"Whatcha gonna do when you hit 100 followers?"
"I don't know. I could give away a favorite book."
"Sounds good. Do it!"
And that's what I"m going to do! I just got done reading Bloody Jack by L. A. Meyer and it was AWESOME. I love adventure and this packs a punch. Plus the author's use of dialog and dialect is amazing. It puts the reader right there with poor Mary "Jacky" Faber, orphan, beggar, ship's boy. Yes, I said ship's boy! Intrigued? I know I was. So, if you'd like to win Bloody Jack, either in hardback or paperback (I am willing to part with either gently-used copy), and you live in the U.S. (for shipping), answer the questions below in the Comment Section. I will pick my favorite top three answers, then put the names in a hat and draw a winner.
Make up what Mary "Jacky" Faber, age 11, might say next based on this one passage from Bloody Jack.
Background: The ship's officer is choosing new ship boys to come aboard to work for the Royal Navy. Jacky is pretending to be a boy.
"Awright," calls out the evil one with the knotted rope to the mob of us, "what kin any of yiz do?"Do? I wonders. What do we do? We all look around at each other. What does he think, we're all bloody runaway apprentices with trades? Missin' sons of royal houses? What we do is scavenge, beg, and steal--ain't it plain?..."Sir, I can splice a line!" shouts a thin-faced boy, and he's motioned aboard..."...Then another boy calls out, "I'm strong fer me size, Sir, take me!"
Your turn!
1. What would you have Jacky Faber yell out to try to get a spot as ship's boy?
2. Would you like hardback or paperback?
I'll draw a winner on July 31, 2011.
Oh I get to post first! How fun!
ReplyDelete"I know me letters sir, and iz good at knowing which way is up and down during a storm," Jacky said with a slight smile hoping that his bluff about reading would land him on board.
If I win a paperback would be just great!!! It will be a fun read!
Mel, I'm so glad you signed up! I visited your blog and really enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteOoh! Sweet...let me see..
ReplyDelete"On me life, sir," said Jacky, seeing with that woman's instinct the pattern of greed in the red veins of the mans eyes, "I make no fuss o'er the daily chores, which make no doubt I can work better'n any o these uns here, but I got me a nose for gold so some say mighta been gifted by lady fortune herself."
That was fun :) Paper or hardback is cool with me.
Sarah Allen
(my creative writing blog)
Ooo, fun! I'd like a hardback, please. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd this is what I would yell I were Jacky...
I waved my hand wildly. "I got a head fer heights, sir. Can climb anything, I can!"
The man motions me aboard and I scramble, trying not to think of the lie I just told. After all, I've been on rooftops before thought I don't like it much. Rigging can't be any worse, can it?
As she stared at her bare feet and wiggled her toes nervously, an idea popped into Mary's head. Before she could convince herself otherwise, she heard her voice shout, "Me eyes 're keen, Captain, and I can climb the footropes to the topmast quicker 'n any of these lubbers . . .and besides, I don't eat much!"
ReplyDeleteOops! Paperback works for me. Sorry for commenting on the wrong post. Delete, please?
ReplyDelete