#FreeBooks

#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 – 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 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. 😀 )