Bout of Books 9.0 – Mad Libs Challenge!

It’s the first day of Bout of Books, and I’m so excited to be hosting my first challenge!

This is one that I had a lot of fun with last time around – Bookish Mad Libs! Here’s how it works:

1. I give a list of words I need from you: noun, verb, adjective, etc.
2. You pick words from book titles. (Share title and author so we can learn about new books!)
3. Use those words to complete a short story.

That’s it!

The fun of Mad Libs is not knowing how your words are going to be used, so please fill out your list before reading ahead to see the story.

You can either complete the challenge in the comments or on your own blog… just make sure, if you post on your own blog, to come back and share the link so we can all read it!

There’s no giveaway for this challenge; it’s just for fun. However, I’ll choose a favorite (or two or three) to feature on the blog later this week. Only entries from official Bout of Books participants will be considered. If you’re not signed up yet (what are you waiting for?!) you can do so on the Bout of Books blog.

Official stuff out of the way… let’s play!

 

 
Here’s the list:

character name – ex: Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, by Robin Sloan
adjective1 – ex: Terminal Freeze, by Lincoln Child
adjective2 – ex: White Horse, by Alex Adams
item – ex: The Romanov Cross, by Robert Masello
occupation – ex: The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith
act of violence – ex: The Burning Air, by Erin Kelly
adjective3 – ex: City of Dark Magic, by Magnus Flyte
noun1 – ex: The King’s Deception, by Steve Berry
noun2 – ex: The Loch Ness Legacy, by Boyd Morrison

You’ll notice on “act of violence,” I chose a word that wasn’t used that way in the title, even though it could fit. Feel free to get creative!

Got your list? Great!

 
Here’s the story:

I just read the greatest book!

This guy [Character Name] ends up in the middle of a/an [adjective1] conspiracy. Turns out his/her ancestors were pirates, and he/she might be the key to finding the [Adjective2] [Item]. It’s a mythic artifact that disappeared centuries ago, and now a shadowy group of [occupation]s are looking for it. No one knows what uncovering it might do, but these guys are willing to [act of violence] for it.

I won’t say anything else. But believe me, if you like [adjective3] stories with [noun1](s) and [noun2](s), you have to read this one.

 
Here’s how it turned out with my examples:

I just read the greatest book!

This guy Mr. Penumbra ends up in the middle of a terminal conspiracy. Turns out his ancestors were pirates, and he might be the key to finding the White Cross. It’s a mythic artifact that disappeared centuries ago, and now a shadowy group of detectives are looking for it. No one knows what uncovering it might do, but these guys are willing to burn for it.

I won’t say anything else. But believe me, if you like dark stories with deception and legacies, you have to read this one.

 
How’d yours turn out? Share in the comments!