#GiveawayContest

#FirstLineFriday Submissions Are Now Closed – We Have Our Winners & the Answer to the Quiz!

/ Marcia Meara / 21 Comments

Hope you enjoyed our fourth #FirstLineFriday Trivia Quiz! Remember, it isn’t ONLY about winning. It’s about sharing some great opening lines that make you want to come up with ideas for your own books. Some of these are so beautiful or intriguing, they almost demand a reader dig into the story. And that’s the kind of thing we should be looking at and learning from. So play the game, for sure, but also study these lines as ways to improve your own skills. There’s value in that as well. 🙂

Today, we have two winners: Darlene Foster and Bette Stevens, whose book club just happens to have chosen this very book for their monthly selection. What are the odds! Congratulations, Ladies, and I hope you enjoy your prizes.

And here’s the answer to today’s quiz:

“In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing.”

This is the brilliant and curiosity-arousing  opening line from  the 1976 novella  A River Runs Through It, by Norman Maclean. It was made into a very popular film roughly  20 years later, directed by Robert Redford, and starring Tom Skerritt. (Oh, and some guy named Brad Something-Or-Other. 😀 )

BLURB:

From its first magnificent sentence, “In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing,” to the last, “I am haunted by waters,” A River Runs Through It is an American classic.

Based on Norman Maclean’s childhood experiences, A River Runs Through It has established itself as one of the most moving stories of our time; it captivates readers with vivid descriptions of life along Montana’s Big Blackfoot River and its near magical blend of fly fishing with the troubling affections of the heart.

“A masterpiece. . . . This is more than stunning fiction: It is a lyric record of a time and a life, shining with Maclean’s special gift for calling the reader’s attention to arts of all kinds—the arts that work in nature, in personality, in social intercourse, in fly-fishing.”—Kenneth M. Pierce, Village Voice.

Buy A River Runs Through It HERE
(You owe it to yourself to read this one!)

And there you have it! I hope that if you’re unfamiliar with this story,  you’ll consider adding it to your TBR pile. It’s well worth a read! Thanks for playing and see you next week, 8:00 am sharp, with another #FirstLineFriday quiz.

#FirstLineFriday No. 4 – #Giveaway #FreeDownloads

/ Marcia Meara / 23 Comments

And here we go again, folks. Our fourth #FirstLineFriday Trivia Quiz. We’ve had hard ones and easy ones now, so this time I tried for something in between. But what’s hard or easy for me might be very different for you guys. Just don’t be discouraged. I’ll be doing this for a long time,  I hope, and you’ll have lots of chances to win. And here’s a reminder of how you can do just that:

  1. Be one of the first five people to email me before the game ends at noon, with the title and author of the correct book. 
  2. Do not reply here on the blog. Email only: marciameara16@gmail.com
  3. Honor System applies. No Googling, please.
  4. Submissions end at noon, or when I receive 5 correct answers, whichever comes first.
  5. Winners who live in the U.S. may request a free download of any of my books for themselves or someone of their choice. OR, if they’ve read all of my books, they may request a free download of my next publication. Winners who live elsewhere may request a PDF or Mobi file of the same books. 

So, bearing all that in mind, are you ready to play? It’s anybody’s guess whether this is a toughie or a piece of cake, but either way, here’s today’s First Line:

“In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly-fishing.”

Good luck!

#FirstLineFriday – And We Have Our FIVE Winners!

/ Marcia Meara / 24 Comments

I knew this week would be much easier, and you guys proved me right. We have our five winners, and I hope you’ve enjoyed the contest! Next week, we’ll aim for harder than this one, but easier than the last one! “Just Right” will be the goal! 😀 

Our winners this week: Darlene Foster, Mae Clair, Joan Hall, Jeanne Owens, and Alex Craigie (alias Trishthetrout). Congratulations to all!

Also, as a bit of a tease, we WILL have books by other authors to offer as prize choices in the weeks ahead. So even if you’ve read all of my books, you’ll have additional books to choose from. 

And the answer to this week’s puzzle is:

“When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.” is the first line of To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.

Voted America’s Best-Loved Novel in PBS’s The Great American Read:
Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork of honor and injustice in the deep South—and the heroism of one man in the face of blind and violent hatred.

Buy To Kill a Mockingbird HERE

Thank you ALL for playing, and I’m so happy to have winners this week! 

#FirstLineFriday #Giveaway – #FreeDownloads

/ Marcia Meara / 11 Comments

It’s time for our 3rd #FirstLineFriday Trivia Quiz, and I’m going to try to do this as simply and neatly as possible. You may refer to the Rules in the Black header bar at the top of the page if you have questions on how this works. The most important thing is please do NOT post your answer on this blog where others can see. Email me instead. marciameara16@gmail.com 

The first five emails I receive giving me the correrct title and author of the book quoted below will win! Easy as pie!   Winners will receive a free download of one of my books for themselves or someone of their choice. (If they prefer, I’ll add them to a list to receive a free download of the next book I publish, instead.)

I know last week’s first line turned out to be even harder than I expected, so I’m going easier on you guys today. MUCH easier. 🙂 No more clues, though. Those resulted in too much cross-posting. If you don’t know this week’s answer, just try again next week. I plan to be doing this for a long time, and you’re sure to win now and then. 😀 

Remember, honor system applies. No Googling, please. THANKS!

Now, are you ready for what will surely be much more familiar to many of you? Well, here you go then, and good luck!

“When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.”

 

 

 

#FirstLineFriday Trivia Quiz is Now Closed to Submissions, and the #Winners Are …

/ Marcia Meara / 19 Comments

Okay, folks. It’s all over but the accolades! This one turned out to be even harder than I expected, but we had two winners: Mae Clair and Robbie Cheadle. Congratulations to them on winning a download of one of my books for themselves or someone else of their choice, or a credit for a free download of my next book. 

For future contests, I need to remind you folks NOT TO RESPOND IN THE COMMENTS OF ANY POST ON THE BLOG. Please email me only! (If you respond publicly, others see the answer and the contest is spoiled.) Thanks so much for adhering to that rule.

I promise to go easy on you next Friday with an opening line that won’t be quite as much of a challenge, but for this week, here’s your answer.

“The cold passed reluctantly from the earth, and the retiring fogs revealed an army stretched out on the hills, resting.”

Answer: This is the first line of Stephen Crane’s classic American Civil War novel, The Red Badge of Courage. Lest you think I was giving those in the U.S. an edge, it was also made into an internationally acclaimed film in 1951, starring Audie Murphy, and remade as a successful TV movie in 1974, starring Richard Thomas of The Waltons. 

Because it was an older book than even Fahrenheit 451, I knew it would be a bit more difficult, but I didn’t expect it to be quite as hard as it was. It is, after all, still being sold in bookstores and on Amazon, and I believe there are audio books out as well. It’s also still being studied in some college courses.  See? Classic. 🙂

I DO promise to make next week’s quiz a bit easier on your gray cells, honest. And thanks for playing today. Hopefully #FirstLineFriday 3 just might be the one that makes you smile.

BLURB:

Amid the nightmarish chaos of a Civil War battle, a young soldier discovers courage, humility, and, perhaps, wisdom. Uncanny re-creation of actual combat. Enduring landmark of American fiction.

BUY THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE HERE

#FirstLineFriday Clue #1

/ Marcia Meara / 6 Comments

Decided to take pity on your guys and give you a little clue. The answer to today’s quiz is considered a classic look at war. Many of us read this in high school, I’m sure. Think harder. Dig back! 🙂 I’ll give you another clue at 11:00, if I haven’t received some answers by then. 

I knew it would be trickier than last week’s but I did think a few would have ventured a guess by now.  Good luck! 🙂 ❤

#FirstLineFriday Submissions are Now Closed & We Have Winners!!

/ Marcia Meara / 20 Comments

Wow, it has been interesting seeing how my new idea worked for today’s trial run, and I’ve already made a list of ways it can be better by next Friday. A tweak here or there will make it smoother on both your end and on mine. I will be posting mid-week to let everyone know how it’s going to work going forward, so you can all mark your calendars. That way, you’ll not miss out on getting your answers to me. More on this later. But not to worry. I really want to make this a fun thing each week, and I WILL figure out the best way to do that, so no one misses out.

Thanks for the great response so far. Our winners are: Harmony Kent, Staci Troilo, Jeanne Owens, Deborah Jay, and Bill Engelson. Jeanne, Debby, and Bill, email me with your book of choice, and let me know if you want it sent to you, or to someone else. 

THANKS so much for playing. Have a nice night, everyone!

Huh? What’s that? Some of you would like to know the answer???  😀 Okay. I suppose I can give you that. 😀

*ahem* “It was a pleasure to burn” is the opening line of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. One of my favorite authors, btw, and a most excellent book. 🙂 

Next week’s challenge might be harder. It might be easier. Depends on which one I pick. The post will go live at 8:00am, and submissions will close at noon, which I think makes it 1:00pm to 5:00pm in the U.K.  Mark your calendars. And keep an eye out for a mid-week post with more details. Got some ideas for ways to make it all even more fun.

Stay tuned for more, and whatever you do, don’t touch that dial! 😀

#FirstLineFriday is Still Open for Submissions

/ Marcia Meara / 4 Comments

 

Either my selection today was harder than I thought, or you guys figure you’ve already missed out. If it’s that second one, let me reassure you, you still have chances to win a free download for yourself or a friend. If you know the answer, email me at marciameara16@gmail.com. The lines are open! (I always wanted to say that. 😀 )

#FirstLineFriday – New #GiveawayContest – #BookTrivia

/ Marcia Meara / 21 Comments

Earlier this week, I mentioned that I would be starting a little giveaway contest today, and here I am, doing just that. If you’re like me, you probably have a head stuffed full of trivia, much of which comes from books you’ve read.

With that in mind, on Friday mornings, I will be posting the opening line from a famous book. It might be classical literature, pulp fiction, or anything in between. But it will be something most of us have heard of and possibly even read. Your assignment, should you choose to play along, is to email me at marciameara16@gmail.com with the title and author of the book in question. The first 5 people to do so will win a download of one of my books, their choice. 

For those winners who have already read all of my books, you may either 1) get a credit for a free download of my next release, or 2) give me the email of a friend or family member you’d like me to send the free download to. 

That’s it. Easy-peasy.  When I run out of ideas for first lines, I’ll switch to other book-related trivia. My only criteria will be keeping it relatively simple, quick, and fun.

Of course, I’m trusting you guys to play fair. No Googling, please. No, I have no way of knowing if you look up an answer or not, but I think at least most of you are good sorts who wouldn’t dream of peeking. And the rest? Well I’ll just have to hope you aren’t eager to bring that kind of BAD KARMA down on your little punkin’ heads. 😀 Seriously, it’s a risk I’m willing to take.

Also, keep in mind, some of these will be much more obvious than others, as I plan to mix it up a bit. (Not everyone has been reading for over 65 years, as I have.)

Again, just email me with the correct title and author of the book from which the quoted opening line is taken.  If you are among the first five correct answers I receive, you win. 🙂  Hopefully, this will be a fun little test of your book trivia knowledge, prize or no prize. Ready to play? Here’s your first opening line:

It was a pleasure to burn.

Have at it, and good luck!