Book Blurb #44: Needing Faith

TGIBBF!

Welcome again to 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 Kay Davies at An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel. My blurb is below.

Needing Faith

(150 words)

In fall of 1872 Faith Strong learns of the accidental deaths of her sister and brother-in-law.  She catches the first train from Massachusetts to Kentucky to claim her four nephews, but her brother-in-law’s brother, Moose Reinhardt, has stepped in and doesn’t want Faith’s help.

When a blizzard isolates Faith with her young nephews and their stubborn uncle, it is Faith who keeps their lives on an even keel. But when the weather clears, Faith prepares to leave.

Moose can see the boys are happier with Faith in their lives, even if she is a bossy Yankee. To convince Faith to stay, Moose devises an elaborate scheme to show her she’s needed. But Faith wants more. She wants love.  By the time Moose realizes he feels the same way it may be too late, and he is forced to admit the only thing worse than needing Faith will be losing her.    

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 #45, provided by Tammy Goodsell of Message in a Bloggle.

Thanks for participating in Book Blurb Friday. If you have any photos you think would be appropriate as a "book cover," please send them to me via email (writinginthebuff@hotmail.com).

Have a fun and safe New Year's weekend! See you next for Monday's microfiction.

Lisa

Willpower Wishes

Photo courtesy of Charles M. Wrenn III

The Merriam-Webster dictionary says “willpower” is energetic determination.  I wonder if Walmart is offering any of that during their after-Christmas sale? I’ll take a cart full of it, please.

My problem is  . . . I. Can’t. Stop. Eating.

It all began with Linda’s nut roll, escalated with Deb’s truffles, got worse with Cheryl’s Mississippi mud pie, and became a full blown catastrophe with Miriam’s cookies and coffee cake. Never mind the Honeybaked Ham leftovers still in the fridge.  Every cell in my body is screaming at me to cease and desist.

“Please!” They’re crying in their little cell voices, all 75 trillion of them. “Not another bite! Our fat cell companions are expanding and there’s going to be a population explosion! Watch out! It’s a hostile takeover!”

Why can’t I pass by a seasonal goody without taking a bite? You’d think I’m never going to have the opportunity to eat again, the way I’m nom-nom-nomming my way through the month of December. I’ve packed on some pounds, too, as evidenced by my Christmas day decision to wear sweatpants instead of blue jeans. The elastic waist wasn’t just appreciated, buttercup—it was necessary to prevent the asphyxiation of my tummy by Levi Strauss.  

Every year I tell myself I’m going to exercise my willpower to stay away from the goodies, and every year I finish up December by digging my Weight Watchers’ guide from the back of the pantry. Every stinkin’ year.

Maze mice learn faster than I do.

There must be a way to boost my willpower, because there’s no way to stop the influx of holiday yummies into my kitchen. I could threaten my friends by promising to write unflattering portrayals of them into my novel if they don’t quit with the goodies already. But that wouldn’t be very jolly of me, and the fam might protest.

What do you do to strengthen your willpower over the holidays? Anything? Or do you eat what you want and figure you’ll pay the price come January?  If you have willpower secrets, I think you should share. As long it doesn’t involve chocolate, I should be okay.

See you next for Book Blurb Friday!

Lisa

Microfiction: All About Oz

Welcome to today's microfiction! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas.


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, "bouyant."  My stories are below.

Trauma in Oz

(128 characters)

The Munchkins rued their practical joke when Glinda fainted. Poor girl just wasn’t the same since that house fell on her sister.

Drama Because of Oz

(140 characters)

After Dr. Oz espoused the benefits of red wine, Mrs. Claus knew there’d be big trouble with Santa. He could never do anything in moderation.

Oz is the Cause

(127 characters)

The elves were buoyant when Santa threw them a holiday party. It was great fun until Elf Ozzie, the old sot, spiked the eggnog.

To read the microfiction stories of others participating in this meme, please click HERE.

Thanks for visiting! See you on Wednesday for the naked truth about . . . Willpower.

Have a great week!
Lisa

Book Blurb #43: The Hattfelds and McLoys

The Christmas holiday is just days away! Wishing you and yours many blessings, no matter what your beliefs may be.  Merry Christmas!

TGIBBF!

Welcome again to 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 Kathy Matthews at Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy.

The Hattfelds and McLoys

(146 words)

For four decades, Jacob Hattfeld’s “Bodacious Breads” has operated next door to Liam McLoy’s “Luscious Lattes.” It seems a match made in heaven, but the former high school gridiron rivals have been feuding longer than they’ve shared sidewalk space.

When McLoy’s beautiful granddaughter Aileen visits he makes sure she knows to steer clear of Hattfeld’s establishment. Unfortunately, he doesn’t say anything about avoiding his rival’s handsome grandson, Caleb, and when a romance heats up, sparks fly.

Anxious to break up the lovebirds, Hattfeld and McLoy cooperate for the first time in decades.  By the time they achieve their goal they find that conniving together has enabled them to end their feud and begin their friendship anew. But now that their grandchildren have called it quits, the curmudgeonly cupids must conspire again—this time to bring Aileen and Caleb back together.

Romance has never been this cranky.

I had fun with this variation on the old Southern Hatfield vs. McCoy family feud. This is one I might just turn into a short story.  Thanks, Kathy, for being so generous with your photo talent.


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 #44, provided by Kay Davies at An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel.

Thanks for participating in Book Blurb Friday. If you have any photos you think would be appropriate as a "book cover," please send them to me via email (writinginthebuff@hotmail.com).

Have a great Christmas weekend! See you next for Monday's microfiction.

Lisa

Christmas Secrets

Clip art courtesy of Webweaver.nu

 
The cute little gal who cuts my hair told me that she doesn’t like surprises or secrets. Not even Christmas secrets, the kind that your hubby and kids keep when they’ve got something stashed waiting to be wrapped. “No surprises,” she told me. “Don’t like ‘em.”

That sounded a bit Grinch-like to me, so I thought I’d take a poll. Do you like to be surprised when you unwrap a gift, or would you rather have some idea of what’s inside the box?

Me? I love Christmas secrets. I’d rather be surprised with a new pair of socks than know about the Godiva chocolates in my Santa stocking. I’m always so tickled that someone took the time to think about me and what I might like.  The gift given is the manifest of that thoughtfulness; but the thoughtfulness is the real gift, isn’t it?

Christmas secrets are delicious. They are as much fun for the giver as for the receiver. Oh, there are disappointments I suppose. Like the time I expected a new bike and got a teddy bear instead. But you know what? That bike, had I received it, would be long gone. The teddy bear, a Christmas gift when I was 9, is still with me. I’ll never get rid of the old boy.

The Christmas I received Teddy was also the year I learned that I have the power to ruin Christmas secrets.  I was 9-years-old. My big brother, Craig, had finished his shopping and I wouldn’t stop agitating him about what he bought me. “You’ll like it,” was all he would say. And then I’d start in again: What is it, what is it, what is it? Finally, he said, “I’m not going to tell you because it’s supposed to be kept secret so you’ll be surprised on Christmas. But it’s in the top drawer of my dresser, so if you want to look and ruin it for yourself, go ahead.”

How brilliant was that? He put the power in my hands and stopped my nagging questions. I lasted about an hour before I scrambled up the stairs to his room and pulled open the dresser drawer. It was a locket watch. I loved it. Adored it. Couldn’t wait for Christmas so I could wear it.  And when Christmas morning arrived and the box sat in my hands, the disappointment gnawed at me.

I’d ruined it. This beautiful, thoughtful gift, chosen with care by the brother I adore, had lost its secret power.  The awed delight was already out of the box, you see. I robbed myself of the Christmas surprise, and I stole from my brother the joy of watching my face when I saw for the first time the gift he had chosen.  

Christmas secrets are some of the most precious, the revelation of which is anticipated by both giver and receiver. I like my secrets kept under wraps until Christmas morning, but not everyone feels the same way. How about you?  Secret, or expected gift?

Merry Christmas! May all your Christmas secrets be sources of joy, and may the loving Spirit of Christmas be yours this season and always.

God bless –

Lisa

P.S.  See you next for Book Blurb Friday!

Microfiction: That Really Frosts Me

Welcome to today's microfiction! Hope you had a great weekend.

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, "nimble."  My stories are below.

Frosted #1: See Him Choke

(137 characters)

Stu Frost, earnest but not nimble of brain, blew his chance with Ms. Dayberry when he tipped his hat and said, “Good Berries, Ms. Day!”

*          *          *          * 

Frosted #2: Up in Smoke

(139 characters)

"I'm gonna give those anti-smokers a swift kick in the snowballs!"Clearly, Frosty held a grudge since the banishment of his corn cob pipe.

To read the microfiction stories of others participating in this meme, please click HERE.

Thanks for visiting! See you on Wednesday for the naked truth about . . . Christmas Secrets.

Have a great week!
Lisa

Book Blurb #42: Nightlights

TGIBBF!

Welcome again to 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 my daughter, Christina. Thanks Christy!

Nightlights

(147 words)

Carmelita Torres drops off her last fare of the night and flips the taxi light to “off.” All she wants now is an easy drive home to the Bronx and a nice cold one.

Assistant DA Jake Winter clutches the envelope containing important evidence.  He thinks he’s succeeded in losing his pursuers but he’s wrong. Jake needs a way out, and fast.  Carmelita’s cab is just the ticket.

Now as much a target as Jake, Carmelita is dragged into a nighttime chase as they run for their lives from agents of a drug cartel hell bent on retrieving Jake’s evidence at any cost. And it soon becomes apparent that people Jake thought he could trust are in the drug lord’s pocket. Jake may know the law, but it will be Carmelita’s knowledge of the city streets and back alleys that keep them alive.  But for how long?

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 #43, provided by Kathy Matthews at Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy. I happened upon this photo on her blog just today and love the colors and presentation. Great photo Kathy!

 
Thanks for participating in Book Blurb Friday. If you have any photos you think would be appropriate as a "book cover," please send them to me via email (writinginthebuff@hotmail.com).

Have a great weekend! See you next for Monday's microfiction.

Lisa

 

LAST CHANCE!

Photo link: dailywireless.org

This is your LAST CHANCE!

How often have you heard those words? Seriously. How often? And of all the times you’ve heard “last chance,” was it ever really a last chance?

I hear “last chance” all the time at the mall. Moms and dads say it to misbehaving kids over and over again, leading anyone listening to believe that what it really means is, “This is your hundredth chance and you have five hundred more chances before I make good on my threat to drag your sorry little behind home.” C’mon. Admit it. You’ve heard it. Maybe you’re even one of the parents who has said it. (It’s okay. You’re in good company.)

Car ads are another example. “This is your LAST CHANCE to buy the Super Deluxe Hondota Sedan at these end-of-year prices!” Only it isn’t really the last chance, is it? They’ll have another comparable sale in a month or so. They’ll call it the beginning-of-the-year sale.

My thinking on this topic began with mail order catalogs. There is one in particular that stalks me. I ordered two things eight years ago and now they won’t leave me alone. The catalog arrives twice a month like clockwork. Lately, though, the cover is emblazoned with huge letters that spell out “LAST CHANCE to receive our catalog!” 

They’ve been sending me catalogs with the LAST CHANCE warning for months now. I still haven’t ordered anything. I must be a terrible disappointment to the people at the catalog company. My picture is on a milk carton in their break room.

So under what circumstances should the “last chance” threat be taken seriously?

The IRS. They probably mean it when they say “last chance.” Police officers mean it. Teachers mean it, and---God bless them---they have to make good on any threat they make to their students or the little boogers will just walk all over them (see paragraph 2 above).  But really, who else? Aside from the federal government, teachers and grandparents, who else really, truly means “last chance” when they say it?

I think most of the time “last chance” is only a suggestion. But the phrase, “We SUGGEST you buy something from our catalog” just doesn’t have the same critical ring to it. LAST CHANCE carries the implication of immediacy and necessity. 

And don't you just love examples of how the language is wrapped around myriad thought processes? How words are woven to convey ideas is such a marvel. When Maya Angelou does that it's "poetry." When a politician's press secretary does it, it's called "spin." Worlds apart, but the process is the same.

What other words or phrases are used for effect rather than literal meaning? There must be ooh-gobs of them out there.  If you think of any, please leave a comment. But don’t wait! This is your LAST CHANCE!

See you next for Book Blurb Friday!

Lisa

Microfiction: Diligence

Welcome to today's microfiction! Hope you had a great weekend.

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, "diligent."  My stories are below.

DooDoo Diligence

(122 characters)

No matter how diligent they were, Jan and her pals just couldn’t avoid all the cow pies. Bessie snickered from a distance.

*          *          *          *

Don't Do Diligence

(137 characters)

The Procrastinator’s Club found themselves woefully short on snow when they finally managed to arrange January’s ski trip . . . in April.

To read the microfiction stories of others participating in this meme, please click HERE.

Thanks for visiting! See you on Wednesday for the naked truth about . . . last chances.

Have a great week!
Lisa

Book Blurb #41: Del Cuore

TGIBBF!

Welcome again to 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 Ashley Ortiz.  Thanks, Ashley!

Del Cuore

(149 words)

Daniela Delgado has spent her life avoiding her meddling grandfather’s overbearing influence, but when his deathbed request is that she visit Del Cuore, the small Italian town of his childhood, she agrees. His final words: “Unless you seek romance, avoid the stone stairway leading from the town square. Amore destinato!”

Determined to do exactly that which her grandfather bade her not to do, Daniela arrives in Del Cuore and immediately seeks the stairs. They lead to a wild garden and Antonio Rossi, a landscape architect commissioned to restore its beauty.

Daniela’s friendship with Antonio leads to romance. But then Daniela learns that before his death her grandfather hired Antonio to do the restoration. Now Daniela must decide if her relationship with Antonio is real, or just the orchestration of an interfering grandfather who, even beyond death, has the power to influence her life . . . and her heart.

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 #42, provided by my daughter, Christina.

Thanks for participating in Book Blurb Friday. If you have any photos you think would be appropriate as a "book cover," please send them to me via email (writinginthebuff@hotmail.com).

Have a great weekend! See you next for Monday's microfiction.

Lisa

Ssscat!

If you are a frequent visitor to Writing the Buff then you are aware that a year ago my daughter rescued a kitten from a storm drain.  Only six months after her adoption into our home, I reported the kitty to be a domestic terrorist.  We are now one year and one month out, and Luna is still our favorite little troublemaker.

Just to give you a visual reference, here’s a picture of Luna shortly after she arrived at our home:

And here she is now, sitting right where she’s not supposed to be:

The latter photo is important, because it allows me to segue into the naked truth about a wonderful cat deterrent product called Ssscat.  Here’s the situation.

Luna, also known around the house as Luna-tic, is loved and accepted by all with the exception of the undisputed Feline Queen of the house, aka Tabitha. Tabby’s dislike of Luna is so strong that Tabby is now on Prozac to ease her stress.  Here's a pic of our Prozac kitty, Tabby:

Now, before you start feeling too sorry for Tabby, please understand that her relationship with Luna is complicated. They coexist peacefully most of the time, until one of them cannot stand the quiet another moment. When that happens, the antsy party intentionally aggravates the other. Sometimes it is Luna batting at Tabby’s tail; sometimes it is Tabby swatting at Luna and giving a hiss. In either case, the result is the same. Luna takes off with Tabby in hot pursuit.

Luna is young and able to jump to high places where the older Tabby cannot. One of those is the kitchen counter.  When Luna was younger, I made the mistake of allowing her to take refuge on the counter. After all, she was a baby in fear of having the snot kicked out of her. The problem is, the kitchen counter soon became more than her refuge. It became her Kitty Kingdom.  I spent most of my kitchen time tossing her off. For every fifty times I picked her up and set her on the floor there is an equal number of times that she jumped right back up again.

Even if you love cats, the joke that everything tastes a little better with cat hair in it is only true on a tee-shirt.  The reality is, we like our food served fur free.

And so it was that after the whirlwind of Thanksgiving cooking I put my foot down. No more Luna on the counter.  Now the problem was how to train a young, smart, stubborn, and incredibly persistent cat to stay off.

That’s where Ssscat comes in. Here's the product description from Amazon:

"Train your cat to stay away from restricted areas, such as the fishbowl or the kitchen counter. The SSSCAT Cat Training Aid uses a patented motion detector that senses when your cat is approaching an area she’s supposed to stay away from and releases a brisk spray. The scentless, stainless, harmless, painless spray startles the cat, training her to avoid that area from now on. You can adjust the angles of detection and spray direction. Good for indoor and outdoor use. Repels cats from up to 3 feet. Requires no training. Leaves no residue. Completely safe for all cats, humans, and the environment. Includes adjustable SSSCAT motion detector, can of harmless HFC134a gas, and user guide. Uses 4 AAA batteries (sold separately)."

Ssscat is awesome. We just turn it on, and it is a silent patroller of the countertops. Luna jumps up, the motion detector senses her adorable fluffiness, and—SSSHHH!—the air blows out with the loud sound of an aerosol.  Twice was all it took, and Luna stayed off the counter for days. She ventured back up there a couple times when the Ssscat was turned off, but all it took was a Ssscat refill and we were back in business. My counters are cat free. Best of all, the device doesn't harm the kitty in any way; she just really hates the noise and blowing air.

Luna still plays her rousing rounds of chase-and-fight with Tabby, but those incidences are becoming less and less. Our hope is that when Luna is older those feline fights will end altogether. In the meantime, Ssscat has my vote as one of the most effective (and safe) cat deterrents ever.

So now you know the naked truth about Ssscat. You also know the naked truth about the domestic battles that occur in my otherwise happy household.  The fur flies, but not into our casseroles.

See you next for Book Blurb Friday!

Lisa

Microfiction: Attitude, Cattitude

Welcome to today's microfiction! Hope you had a great weekend.

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, "jubilant."  My stories are below.

 

Attitude, Attitude

(134 characters)

“Hey! Hey! Hey-hey-hey! Hey! Hey!”

Oscar’s jubilant attitude made him a favorite 

with his furry friends. With the neighbors?

Not so much.

*          *          *          *

Cattitude, Cattitude

(104)

Boris was always the first of the pack 

to see Fluffy flip them off with her tail.   

To read the microfiction stories of others participating in this meme, please click HERE.

Thanks for visiting! See you on Wednesday for the naked truth about . . . SSSCAT!

Have a great week!
Lisa

Book Blurb Friday: #40 KRAKEN

TGIBBF!

Welcome again to 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 NaNoWriMo writer powerhouse, Sandra Davies at Lines of Communication.  Sandra not only hit the 50,000 word mark, she exceeded it for a total of 78,185 and she's still writing. Congratulations, Sandra! I'm especially pleased because Sandra told me her plot is born from blurbs she wrote for our very own Book Blurb Friday. So exciting!

Thanks again for this great photo, Sandra. My blurb follows.
 

KRAKEN

(149 words)

It began in a Scandinavian village, unnoticed by all but the local fishermen.  Their stories of strange lights under the sea and mammoth glowing creatures were ignored as tall tales.

Until the monsters came to feed.

At the end of a single day’s reign of terror every person in the little village is left for dead. The creatures return to the sea without a trace.

Lone survivor Elof Lindgren was just a boy when the creatures came. Now grown, Elof has financial backing, the best oceanographic technology available, and an obsession to find the creatures no matter the cost.

Born on an alien planet, the creatures exist in the bowels of the North Atlantic awaiting the signal that will free them once again. While Elof and his scientists race for the truth, the clock starts ticking on an alien invasion that will change the face of the Earth forever.

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 #41, provided by the lovely Ashley Ortiz.  Thanks, Ashley, for allowing us to use this wonderful photo.

Thanks for participating in Book Blurb Friday. If you have any photos you think would be appropriate as a "book cover," please send them to me via email (writinginthebuff@hotmail.com).

Have a great weekend! See you next for Monday's microfiction.

Lisa