Back-of-the-Book Blurb Friday #19

        Yes, it's odd. It's Friday, and I'm actually not late this week posting Back-of-the-Book Blurb Friday on Friday. Strange, but true.

        Back-of-the-Book Blurb is designed as an exercise in succinctness. Brevity is next to godliness when it comes to "blurbs" on the back cover of a book--sparse bits to entice the reader into buying the book.

       This brilliant exercise was started by Lisa Ricard Claro. Lisa got way too busy with her multi-book publishing deal and had to give up hosting the book blurb activity. At this very moment, she is interviewing aesthetically-pleasing-to-the-eye young men to play in the movie version of her first novel, Love Built to Last. Will Caleb be played by Ryan Gosling? By Kit Harington?    

      Rumors have it that these two young men have been to Lisa for several call-backs. We'll keep you informed.

       And by the way, Lisa's third romance novel, Love to Win, is coming out tomorrow, July 30. I hate romance novels. I despise them. But Lisa's writing and her storylines suck me in every time. So, I'm planning on diving into Love to Win this weekend, because during the previous books in the series, I've learned to care about the characters and the relationships that have formed on the pages. 

       So, here's the scoop if you're playing along this week:

• Look at the photo below. That is the cover of your book.
• You choose the genre. Romance? Sci-fi? Contemporary lit? Nonfiction? Poetry anthology? You decide.
• Write an enticing blurb--150 words or less. (The title doesn't count in the word count.)
• Include your blurb in a blog post. Include a link to this post.
• Link your post to Mr. Linky. Mr. Linky is quite easygoing. If you've never done it, you'll be impressed with how simple he is.
• Check out the other blurb(s). It's interesting to see the different directions writers take, given the same photo.
• And most importantly, have fun. This is supposed to be enjoyable.

          Here is the photo for this week, and my lame finished blurb:

Trouble Retires... Or Does It?

These two friends have called themselves Thelma and Louise ever since they met. Together, they were trouble with a capital T. Playing practical jokes. Speaking their mind—loudly and often. Refusing to back down when someone did them wrong. Donna and Annie were an explosive combination.

When they went off to college, when they started families of their own, these two women supported each other. When Donna got laid off work, Annie threw her a “pity party” and made all the guests wet their pantyliners with her impromptu “roast.” When Annie's husband ran off with an 18-year old Amway saleswoman, Donna took her out on a “good riddance” bar spree.

But six months ago, they both retired. Now that they have empty hours every day, Annie and Donna are itching for an adventure. Sitting over dinner at a diner, they hatch a plan... and it involves a cross country road trip... (150 words)

         And for those folks who like to work ahead, here is the photo for next Friday.

Back-of-the-Book Blurb # 14

      Perhaps you're not one of the hundreds of three people who've participated in this book blurb stuff. Maybe you're wondering what I'm talking about... If that's the case, read about how you join in the fun and find out exactly what it is:

• 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? A historical novel? A mystery? You choose the genre.
• 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 hopefully be at least one other one besides mine that you can check out. 

       If you enjoy reading them/writing them, you should check out Lisa Ricard Claro's website. She's the writer who first had this idea several years ago but got too busy with a 3-novel publishing deal, and had to give up the book blurb activity. You could write a gushing email, thanking her for inspiring someone else to take up where she left off but if you do, you won't 

get a response. * Right at this moment, Lisa's cooling her heels in a jail cell, awaiting trial. What crime is she accused of? The authorities claim she did something horrendous... but something that every true writer has dreamed of doing. 

      Witnesses say that almost two months ago, Lisa assaulted James Patterson. Oh, she attempted to reason with him, during a book signing of all things, before she went completely over the edge. Hundreds of audience members heard Lisa shriek things like, "You aren't a writer," "What kind of writer just writes the outlines and lets dozens of other people actually write the book?" and "You ain't no writer! You're a fraud!" When Patterson just smiled at her and continued signing books (while one of his lackeys sat under the table, using Patterson's one paragraph "outline" to churn out yet another Patterson best-seller), Lisa took a book bag--full of all the drafts of her novels Love Built to Last, Love to Believe and Love to Win (with all the drafts together, the bag weighed 57 pounds) and she started swinging it at his head, as if she were a human windmill. 

      Patterson was taken by ambulance to an unnamed hospital. He was later released after getting stitched up. Thankfully for his fans, his check-signing hand sustained no injuries. 

      Enough. On with the blurb, that goes with this photo:

Fishin' For Love

      Hector used to be a construction worker. But when the construction business went bust, Hector had to humiliate himself and collect unemployment checks. His wife left. His pride disappeared. Hector was a broken man.

        Having nothing else to do with his days, he started fishing. The act of casting out his line and sitting patiently, waiting... well, it calmed Hector down.

        And then one day, a woman and her little girl came walking by. The little girl rushed over and started asking Hector a string of questions. He smiled as the young mother tried to apologize for the intrusion, as she tried to distract her curious daughter and get her to leave this nice man alone.

        Fishin' For Love tells the story of how many times he cast his line, how many times Celeste avoided the bait, and if in the end, they both became hooked... (147 words)

    Here is the photo for next week, if you'd like to try and work ahead:

*Lisa is unfailingly kind and generous, so she wouldn't not respond because she's rude. However, people in jail cells don't get an overabundance of paper or access to computers, so her hands are tied--almost literally. 

Back-of-the-Book Blurb Friday # 12

          Yes, it's Friday, which this week flew in so quickly, I was unable to post anything on Tuesday. My "real work" work piled up. Earlier in the month, I gave my school district my letter of resignation. I am retiring--from Missouri public schools--and will be looking for another teaching job in a private school in Missouri or a public school in Illinois. (I live minutes away from several Illinois cities.)

          I am not through teaching. However, collecting data is not my forte. Teaching writing to young people--now that's what I love, so I hope to be able to do it again soon.

         Anyway,back to blurb writing... If I've already lost you, I guess there's no point explaining this challenge. However, if you're still hanging on, hoping that something interesting and relevant will emerge, here goes:

• Every Friday a photo is posted. The photo 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.
• The blurb? A blurb is that text on the book cover (often on the back) that is crafted to entice the reader into 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). You can also check out the other blurbs--there will be dozens hopefully at least one--and comment on them.
•  If you enjoy reading them/enjoy writing them, you should check out Lisa Ricard Claro's website. She was the writer who first had this idea several years ago. Sadly (for us, but happily for her) she got too busy and had to leave it by the wayside. You could thank her, but don't expect a "you're welcome" in response, as currently, she's living in a firehouse. Her WIP is a children's book, and she's researching the work of firefighters. She's teaching them how to start fires (if you've read her two romance novels, Love to Believe and Love Built to Last, and if you're fanning yourself over her upcoming Love to Win, coming out on July 30) you know what kind of hot, raging fires I'm talking about). The firefighters are teaching her how to cook enough chili for twenty hungry men and how to drive the firetruck. (She only driven over 7 curbs and flattened one squirrel so far.)

       Enough. On with the blurb, that goes with the picture at the top...

A Perfect Speci-Man

         Marvin couldn't understand it. He was a nice guy. He took pride in the way he carried himself and the way he dressed. Wrangler jeans and golf shirts on the weekend, and his postal uniform during the week. When he was lucky enough to have a date, he took them to only the finest restaurants in town--Denny's or Wendy's. 

         But in spite of all his pro's, he had not managed to con anyone into a long-term relationship. Marvin had no one to love. He had not found that special someone yet.

        A friend convinces Marvin that he needs to stand out. He needs to do something to make women notice him. His friend creates the perfect hat and glasses that is sure to make women stop and pay attention to Marvin.

        Will it work? What kind of women will Marvin attract? And will he eventually find true love? (150 words)

        And for those folks who like to work ahead instead of by the seat of their pants, here is the photo for next week: