A Funny Movie, Our Beloved Dogs... and Back-of-the-Book Blurb # 105

Earlier this week I went to the theater to see the movie Book Club. I'd seen the trailers, and thought the film only focused on the women in the group (portrayed by Candice Bergen, Jane Fonda, Mary Steenbergen and Diane Keaton). My writing group decided to leave the critique table for an entertaining evening (not that our writing isn't entertaining). I was pleasantly surprised.

There were lots of laughs as all the women struggled with either finding love or rekindling a relationship. Yes, there were a couple of scenes that didn't ring quite true, and I imagine that a 30- or 40-year-old woman wouldn't laugh as much as a woman in her 50s or 60s would (and did, on Wednesday)... However, if you're looking for a humor-filled afternoon or evening, along with the chance to see some marvelously "preserved" women, go see Book Club. 

After the movie, a few of us gathered at Linda O'Connell's house. Linda and her husband have a rescued a kitty as part of their family. For most of the time that we sat on Linda's patio, enjoying the cool breezes (so rare during the summer), Kitty sat or walked around the kitchen, trying to get as close to "mom" as Kitty could. It got me thinking.

Radar--the most handsome golden retriever around
(He's smart, too.)

Dog owners all have their favorite breed, which is good. Some people love poodles. Some people are crazy about terriers. My daughter-in-law loves pugs. Thank goodness there's homes for even those hairless dogs. Something in our make-up/personality makes us gravitate to certain sizes and certain types of pets.

Me? I cannot deal with a small dog (I'd step on them or trip over them), and I guess I like 'em big and hairy since I've had goldens and golden mixes all of my adult life.

And now onto book blurb stuff.

Look at the photo below. That is the cover of your book. You choose the genre. Is it a coffee table book on women who use too much hairspray? Is it a photo collection of ladies who look like real characters? 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. Check out her blog, along with her books. She's a wonderful writer and a wonderful friend.

     

          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:

  

Eat This: The True Story of Maxine Messner

Maxine retired after too many years of bossing people around. Being
pushy helped her out as lead waitress at the Eat Rite Diner… but
now she was testing her family’s patience.

Getting back to work was the perfect solution, and Max could
make use of her bossy skills again. She began her own business.

“Do you go out to eat, and can’t make up your mind? Do you
spend 15 minutes poring over the menu? Let Maxine decide…”

For just $10, Max will sample all the dishes offered at the restaurant
where the client’s eating, and then she’ll tell that what they should
order.

“Oh sweetie, get the liver and onions. It’s divine.”

“But I hate liver. It’s gross.”

“Oh, you’ll order what Max tells you to, and you’ll like it.”

How long with Max be her own boss? Or will her pushy ways
push the customers away? (148 words)

Do you want to participate and write a book blurb next week? It's fun and it truly does hone one's ability to write blurb (for your future book). Here is the photo for next week:

A Birth Certificate (Finally), Getting Lost and Great Conversation

      This weekend I went out of town to Crane, a small town in southern Missouri. My sister and I went to visit a friend--Orvilene--who is in her 80s.

     On the way, we picked up my original birth certificate. More than six months ago, I requested it. (The laws about adoptees have changed, and now if our birth parents and our parents are deceased, or if everyone gives permission, we can get our original birth certificate. In my case, everyone is long gone.) 

     I was interested in seeing if a father was listed. He was not. However, it brings me a bit of satisfaction to see my birth mother's signature, along with the address where she was living when she delivered me.

    While in Crane, we drove around and revisited the family cemetery where some of our biological relatives are buried, along with the school our maternal grandmother attended. It's still standing, but no one's spending the time or the money getting it restored. Now it's fenced off and the weeds are flourishing... We drove around for a few hours looking for the school and the cemetery. The people who know about those forlorn places are dying. The younger people have no clue where the old Carney cemetery or where the old Cedar Bluff school is. We stopped several times but each time, folks just scratched their heads and apologized for not being able to help.

    As we drove up and down the rolling hills (sometimes I felt like we were on a roller coaster) we talked about the gorgeous scenery, the changes in the county (Stone county), who's moved into what house and who had died.

   Great conversation in beautiful surroundings, surrounded by fun people... a wonderful weekend.