Here's the deal. Tons of great blogs are offering incredible book prizes and I am one of them! All you have to do for an entry is to write an opening paragraph for a novel using the phrase "back to the books," somewhere in it. Leave it in the comment trail. Be as original, silly, or as serious as you want. It's only a paragraph. This will be fun!
For an extra entry you can:
Become a follower of this blog
Like my Facebook page here
What will you win, you ask? I will give you a Book Lovers' basket including a copy of my brand-new novel, All Fall Down, a hand-tied lap blanket, and my favorite hot chocolate mix.
So, hurry. Think of a great opening paragraph and post it in the comments!
Contest closes at midnight on September 7th. And here is a list of other participating blogs.
20 comments:
"No!!" the minuscule fairy shouted, "I am not getting back in those books! I enjoy my summer freedom and I don't want to be stuck in a busy library where humans are always needing my help to find this or to learn that - and does this bookfairy ever get a thank you? No," she muttered, kicking a dust ball to the floor before slowly returning to her designated shelf. "Oh well, I guess it's back to the books for me and half the population. I better get ready for a busy year," she sighed, finally resigned to her reality.
Okay, that was fun, I hope someone gets as much of a kick out of reading it as I did writing it! I am a follower and the prize pack sounds awesome!
My boss tells me the dreaded five words: “Get back to the books.” I normally don’t mind working in a waste disposal plant, but I hate book duty the most. It's always a shame to see all those pages burn. All those stories turned to dust. It makes me wonder if my life, my story, will be like that one day. And I know it will. Like the books, I will be destroyed. Nothing will be left of me but ash.
--------
I agree that was a fun exercise! Definitely worked my writing muscles. :)
freshmankay[at]gmail[dot]com
I looked towards the viewer, watching the people stroll down the corridor towards the main part of the moon base, towards me. Aren't you going to greet them, the resident psychologist had asked me. Aren't you going to make friends? When I'd told her no, that there was no point in doing so, that the people would only be here for such a short amount of time, she'd smiled sadly and said, you're so human. Now, I turned back to the books, back to the selection of fiction and nonfiction that was, like me, a permanent fixture of this moon base. You're so human. The words echoed in my mind. She knew I wasn't, of course. That was why she was here, to see how my programming was doing, how I was developing, and what path my artificial personality was taking after so many years. I didn't even have to count, I always knew how long it had been since I'd come to consciousness here in the base. I also knew, though I didn't like to think of it, how many people I'd seen come and go in those years. So many. In four hundred and eighty years, I'd said too many goodbyes, had my electronic heart broken too many times. I'd already told the psychologist that I could see nothing else ahead. I no longer wanted to feel such pain. If that was human, then, yes, perhaps I was. Except that there was a difference. They were mortal, and I was not.
The lab results didn't make sense, if the subject had spoken truly. It was infuriating as Byron had run the analysis 3 times according to protocol and then had gone with plain common sense and left out the unnecessary deep freeze step. Still, the results were puzzling. He would have to go back to the books, start clean, follow protocol precisely after ensuring all the instruments were within calibration. Then he could give his boss the bad news that his latest assignation left him with a lingering inconvenience, one that would be best to mention only in writing. In a sealed envelope. Left on his desk after hours for him to find after Byron had left for vacation.
If you want to win a Nobel Prize you have to be prepared to take risks and think laterally. Great mistakes can lead to discovery or even greater disaster as Henry Whitting found out. Before he ventured forth into unknown territory once more, he decided that it might be advisable to get BACK TO THE BOOKS to acquire some much needed facts.
GFC & FB: Mary Preston
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Getting to know her aunt and spend time in Paris had been a dream come true. It was amazing how fast the summer flew by. Heading to the airport
Amanda was thinking how hard it would be to get "back to the books" after being in Paris for three months. As she boarded the plane, she thought how busy it would be when she got home. But as her mother used to say, "all good things come to an end." :)
For extra entries:
I "like" you on Facebook (Beverly Ballard Sizemore)
GFC -- Beverly S.
I hate laundry. Trying to collect every stray piece that my daughter scatters throughout the house is such a headache. I walk through the living room picking up socks, a t-shirt she must've worn during her afternoon P.E. class (whew the smell!) and a pair of jeans. I know her room has to be a disaster! Ascending the stairs to round up more clothes, I hear her talking. It's not unusual for her to talk to herself. After all, she is thirteen! But she's talking about Abraham Lincoln. Curiosity gets the best of me, and peer into her room. She turns to me and says, "Mom, can I help you?"
Smiling to myself, I say, "What are you doing, baby?"
"I'm working on a project for school. It's about Abraham Lincoln."
"That sounds wonderful honey! I just came up to grab your dirty clothes. I didn't mean to interrupt."
"It's okay, Mom, but can you please grab the clothes and leave so I can get BACK TO MY BOOKS?!"
Leaving her room, I couldn't help the swell of pride, or the smile that came across my face.
Thank you for the awesome giveaway! :) I am following your blog now as well!
songbird1613 at yahoo dot com
Austin looked at Kenidee as she held the flashcard. "You know you are so cute when you are trying to help me study". His wife made a face at him. "Oh ya, mister well if you don't stop staring at me and get back to your studying you are never going to pass the CPA test". "Oh come on Ken", he said grabbing his wife around the waist and nuzzling her neck. "Austin," she looked at him sternly. "Get back to the books, and maybe once you pass this test I will give you a kiss" she said leaving the room.
Mary's eyes fluttered open. As her eyes adjusted to the light filtering through her curtains, her mind sharpened its focus on the task at hand: studying. Summer had been a gorgeous eternity, but short by the reality of school: books, tests, track, responsibilities, and wretched cafeteria lunches. She sat up with a yawn, looked at herself in the mirror, gave a big smile, and muttered the phrase her mother had been chanting for the last two weeks: "All right sunshine, it's time to get back to the books!"
jessica - dot - j - dot - brainerd - at - gmail - dot - com
The dream came to me many times. Each time, the exact same way. If my subconcous was trying to give me a hint, it wasn't working. Of course, maybe if I wasn't so exhausted, both of my last two working brain cells could figure it out. Until then, this problem wasn't going to solve itself. I was going to have get back to books if I wanted to solve this mystery.
The two boys flipped on the computer as thunder began to roll outside the house. "We have to get started on this report. It's due tomorrow." "Seriously?" asked the other, "I thought it was due next Monday." Just then, lightening flashed brightly in the window, followed by an ear-shattering clash of thunder. The lights flickered, then went out. After lighting a few candles, the boys puzzled over how they would research their report. "Well," said one, "It looks like we have to get back to the books."
Thanks for the giveaway. This is all my mind could scrape together. Ugh, writer's block.
-Rachael Henzman
Followed GFC as Rachael Henzman
Liked on Facebook as Rachael Henzman
lostandfound1220@ gmail.com
She retreated silently into the darker shadow next to the shelves, with her back to the books. She closed her eyes to a squint to reduce the chance of detection.
The Master was away on business, so it was up to her to protect the study. The intruder was trying to be quiet, walking very carefully, but it sounded like a troll
juggling copper pots to her sensitive ears. Plans formed and reformed in her mind: immobilize and execute, frighten away, frontal all out attack? She went with deception, second nature to her. She stepped out of her shadow and approached the cloaked figure, putting on her most lovable expression, tail swishing lazily as she let out a soft Mrowr? Soon, this fool would learn not to break into a wizard's study, if she let him live.
Followed on GFC (Amber Terry)
Liked your Facebook page :)
Professor Baxter placed the ancient Egyptian tablets back upon the desk. The tablets were made of crumbling stone and covered in cuneiform. This find was quite possibly the zenith of his career and he couldn't even decipher the figures covering the dusty stone. "Back to the books", he muttered as he flipped through a chapter of one of his many books on cuneiform characters.
~Amber Terry~
Federow the dragon peered at me over the top of his spectacles. "You said you wanted to be a dragon rider. It takes timing and precision. It takes courage and athletic ability. Most of all you need to understand the psychology and history of the dragon. So stop whining about your homework and get back to the books."
I stared at the room full of books that were piled in every corner. Good thing I was immortal. This was going to take a long time.
----
Okay, two paragraphs. And I'm a follower and I liked your blog.
He yelled, "Go back to the books!" but I ignored him. After all, he's legally and in all ways, insane. Why would I do anything he said? He'd have me licking the toe jam from between my toes if I didn't cut him down to size. Never mind that he was the extra voice inside my head.
"Go back yourself! And study some psych while you're at it!" I yelled back. He never listens. It's a love/despise relationship.
Thanks for this little exercise. I followed you and liked you (because you're so likeable...;o)
Bummer days! I stink at this whole writing a paragraph thing, probably because if/when I write a book, it will be a children' book. Without paragraphs. Maybe I should get back to studying. Back to the books!
I follow your author page and this blog.
ilovemeinekinderatyahoodotcom
Caroline blew in through the door in a frenzy of snow, wind and noise. Tired from the snowball fight, with chapped hands and a red nose, all she wanted to do was curl up in bed with some hot chocolate and her favorite novel. Instead, overloaded with school work for the weekend, she had to go back to the books and study in preparation for the final exam.
gfc follower: caitlin
fb: kate s.
gokarter418 (at) aol (dot) com
Thanks for the giveaway, it sounds great!
Post a Comment