Books, Blood and Book Blurb # 80

       Tomorrow I will be participating in an indie author event at Spencer Road Branch Library in St. Charles. Several writing friends will also be there, including Donna Volkenannt, Linda O'Connell, Lynn Obermoeller and Pat Wahler. Maybe Marcia Gaye? Probably others I'm forgetting to mention...

      If you live in the area, drop by. It's from 10-2. There will be refreshments, along with over 100 authors eager to talk about (and sell) their books...

      So, you might be busy tomorrow, but you're looking for something to do on Tuesday evening, something that involves blood? How about giving a pint? St. James the Greater School (1360 Tamm Avenue) is having a blood drive on Tuesday, Oct. 17 from 3-6:30. Of course, after a blood donation, you need to eat something. There are several wonderful restaurants right on Tamm, as you head back up the few blocks to Oakland... Seamus McDaniels, Felix's and Nora's (which has snagged national acclaim for its sandwiches). And at Seamus and Felix's, I know you can drink a pint (or two). I will be there at my school, working with a couple of my 8th graders, along with donating blood.


     And now onto back-of-the-book blurb business...
        
         Look at the photo below. That is the cover of your book. You choose the genre. Is it a how-to book on making hand puppets? Is it sci-fi... birds and hands have mated, resulting in new creatures? 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. Her newest project? A B & B & B--a bed and breakfast and barkery. Lisa is constructing a bed and breakfast out of her piles of rejection letters (you can't be as successful as Lisa without getting lots of rejection), and off to the side of the bed and breakfast will be a bakery for dogs (and cats). Fortunately, she has offered her St. Louis writing friends a free stay whenever they head to Florida.

          Thanks, Lisa.

         
          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: 

Et Tu, Toucan?

Bernie had his own business. He did puppet shows at kids’ birthday parties. He entertained at cocktail events, when rich folks need a little diversion before a symphony concert started tuning up.

But recently, disturbing things are happening.

Bernie’s hand puppets--intricately painted onto his hands along with onto the hands of his assistants--have turned on him. It’s strange, but the hand puppets have grown backbones of their own.

They talk back. And what they say is not very nice.

“Hey Buddy. You really slopped the paint on at the end of my tail. What a slob you’ve become.” (This was stage-whispered during a preschool party.)

“Hey, Jerk. Your knuckles are way too hairy to pull off this snake puppet. Have you ever thought of shaving? I mean, really.”

Will Bernie be able to give those hand puppets a slap on the wrist? Or, will they completely take over? (148 words)

And for those who want to work ahead, here is the photo for this next week:

Radar's Got a Brand New Bed, The Luck of the Irish and Back-of-the-Book Blurb # 47

Radar is getting used to sleeping on a dog bed instead of a crate that takes up half our familyroom is ginormous. Don't worry about the change of bedding. He's still the king. (And speaking of his royal highness, if you live in the St. Louis area and go to Half Price Books in U City, they're having a pet photo contest. Radar is # 19 and voting goes on until Feb. 13.)

It's not St. Patrick's Day yet, but leprechauns have been working their magic. We just got word yesterday that St. James the Greater School will be open next year. (That doesn't necessarily mean I will have a job last year, as registration packets will have to be returned, enrollment numbers will have to be studied, etc. However, it is 100% marvelous news for the students.)


And now... book blurb business.

Look at the photo below. That is the cover of your book. You choose the genre. A time travel tale, where a fun-loving group of hooligans try to reenact Thelma and Louise's trip? A how-to book explaining how to refold travel maps?  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 project. She's a dog and cat lover. She's a pro editor. She's gotten a multi-novel publishing deal... and now that those three books are out, she's working on more. Check out her site. You won't regret becoming a follower.

Include your blurb in a blog post. Include a link to this post. Also, ink 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 and the blurb:

Maggie Mortensen?

Maggie knew he was there. Close. Somewhere.

Viggo was hiding from her, holed up in Jefferson City. In past years, she’d stalked him when he filmed movies. Deep in her heart, she knew he’d fall for her… if only they ran into each other. But each time she got close, he slipped away. Wily. Elusive.

Viggo was on the brink of getting a restraining order on Maggie.

Or was he simply playing hard to get?

Now he was living an ordinary life smack dab in the middle of the Midwest. Viggo was just a couple of hours away… just a short roadtrip away.

Her husband, tired of seeing Hidalgo and Northern Promises and Lord of the Rings for the umpteenth time, helps Maggie plan her trip.

Will Maggie’s husband ever have to set eyes on Aragorn again? Will Maggie and Viggo finally get together? Or will Maggie’s plan prove tragic? (150 words)

And if you want to work on your blurb for next week, here's next week's photo:

photo by pixabay.com