Book Blurb Friday #5: The Colors of Rose AND A-Z Challenge

Welcome to Book Blurb Friday and the first installment of the A-Z Challenge! Since I'm running them together my A-Z post is coming a tad early, but I figure it's already April 1st in some parts of the world, so technically I'm right on schedule.

As part of the challenge (the brainchild of Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out) I'll be posting every day (except Sundays) through the month of April, going through the alphabet and beginning April 1st with "A."  I've opted for a theme:  Pawsitive Pondering.  Were our pets able to talk they would offer sage advice, so every day through the month of April, one of my four-legged furries will offer a "Pawsitive Pondering" to make you smile. Here is the first:

PAWSITIVE PONDERING

A is for Attitude:   

You are the only one who can decide if you will be a sour-puss or a waggy-tail.  

Join me and choose to be a waggy-tail. 

It will make you and those around you happy,  

and you'll see an increase of belly rubs!

See you tomorrow for day #2 of the A-Z Challenge: B is for Beauty.

Keep on reading for today's Book Blurb Friday! If you're new to this meme, give it a try. C'mon, be a waggy-tail! It's fun!

TGIBBF! I can't believe this is week five already. I'm having fun writing and reading the book blurbs, and I'm finding that sticking to the word count is easier as the weeks go by.  If you're new to Book Blurb Friday, please click the tab for details, located under the blog header.  Here is my blurb to go with this week's photo:

The Colors of Rose

Bryan Harte sees the world in shades of gray. Born with monochromacy, a severe form of color blindness, he has never experienced a fiery sunset or cerulean summer sky.  Bryan’s world is steeped in gray.

Until now. . .

Her name is Rose, and she is the only thing in Bryan’s world imbued with color.  Her auburn hair, ruby lips and eyes of emerald green hold him in thrall from the moment he sees her sitting in the park.  With his world a cloudy gray, the vibrant Rose becomes his obsession.

Why is she different?  What is it in her that allows him to see the green of her eyes and the red of her hair?  When at last Bryan questions the anomaly, it is too late to run, too late to hide. It is too late to pretend he cannot see. . .the colors of Rose. (147 words)

Please scroll down to see the "book cover" for next week's Book Blurb Friday, and if you are participating this week, please remember to feed Mr. Linky. He is hungry for your URL so other readers can enjoy your creative blurb.



Here is the "book cover" for next week's BBF.  Thanks to Sandra Davies for offering up this terrific photo prompt:

Several folks have provided some great "book covers," and you'll see them here as the weeks progress. Thanks to everyone for participating.  

Have a great weekend!  See you tomorrow for A-Z and the letter "B."

Lisa

114 Years Young and Still Impressing the Ladies

Walter Breuning, photo courtesy of  MensJournal.com.

Born in 1896, Walter Breuning is the oldest man in the world at 114 years of age.  Amber Colton interviewed Mr. Breuning for the Mens' Journal online feature, "Survival Skills." It seems the super-centenarian has learned a few things over the years and felt comfortable sharing his knowledge. The result is a delightful Q&A, and I thank my much-loved cousin, Jo, for bringing this to my attention. Please click here to read the interview.  Mr. Breuning's advice on life is worth reading.

If you scroll around a bit, you'll see similar Q&A articles featuring the likes of Jimmy Buffet, Jeff Bridges and Donald Trump, among others. I read them all and found that, secondary to Mr. Breuning, it was The Donald who held my interest. I especially liked his answer to this question:

MJ:  What one thing should every man know about women? 
The Donald:  They’re smarter than we are.

Ha! No wonder that man is a stratospheric success. 

Mr. Breuning has plenty of smarts, too, and doesn't need to sport the world's worst comb-over to do it.  I hope you'll find his insights as charming and interesting as I did.  He's done a lot of living in his 114 years, and I am reminded that old people know a lot more about being young than young people know about being old. 

It also occurred to me that at 114, Mr. Breuning would consider me to be a spring chicken at the age of 50.  This proves the point that things are all about perspective, and from his, I am not an old bagger. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Til next time -
Lisa

P.S. See you back here for Book Blurb Friday! Also, the A-Z Challenge begins on Friday, as well. Come back to check it out. 

Powerful Woman Writer Award AND It's Baaack! MFM!

Thanks very much to author Deirdra Eden-Coppel for visiting my blog and deeming me worthy of this way-cool Powerful Woman Writer Award. Deirdra is a full time writer and illustrator, and the Fantasy genre is her specialty. Take a look around her blog and official website, Knightess.com. This is one talented, goal-oriented lady. Thanks for the award, Deirdra! I'll display it with pride.

To fill the gap left by the wonderful Susan at Stony River (we hope you'll be back soon!) Grandma's Goulash is offering Succinctly Yours, a Monday microfiction meme. I don't know if a Mister Linky will be offered, though I hope so. It is such fun to read other stories. Below is this week's photo and my two 140 character (each) stories to accompany it:

A sunny spot in which to read, with views of sky and sea; 

from whence my dreams may e’re take flight, 

I’m lost in fantasy! (122)

 * * * * * * * * * *

 

“How about over there?” 

“For pity’s sake, Jen, it looks fine!” 

“You just don’t want to move it again.” 

Al wiped his sweaty brow. “Ya think?” (140)

Hope y'all have a fantastic Monday to begin your week! 

See you next time -

Lisa

Book Blurb Friday #4: Paranormal Passages

Welcome to Book Blurb Friday!  Please look to your right and see the new badge for BBF. Go ahead.  Ooh and aah.  I'll wait! 

I'm so excited that I got the darn thing to work! It took me two solid weeks to figure it out because, as you know, I'm a technodweeb. Anyway, there it is! If you feel so inclined, please copy the HTML code below the badge and use it to install the BBF badge on your own blog.  I won't be insulted if you don't, but I'll surely love it if you do.

If you're new to this meme, please click on the tab above under the blog header for details, and play along.  The photo below represents the cover of this week's fictional book, and my blurb (150 words or less) is right below.  Here goes:

Paranormal Passages

 

Blood Cemetery; Aquia Church; Tower of London; Chillingham Castle.  All are known for unexplained auditory emanations, ghostly sightings, hauntings. . .

But none compare to the Hôtel Fantôme d'Avignon, site of the unsolved axe murders of six tourists in 1963.  For years, hotel employees and guests claimed to see bloodied apparitions walking the narrow halls.  Sightings began to include violent physical manifestations, and the hotel closed its doors in 1987.

Dr. U.B. Grimm and Dr. Ima Reaper, paranormal researchers with the Gravestone Institute for Paranormal Studies spent decades documenting paranormal activity around the globe. In a courageous effort to unravel the mystery of the Hôtel Fantôm, Drs. Grimm and Reaper resided alone in the hotel for two weeks. The terrifying events they detail will horrify you.  Prepare to start looking over your shoulder. Long after you turn the last page, you will be haunted by these bone-chilling Paranormal Passages. (150 words)

If you are participating in BBF, please remember to add your link below so others can find you and your blurb.  Thanks for playing!  Please scroll past Mr. Linky to see the "book cover" for next week's BBF.






 Here is next week's "book cover." Have fun with it!

I can't wait to read your blurbs! Thank you so much for playing along.

Til next time -
Lisa

Belly Button Piercing and Porn Shops, Oh My!

There are two blog contests I'd like to share with you.  Tony Benson at Fireside Park is offering a contest giveaway of two new paperbacks to celebrate his drive for 200 followers. Check it out!  Also, Karen Lange at Write Now is celebrating her Second Blogoversary with a contest to win a terrific book, Angel Sister, by Ann Gabhart. Click the links! You'll be glad you did.

On, now, to the belly button and porn shop. *sigh* The things we mothers do for our offspring never ceases to amaze me.

For my daughter Christina's 17th birthday she wanted only two things:  contact lenses and a pierced belly button. Her big sis, Stephanie, offered to cover the piercing; hubby and I sprang for the contacts.

After researching piercing shops, Stephanie found a reputable place with three locations and strict adherence to sterile and legal practices. So far, so good.

At nine o'clock on a Friday night Christina and a friend, Stephanie and I pulled into the parking lot.  Limited space forced me to park my sensible and matronly Ford 500 sedan not in front of the piercing shop, but further down the way in front of . . .*sigh*. . . a porn shop.  Location, location, location.  More than one odd look came my way when I exited my vehicle accompanied by three young adults, two of them obviously teenagers. The fact that Stephanie's two miniature Dachshunds came along for the ride completed our ducks-out-of-water scenario.

I confess to never being that close to a porn shop before. I don't know if I should brag about my moral fortitude or be embarrassed by my naivete.  I might have peeked in the window, maybe, a little, as I rushed the kids past at lightning speed. ("Keep moving, keep moving, nothing to see here, nothing at all, go, go, go!")  I'll post about my snooping another time. . .after a few margaritas. Maybe.

A pleasant guy named John pierced my daughter's belly. His jokes eased her jitters and settled my frantic mommy nerves. The skin just above her navel was first sanitized, then clamped and sanitized a second time.  His latex clad hands took expert hold of a needle the size of a roofing nail and he pushed it by hand---no quick piercing gun like those used for ear piercing---through the skin.  One word to describe the process.  EEEWWW!!!

It took longer to fill out the paperwork prior to the piercing than to get the piercing itself. After the grand event we oohed and aahed at Christina's newly studded navel and then I speed-walked everyone back to Flossie Ford. ("Hurry, hurry, get in, get in, don't look to the right, hurry, hurry, hurry!")

This experience taught me several things. First, I do not want to have a roofing nail shoved through my skin. Ever.  Second, the next time I have to park in front of a porn shop, I'm going to pretend I did it on purpose so strangers will not point and laugh. Third, bonding with my daughters rocks, even when it includes a large tattooed man wielding roofing nails and the unexpected presence of a porn shop. 

Til next time -
Lisa

Clip art courtesy of Webweaver.nu

Chicken Soup: My Dog's Life!

The latest Chicken Soup for the Soul book, My Dog's Life, is due in bookstores April 12th.  I'm proud to be a contributing author. "Destiny" is the true story of how fate took our hands the day my daughter Stephanie found the first miniature Dachshund love-of-her-life, Special Agent McGee. Here's the little guy then:

If you're a regular reader, then you know she has since rescued the second miniature Dachshund love-of-her life, Federal Agent Chutsky. Here's a pic of her "boys" together.  Take a look at McGee's nose.  He's all grown up!

One of my blog pals, Tammy, also has a story, "The Last Gift," in this edition of Chicken Soup, so I count myself in excellent company. Her story is a knock-out. Beautiful and spiritual, sad and joyful, it will touch your heart.

Chicken Soup for the Soul publishes varied themes.  If you're interested in submitting for a future anthology, click on the Paying Markets tab above under the blog header for the link to their site, as well as a listing of other paying markets.

Enjoy your Monday!

Til next time -
Lisa

Book Blurb Friday #3: Murder at Sixx AND the Big, Fat Lie!

TGIBBF! I've been excited for today's arrival because once my blurb idea rooted I had a blast with it and have been antsy to get it posted.  Also, if you read Tuesday's post, you know I told a big fat lie and have to fess up.  Please read on, first for my 150-word-or-less blurb and then for the lie.

Murder at Sixx

Jimmy Sixx is a cop turned restaurateur who works as a private eye for kicks.  When not taste-testing the steak tartare and crème brulee dished up by the gorgeous Chef Rosalie Rousseau in the kitchen of Jimmy’s popular LA eatery, Dinner at Sixx, he’s sniffing out clues and solving crimes.

When Jimmy’s ex-girlfriend, Poppy Silk, turns up dead in the freezer of Dinner at Sixx Jimmy becomes the prime suspect.  With the help of Chef Rosalie, bartender Rusty Gunn, bouncer Ali Muscali, and Jimmy’s blue-haired mother, Edna, Jimmy works to clear his name before the cops come knocking.

The clues lead the Sixxers from Chinatown to Vegas to Malibu, and finally back to Dinner at Sixx, where Jimmy learns the old adage is true: the proof is in the pudding.

Dinner at Sixx is a rollicking ride of murder, mayhem, and fine dining. Make your reservation now! (147 words)

I feel some Jimmy Sixx stories coming on! Of course, I've never actually penned a mystery before. . .and I don't have a real plot. . .and I know nothing about LA, Chinatown or Malibu.  Good grief.  This will take some doing. I'll file it in my Book Blurb binder with my other BBF starters and see what happens.

Please play along! For details on Book Blurb Friday just click the tab above under the header.

Scroll down for next week's "book cover" photo.  If you're participating please add your link so other blurb writers/readers can find you. 

** For more of Kathy Matthews' photos, please visit Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy.

** Do you have a photo from your personal collection that you would like to offer as a "book cover" for Book Blurb Friday? Please attach it to an email and send it to me at writinginthebuff@hotmail.com. 

Regarding my big, fat lie from Wednesday's post -- read on!

1.  True!  Back in the early '80s Fremont Street was a viable road, blocked to traffic on New Year's Eve, effectively creating a huge block party of casinos.  Most of the crowd collected in front of the Union Plaza for midnight.  Inspiration struck me (probably in the form of too many spirits, and I don't mean the ghost of Uncle Ned) to do the bunny hop in the hotel's front drive.  The crowd determined my idea to be brilliant, and I gained somewhere between 50 and 100 hoppers by the time we stopped to yell "Happy New Year!" And my kids think I'm so boring. Ha!

2.  True! A nerd even then, I was probably the only 18-year-old alive who loved Wayne Newton.  His Vegas show rocked. My very cool Uncle Bruce knew someone (who knew someone) and landed me a private tour of the Newton estate.  The Arabians were gorgeous, but what I remember most is the pack of dogs that ran the property.  They were friendly house pets, and in spite of their number there wasn't one pile of poo anywhere. We speculated that someone on the estate spent most of his day following behind the pack with a pooper-scooper.  The property spanned acres. I hope the poor guy rode a golf cart.

3.  My Big Fat Lie!  I have been to New York, but never to MTV studios.  Worse, no photo with Jon Bon Jovi.  If I had to lie, why not incorporate cutie-pie Jon?  Technically, that makes it a fantasy rather than a lie, right? So I don't have to feel guilty for fibbing.  Hey -- Livin' on a Prayer, baby!

4.  True! I type like the wind. Whoosh! Did you see that? That was me typing!

5.  True! Although I am deficient regarding all things techie, a writer I have always been.  The company was tiny---just the owner/president/programming guru and little 'ol me---and the proprietary software was user friendly.  The menu system my boss developed was cutting edge for its time.  Fortunately for me, he handled all the techie stuff.  I managed all things writing and customer service.  The promotion to VP was a nice, but empty gesture, mostly intended to allow me the muscle to sign legal documents in the owner's absence. I never even referenced the title on my resume.

Now you know the truth!  Did anything surprise you? Thanks again, Sioux, for including me in this fun award.

Have a Nice Day! 
Lisa

I'm a Big, Fat Liar and That's the Truth!

The lovely and talented Sioux bestowed upon me this delightful award.  (Thanks, Sioux, for thinking of me!) She insisted, upon threat of a computer virus that would cause all audio emanating from my laptop to default to Justin Bieber singing "Never Say Never," that I deliberately lie, right here, in front of God and the world.  Can you imagine? Well, what's a writer to do? It is now my job to tell you four truths and a lie.  Take a look below and see if you can figure out which of the five is a lie.  Good luck!

• One New Year's Eve, about fifteen minutes before midnight, I led a group of 50+ people in the bunny hop around the front drive of the Union Plaza hotel in Las Vegas.
• I was once given a private tour of Wayne Newton's estate in Nevada that included feeding and petting his prized Arabian horses.
• During a trip to New York that included a visit to MTV studios I won a drawing that earned me a backstage meet and photo op with Jon Bon Jovi.  It lasted less then 60 seconds and the picture is so freaking blurry that I look like Eleanor Roosevelt standing next to a blond rooster.
• I type 90+ words per minute with an accuracy rate of 98%, even with my eyes closed!
• When I was just 20-years-old I wrote the user's manual for a medical management software system, and just after I turned 21 I was promoted to Vice President of the company.

Okay, buttercup.  Four of those gems are true. One is a bald-faced lie.  Please put your guess as to which is the lie in a comment, and I'll fess up on Book Blurb Friday.

Now I must send this award on to other bloggers who must also tell a big fat one along with four not-so-chubby tales.  They should also pass the award to other bloggers to keep the fun going.  Here are five I figure won't beat me up for forcing them to tell an untruth on the internet:



Tanya Valentine, creator of the delightful Creepy Casey.  Tanya is new to the blogosphere and taking to it like a barnacle on the Black Pearl.  I can't wait to see the creative whopper she'll invent.  She's a terrific writer, so I know it will be great.


Debra Mayhew, writer for children. She, too, is new to blogging and handling it as deftly as a mother of six. . .oh, wait. . .she IS a mother of six.  And still finds time to write beautiful, heartwarming stories and keep up with a blog! Can she lie, too? Oh, I'll bet she can. . .and swimmingly.


Lynn Obermoeller, my NaNo pal.  She rocks at epistolary writing and often brings me to tears and then laughter, all in the same post.  She isn't afraid to tackle new things (her Friday book blurbs are wonderful), so lying on the internet should be a piece of cake.


Pat at Critter Alley, is a freelance writer whose blog posts always make me smile. Her furry kids Indy and Bogey figure prominently, and their adorable mugs are reason enough to drop by her blog. You'll stay because it's a great place to visit. Can she lie like a dog? We'll find out!

Polly at The 5th Sister, talented writer, blogger and dreamer. How does she remember those fantastical dreams? Since she incorporates them into her wonderful writing, I'll bet one of them makes it on her list as a big, fat lie.  Bring it on, Polly!

I had a tough time choosing just five, but I know they'll come up with some great whoppers.  The torch is officially passed!

Don't forget about Book Blurb Friday, upcoming in just a few days! It is fun and easy, and that's no lie.  Please join the fun!

Til next time -
Lisa

Microfiction Monday: Waaaah!

Clip art courtesy of hasslefreeclipart.com

I need a shoulder on which to weep;

my heart holds sadness untold.

Alack the day! Alas, I say!

MFM is now on hold!

Waaah!

Yes, it is true. Microfiction Monday (MFM) appears to be suspended for the time being. I hope this wonderful meme begins again soon. If another blogger out there is taking over on Susan’s behalf, please share the news.  I’ll participate, and promise to stop using words like “alack” and “alas.” Cross my heart.

In the meantime, I encourage everyone to give Book Blurb Friday a try.  Scroll down to read last week’s entries—they are wonderful and so creative.  It is fun and easy to participate.  The best part is that you create story starters for yourself.  I’ve started printing and storing in a binder the blurbs I write.  The next time the dreaded Writer’s Block comes to visit I’ll pull out my binder of blurbs, choose one, and get to work. Ready made ideas, buttercup. It's a win-win.  Accept the challenge! Write a blurb and add your link to last Friday's offering. Give it a try. You'll be hooked!

Welcome to my new followers! Thank you for visiting and deciding to stick around. I will visit your sites, and look forward to learning about you.

My fingers are crossed for MFM to be viable again soon. Without it I expect to suffer withdrawals of some kind, and it might not be pretty. Pity my housemates.

Til next time –

Lisa

Book Blurb Friday #2: The Serendipity Tree

Week two of Book Blurb Friday has arrived! I'm working on creating a blog badge for BBF, and when it is available I'll share. In the meantime, here is the "book cover" and my blurb (150 words or less) to go with it.

The Serendipity Tree

In 1911 Margaret and Shamus McHugh plant a sapling by the creek in the yard of their Carolina home.  As the family expands the tree matures in tandem, a sentinel for generations.

For one-hundred years the tree stands tall, a silent companion that shares no secrets.

Sean McHugh and his wife Janice reside in the Carolina home with their teen-aged children, Charlie and Meghan.  Sean’s political aspirations blossom while Janice’s alcoholism looms as a threat, culminating in an altercation one horrific night during a brutal summer storm.

Meghan and Charlie flee into the tempest as lightning strikes the guardian tree. The disaster uncovers a secret buried for generations, and the siblings must grapple with the import of their new-found knowledge. For Margaret and Shamus McHugh did not plant the tree for posterity, but for its hidden power. (142 words)

Whew! I had a tough time this week.  My ideas came readily enough, but I had trouble keeping to the word count. How about you? I'm looking forward to reading your blurbs!  If you pariticipate---and I so hope you do---please add your link below so others may visit your blog and read your blurb.

For information on Book Blurb Friday, please click the tab located under the blog header. It will tell you everything you need to know!  Scroll down to see the "book cover" for next week's BBF.

 Here is next week's "book cover":

Thanks for playing! Til next time -

Lisa

P.S. Fore more of Kathy Matthews' photography visit Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy.

Embrace Your Passion, and Buckle Up!

Photo courtesy of Public-Domain-Image.com

Lady Bird Johnson said, ". . .become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid." I read that a few days ago and it whacked me upside the head, so I wrote it on a sticky note and stuck it on my laptop.

I considered the times when my passion for something obliterated fear:  When I fell in love with my husband. . .walked down the aisle. . .gave birth for the first, second and third time.  What these events share is their impact on my existence. These were life changing events and yet I've felt more trepidation gearing up for a job interview. Why?

Passion. While passion lifts us, it also numbs us to the fear of failure. This, buttercup, is the reason I spend hours at the keyboard writing, plotting stories, inventing characters. My passion is strong enough to subdue the fear of failure. Without the passion to drive me I would be too timid to ever write a word.

Whatever your passion, grab it by the tail and hang on tight.  It may carry you to places you never dreamed, or drop you where you didn't intend to go.  Embrace it, and buckle up! Passion---true passion---will give you one hell of a ride.

What is your passion?

Til next time - 
Lisa

Microfiction Contest & Microfiction Monday

A microfiction contest is in the works! Gotham Writers' Workshop and Writing.com have joined to offer a "Write" of Spring Tweet Writing Contest. If you love writing stories for Microfiction Monday, you'll love this. Offer up your best 140 character story, and if you win your "tweet" story will be published in the next Gotham catalog and online at WritingClasses.com. The prize is a free 10-week writing workshop and a Writing.com premium membership. For full details click on this link for Gotham Writers' Workshop Tweet Writing Contest.

And now here is Microfiction Monday, where a picture is inspiration for a story of 140 characters or less.  This week I offer three different tales.  Please visit Susan at Stony River to link to other microfiction stories: 

 

The yard sale lady sold the daguerreotype for $5.00. 

Kay rushed home, giddy. She pried the photo loose. 

There it was---the hidden letter! 

(138 char)

A handsome man behind the glass, 

his eyes stare into mine. 

Mysteries in this stranger’s gaze 

compel me back through time.

(121 char)

Grampa sure were a looker.

Granny said if looks was cow pies 

Grandpa’s garden’d be green year ‘round 

and she’d bury his cheatin’ self in it.

(140 char)

Welcome new followers! Thanks for stopping by. I look forward to getting to know you better through your comments and/or blogs!

Thanks for visiting. I hope to see you back on Wednesday for some writing in the buff OR the naked truth about something because, well, that's what I do here. And then it will be on to the second Book Blurb Friday. Please click on the tab above under the blog header to see what the Book Blurb Friday meme is all about, or scroll down to have a look at last Friday's blurbs. I invite you to link to the other blogs and blurbs. I hope you'll come back to participate!

Til next time--
Lisa

Book Blurb Friday #1

Woo-hoo! Book Blurb Friday at last! This is BBF's maiden voyage and I am:

1.  Hoping that. . .I didn't screw up the Mr. Linky widget. My technical expertise is 0 on a scale of 1-10.  You've been warned.

2.  Hoping that. . .You take the ideas from your book blurbs and turn them into bestselling novels. (No point dreaming if we don't dream big, right?)

3.  Hoping that. . .Everyone has as much fun writing their blurb as I did.  I'm excited to read the other blurbs!

Now, without further ado . . . .my first ever BBF offering, 150 words or less to entice you to read:

 **Book Title:  The Gateway 

Eyes are the Gateway to the soul. . .

Eve Bannon has a rare gift.  Born a Gateway Empath, her eyes look into yours and see what the world cannot. Your very soul. . .

A valuable asset to America’s top security agencies, Eve works covertly, using eye contact alone to assess a subject’s threat potential.

Cain Devlin is a technological genius. He is a solitary and enigmatic man with a secret so volatile it can never be shared.

During a chance encounter, Eve’s eyes meet Cain’s.  The impact of his true self chills her to her core.  But she sees something else, too; and as she struggles to understand it she must determine if his life’s purpose is so evil it must be stopped, or so sacred it cannot fail. Was he sent to lead mankind to Heaven, or through the Gateway to Hell?    (word count 145)

** FYI - I did not count the book's title as part of the blurb.


So what do you think? Would you buy the book? My first draft of this blurb was twice as long and I had a tough time cutting it down to size. I'm hoping I get better as I go along!

If you are participating in BBF, please remember to post your link so others can go to your blog and read your blurb.  Scroll down to see next week's "book cover."







For information on Book Blurb Friday please click the tab under the blog header. I hope you'll join the fun!


Here is next week's "book cover":

Where Are Your Fingerprints?

These photos are of the paperback book "Exodus" by Leon Uris. Published in 1958 by Bantam, it belonged to my mother before I did, as I didn't snuggle in her arms until 1960.

I cannot guess the number of times Mama read this book. You can see in the pictures that it is dog-eared and torn, the binding taped and glued multiple times.  She put it in my hands when I turned 13 and I, too, have read and re-read this book.

My daughter noticed "Exodus" on my shelf and wondered why I didn't replace it with a sturdier hardback. After all, it is falling apart. Even the decades-old tape meant to hold it together is discolored and useless to its purpose. The pages are yellowed. It even smells old.

I will keep it forever.

Mama loved this book. Her long-fingered hands, so skilled on a piano and organ, held it and turned the pages. Her green eyes with their flecks of gold  read these printed words---these printed words, not the same words printed elsewhere.  She carried it in her purse, in the car, and passed hours engrossed in its pages. It sat on her bookshelf through my childhood and beyond.  It is part of her in ways nothing else can claim.

I have other things, of course, that were my mother's---her piano, jewelry, notes she wrote. I even kept the silly straw hat she wore to St. George Island on our last vacation together before her death. Treasures all. So what is it about this old book that matters so much? Why is this falling-apart mess of glue and paper and ink so symbolic? Are not her fingerprints and DNA on all those other things, too?

I feel close to Mama when I hold this book. It is a treasure because I deem it so, and if it only matters to me, well, that is enough.

What treasures do you hold dear that defy the understanding of others?  Do you believe that things such as this carry the imprint of someone even after the person is gone?

Where are your fingerprints?

Til next time -
Lisa

P.S.  Don't forget Book Blurb Friday!  Scroll down a couple posts or click on the designated tab above, just under the header.  See you then!