Thursday, gave me a sly look and knowingly said, "That's an interesting story, Mrs. R," and then he laughed. However, Nathan doesn't know (yet) that he's the star of this WIP...

         And now onto the business of the book blurb...

         Look at the photo below. That is the cover of your bookYou choose the genre. Is it a coffee table book of fashion trends? Is it a photo collection of mentally-ill patients and their clothing choices? 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's quite busy these days. One thing she's been stuck with lately is using an electric cattle prod on me, since I'm late (almost always) with this Friday post (like I am late this week). Maybe some day soon, I can consistently post on a timely basis...
         
          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 Power of Words

Adara was silent. Always. Being a woman, she knew her place. The men in her life spoke for her. They told her what she wanted. They gave her what she needed. They told her what she thought.

Her father. Her brother. They were the center of Adara’s universe. They were her universe. They eclipsed everything, to the point there was no room for Adara.

But when her application for a fellowship in London was accepted, Adara knew her world was going to change… forever. Her family was not happy, but they told her to contact her London cousins when she got settled… and they could take over for Adara’s father and brother.

However, Adara plans on disappearing. She isn’t going to let any of her family know of her new address.

Soon, she is going to be able to think her own thoughts and create her own universe… with words. (150 words)


And for those dozens of writers who play along each week (ha), here is the photo for next week, so you can work ahead:





Monday, October 30, 2017

What Terrifies You?

      I still remember watching the movie "The Birds" for the first time. I know I was not yet a teenager, and being afraid was delicious. It was fun squealing and covering my eyes... as long as it was done in a safe place. (After reading about how some of the scenes were filmed, I now think that Alfred Hitchcock was the scariest part of that movie. If you don't know what Tippi Hedren endured to get the movie filmed, check out this article.)



      Probably close to the same time, I read the book Rosemary's Baby, which had me on the edge of my seat.

       As an adult I've continued my love of being scared, of being creeped out. Mostly, it's been via ink on paper. "Silence of the Lambs" was scary-suspenseful at times. So was "Psycho." (I just saw the new version of "It" and was not scared in the least. Can anybody recommend a scary movie?)

       Here are some of my favorite scary books:

  • The Shining by Stephen King
  • The Fireman by Joe Hill (Stephen King's son)
  • NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (again, did you pick up on it? He's Stephen King's son)
    What scary books or movies can you add to this list? Terrified minds want to know...