My shocking and woeful cover drama...and YET ANOTHER NEW COVER

So, as I told everybody in tarnation on Wednesday, Mr. Real got an awesome new cover! And now I’m not going to use it!!

Not the new cover anymore!

I was so excited about the cover, too! Because the angsty guy image captured the sweaty and muscular and tortured nature of my athletic hero, Paul. My fabulous designer and I were so psyched to find him. (Su of Earthly Charms, who I can’t recommend enough! She is amazing!)

We got the angsty guy image from a royalty-free stock site, where you look for pictures you like and then pay for the rights to use them. It’s where pretty much everyone who doesn’t have thousands of dollars to spend on a live model shoot or exclusive custom art or photography gets their images. The thing is, different people can pay to use the same photo. That’s why you often see the same images on different books.

And why you see funny posts like this one that my naughty friend Chris makes in her “Misadventures in Stock Photography" series. 

So, I wasn’t too shocked when, as soon as I released the cover, I discovered angsty guy had appeared elsewhere. It’s an awesome photo! I can’t believe more people didn’t buy the rights to it. Here, a few other books I found out about after releasing my cover:

The big problem here: Juliana Stone!! *shakes fist at Juliana* (not really, she’s actually really nice). But I learned her e-novella, TO HELL AND BACK, far right, releases the exact same day as mine and it is the same genre.

Why?!?! Whyyyy?!?!

There’s nothing illegal about our having the same photo – her publisher and I both paid the same money to get the non-exclusive rights to use it. But Juliana and I are both working in the paranormal genre, both have black color schemes, and both release on OCTOBER 30!!! What are the odds of that you ask? (Shoutout to Jeffe Kennedy). 

The odds you will discover your awesome photo of a sweaty tortured guy 

is already being used...

So, needless to say, I was totally mortified to learn all this. Mostly because of reader confusion. I don’t want readers trying to buy my book and getting Juliana’s, or vice versa. That’s bad for both of us, and for our readers. So I immediately went to work on thinking of what to do!!

My scientific decision-making process 

on what to do about this cover problem!!

Anyway, designer extraordinaire Su and I talked about keeping angsty guy and just making the cover look radically different, and she mocked up a few ideas, like one with angsty guy in a field of electric blue with lightning, and one where he’s pulled way up to the front. But, none was as fabulous as her first one. This guy begs for a cover of angsty darkness.

In the end, I decided I needed a new model.  Juliana’s was out there first, and hey, I have no shortage of angsty, hot, tortured heroes coming up in the Code of Shadows series to use that photo for, but, just not on the same release day. I don’t want readers to be all WTF on release day.

I think it’s the right thing to do in this case, though I feel like a total freak for changing the cover around again. And, not to embarrass Su of Earthly Charms but she has been so amazing and nimble in getting all this handled. And responsive and talented and fabulous. And managed to whip out an amazing cover.

Anyway, Here is my new NEW cover!! 

The total, final, for sure cover!!!!

I’ll confess, I love this cover just a tiny bit more for this book, because I feel this model beautifully captures the tortured hotness of my hero, Paul, who is a fighter. Also, I love the big title, too, how it pops. And I feel like the layout looks fresh. And I swear to you, this really IS the last cover.  PLEASE! Let there be not clones to cause confusion. Pleeeeease!!! *klunk*

 I am so grateful to everyone for all your support and all my pals who gave me advice, and retweeted my cover news....and I'm sorry to all bloggers who put up my cover and now have to change it. Okay. Deep breath!! 

About Mr. Real:

Mr. Real is a paranormal romantic suspense/spy novel. Quick description: 

A lonely girl uses an occult computer program to bring a sexy spy from a TV ad to life. The actor/fighter who plays the character  - and has come to hate him – is not amused. 

It comes out in print and ebook on October 30th. More info here.

Look! Another cover reveal for MR. REAL

But this one is the final one! LOL. I was joking the other day with a tweep that when you self publish, the degree of control is both terrible and wonderful. I am a poster child for that.

Anyway, after more edits of Mr. Real, I realized my old cover, which I love to death on its own, because the guy looks like Matt Damon, and it's cool, does not correctly signify the genre. Well, the MR REAL genre doesn't actually exist, but it's sort of paranormal/romantic suspense/spy stuff

Anyway, here is my NEW cover. This is truly the final one.

Deepest thanks/apologies to my many victims who I have pestered over the months to give opinions on models and covers.

Special apologies also to the awesome BADASS BOOK REVIEWS where you can see my old cover. They did a whole fun cover reveal with me back when! Oh, if they only knew how fickly I am!

 Oh, old cover. It was totally my fault you went off-genre.

This new cover is by Earthly Charms, and I SO love it!!!

MR. REAL: Short description:

A lonely girl uses an occult computer program to bring a sexy spy from a TV ad to life; the actor who plays the character  - and has come to hate him – is not amused.

It's  out on October 30. More info here!! 

Six Sentence Sunday!

From Mr. Real....

Sir Kendall was so much more than a TV spy, so much more than the Denali spokesman. He was the ultimate dark stranger in a tuxedo, a magnificent male animal whose blue eyes twinkled with secrets as he lingered in dark doorways. Sir Kendall exuded a predatory charm; his sense of entitlement was arrogant, and slightly humorous—you would give him exactly what he wanted, and you would give it breathlessly. And you knew that giving Sir Kendall exactly what he wanted would be an unforgettable experience.

And that’s when it hit her: A sexy visit from Sir Kendall…it was totally within her reach now!

The Hallowed Ones: Interview + lightning giveaway!

More about the book and links here.

I've been so excited about THE HALLOWED ONES, the debut YA novel by author and pal Laura Bickle featuring an Amish heroine fighting terrifying vampires. And yesterday was her release day! And today she's here. 

A bit about the book: 

Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers can get a taste of the real world. But the real world comes to her in this dystopian tale with a philosophical bent. Rumors of massive unrest on the “Outside” abound. Something murderous is out there. Amish elders make a rule: No one goes outside, and no outsiders come in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man, she can’t leave him to die. She smuggles him into her family’s barn—at what cost to her community? The suspense of this vividly told, truly horrific thriller will keep the pages turning.

 

Welcome, Laura! 

CC: Laura, first, congratulations on the great reviews! All I hear is that it’s just riveting and scary and exciting and impossible to put this book down.

LB: Thanks so much! I’m over the moon to hear that folks are enjoying it!

CC: I think it’s interesting and dramatic that you have this Amish character, Katie, battling chaos and evil. Especially because I think of Amish settlements as places of great quiet and order, quite the opposite of chaos and monsters.

LB:  The chaos/order dichotomy is a key theme in the story. Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time when she can experiment a bit with the outside world. She wants to explore controlled chaos, the kind of exhilaration that we all want with pushing limits and determining what risks are good ones. It’s the bright side of chaos that makes us feel alive.

Instead, the outside world is overtaken by chaos. Katie’s community is a safe haven, but she knows that evil and silence are waiting beyond her fence. She learns bit and pieces of the story of what happened, but can’t know for sure.

And order does have a dark side. The Elders of Katie’s community fear contagion and declare that no one is allowed in or out of their land. Katie becomes aware of the constraints of order as she questions rules that disturb her own moral compass.

CC: Do you have an attraction to spaces of order?

LB:  I think there’s something very comforting about order. I crave it, but rarely achieve it. I mean, my desk is a disaster area.

CC: Is there something protective about Katie’s Amishness, or is it more about who she is?  

LB: Being Amish, Katie is a very quietly strong girl. Her background has given her a great deal of pragmatism and inner fortitude, and these are qualities she’ll need in order to survive.

CC: They say that fiction is more honest than non-fiction in many ways. I think that’s true. What’s most honest bit in this book?

LB: There’s a line that I love. It’s spoken by one of the older Amish women as she and Katie take on some difficult, gruesome tasks: “God smiles upon those who quietly do His dirty work.” The underlying lesson for Katie is that one’s actions prove one’s character. 

CC: Are you surprised by how people find THE HALLOWED ONES super scary, or did you go for that?

LB: I did intend for THE HALLOWED ONES to have a traditional horror vibe. Katie has to do some tough things because no one else can or will. I wanted the violence to have a purpose in forging a strong heroine…so I don’t recommend it for the easily-squicked.

The creatures that Katie must battle are nasty monsters. They want to devour pretty much everything they touch. I think that there’s something atavistic about the fear of contagion and of death, and I wanted Katie to feel that fully.

CC: As a fellow animal lover, I think you’ll understand why I’m asking this question: Katie raises puppies to make spending money. Do any dogs or puppies get hurt?

LB: Gah! No. If I even contemplated it, I’d be smothered to death by the cats that own me.

CC: Ravens figure into this tale. Can you say a bit about that?

LB: As an Amish girl, Katie is very connected to the natural world. One of the first signs she receives that something has gone terribly wrong in the world is the ravens – they leave in a great, thunderous black cloud.

There’s a legend about the Tower of London…that if the ravens ever leave, then the kingdom will fall. As a result, there are some ravens that are kept there with their wings clipped.

But it makes you wonder if there’s something the animals know that people don’t.

CC: Does this series follow your heroine, Katie, through all the books, and how many do you have planned?

LB: There will be two books. The second one, THE OUTSIDE, is also told from Katie’s perspective. It will be released by Houghton Mifflin Graphia in spring 2013.  

More about the book here. Excerpt here. 

LIGHTNING GIVEAWAY! 

Up for grabs: one copy of THE HALLOWED ONES, (print or ebook); print available wherever the Book Depository ships (which I believe is the whole world, so international) or in digital form, from the vendor of your choice, assuming they have a way to give it as a gift. 

Rules: 

1. International okay. 
2. Your email should be on your comment or I should be able to click to it from your name. 
3. To be entered, you must make a real comment on the interview or answer this question: What about you would a scary vampire have to fear most? 
4. Contest ends Thursday morning CST a few minutes after I turn on my computer. 

Six Sentence Sunday

My first six-sentence Sunday! Here is a snippet from a scene from MR. REAL when Alix calls her best friend Karen to tell her what she's done...

Out October 30 

***

“What do you wear? That’s your big question? What to wear?”

“It’s not my only question,” Alix protested.

And just like that, Karen hung up.

Alix stared at the phone.

She’d gotten drunk and ordered her magic computer to bring a sexy TV spy to life. To visit her home and fuck her.

Okay, but it’s not like it would rip the fabric of the universe!

Food, books, and birthday!

Hey friends! A few newsy items in the land of Carolyn Crane, which is right now a groggy but excitingly autumny place. One, it's my birthday! And I feel so happy and grateful to wake up to so many sweet birthday wishes.

Also, I'm over at the awesome French blog, Between Dreams and Reality today, with a guest post where I am shocked to realize how incredibly food-focused all my books are. And, I'm giving away a download of Devil's Luck, the Simon novella there. And, Melliane has translated my post into French! Which I am endlessly impressed by.

So, come say hi!!

My birthday events today will include finishing a very sexy scene, then doing lots of dayjob stuff, and later, dinner with friends. I'll hopefully sneak in some more of reading THE TAKEN in by Vicki Pettersson, a book I'm so in love with right now.

Happy Friday, friends!

School's in...for Packard!

I'm having some fun with Jackie over at Literary Escapism today - she's sending her boy off to Kindergarden this month, and asking authors to talk about their characters' school experiences.

I'm talking about Sterling Packard's school days, and let's just hope her boy goes to a better school than poor Packard did. I'm also giving away a copy of Head Rush, book #3 of my trilogy.

Stop on by to Literary Escapism and say hi!

Thank you rejections....

Happy Saturday!

And happy Labor Day weekend to my American friends.

I'm over at Word Whores, as I am every Saturday. Under discussion: the best rejections I ever got. They were definitely NOT welcome at the time!



Come say hi!

Mr. Real excerpt, interview, and a really fabulous contest

My first-ever Mr. Real interview and a sneak-peek
excerpt. Steppin' out! 

Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening friends! I'm hard at work on my new cram-way-too-many-things-into-this-day-or-else schedule, but I'm popping in to let you know of my visit to Addicted to Heroines, a fun urban fantasy and paranormal romance-focused blog.

Cat and I had a lot of fun doing this interview, and it was my first-ever interview on my upcoming series, which kicks off with the print and ebook release of Mr. Real on October 30th.

In honor, I sent over a sneak-peek excerpt.

But there's more: there's also a fabulous giveaway! Up for grabs, courtesy of the generous Addicted to Heroines heroines: The entire trilogy in ebook or paper...or a $25 gift certificate!!

Pop over to Addicted to Heroines for all the fun and mayhem! 

The print is here! The print is here! + a contest

I just got something very exciting from UPS...the print editions of HEAD RUSH, the third book in the Disillusionists trilogy.

I think they are beautiful. I'm not just saying that. The cover is amazing and so is the font, and just everything. This is my first trade paperback, and it's of such high quality. So nice. I'm so happy and excited! My publisher, Samhain, did just an exquisite job. (Thanks, Samhain!)

Also, I feel like I've been cringingly holding my breath on behalf of my print readers who have been waiting SO very patiently for the third installment of this trilogy to arrive.

Can you hold breath cringingly? It involves making a face of empathetic pain as you do it.

Anyway, the print edition is released on September 4th, and you can order it in all the usual places online, as well as your local bookstore. I'm working on collecting links on the HEAD RUSH page of my site.

But in the meantime, I have two to give away to long-suffering readers!

Are you a print reader, waiting for Head Rush? Tapping your readerly foot, eyeing me, wishing you could know the outcome NOW? I'm picking two random commenters, chosen by random.org this weekend.

Rules:

• If you are reading this on Facebook or Goodreads, please come to my blog to comment and enter. 
• Leave a comment with your email, unless your email addy is findable by clicking your name. 
• US or Canada only, please. (Sorry international, these books are a bit heavy!)  

Best of luck, friends!

[ed to add: contest closed! Congrats WINNERS: Melissa (my world) & Carolyn R.! I just emailed you both!] 

Top 8 AAD stress dreams

I realized I must be really stressed out about being ready for the Authors After Dark conference in New Orleans! I just tossed and turned all night. Here, some brief scenes from my stress dreams:

1. Distracted by a surprise meeting with Nicole Peeler at the New Orleans airport, I forget to meet my galpal Julie at our arranged rendezvous time for our ride together from the airport to the hotel.

Gah! This type of hotel layout
makes it REALLY hard to get to your panels!

2. Julie does not make it to the conference for two whole days, something I only realize when I notice mobs of people are mysteriously angry at me. Noooo! Must head back to the airport to find Julie!

3. I have four back-to-back panels starting in five minutes that I haven't prepared for.

4. I can't find the schedule of panels anyway.

5. When I find the schedule, the hotel layout makes no sense. Thanks a lot, Stella, for booking a hotel designed by M.C. Escher!

6. I only brought this one black dress to wear, and it is full of cat hair.

7. All the panels are in one large room, with lots of people sitting at tables, and I don't know anybody there.

8. I go through the whole conference not seeing any of my League of Reluctant Adults buddies, except, of course, evilly distracting Nicole, who started all the trouble in the first place.

Needless to say, I am not ready, and I have a million things to complete before I can even start to get ready! I shouldn't even be blogging right now. Even typing this right now, my chest tightens up and I forget to breath. Nevertheless, I am really excited. Don't worry, Julie, I won't leave you at the airport!!

image: Isometric Flaw by Icey, from Wikipedia Commons

Mr. Real: cover & deets on the new series!

I so love my new cover

In case you missed my big fun cover release day over at Badass Book Reviews yesterday, here's the latest on MR. REAL, and the cover, too, which was done by Angela Waters.

Mr. Real is the first book in my new cross-genre series – I’d describe it as a paranormal romantic suspense spy series with a dash of SFF.  And let me just say, I’m crazy excited about it!

The details:

MR. REAL (Code of Shadows: book #1)

Release date: October 30, 2012


Formats: Available in paperback & ebook from major online booksellers
 

Netgalley: yes

The short description:
A lonely girl uses an occult computer program to bring a sexy spy from a TV ad to life; the actor who plays the character  - and has come to hate him - is not amused. 

The official blurb...

The girl of his dreams…with the secret agent of his nightmares

Alix Gordon is a girl who doesn’t take life too seriously. What’s the fun in that? So when she stumbles across occult software that can bring computer images to life, she conjures up awesome outfits and accessories, and, on one drunken and…er…horny night, Sir Kendall, the sexy TV ad spy…who looks exactly like Paul, the hot martial arts teacher who once kicked her out of class.

Fighter Paul “Puma” Reinhardt has a secret: the character he improvised to land a part in a TV ad has dark roots in his tortured childhood. Playing Sir Kendall was a huge mistake, and now Paul would do anything to get free of him. A cross country road trip seems just the thing…until Paul finds himself inexplicably drawn to Minnesota and discovers Sir Kendall—in the flesh—with the girl he’d loved from afar. He barges into Alix and Sir Kendall’s love nest, determined to stop the madness…somehow.

But is Sir Kendall transforming into something more dangerous anyone can imagine? And what will the super spy do when Paul and Alix get over their resentments and give into their crazy lust for each other?

Exciting MR. REAL action...

Exciting MR. REAL cover action over at Badass Book Reviews! I was thrilled when the crew at Badass graciously offered to help out with my cover reveal action.

And I'm so excited because I do so love my new cover, and I can't, can't, can't wait for October 30th!

It's all at Badass Book Reviews today.... 

Over at WW: the Carolyn Crane method of book discoverability

I'm over at Word Whores today, like I am every Saturday, and the topic of this week is book discoverability!

I have a few things to say about trading cards, giveaways, Goodreads and more. The helpfulness of those things may be debatable, but perhaps you have answers to my questions!!!

Or just come over and say hi.

How to stop the GR bullies - some handy buttons for authors!

It has come to my attention that some authors have felt so unhappy about some things book reviewers have said on Goodreads that they have begun threatening and intimidating those reviewers by exposing personal information about the reviewers' habits and homes and children online, and even called these women at home – as a way of “stopping the bullying” and keeping things civil. 

Exposing personal info crosses a significant line, and seeks to intimidate people, particularly women in this case, and silence free discussion. Some reviewers are now frightened to voice their true opinions lest the same thing happen to them.

A post at Dear Author recaps this problem, and has called for the community to work to solve it. 

Well, I am working to solve it! With badges and buttons designed to alert GR bullies to the consequences of not being nice!  

I feel these buttons will not only save reviewers and those "gangs" of bookish bullies at Goodreads the hassle of buying and reading books and giving unwelcome opinions, but they will also save the author the time and trouble of having to enforce niceness by hunting the reviewer in real life! 

This first helpful button, above, tells reviewers in a lighthearted way that an author prefers only “I heart this book” type reviews. If reviewers take the “decorative underlining” in the wrong way, so be it. 

A fun rhyming button, which can be placed on an author’s Goodreads profile, signaling to the snarky reviewer to expect terrifying real life consequences for any opinions delivered in a less-than-nice manner. 

A more subtle version, and I think, more poetic way of saying, hey, if you knock my book, I might just knock on your door!!! Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me…except if you say them about my book! Take that, Goodreads bullies!


People must realize that if something is put out for sale, or put on a site where customers are asked to freely give their opinions, it doesn't mean they are free to give an upsetting opinion!! When people say upsetting things, free speech no longer applies! 

Most people understand that the thumbs down is not nice. But, you never know if a goodreads bully has simply forgotten that fact! Maybe they deserve the benefit of the doubt! I think this helpful and informative reminder would do the trick of jogging their memories that thumbs down is bad..and hopefully encourage them to change to a thumbs up. Yay!

This one is my most artistic ones! It’s a fun way of heading off trouble before it starts, with a nod to the famous painting. Still I think it gets across the message effectively.  

A fun and lighthearted variation on the earlier one. This would especially speak to reviewers who love animals. I think this button is a great way of saying that you're all for free speech, but even then there are limits, like if you feel upset!

Here is a stylish button that helpfully signals to a reviewer that one-star and two-star reviews sometimes carry real-life consequences.

I might use this one for my next book, to alert hapless reviewers that one- two- and three-star reviews are inappropriate for such a brilliant book, and...well, let's just leave it at that, shall we? 

I think this is an attractive way for an author to signal his or her dedication to niceness, and commitment to the fight against bullying. But, if you look closely at the word 'only' it carries a special message to bullies who do not share that commitment to niceness.  


After all, if we don't police the Internet by exposing these trash-talking bullies to harm, who will? It's not as if a person can simply walk away from the INTERNET!!  

This button, in an attractive diamond shape, helps a reviewer understand, through simple symbols, the type of attitude that is expected on sites where people give their opinions. 

I hope this is helpful. Please feel free to utilize these buttons.

Have a nice day!

**This is a joke post. Just in case that is not clear. I cherish free speech, and this GR bullies thing has been keeping me up at night for how upsetting and wrong it is. Giving an opinion on the Internet, no matter how hurtful or deplorable, should NEVER carry terrifying real-life consequences, such as getting people's real life information exposed!!! 

A rambling & writerly interview with Jeffe Kennedy!

Today I thought it would be fun to interview my fabulous author galpal and blogmate Jeffe Kennedy! Jeffe's new novel, Rogue's Pawn, was released by Carina this week, a book that is risky, funny, sexy, highly entertaining, and full of shadows and light - and garnering awesome praise. Welcome Jeffe! 

Author and mischief maker
Jeffe Kennedy,  

Jeffe: Thanks for inviting me over! 

CC: So Jeffe, you had a hard time originally getting ROGUE'S PAWN published because it was too weird. (Though now it's getting awesome reviews!) And there is a sense out there that it is a "unique" book. How do you feel about that label?

Jeffe: Ha! I love it. As a reader, I was tired of what felt like the same old thing. I wanted a different take and was kind of shocked that the industry didn't. I feel really validated now that my "weird" is turning out to be delightful to someone besides me.

CC: Do you ever think the label turns readers off? I sometimes get that label, that's why I ask. Sometimes I feel proud, and other times I feel like, will readers think it's somehow too much work as opposed to a known quantity?  

Jeffe: Maybe so? But then I think that my readers are the ones looking for more, who want something different. That's who I am as a reader, so it makes sense that it's who I am as a writer.

CC: One thing I love about your book is that the fae is this weird species, with strange ways of thinking, as exemplified, for example, by their attitudes toward things like war. To me, you sort of re-imagined the fae. Can you talk a little bit about that?

Jeffe: I'm so excited that readers are getting that. I wanted the fae to feel like a totally alien race. The really old fairy stories have them like that - kind of monstrous, but mainly because their value system is so different. That's before the newer stories made them "cute" - I have a big problem with the ancient Celtic legends, like Halloween, being defused of the dark implications and made into something silly and happy

CC: Ooh, I like that. And there are humans in the midst of this world, who your heroine Gwynn instantly relates to.

Jeffe: Right - it's an instinctive thing. But then, it might turn out that she doesn't have much in common with the humans either...

CC: So, a writerly question. I know you're a morning writer. How do you get started at the beginning of your work day?

Jeffe: I get up early and go exercise, before I'm awake enough to think up reasons not to do it.

Then I sit down at my desk, write my daily blog post and hit Freedom for two hours. Hopefully. Sometimes I dink around on Twitter for a while. But that is Bad and Wrong.

CC: Oh, you use Freedom, too! I just started. Isn't it awesome?

Jeffe: I *love* it!! I confess to being weak. Freedom saves me from myself

CC:   Do you study other people's books? Do you close read?

Jeffe: Oh yes! I really do. I study how JD Robb keeps her In Death series going at 34 books. I look at other authors whose series have faltered over time. My very favorite books? I go back over them, watching the magic happen.

CC: Right. On that JD Robb! I'd like your findings on that. What is the biggest question on your mind these days?

Jeffe: Ooh. I'm thinking a lot about social media, and at what point promo becomes obnoxious awful. It's such a delicate balance

Jeffe and I both admire JD Robb's
wizardry in keeping the Roarke
and Eve relationship so fresh.

CC: You note elsewhere that you began Rogue's Pawn in 1995. What would most surprise your 1995 self about how the book ended up?

Jeffe: What an interesting question! I think that it turned out as smart as it is? Maybe that sounds awful, but by the time I finished writing and refining it, the story turned out to be so much MORE than I originally thought it would be

CC:How about the vision. Did the vision for it itself change?

Jeffe: No! Isn't that interesting? I'm amazed, looking back at those badly written, horribly crafted, faltering first fragments, that the vision stayed strong and clear.

CC: That is really interesting.

Jeffe: It makes me think that the story and the craft are two different things. Inspiration comes first and the ability to translate it takes work.

CC:When you are thick in writing a book, how does external reading affect you? Do you like to read books that evoke a feel that fits where you're at, or do you go out of your way to read oppositely? Or does it not matter?

Jeffe: Ha! You've discovered my secret. When I'm in the thick, I absolutely seek out books that feel "nutritious."

CC: LOL Aha! No, I do that, too. But I didn't know if other writers do. I have heard of writers who shy away from being influenced.

Jeffe: Yeah - I'm not sure genre matters, but I'm much more impatient with reading material if I don't feel like it's feeding me. You know - I have SO much influence in my head, I can't even think about that. All those stories and voices and characters...

CC: So, we are pals, and also CP each other on occasion (critique partner). In fact, we are both sort of CP whores with multiple CP partners. What do you have to say for yourself?

Jeffe: Um, I love you and you're not like the others? They mean nothing!

CC: LOL. Do you wonder what your CPs are getting from their other CPs?

Jeffe: OMG, yes! But I thought I was just a nutbag for wondering! What does SHE tell you that I don't??

CC: No! I wonder too!

Jeffe: But you know, everyone brings such a valuable perspective - I love hearing all the input. It helps me so much

CC: Sometimes when I talk about one CP to another, I feel weird. And I feel weird when I don't talk about that CP. I wonder if that is common.

Jeffe: It is weirdly like love relationships. But they share that closeness and vitality. It's intimate, on a certain level.

CC: Yes, and never a group activity. Unlike...er...

Jeffe: LOL

Strange, secret hand detail from the cover,
discovered by author Laura Bickle! 

CC: Okay, onto the next question!

Jeffe: ~composes self~

CC: You, my dear sir, are apparently a pantser, I was shocked to learn. I am a plotter. Okay, be honest, do you pantsers have a superior attitude toward plotters? Like, you are the creative free ones and we are the uptight orderly ones? Because, I know you do!!

Jeffe: No way! We know you pre-plotters look down on us for being all unorganized and loosey-goosey! Admit it! Because "pantser" is obviously a term created by a preplotter, to convey that sense of irresponsibility

CC: *narrows eyes* okay.

Jeffe: ~folds arms and casts meaningful glare~

CC: Okay, why do I think Rogue is so hot and attractive when he is something of a scoundrel? I really find myself burning with curiosity for his layers to be peeled back.

Jeffe: Because he is! He's that which cannot be controlled. He's like a force of nature - wild, primitive, strong, and not something you can parse by logical standards

CC: Aha! Was that part of the vision of the book? The scientist up against the wild force of nature?

Jeffe: You're so clever! This is why you're my FAVORITE CP. Yes. He is the thing she can't understand in the way she knows. He doesn't operate by the natural laws.

CC:Is that central to the series arc? Or, wait, as a pantser, do you have a sense of the series arc?

Jeffe: I *do* have a sense of the series arc. I have a general feeling for their journey, I just don't know the precise plot points until I get there.

CC: I'm looking so forward to the rest! (which I will hopefully get before everyone else. ahem.) Hey, thanks for coming over here and doing this interview!

Jeffe: Thank you! This was really fun.

Jeffe is quite delightful on social media. Her blog is here. And you can be her twitter friend  here, or her facebook friend here, and here is her website.

Rogue's Pawn

This is no fairy tale…

Haunted by nightmares of a black dog, sick to death of my mind-numbing career and heart-numbing fiancé, I impulsively walked out of my life—and fell into Faerie. Terrified, fascinated, I discover I possess a power I can’t control: my wishes come true. After an all-too-real attack by the animal from my dreams, I wake to find myself the captive of the seductive and ruthless fae lord Rogue. In return for my rescue, he demands an extravagant price—my firstborn child, which he intends to sire himself…

With no hope of escaping this world, I must learn to harness my magic and build a new life despite the perils—including my own inexplicable and debilitating desire for Rogue. I swear I will never submit to his demands, no matter what erotic torment he subjects me to…

Find excerpts, plus review and buy links on Jeffe's site.

Known characters and slowly, enticingly revealed characters

What character do I enjoy seeing
slowly and enticingly revealed?
Find out at Word Whores! 

I'm over at Word Whores today!

Each week we have a new topic, and this week, it's characters we wish we'd written.

I talk about the pleasures of two kinds of characters - the known character and the slowly-being-revealed character, and my favorite examples of each.

Come say hi! 

Books for Cancer, prizes gone wild, and new purse!

A few fun new items over at Vampire Book Club's Books Fighting Cancer auction!!

1. Ann Aguirre has thrown in a really nice prize: you get to design a main character's love interest for an upcoming story set in her Razorland world. Plus you get a signed novel. Check it out!

2. I'm so thrilled with response to my part of the auction, instead of a small part namesake, you get a choice: small part namesake in Mr. Real...or smartypants sidekick to heroine namesake (who has a 50% chance of getting her own book down the road). It is a truly good part. More here.

Read about all the items up for grabs.

Of course,  you can also make any Amazon orders through the Amazon links on the site and affiliate proceeds will go to this excellent cause. Ends July 23rd. I've been thinking for months about springing for a Kindle...if I'm going to do it, this might be the time!

My new purse
I got this vintage  purse the other day. It a very fuzzy and wintery purse, possibly too much so for using when it's 80 degrees out, but I so love it.

I think I might have to wait until winter to proudly carry it around...maybe...but that doesn't mean I can't display it here.

It reminds me slightly of a bag a James Bond girl might carry in one of those Bond movies that have scenes in the Alps or Siberia. Or maybe that is just my imagination. Actually, I think I just associate those dangling fuzzy balls with some long ago Bond movie.

The Books Fighting Cancer auction - with 2 ways to play!

Hello friends! I hope everybody had a nice weekend. I visited family in Wisconsin, which involved watching little girls do gymnastics, plant shopping with mom, meeting an old friend for coffee, and spending a crazy amount of time at the kitchen table chatting and eating loads of cookies.

Anyway, that's not all that happened this weekend - Chelsea of Vampire Book Club kicked off a really important auction called Books Fighting Cancer. It runs through 11:59 CST June 23rd. 

The BOOKS FIGHTING CANCER auction!

Chelsea is raising money for brain cancer research in honor of her father, whom she lost to Brain Cancer recently. You can read more about  her father, the research institute, and her decision to do something meaningful for Father's Day on the auction home page  here. I also lost my dad to cancer some years ago, so this is a cause that is dear to my heart.

There are two ways to participate.

1. Click through to Amazon from one of the links on at the top of reviews and buy your books (or whatever else) that way. 

Chelsea is donating all affiliate commissions to the cause this week. Here is a list of reviews, but you don't have to only buy what VBC has reviewed: once you hop to Amazon from one of those links at the top of any review, anything you spend counts toward the commission she will donate - a great time to spring for those books you've been eyeing! (Or if you've been thinking about getting a Kindle or doing some early Christmas shopping!)

2. Bid on one of the prizes (including one from yours truly!)

There are lots of fun prizes - here is the list of stuff up for grabs. Note that there is a special Carolyn Crane prize pack built around my upcoming spy PNR, Mr. Real - A character named after you, a digital ARC of the book and a signed print ARC of the book! 

That's all for now. I hope everybody has a wonderful week. Stay cool! 

Bedeviled by cover possibilities...the MR. REAL self publishing saga continues!

One of my new favorite things as a self publisher is filling out my cover artist, Anne Cain's, cover spec sheet.

She asks all sorts of questions about my vision for the cover and what the characters look like and wear, and what covers out there capture the general spirit of what I'm going for.

So last night I filled that out for my new novel, MR. REAL (The first in a series, out later this year, possibly October.)

I am typically a very micromanaging person with specific ideas, but this cover is throwing me.

I've been calling MR. REAL a spy PNR. In fact, it would be more accurately described as a paranormal romantic suspense with dashes of contemporary romance, UF, and sci fi. Needless to say, it is completely unpublishable by normal publishers. lol.

I don't have the back blurb done yet, but here is a rough description:

When free spirit Alix Gordon stumbles on an occult computer program in her late aunt's house, she's excited - and determined to act responsibly for a change, using the power for innocent things only...like fabulous clothes and accessories. But, on one long, lonely rural Minnesota night, she uses it to bring a sexy, dashing spy from a liqueur commercial to life. 

When Paul, the LA fighter/actor who plays the character of Sir Kendall (and has come to hate him) finds himself inexplicably drawn to rural Minnesota and discovers what Alix has done, he is NOT amused. Paul invades their love nest, determined to put a stop to the madness...somehow. But is Sir Kendall really just a stock spy character from an ad? Or is he transforming into something far more dangerous and powerful? 

Anyway, that's a cursory description, but you get the idea. I have a strong sense of the level of photo realism, the lighting I want, but I am really torn on some big things. Like, between this being a couples cover, a "clinch" cover, or a beefcake cover. Or is it something else? A shoe? 

For example, I want to signal that this is a romantic book, and it's very regular in how romantic it is, with a HEA and all that, but it's also very oddly cross-genre.  So, do I get a cover that suggests the quirky nature of it, or that suggests the mainstream elements? I don't want to scare readers off, but also I don't want to sell it as something it's not. 

Anyway, I gave Anne all my thoughts. Like a witches cauldron of cover thoughts! She does not have an easy job. I can't wait to see what she comes up with, though!!