Book Blurb #31: The End of the Rainbows

And here we are again at Book Blurb Friday.  If you're a newbie, here's the scoop so you understand what follows.  Please click HERE or click the tab under the blog header for details of the Book Blurb Friday meme.  This is the shortened, abridged version:

Write a book jacket blurb (150 words or less) so enticing that potential readers would feel compelled to buy the book.

Below is this week's "book cover," generously offered for our creative blurbs by Anyes at Far Away in the Sunshine.  My book blurb follows:

The End of the Rainbows

(146 words)

Jack and Jodi Rainbow’s fantasy blossomed when they opened a friendly hotel in the Florida Keys. Tourists and locals love Jodi’s famous Rainbow Margaritas, and Jack’s deep sea fishing and diving tours are renowned. The happily married Rainbows are living their dream.

But the dream becomes a nightmare when a tourist’s daughter disappears. Her body is discovered three days later and the killer has left behind only one clue:  a rainbow tattoo on his victim’s cheek. One week later another young girl disappears and the killer repeats his MO.

FBI agent Bryant Sams leads the team investigating what the press has dubbed the Rainbow Murders. While scouring the Keys for clues to catch the killer, he unearths a past that Jack and Jodi had buried.  Making their secret known could flush out the murderer. It could also mean . . . the end of the Rainbows.

Thanks, Anyes, for offering your beautiful photo for this week's book blurbs. I'm looking forward to reading the other blurbs! This one made me giggle . . . the end of the Rainbows. Ha! It deserves a groan. It really does. Go ahead. I just couldn't help myself.

To be sure that others can read your blurb, please put your name and link in Mr. Linky, below, if you are participating in Book Blurb Friday. If you have no blurb to share, please do not install a link. It will be treated as spam and removed. Thanks.

Please scroll past the Linky widget to see our "book cover" for next week. 

Here is our "book cover" for next week's Book Blurb Friday #32, graciously provided by the very talented Kathy Matthews at Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy.

Thanks, Kathy, for allowing us to use this inspiring photo!

Thanks for visiting, and I hope you have a great weekend. See y'all Monday!

Lisa

Sticking It to Sloth

No creature personifies "Sloth" quite as well as a comfy cat.
(Photo courtesy of morguefile.com)

Laziness is a synonym for Sloth.  I read that, traditionally, it is the last of the Seven Deadly Sins (though Dante’s Inferno puts it at #4). I’m going with the traditional ranking of last, because this makes it a better character flaw than, say, Pride, the big numero uno (even Dante agrees Pride is the biggie).  The other five are Avarice, Greed/Envy, Wrath/Anger, Lust, and Gluttony.

I don’t set out to be Lazy. In fact, I’m busy as an ant colony drone. And that’s the problem. Busy takes up oodles of time and when I’m busy I’m not writing. And when I sit down to write, well . . . lately, I’m not.

Writing should mean turning the bones of a story into a full-fleshed body, and spending time with characters that alternately thrill and drive me insane. It should be reading and editing and re-writing and editing some more. But lately, writing has come to mean blogging, reading the news, and Googling ooh-gobs of stuff that has nothing to do with writing at all, like whatever happened to the kid who played Webster and why is the spectacular Suits a summer filler and not a regular show?

See what I mean? Unproductive. Lazy. Slothful.

I should be writing. I want to write. When not writing I think about it and things pertaining to it. So when I have the chance, why don’t I? Well, because no matter how much I love writing, it is hard work. Harder than reading other blogs and leaving comments. Harder than Googling Criminal Minds for spoilers and checking e-mail.

One of the awful things about Laziness is that it breeds more Laziness, until that ooky stuff oozes all over the keyboard, being absorbed into my fingers where it seeps into my veins and finally takes up residence in my brain, like an alien virus. The longer I sit at my laptop doing the easy things, the less time and inclination I have to perfect the character’s voice in chapter six, and the more I look like the above pictured cat.

So . . . I’m taking a stand against Lazy. I will not succumb to Sloth. I’ve promised myself that my writing---real writing---will get quality time every day. Because I refuse to be just an ant colony drone in my own life. I want to be Queen.

Oops. That sounds a smidge like Pride, doesn’t it? Ah, well, buttercup. One step at a time.

See you next for Book Blurb Friday!

Lisa

Microfiction: Pardon My Puns

Argh, me hearties!

My 17-year-old daughter Christina was in a play last week called "My Imaginary Pirate." The cast was splendid and my daughter's performance brilliant, of course. Although written and performed to appeal to a young audience, it offered plenty of humor for adults, as well.  Yo-ho-ho!

After Saturday night's performance, Papa treated the family to yogurt at Five Spot, a little shop that offers about 10-14 different flavors of soft, self-serve yogurt (Island Coconut, Cake Batter, Lemon Fridge Pie, etc.) and a treasure chest full of fresh toppings.

We filled our yo-ho-hogurt cups with ooh-gobs of yummy---though not ill-gotten---booty (since it all went directly to my booty I am aware of the irony) and went outside to enjoy the evening. A little girl came by with her dad and became very shy with Christina, finally asking if she was in "the pirate play." The little girl saw the play Friday as part of an elementary school field trip and recognized Christina as one of the actors. Christy talked to her for a bit, and the child was thrilled, as was Christy to have been recognized by a little "fan." Argh!

Now, me hearties, on to this week's microfiction where 140 characters must tell the tale!

Grandma's Goulash graciously hosts Succinctly Yours, the wonderful meme for those of us addicted to microfiction. The trick is to write a story in 140 characters or less using the photo below as inspiration. To add to the challenge is the word of the week, "mired."  My stories are below.

Leafing Little Em

(140 characters)

Ty watched in horror as little Em sank, mired in the oak’s deciduous onslaught.   

“I’ll get help!” he said. 

“No!” she cried. “Don’t leaf me!” 

*     *     *     *

Leaf it to Grampa: Rewired

(139 characters)

“Aaargh!” Mia screamed. “The leaves are attacking us!” 

“Nah,” Bo laughed. “Gram won’t be happy, but Grandpa rewired the leaf blower again.”   

Thanks for visiting, ye not-so-barnacled bloggers. See you on Wednesday for the naked truth about . . . being lazy.

Argh!

Have a great week!
Lisa

Book Blurb #30: Jazzy's Java

TGIBBF!

What a relief to have my internet back! It was a long six days without it, but I survived, and I've spent most of the week playing catch up. I think I've just about made it.

And here we are again at Book Blurb Friday. Can you believe this is the 30th consecutive week? If you're a newbie, here's the scoop so you understand what follows.  Please click HERE or click the tab under the blog header for details of the Book Blurb Friday meme.  This is the shortened, abridged version:

Write a book jacket blurb (150 words or less) so enticing that potential readers would feel compelled to buy the book.

Below is this week's "book cover," generously offered for our creative blurbs by the lovely Ashley Ortiz.  My book blurb follows:

Jazzy’s Java

(149 words)

Jazzy’s is the premier coffee and bakery stop for professionals working in and around Manhattan’s Carré Place. Located on the glass tower’s ground level, Jazzy’s offers the best morning lattes and buttery croissants.

It is also the secret base of TIB, the Terrorist Infiltration Bureau.

TIB, a secret arm of the CIA, handles covert operatives who infiltrate terrorist organizations worldwide.  Their goal: gather information and destroy the terror groups from the inside.

Jazzlyn Javanovich runs Jazzy’s. Not your typical barista, she is the brains behind TIB.  Her cappuccino machine doubles as a foreign currency converter, and her toaster is as likely to spit out a passport as a bagel. Operatives expect a microchip recorder with their espresso. They also know Jazzy monitors their moves, and a wrong one will land them in hot water. And hot water at Jazzy’s . . . well, it isn’t just for brewing java. 

As always, I'm looking forward to reading the other blurbs.  Everyone is so creative, and I always come away from reading just blown away by the interesting/funny/sassy/romantic/scary story lines that bubble up.  Thanks so much for participating!

To be sure that others can read your blurb, please put your name and link in Mr. Linky, below, if you are participating in Book Blurb Friday. If you have no blurb to share, please do not install a link. It will be treated as spam and removed. Thanks.

Please scroll past the Linky widget to see our "book cover" for next week.

 Here is our "book cover" for next week's Book Blurb Friday #31, graciously provided by the very talented Anyes at Far Away in the Sunshine.

Thanks, Anyes, for allowing us to use this beautiful photo!

Thanks for visiting, and I hope you have a great weekend. See y'all Monday!

Lisa

Customer No Service - Still

Photo courtesy of morguefile.com.

One of the first of my articles published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was titled “Customer No Service.” That was a number of years ago; unfortunately, not much has changed. What happened to the days when someone would say, “May I help you?” and mean it? Or when businesses acted for the customer’s convenience rather than their own?

The ice maker on my Kenmore fridge recently developed a major leak. We turned off the valve, cleaned up the mess, and contacted Sears appliance repair. The soonest they could send a repairman was nine days.

Two days prior to the appointment, Sears called to confirm. Then, on the scheduled day, they canceled. We were told they didn’t have a service rep in our area, and the earliest they could send someone would be another full week. We don’t live in the boonies, buttercup; we’re in a major metropolitan area.

So, first they scheduled the appointment, confirmed it, and then canceled last minute because they hadn’t arranged for a rep to actually show up.

How many people can keep taking half days out of work to accommodate something like that? My husband and I have flexible hours, but most households find such things a hardship.

My husband went up the ladder to complain. The people he talked to were rude and unhelpful and, in at least one instance, lied to him—something he confirmed when he later talked to a manager (and getting to a manager practically required an act of God; they don't like to talk to customers, apparently). Needless to say, Sears has lost our current and future business.

My fridge is fixed now. We went through a smaller repair company who treated us well. (Appliance Max, thanks! We’ll use you again.)

I worked in customer service for years, both as a rep and in management. I know how tough it is to spend the day “rubbing bellies” and offering up warm fuzzies to grumpy people. Believe me, I handled some doozies.  But honesty, courtesy and an honest desire to help and accommodate the customer go a long way.

What experiences have you had with customer service? Do you notice a difference with smaller, locally owned businesses compared to national chains? What is your opinion on the decline of customer service?

See you for Book Blurb Friday -

Lisa

Microfiction: Kids in Charge

My internet is back! Yay! I'll be catching up on last Friday's book blurbs and reading today's microfiction. Looks like another busy day. 


Grandma's Goulash graciously hosts Succinctly Yours, the wonderful meme for those of us addicted to microfiction. The trick is to write a story in 140 characters or less using the photo below as inspiration. To add to the challenge is the word of the week, "beneficial."  My stories are below.

 

“Stand back,” Mia told Billy. “I’ll stomp that bug flat!” “Wait, that’s no spider,” said Billy. “It’s an M&M. I call three second rule!”  (137 characters)

*     *     *     *

The duck looked like a stuffed toy. How beneficial that it was really a recorder that captured Ed and Em’s plot to take over the universe.  (140 characters)

 
Fitting in the word of the week was a real challenge this time around. I'm looking forward to seeing how the other microfiction participants handled it. 


See you Wednesday!
Lisa

Book Blurb #29: Dragon AND Internet Woes

TGIBBF!

What an awful week! First, my AT&T line was cut by workers installing a sprinkler system in my yard, leaving us without phone and internet until sometime this Saturday.  For that reason I've been absent since Monday's microfiction. I come to you today courtesy of my bestie, Linda (we've been pals for over 20 years; she's the little sister I always wanted), who graciously offered her kitchen table for my use. So here I sit, my laptop hooked up to her internet, plugging away at my blurb before I have to abandon my blog to go home and cook dinner. Thank you, Lindy-Lou-Who, for being so wonderful and generous!

As if losing the internet weren't trauma enough, Papa fell ill yesterday necessitating an emergency room visit that lasted into the wee hours. It turned out to be an infection that antibiotics will clear, but he sure gave us a scare. I'm so happy that he's home and doing well that I forgot to be grumpy about being without my internet.

So instead of a whiny me, you have a cheerful me, and posting for BBF is a reminder to have fun. If you're a newbie, here's the scoop so you understand what follows.  Please click HERE or click the tab under the blog header for details of the Book Blurb Friday meme.  This is the shortened, abridged version:

Write a book jacket blurb (150 words or less) so enticing that potential readers would feel compelled to buy the book.

Below is this week's "book cover," generously offered for our creative blurbs by the very talented Kay Davies. My book blurb follows:

Dragon

(150 words)

Ben Dragon, ex-Army Ranger, makes his living flying helicopter tours of Fire Rock Canyon, a complicated maze of red sandstone rock.  The canyon’s dangerous architecture is part of its legend—and lure.

While flying solo, Ben spots a woman frantically signaling for help. Search and Rescue deems the location inaccessible, so Ben goes in. He is lowered by chopper with enough supplies for three days.

Ben soon realizes he has an enemy in Fire Rock Canyon. His search efforts are sabotaged and his supplies and communication equipment destroyed. When he finds the woman, she is dazed, dehydrated, and unable to remember anything of value. Ben must ensure the woman’s survival and his own, but without a radio to call for help, it will be three days before the chopper returns; three days to endure brutal games of cat-and-mouse against a sadistic murderer who lives for the thrill of the kill.

I don't know why this photo made me think of Nevada's Red Rock Canyon, but it did. If you ever have the opportunity to visit, you won't be disappointed. Unlike my fictional Fire Rock Canyon, Red Rock is accessible to hikers. Thanks again, Kay, for offering a great photo!

Please put your name and link in Mr. Linky, below, if you are participating in Book Blurb Friday. If you have no blurb to share, please do not install a link. It will be treated as spam and removed. Thanks.

Please scroll past the Linky widget to see our "book cover" for next week.

Here is our "book cover" for next week's Book Blurb Friday #30, graciously provided by the lovely Ashley Ortiz.

Please be patient with my efforts to visit your blogs and read your blurbs. Without ready internet access it will take some finagling!

Enjoy your weekend -

Lisa

Microfiction: Vehiculovers Janie and Jay

Grandma's Goulash graciously hosts Succinctly Yours, the wonderful meme for those of us addicted to microfiction. The trick is to write a story in 140 characters or less using the photo below as inspiration. To add to the challenge is the word of the week, "methodical."  My stories are below.

Vehiculover Janie

(138 characters)

Janie was always a methodical perfectionist who loved cars. Her eventual OCD diagnosis and success as a used auto dealer surprised no one.

*      *      *      *

Vehiculover Jay

(109 characters)

Few people know that Jay Leno’s hobby of collecting cars began long before he achieved success as a comedian.

Enjoy your day -- see you Wednesday!
Lisa 

Book Blurb #28: The Dumpster Genie

Welcome to Book Blurb Friday, where 150 words must sell your story.

If you are new to this blog, please click HERE or click the tab under the blog header for details of the Book Blurb Friday meme.  This is the shortened, abridged version:

Write a book jacket blurb (150 words or less) so enticing that potential readers would feel compelled to buy the book.

Below is this week's "book cover," generously offered for our creative blurbs by my son Joey. My book blurb follows:

The Dumpster Genie

(149 words)

Homeless drunkard Otis Figg is pretty sure the dumpster graffiti isn’t really talking to him. He recognizes a hallucination—which he dubs the Dumpster Genie—when he sees it.

But what happens when the predictions of the Dumpster Genie come true? Like the collision of two city buses and a local preacher caught inflagrante delicto with the mayor’s wife behind the Dairy Delight?

All Otis wants when he dishes to a reporter is money for hooch; he lands in the national spotlight instead.

Otis is unprepared for the flood of people, from down-and-outs to up-and-comings (and some already-theres), who want their futures predicted. But the Dumpster Genie only talks to Otis, making Otis the most reluctant—and petulant—prophet of all time.

The Dumpster Genie is a fun romp that pokes fun at the national media and reality T.V. Read it only if you aren’t afraid to laugh yourself!

This one wrote itself for me this week. That goofy little guy on the dumpster told me what to write. Cross my heart. 

Please put your name and link in Mr. Linky, below, if you are participating in Book Blurb Friday. If you have no blurb to share, please do not install a link. It will be treated as spam and removed. Thanks.

Please scroll past the Linky widget to see our "book cover" for next week.





Here is our "book cover" for next week's Book Blurb Friday #29, graciously provided by Kay Davies.

This is quite different from any of the other "book covers" we've had. Thanks Kay!

See you on Monday for microfiction. Enjoy your weekend!
Lisa

BE Entertainment & Productions: Writing Contest for Women

Thanks to the holiday, Wednesday came fast this week. Also thanks to the holiday, I've got my days all messed up; it feels like today should be Tuesday. That is one reason my post is a short one today. The second reason is that my big sis is coming to visit and I'm busy putting sheets on the guest bed and making potato salad.

In between tucking linens and chopping onions I found a contest that I want to share with my lady writer friends. (Sorry gentlemen, you'll have to sit this one out.) The contest is hosted by BE Entertainment & Productions and the deadline for submissions is September 15th.  Below is the submission information.  Click HERE to go to their webpage for the full scoop.

"The Dynamics of a Woman"

2011 Women Writer’s Contest

"BE Entertainment & Productions with its owner, Bianca Emery, is teaming up with 2011 Ms. New Orleans Plus America & Columnist, Trella Woodfork, to conduct "The Dynamics of a Woman" Women's Writer's Contest. We are looking for Short Stories & Poems about women displaying one or more of the following: Inspiration, Strength, Confidence, and Determination. 

Entry Fee: $5 for Poems & $10 for Short Stories

Cash Prizes: $150 for the Poem & $250 for the Short Story

The Winners will also be featured in our Upcoming Publication as well as Interviewed on our Blog Talk Radio Show.

Contest Ends September 15, 2011.

A portion of the proceeds from the contest will go towards The Reading Partners Program, which focuses on children from low-income communities who are struggling with reading."

Ladies, start your writing engines! The entry fees are not unreasonable (and a portion will be donated to a good cause), and a win will bring a return on your money plus a little publicity for your talent, and that is always a good thing. As always, even if you don't win, you'll still have a great story that may find a home somewhere else. Good luck!

See you next for Book Blurb Friday!

Lisa

Microfiction: Flummoxed by Film at Eleven

Happy Labor Day weekend! In spite of today's holiday status, this is still a Monday and that means microfiction!

Grandma's Goulash graciously hosts Succinctly Yours, the wonderful meme for those of us addicted to microfiction. The trick is to write a story in 140 characters or less using the photo below as inspiration. To add to the challenge is the word of the week, "practice."  My stories are below.

Flummoxed by Film

(140 characters)

The young photography student, happy to practice on the old church, was flummoxed when told to use a film camera only; no digital allowed.  

 *     *     *     *

Octogenarian Arrested: Film at Eleven

(139 characters)

Bad Bart schemed to recover his hidden cache of gold before that Historical Guild busybody, Mae B. Nosy, pushed to renovate the old church.

I couldn't determine if this is a little church or a schoolhouse; the possibility also exists that it is neither. I opted for church in order to take advantage of fewer characters.  "Funny" escaped me this week, so I shot for "mildly amusing" and hope I landed there. I know my fellow microfictioners will see things I didn't and will have created some chuckles.  As always, I'm looking forward to reading the other microfiction stories. Check them out with me by clicking HERE.

Enjoy your day -- see you Wednesday!
Lisa 

Book Blurb #27: A Piece of Cake

TGIBBF!

Before I jump into BBF, I'd like to thank everyone who offered comments to my last post. Y'all offered encouragement and made me smile, laugh and generally appreciate the blogging community to which I belong even more than I usually do . . . and trust me, that's a lot. Thank you!

Okay -- back to Book Blurb Friday, where 150 words must sell your story!

If you are new to this blog, please click HERE or click the tab under the blog header for details of the Book Blurb Friday meme.  This is the shortened, abridged version:

Write a book jacket blurb (150 words or less) so enticing that potential readers would feel compelled to buy the book.

Below is this week's "book cover," generously offered for our creative blurbs by my son's talented (and adorable) girlfriend, Ashley Ortiz. My book blurb follows:

A Piece of Cake

(139 words)

Michael Fitzsimmons, owner of A Piece of Cake, is the most sought after wedding planner in Savannah. His event planning and decorating skills are peerless, his fashion sense to-die-for; and if his clients assume he’s gay, well, it saves him from misplaced attractions and well-meaning matchmakers.

But what happens when the sister of his newest client turns out to be his college sweetheart? To what lengths will he go to maintain his gay cover and still woo the only woman he’s ever loved? And how will he solve the wedding day problems of the groom’s lost toupee, the bride’s tanning salon crisis and a four-tier wedding cake ruined by the baker’s three pet ferrets?

Michael has his hands full and the stress is piling up, making him wonder if his business is really A Piece of Cake, or falling to pieces!

This photo was actually taken in Italy, and there are more terrific shots that Ashley has offered for our BBF use. Thanks again, Ashley!

Please put your name and link in Mr. Linky, below, if you are participating in Book Blurb Friday. If you have no blurb to share, please do not install a link. It will be treated as spam and removed. Thanks.

Please scroll past the Linky widget to see our "book cover" for next week.  

Here is our "book cover" for next week's Book Blurb Friday #28, graciously provided by my son Joey.

Thanks for visiting! I do hope everyone enjoys a safe and pleasant Labor Day weekend.  See you on Monday for microfiction!

Lisa