The Pyrenees---Southern France

The Pyrenees---Southern France

Friday, May 6, 2016

Back-of-the-Book Blurb Friday # 13


photo by morguefile.org

        What is this book blurb stuff? Well, I'm glad you asked...

  • Every Friday a pic is posted. The pic is meant to be the front cover of a book. Your book. You choose what kind of book it is. You choose the title. And you write the blurb.
  • What kind of book could it be? Chick lit? Lit-tra-chure? A Harlequin romance (shudder)?
  • The blurb? A blurb is that text on the book cover (often on the back) that is crafted to lure the reader, making it impossible for them to resist buying the book. It's engaging... and short, so being brief is key. For this challenge, your blurb should be 150 words or less.
  • After you write your blurb, post it, along with the photo, on your blog, and link it to this post via Mr. Linky (which is quite simple to do--even my not-very-bright golden retriever can do it). You can also check out the other blurbs--there will be hundreds dozens a few hopefully at least one--and comment on them it.
  •  If you enjoy reading them/writing them, you should check out Lisa Ricard Claro's website. She was the writer who first had this idea several years ago. Unfortunately (for us, but fortunately for her) she got too busy and had to leave it by the wayside. You could thank her but when you don't hear from her, don't think she's rude or snobby. Lisa's swamped right now. She has the third romance in her series coming out in July (she got a three-book publishing deal), and her current WIP is a children's book. For this book, she's researching the work of ballet dancers. When word got out about her research, Lisa got a call from Misty Copeland which eventually led to Lisa meeting Mikhail Baryshnikov (Misha to Lisa). Now, Lisa is part of a crazy love triangle. Her Georgian husband and this Russian dancer are going to have a dance-off to win a permanent place in her heart. Who will win? * Who knows, but Lisa did find out an important tidbit about ballet dancers--they do it on their toes... 
       Enough. On with the blurb, that goes with the picture at the top...


The Circus Kids

      Yes, the children were left unattended in the park. They spent all afternoon terrorizing and aggravating every single person there. As they tore across the field, hell-bent on knocking over a dog-walker, the brother and sister devilsh duo were grabbed by a woman wearing a khaki uniform.

        "Can't you read the sign?"

         She then took the battery-powered tattoo gun she never went without, quickly inked 666 on each child's forehead, and dragged them into a Ringling Brothers' van.

         Since there are no more elephant acts in the circus, there are bull hooks gathering dust. Whips that need to be used occasionally to keep them supple. What kind of embarrassing costumes will these two cherubs-turned-demons be forced to wear? And can they be taught proper behavior... so they can eventually leave the big top?

          Only time will tell... (142 words)



        And here is the photo for next week so that if you're not a by-the-seat-of-your-pants-er, you have some time to think.


photo by Sioux Roslawski


*  Lisa's husband, when interviewed about the upcoming dance-off, was quoted as saying, "Well, there's going to be a type of dance chosen. If ballet is the one that's drawn out of a hat, certainly, that Russian so-and-so will win. However, if they pull clogging or The Bump out of the hat... let's just say I've got a chance of winning."  

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Off the Book


        Okay, so I admit it. I am a Game of Thrones-aholic. 

         The plot has completely seduced me, and the scenery can be quite impressive. (The mountains and hillsides are gorgeous, too.) It didn't start that way. I resisted for four years, and then binged last year to catch up. 

        The photo on the left is Jason Momoa. He played Drogo, and sadly, died way too early in the series. But hey! The straight women still had Jon Snow, played by Kit Harington, to sigh over.

        Jon Snow is no more... unless the Red Witch can bring him back to life. (And after what I saw from her on the first episode of the new season, I shudder to think what that would look like.)

                           
                                  Here is Kit Harington as Jon Snow.

        The crazy thing about this season is the series has lapped George R. R. Martin's books. Apparently our appetite is so insatiable and Martin isn't fast enough. We want our fix every year and by gum, we're gonna get it.

       Now perhaps the show's writers and creators had Martin outline the story for this season. Or they gave him some multiple choice plot events, and he bubbled in what he wanted to happen. I'm not sure. I'm just glad GoT is back.

       If you'd like to read George R. R. Martin's stuff and you don't also need something to prop up your car the next time you have a flat tire, check out his Fevre Dream. It's well-crafted, is set in the riverboat times and is about vampires. (I hesitate to include that detail, 'cause I don't do vampire stories, but this is the exception.) 

      Are you a Game of Thrones fan? If so, what is your favorite character and why? (Mine is actually not Drogo or Jon Snow... they were just so easy on the eyes.) And who do you hope has the longest, most painful death? (Ramsay is my choice.)