Monday, December 7, 2020

Advent Calendar Day 7

 


Happy 7th of December!

A good day to remember that things can always be worse. At least nobody is dropping bombs on us today.  We're not in the middle of a world war. Things are looking up! 

This year, for the first time ever, we've got an artificial Christmas tree. It's...pretty. It doesn't look like my trees usually do, but I did the best with what I had to work with. AND my Christmas shopping is all done. In fact, a bunch of prezzies have already been delivered. And the Advent Calendar is pretty well blocked out now, so I can just spend the rest of the month writing and enjoying the fruits of my rewards AKA drinking. 


I'M KIDDING. 


Well, not entirely.


Anyway, today we're bringing back one of our interactive Advent Calendar treats, and that's helping me make teasers for my stories.


In this context, teaser means a pithy quote from one of my stories matched with a visually striking
photo or bit of art. But you don't have to create the whole teaser (although you can if you want to!), you just have to come up with the pithy or memorable quote part.  


Mostly I love this exercise because it's so intriguing (and often surprising) to see which lines resonate most with readers. Sometimes it's a line I love too and sometimes it's a line I never thought much about. But either way they give me something to hang a bit of promo on. I love making teasers, I love matching art to words.





So today's "game" if you will, is to share some of your favorite lines from your favorite JL stories. You can pick any story you like, but if you're looking for inspiration, I don't have any teasers from the first two All's Fair books, or from Strange Fortune or The Darkling Thrush or most of the short stories or the novellas. That's a lot of un-mined teaser territory to choose from.


To help you along in your endeavor, my dear friend and mod, the super talented Johanna Ollila, has created three of her own teasers, which she's offering as magnets to three authors of the teaser quotes randomly selected as our winners.


Ready, set... Share your favorite pithy JL quote in the comment section below!

33 comments:

  1. I don't have the ability to do the graphics at the moment, but I think this one should have trees, the outdoors...
    "Glen," Nash whispered. Not the start of a conversation, just Glen. The miracle of Glen. Still here. Still alive. Still Glen.
    Glen's colorless mouth curved. He said gently, almost inaudibly, "Nash, you're raining."
    ~ In Plain Sight

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh that's lovely. LOL if I do say so myself! But it's a lovely choice for sure. :-D

      Delete
    2. Oh, I LOVE IPS, and this is such a great scene! - Jordan

      Delete
  2. I looked at Septimus. "What is that sound?"
    He smiled wearily. "The seals are singing."
    "What are they singing about?"
    The lines of his face softened. He drew me closer. "New beginnings."
    ~ The Darkling Thrush

    A Hopeful New Year to all :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Something about the last scenes in your books, Josh. They always stay with me. The offer hope...a promise of more to come, even if I don't get to see it.

    "All you need is love, " Tucker said, smiling faintly.
    "Yeah. I don't know if love is all you need. But, it's not a bad place to start."
    Tucker said, "I think it's the only place to start."
    ~ Fair Play

    ReplyDelete
  4. These are all three wonderful quotes that I've never thought of! That's why this is such a great exercise. :-D

    ReplyDelete
  5. You were the first in every way that counted. ~Jake, The Dark Tide

    ReplyDelete
  6. The man who stood shoulder to shoulder with him on the job and the man who lay in his arms at night. When Keir went he would take both those men with him -- he would take everything. --- In Sunshine Or In Shadow

    I love the bittersweet nature of this story. No ultimatums just slow recognition of a love almost lost.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is probably my favorite short story. That and The Boy Next Door. Two very different moods.

      Delete
  7. I chose a short quote from one of my favorite short stories: "A limited engagment":
    "You could have killed me," I said, "And it wouldn't have hurt as much as watching you marry someone you don't love."
    I think that's a wonderful sentence...
    I did basic graphics (like really really basic) and I couldnt choose between 3 so I link the 3 of them :P
    Hurt and anger: https://zupimages.net/viewer.php?id=20/50/6844.jpg
    Bloody heart: https://zupimages.net/viewer.php?id=20/50/k796.jpg
    Light and dark: https://zupimages.net/viewer.php?id=20/50/mdxj.jpg

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yes, yes, yes! favorite short story and favorite sentence, Thank you, I love this

      Delete
  8. “He never lied to me. I just didn’t ask the questions I didn’t want to know the answers to.” Death of a Pirate King

    I love how you distill their relationship in one sentence. How you capture the pain and the longing that lives in everything they’ve never shared.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know what I love about this line? It's so true of so many people and so many relationships.

      Delete
    2. Yes, that was a memorable line for me too!

      Delete
  9. Oh man, All's Fair is one of my favourite series of all time.

    A few quotes:

    "You're wrong, you know. I would let you get away with murder. Hell, I'd probably help you commit it, if that's what you wanted..." From Fair Play.

    "I asked you to move in with me. That's what I want. I don't need an excuse. The excuse was for your sake" From Fair Game.

    And from the Art of Crime series...

    From Monument's Men:

    "Somewhere along the line, "West", used when they were on their own, had become kind of a pet name"

    "I told you he was an asshole. Many times I warned you" always makes me laugh.

    From Monet Murders:

    "This is not genius in the making. It's fully formed ineptitude" also makes me laugh every time I read it.

    From Magician's Murders

    "The sad truth was he'd lost this battle the minute Sam had said "We need time together"".

    "Up-and-coming Special Agent Jason West" Sam teased softly.

    Art of Crime is so deliciously angsty, I love it!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh those are all lines I'd forgotten, but they make me smile. :-D <3

      Delete
    2. I do love, love, love Sam and Jason, and their awkward but steady progression toward real love.

      Delete
  10. One of my favourites from Fair Play is this one:

    "I don't think it will hurt for us to have a little breathing space". A muscle moved in Tucker's jaw. He said, "You mean you want breathing space. I breathe better when you're close by." The stark honesty of it felt like an arrow to the heart. How the hell could Tucker say things like that?

    😍

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, all this time later, I still feel the emotion of when I was writing that scene!

      Delete
  11. “A lot of kids are shocked at the idea of people over thirty having sex."
    CUTYS is one of my fav books, and with years, and re-readings, my favourite quotes change... this one is one of my last favourites, guess why... LOL

    ReplyDelete
  12. "Besides, I think Kyle would havve recognized hi ski mask or not."
    "It was dark."
    "I'd know you in the dark, Tucker."
    Tucker's eyes flashed up to meet Elliot's. He said curtly. "Yeah. I'd know you too."

    --Fair Game

    ReplyDelete
  13. “We’re watching you,” whispered the voice on the other end.

    “Yeah? Did you see what I did with my keys?”

    Silence. Then dial tone.

    These younger demons. So easily discouraged

    --The Hell You Say

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hahahahaha. That's one of my all time favorite lines.

      Delete
  14. I love all of these! Much fun to read...I will go thru my copies and try to find the pithiest of the pithy that I have highlighted.

    ReplyDelete