"And Still I Rise"... Along With Back-of-the-Book Blurb Friday # 24

        Maya Angelou's poem, with the refrain "And still I rise" keeps nudging me.

        One blogging friend, who's battling cancer, recently posted photos of herself--posing with two different wigs and then one picture sans wig. Big, bold earring to match her smile.

       Bold + brave = beautiful

       Another blogging friend has been living a couple of hours away for a while. Now, she's living minutes away from me, which means that perhaps we can get together occasionally to write.

       My knee's still shot, but every morning I get up and hobble through the day, knowing that my health problems are inconsequential compared to others and yet hoping that soon, my past way of living can be restored.

       A manuscript I finished this summer is in an editor's hands right now. And now, I'm thinking about my next project. After all, November (and NaNoWriMo) is right around the corner... 

 And now onto writing a book blurb.
      

• Look at the photo below. That is the cover of your book.
• You choose the genre. A YA? A bit of chick lit? A historical romance? You decide.
• Write an enticing blurb--150 words or less. (The title doesn't count in the word count.) Lisa Ricard Claro is the original brains behind this writing exercise. Her third romance book just came out in July (Love to Win) so currently she's working on a lofty project:  a sequel to Tolkien's books, with the ultimate goal of penning a screenplay... which means if she succeeds, we'll get another chance to see long-haired Viggo on the big screen.
• Include your blurb in a blog post. Include a link to this post. 
• Link your post to Mr. Linky. Mr. Linky is easy. You don't have to buy him a drink or anything. 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, not stressful.

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

photo by Lynn Obermoeller

The Fierce Phase

When she was young and stupid, Maggie thought she had forever. She ran toward her goals headlong and headstrong.

Living meant taking in big gulps of every bit of joy possible.

In the second phase of her life, she didn't care how much she had left. Maggie hunched over her laptop for hours and hours. She formed a cocoon to insulate herself from others. It was clear this was no life, but Maggie couldn't see any other path to take.

But then she entered into a third phase... and realized her determination would have to be rock-hard if she was going to survive. Better choices. True grit. And eyes trained on the horizon ahead instead of the path behind her.

Will Maggie emerge victorious from this phase? Read to find what life has in store for Maggie, once she carefully sets the fourth stone in place. (146 words)

     Here's the picture for next week... and have a great weekend.

Holding My Breath... and Two Great Books

      While I'm holding my breath and waiting for an editor to read my manuscript because she asked for it at a writing conference and said she was going to read it last week when in reality she should have read it immediately it is that good and then she would have felt compelled to send it over to Random House so in reality I am holding my breath to see how big the check will be that'll flutter onto my lap along with the publishing contract I'm going to slobber about a couple of books I just finished.

         Any decent dog book ends with the dog dying. Old Yeller. My Dog Skip. Marley and Me. Knowing that, I figured I could resist crying. 

          I couldn't.

          Julie Barton's memoir is so much more than a dog tale. It's a story of sibling physical abuse. It's a story of depression. It's a story of forgiveness. It's a story of emerging from a horrible abyss... with the help of a four-legged miracle named Bunker.

          However, Barton's abyss is always lurking nearby.

          

                After I finished sobbing over a handsome golden boy (Bunker was a golden retriever) I read Lisa Ricard Claro's most recent romance novel, Love to Win, which is the final book in this threesome. She's pulled off a hat trick. For the third time in a row, she's sucked me into reading a romance... when normally I stick my nose up in the air, above anything that has a whiff of sweet, fluffy romance.

                This story has Dante and Brenna at its heart. Brenna--in my opinion--is the strongest female character of this trilogy. She's competitive--she hates to lose--and she's not afraid to fight for what she wants.

                I won't give away any spoilers, but I will say that in the end, the cat saves the day.

                And not only is it a story that has a compelling plot, but it also has a rescued cat, a man who's haunted by his time as a soldier, some family dysfunction... and some well-crafted lines.

                These are a few I jotted down:

Why do gorgeous women always fill their tanks with gallons of Batshit Crazy?

The truth sluiced over her, a warm wash of self-realization.

Words died in his throat.

         And when you read a book, don't forget to write a review. An honest one. You liked the book? Write a review. You were bored to tears over a book? Write a review. 

         After all, most writers don't ever get applause. They rarely get packed auditoriums. The way you can clap for them, the way you can give them feedback is to write them a review.

        And hopefully soon, I will be able to exhale... 

        What is a great book you've read this summer? And/Or what do you still want to do before summer ends?

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 Friday # 16

 Perhaps you're not one of the hundreds of three people the one 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. A romance novel? A horror story? An informational book? A sci-fi thriller? A beach read? 
• 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 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.
• Lisa Ricard Claro started this book-blurb stuff up, but now she's busy with her next book. Love to Win will be coming out on July 30. I thought, once you've sold a series of books, you just lay around on the couch poking out the bottom of the chocolates in the Russell Stover assortment box (to avoid those yucky nougat-y candies) but I guess there's more to this publishing business than meets the eye.

• 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 very-handsome 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. 

       Here's the photo (book cover) for this week, along with my lame pathetic finished blurb:

The Rufus Way

Rural philosopher Rufus T. Brooks shares how he climbed to the top of his mountain of... well, to the top of where he is now. Thanks to Rufus' family, who painstakingly recorded Brooks' words as he spewed, everybody can strike out into the world the Rufus way.

Some of the sure-road-to-success chapters include:

• No shirt, No Shoes, No Service? No Place for Me!
• Taking Overalls from Business Casual to Cocktail Parties
• Bits of Dropped Food + Beard = A Tasty Snack Later On
• Tattoos Guaranteed to Impress the Boss
• Size Does Matter: The Key to Growing An Extra-Long Tooth (In Front)
• Beards: When Scraggly Becomes Sexy

        If you're a Honey-Boo Boo fan, and wonder how you can reach the same pinnacle that Mama June has, this is the book for you. (140 words)

       

        So join in on the fun. Participate. Write a blurb. And check out the photo for next week's blurb:

This is the photo for next week's book blurb. It will be posted on July 15,

News flash: I'm going to a writing conference a week from tomorrow, and I'm gonna make a pitch. I've pitched many softballs and baseballs and each time, the ball would go in wild, unpredictable and sometimes lawsuit-worthy directions. Hopefully my book pitch will be different...