Sunday, September 13, 2009

Great Beginnings

I belong to several Yahoo groups dedicated to writers and writing. There was an interesting discussion on one this week about opening lines of a book. It was such fun to read what the authors posted. My MasterCard wasn't happy since I had to make a trip to Barnes and Noble.com on a shopping trip after reading so many of those great openings. Well, at least I earned a lot of points toward a B&N gift certificate. :-)

I decided to ask the Sizzling Scribes to contribute to my blog this week with their favorite opening lines of one of their books. They graciously agreed to help me.

He saw her standing with a group of three other women. Lust hit him with the force of a size thirteen combat boot rammed into his stomach.
One Night of Pleasure
by Lynn LaFleur
Ellora's Cave

"Mr. Coleridge, I'm Constable Anderson." The officer walked forward, his face and hands scrubbed clean, but his uniform reeking of smoke and dust and death. His eyes and his stench told the story long before he spoke. "I'm very sorry to inform you that there's been an accident."
Firefly Promise
by Nikki Soarde
Ellora's Cave

The corner of Jackson McCay's mouth lifted arrogantly as he stared across the room directly into a set of angry slanting eyes. Lowering his gaze to the barrel of the small derringer pointed straight at his heart, he reached for his own gun lying heavy at his side and lifted it slowly from the holster to set it carefully on the table before him. The sudden click of the silver derringer's hammer being pulled back echoed in the quiet room, an ominous threat as to what would transpire if he didn't continue to follow orders.
Perfect Betrayal
by Ruby Storm
Ellora's Cave

Kendra stood to the full stretch of her five foot seven inch height and glared down at the gorgeous man lounging in the visitor chair on the far side of her desk. "Brand, if you ever put your fangs on one of my friends again, I'm going to rip them out and make myself a pair of earrings."
Vampires and Donuts
from Ellora's Cavemen: Legendary Tails II
by Tielle St. Clare
Ellora's Cave

"Mayday, mayday, this is Rafferty Sloan of the Imperial Cruiser The Federation. We're caught in an unknown planet's orbit at the following coordinates." Sloan rattled off the coordinates and launched the emergency beacon. Feck, he hoped at least one beacon escaped the gravitational pull and made it into open space.
Sloan's Heart
by Arianna Hart
Ellora's Cave

Like the cover of a romance novel, the young couple lay intertwined with each other on a heart-shaped bed, modesty safeguarded only by the closeness of their bodies and the tangle of the red satin sheet. The gold of their hair and of the rings on their fingers glinted in the light from the candles that flickered over them. Clothes lay scattered around the room, and a table by the window held the remains of two meals. On the nightstand, an open bottle of champagne rested in a bucket of swiftly melting ice next to two empty champagne flutes.
Believe in the Magic
by Cait Miller
Ellora's Cave

This was such fun! My only problem with reading all these great opening lines is that now I want to read the whole books!

I think my MasterCard is in trouble again.

Lynn

Sunday, September 6, 2009

A Low Tech Kind of Day


We all talk about how technology has invaded our lives…we’re strapped to our cell phones, the kids are always texting, and there is no place to escape it. I’ve started to wonder if anyone has a conversation these days that doesn’t involve hitting a button to send or connect.

But yesterday, I went to the Alaska State Fair and you know…it’s a lot like I remember it from when I was a child. Very low tech.

Oh, the cell phones were still present and a lot of people were on them…usually saying “I’m just down from the Grillin’ Challenge booth. I’m waving. Can you see me?”

I saw one TV…at the Direct TV sales booth…but beyond that everyone was engaged in the fair. I didn’t see one video game in a child’s hand. Even the ear-buds were gone from most ears.

Like most Fairs, our day was all about the food and the rides and the strange little booths you only see at the Fair. The rides have gotten a little scarier from when I was a kid but everyone still eats candied apples and cotton candy and the line for a pork chop on a stick was huge! My favorite food of the day was the Denali Cream Puff...5-inch diameter custard fill pastry with chocolate fudge topping. Yummy!

Going to the Fair reminds me of how low tech our lives can be—not all the time, but just to get away from it. The textiles displays are amazing. Admittedly, it was more my generation checking out the quilts but they are still pretty freakin’ impressive.

Over in the barn area, a pig had given birth the night before to 11 piglets. That grew quite a crowd from kids and adults alike as did the baby chicken section where you can actually watch them hatch and see the various growth stages. Including petting the baby chicks at the end. Sooo cute.

And the highlight of the Alaska State Fair…the giant vegetables. A 127-pound cabbage on display. New world record holder I believe. Here is when the tech came out…we all pulled out cell phones and digital cameras to take a picture!

(Note: the picture is the 2nd Place Cabbage...only 125.9 lbs. Same grower.)