Welcome to the 2011 Kerth Quizzes! First up is BEST MID-LENGTH (51-200k).

SPIFFY DISCLAIMER THINGY! All the stories featured in this quiz qualify for the Best Mid-Length, but this quiz is not a stamp of recommendation for nomination. There are other stories which qualify for this category, but this quiz only covers 10.

Recommendations for other eligible stories are *very* welcome and encouraged!

QUIZ RULES: Two points for getting the story and author from the quote; one point for getting it from the excerpt. Specify which is which, or you'll automatically get one point instead of two. Open hard drive and archive, *don't* forget to snip the excerpts in your replies, and don't forget the spoiler space when you post in the replies thread.

The DEADLINE for entries for this quiz is Wednesday by 11:59 p.m.

More elaborate quiz instructions can be found here.

Please post your answers here.

There are still categories open if you'd like to write a quiz!

Have fun!

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Quote 1:
"You might want to button up your shirt." Her voice cracked with anger. "Don't want anyone else to accidentally find out."

Quote 2:
Superman cut her off. "Lois, how well do you really know him? Weren't you going to get the definitive interview with him? Did he ever give you enough information to write that piece? Or did
he avoid the questions?"

Quote 3:
"Maybe," Clark said. "But it can't hurt to check it out. Look, let's get out of here and look around some more. I want to know what your boyfriend is up to."

Quote 4:
"I did it! I'm nominated for a Kerth, and may even get a **Pulitzer**? I can't believe it!"

Quote 5:
The chicken gave out a choked sound, cleared her voice and said, "You really don't have much on your back left. But you seem to be undamaged." She cleared her throat again.

Quote 6:
"And me," I remind him. "Did you miss the part where Superman grabbed me and spun me around? Where in the heck were you this morning anyway? I never even saw you at the park. And I think that's where it happened."

Quote 7:
"The truth is never slander," Superman said. "Stay away from her." There was something very familiar and very ugly in Superman's tone.

Quote 8:
"Whoa," Lois grinned, "I just got the strangest feeling, almost like déjà-vu, only... not." She shut the freezer door and turned to face him. "Do you ever think you'll be able to tell me who you are?"

Quote 9:
She turned a granite face towards him. "I used to eat chocolate-covered cereal with lots of sugar on it for breakfast, too."

Quote 10:
Lois looked around and said, "Your place? Right. Are we walking, or do you have an alternate form of transportation available in the bushes?"

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Excerpt #1:
Lois opened the door to her apartment and locked the many locks behind her. What was she going to do? She owed Clark an apology. That was for sure. While trying to mend her broken heart and heal her wounded pride, she had lost sight of the most important thing: Clark. She hadn't thought of his feelings at all. She had been too busy trying to prove she hadn't lost her edge; she had just pushed him aside and ignored him completely.

Excerpt #2:
She was silent for a minute. How could Superman believe those things about Lex? And what should she do? She had been sitting for nearly a minute with her mind spinning in circles. Her whole world had been turned upside down. Could Superman be lying? She didn't think so.

Lois could feel her spirit sag. If Superman was right, and she had to admit he probably was, Lois's record was still perfect. She was zero for everything in her relationships. As she put her head down she muttered, "It figures."

Excerpt #3:
No wonder he was so quiet, she thought an instant later. His feet didn't quite touch the surface beneath them. If she hadn't been paying close attention she wouldn't have noticed it, but there was the tiniest sliver of space between the soles of his shoes and the carpet. He was literally walking on air. She lifted her gaze instantly from his feet and took in the lay of the land. Now wasn't the time to pay attention to Clark's unique "Superman" techniques for breaking and entering. They had a job to do. Still, the reminder, as if she needed it, of who exactly her partner in this venture was, and the things of which he was capable, sent a wave of reassurance through her. She still couldn't afford to be careless, but it was nice to know that it was Superman who covered her back.

Excerpt #4:
Abbey watched Lois from across the street as she left the Planet. Lois was about to hail a cab, but thought better of it for some reason. She seemed to sigh, and started walking up the street, away from the busy downtown area. Abbey decided to follow her. She needed to learn as much about Lois Lane as she could before she met with her tomorrow.

Excerpt #5:
A spangled curtain was now drawn across the stage and background
music played softly. Well-dressed patrons in evening garb started
filtering in and bar business picked up. In Frank's absence,
Charlie/Clark was the sole bartender. But with his speed and eidetic memory of the regular patrons' usual drinks from Frank's book, he had no trouble keeping up. He also had the advantage of hearing the patrons call for "the usual" after being addressed by name by the Matre d'. He now had a list of the early regular patrons, which would be helpful in his report if the suspicions of criminal activities here were proven true.

Excerpt #6:
I grin back in relief -- he was only kidding. A rush of affection for him spills through me. Only Clark dares to tease me like this. He's done it since practically the day we met. It took some time, but I eventually realized that he wasn't mocking me; he was acknowledging me. It's the verbal equivalent of a wink. There's something reassuring about having one person in the world who isn't fooled by my blunt personality.

Excerpt #7:
Lois spent a fitful night at the Lexor Hotel.

Between the fight and the police, her apartment was in shambles. It was going to take days, if not weeks, to get all the damage taken care of. She wasn't sure what her insurance company was going to say -- was having your partner attacked and almost killed an act of terrorism or an accident covered under her renter's policy?

Excerpt #8:
Lois had only popped out for some supplies. With Martha and Jonathan now also helping them out, she'd decided to go and get some actual food for them to eat. Unfortunately she'd been kidnapped on her little trip. On the plus side, however, she now knew from her captor how to cure Clark's blindness. At least, she did hypothetically.

Excerpt #9:
And Clark cried inside. Not for the loss of the story, but for the loss of the Lois Lane he'd loved, the one who wouldn't have stolen a paper clip from him. His heart would have been hers, but she obviously didn't want anything to do with him. So his heart would go back inside its fortress.

And he set about rebuilding the walls around it.

Excerpt #10:
As Lois sat in a chair, Clark placed a plate of food in front of her. Everyone else sat down around the table. It was a simple lunch of sandwiches and soup eaten in silence as they all gave Lois time to think and adjust. Lois ate mindlessly, looking at the faces of the people sitting around the table. The two Clarks were identical except for the way they wore their hair and the fact that the other one wore glasses. The other Lois and her husband sat close together, communicating silently through their glances. The Clark she knew, her Clark, looked nervous, keeping his head down and hardly eating a thing. Only Mr. Wells seemed comfortable at this odd table.