Man chest with heroine...or shirt with big freakin' gun?

Just in case you're not on my facebook (which you can like here if you're a FB liking type!)  I am gathering opinions on Off the Edge covers...because you know how I feel compelled to change covers all the time. It is a mania!

Anyway, I got it in my head today that poor Macmillan needs a shirt. And one thing led to another...

So, man chest with heroine or shirt with big freakin' gun?

PS: This book should be out in December. I can't wait!

Cover copy: opinions welcome!

Hey friends!

I've been working hard on my next book, OFF THE EDGE. (out in a month or so). I'm toggling between two approaches to the cover copy. Do you hate either? Love either? Are you all about the mix and match? Should I toss everything? Is 'secret agent linguistcs expert' waaaay too long? I'll shut up now. Opinions welcome!

*****Obsess one*********

HE SHOULDN’T OBSESS OVER HER

Seducing women is just part of the job for deadly, charming secret agent linguistics expert Peter Macmillan. But the Bangkok hotel singer who holds the key to his latest mission also possesses the power to crack his cool façade—one that hides another life…and a dark tragedy.

SHE SHOULDN’T HELP HIM

He ravished her body. He stole her secrets. He won’t reveal his identity. So maybe Laney Lancaster shouldn’t feel sorry for the man when she finds him shirtless, sweaty, and chained up in the hotel’s dank dungeon. Maybe she shouldn’t be sneaking down, trying to free him. Except she knows firsthand what it’s like to be wounded, trapped and alone…thanks to a murderous ex-husband who hunts her across the globe. 

THEY SHOULDN’T SURVIVE

As deadly forces align against them, Laney and Macmillan find themselves on the run, in the grip of wilder passion and darker danger than either of them ever imagined. To survive, they must trust each other with their lives...and their hearts.

******or enemies one*******

SHE MAY BE HIS WORST ENEMY…

For Peter Macmillan, the Association’s deadliest and most charming secret agent, language is a weapon – one he’s used to hunt the world’s most dangerous criminals. Seducing a singer in a second-rate Bangkok hotel should be a piece of cake. Except the woman who holds the key to his latest mission seems to have the power to destroy his cool façade—and with it, his last defense against a dark past.

HE MAY BE HER ONLY HOPE…

He ravished her body. He stole her secrets. He won’t reveal his true identity. So maybe Laney Lancaster shouldn’t feel sorry for the man when she finds him shirtless, sweaty, and chained up in the hotel’s dank dungeon. Maybe she shouldn’t be sneaking down, trying to free him. Except she knows firsthand what it’s like to be wounded, trapped and alone…thanks to a murderous ex-husband who hunts her across the globe. 

But when they cross the wrong people, they find themselves on the run, in the grip of wilder passion and darker danger than either of them ever imagined.

10 things about my Megabus trip

So, I took the Megabus to visit my mom. I am writing this from my perch on her very, very floral couch! I would love it if she'd bus instead of that long drive, so I was checking it out for her. I'm curious for myself, too - I can get a lot more done sitting on a bus instead of driving. 

Findings:

1. Megabus made the 350 mile trip faster than the Amtrak and as fast as a car. This was an express bus that had only one stop.

2. It wasn't seedy at all, like how bus trips sometimes used to be. Everybody was very nice.

3. It had wi-fi! I was going to do a post, but the Thrillionth page was blocked. Too hot for Megabus.

4. I sat next to a retired schoolteacher named Judy. She was super nice and it was her first Megabus ride, too. We showed each other pet pictures on the phone. Even on the Megabus, I am the queen of cat pictures.

5. TIP: Sit on the lower level of the megabus. That is the quiet level, apparently.

6. The woman in front of Judy and me was a Megabus Pro. Judy and I were pleased that the seat we chose was behind the Megabus Pro's seat, because Megabus Pro got there early to get her pick. (Lower level, middle).

7. The Megabus Pro booked 2 months in advance and got a round trip for $2.50. I paid $60 for Minneapolis to Milwaukee round trip.

8. Wear warm clothes. That was some serious AC!

9. I need one of those privacy computer screen thingys. Nice as Judy was, she couldn't help but look at my computer screen and see I was writing some type of book, and asking me about it. Well, don't we all glance at people's screens when they're inches away? I was SO glad I wasn't working on a super dirty part. 

10. The photo is of us at our one stop in Mauston, WI. The driver was hilarious, and she promised she would leave anybody who took more than the allotted 20 minutes there. She gave enough details about what would happen to make me think she actually HAD left people there.

My megabus experiment weekend!

Okay, wish me luck, friends! I'm going on a 6-hour bus trip tomorrow to Milwaukee...that's right, on the bus!!

It's sort of recon for my elderly mom, who loves to drive to Minneapolis to visit me, but I would feel sooo much better if she took the bus. So I'm checking it out! I'm being the guinea pig. 

Oh, I remember my college days of taking the seedy, scary Greyhound around. That's kind of all I can think of.

Supposedly busses have improved since them. I'll give a report, maybe even some pictures. Hey, maybe it will be better than driving! I hear they even have wi-fi now. Maybe I'll get some writing done.

Gulp. What's everyone else up to this weekend?

Wild and wacky birthday weekend!

It's my birthday this weekend, so I'm going to be doing a big, fun giveaway on my author facebook page. You can win all kinds of books that just got released.

But you're going to have to work for it...by answering my chocolate trivia questions!! Hah!

Stop by on facebook!

And you don't have to like my page to play, but if you DO like my page, in my mind I will give you a big hug!

Have a great weekend, everybody!

What do authors ask other authors?

I'm over at Julie's Yummy Men & Kick Ass Chicks blog this week for a fun feature she has where authors ask each other questions.

I loved answering the questions, and I check back every Thursday now to see how the other authors answered. What could be better than that? How about the chance to win a copy of OFF THE EDGE?

Stop by and say hi at Yummy Men & Kick Ass Chicks here!

Poor, ignorant Carolyn Crane: A confession, a question, and 10 fun facts at Mythic Monday

Happy Tuesday, friends! So, I'm visiting with Melissa over at the My World in Words & Pages blog for Mythical Monday.

This is a fun feature she has where authors post about the myths that inspired their series.

In writing this post, I learned that I don't know much at all about the myth that inspired the Code of Shadows series (Fire & Frost prequel & Mr. Real) among other things.

Come join the fun, answer my question, and more. 

Fire & Frost - just released and on a sweet cheapie sale!

Fire and Frost is out! I so love this book. I want to rip the pages apart and slather myself in them and roll around in them, except that doesn't work out so well when it's just an ebook. 

But soon it will be print, too. Yee-hah!!

Okay. ahem. *sips tea*

This is the anthology that Meljean Brook, Jessica Sims (aka Jill Myles), and I have been excitedly working on for a while.

These three very different tales combine cool iciness and smoldering, sexy heat. I love how they are arranged to create a fun style spectrum, and I love the cover (even though I've completely defaced it here) and I guess I love just everything. And the stories of my antho-mates blew me away – if you don’t know them this is a great place to start. These tales relate to existing worlds we’ve all written, but stand completely alone. 

~On sale for  $0.99 ~
ebook: Amazon | Nook | ARE | Kobo | Apple | Sony
(should be everywhere soon)

Regular price : $2.99
Print: see below

The info: 

Wrecked by Meljean Brook

Elizabeth has spent the past five years running from her father; her father’s huntsman, Caius, has spent the past five years pursuing her. But when he finally catches up to her on an airship flying above Europe’s zombie-infested cities, Elizabeth discovers that Caius isn’t the only danger she has to fear—and now that he’s found her, Caius doesn’t intend to let her go…

Conjuring Max by Carolyn Crane

The witches of the world ridiculed and rejected nerdy Veronica for trying to use newfangled computers to enhance old world spellcasting. Well, it’s 1984 now, and she’s perfected her spellcasting computer program. Hey, who needs friends when you can conjure virtually anything…or anybody? So when Veronica makes powerful new enemies, she conjures Max, a pitbull of a cop, to deal with the pesky hitmen who keep coming around. But tough-guy Max is in no mood to play lapdog to a gorgeous witch.

Speed Mating by Jessica Sims 

Estrella may be going into heat, but she’s determined to remain in control. Just because she’s ovulating doesn’t mean she has to settle for just any man (or his beast). Her sexy alpha’s determined to find her a tiger to take care of her heat and father her child…but no one seems to look quite as good as the man in charge. Will giving in to her need for her alpha ruin her tenuous relationship with her clan or be a match made in heaven?

The Print Collection: Novellas & Stories Since many of our readers prefer print, we decided to combine both of our anthologies (Fire & Frost and Wild & Steamy) into one economical edition (beautifully designed by Meljean. Seriously, beautifully.) Novellas & Stories is available in  trade paperback, orderable from all the usual places and even in libraries. It's available at Amazon, and will be soon elsewhere.    Novellas & Stories by Meljean Brook, Jessica Sims & Carolyn Crane Price: $13.99 ISBN: 978-14848281387 Available early June

Mind Games Italian cover!

It is so fun to see Mind Games translated into Italian! And here is the cover. It's a very different visual interpretation of the book, but I think it captures the whole psyche-out and psychological aspect of the series.

I even have my first review in Italian! Thank you, Italian reader!! It's three stars, so a mixed bag. I can tell that this reviewer goes for the same themes my English language reviewers go for: romance content, first person present narration, originality, genre, Midcity, Packard. I can't really read it beyond that and I'm perfectly happy about that as I'm not a massive review reader.

In other news, my elaborate password encryption and storage system...omg when I call it that, it doesn't at all come off as the wacky homespun thing it truly is, but anyway, it is beginning to defeat even me. This Justine on the cover of the Italian Mind Games, doesn't she look smart and tech-savvy? She would laugh at my system. She would never forget the password to blogger!

Little CJ: "That's right, suckers, I'm in USA TODAY"

Look! It's a special message from Little CJ, my childhood portrait of me at age 5, painted by an elderly aunt. Um...yay!!
~ Carolyn Crane 

Little CJ

Hello, people! Today I became famous in a national newspaper. I knew one day I would be famous, and that the name of Little CJ would be on everybody's lips.  Though I had to endure a lot for it.

I had to write many posts on this tedious blog. And also, Mr. Crane's wrongful accusations that my eyes follow him around the room, which prevented me from taking my rightful place in the Crane household living room or the bedroom. I mean, not even the bedroom? And thank you Carolyn for your tepid defense. Quite a consolation prize, hanging in your chaotic office. THANKS.

And for all the many years I hung in Carolyn Crane's office, I had to endure all her moaning and complaining, and her narcissistically checking Amazon ratings all the time, and her crowing too, for when her books climb up the Amazon charts to break 100,000.

Now I've been pictured in USA TODAY HEA blog. I have arrived. You can skip all the stuff in the interview where Carolyn talks about herself and her inane books. The point is, I, Little CJ, am now nationally famous.

I am currently open to offers of:

1. A reality TV series
2. To hang in the living room of somebody better than Carolyn Crane. (cough ParisHilton callme cough). 
3. Offers for a tell-all book about Carolyn Crane where you will learn what of her slovenly ways bug me most, what authors she is jealous of, top five habits of pathetic writers as exemplified by Carolyn Crane, and if she really watches cartoon porn. 
4. Product endorsements. 

Thank you. Oh, the article is here. 

Confessions of an UF writer doing Romantic suspense: guesting at UTC

Good Monday to you, friends!!

I'm over at Under the Covers book blog posting about something new and freaky in my writing life...research!

And I reveal my shocking findings...about research!

I'm also giving away copies of my new release. Wheee!! Come say hi! 

Against the Dark: release weekend!!

Against the Dark, the first book in my new romantic suspense series, is here! 

This series follows the Association, an undercover organization of badass agents who use their expertise in nerdy things like logistics and linguistics (as well as plenty of muscle and firepower) to fight international crime. And they get tangled up with strong, smart heroines. Every book in the series stands alone.

Against the Dark (Book #1 of the Associates) 62k words, $2.99

ebook: Kindle | Nook | Kobo | ARE | Smashwords | Sony

print: Books #1 &  #2 will appear in print together this summer

---

SHE’S AN EX-SAFECRACKER FORCED INTO ONE LAST HEIST

Angel Ramirez left the safecracking game five years ago, and she’s worked hard to make amends and build an honest life. But when a beloved aunt is kidnapped, she must reunite with her girl gang to acquire the unique ransom: Walter Borgola’s prized diamonds. It’s a simple job that turns into a nightmare, thanks to a surprisingly clever—and searingly sexy—security guard named Cole Hawkins.

HE’S AN UNDERCOVER AGENT WITH BIG PLANS FOR HIS GORGEOUS THIEF

Cole is one of the Association’s most brilliant agents, under deep cover investigating a ruthless killer. He’s also running out of time: hundreds will die if he doesn’t stop the plan Borgola’s set into motion. Catching Angel is the break he needed–he promises not to turn her in if she poses as his lover and uses her unique talents to unlock the sociopath’s dungeon vaults.

But as pretend passions turn real, Cole regrets drawing Angel into his deadly game…and danger is closer than either of them could ever imagine.

---

I didn't round up any author blurbs for this one. But I so loved something that one of my critique partners, Jeffe, said on the version she read:

"... I think it’s the best thing you’ve written since Dis. It might be better than Dis." 
-Author Jeffe Kennedy, on critique copy

This made me so happy, especially coming from the woman who once told me to completely dump an entire 50% of a book. (It was an Annika Martin book, and, yes, it was good advice that I followed.)

Anyway, it's out! *wipes fevered brow*

My mom is in town for the weekend, so I'm barely going to be around. We are going to see the movie Quartet today and bang around Minneapolis together. I will also be stuffing my face like a pig and trying to relax.

I hope everybody has such a lovely weekend. Special thanks to my early readers who won the ARCs  in my contest! And also, thanks to everybody else who has been so supportive.

XXOO
Carolyn

Diary of my website disappearance

My website completely self-destructed over the weekend. It’s partly the fault of my host, or at least, a phone support guy there who cleared out the wrong subdomain, but partly my fault for not having a decent backup. So, if you are looking for info on my stuff, it's coming. Slowly. Because I have been busy going through stages!!  

Stages on Saturday

Tearful disbelief 

I become tearful on the phone with the host support when I learn the site is gone. Just...gone. And their backup they made is of the blank site. And I have a release out this week! (AGAINST THE DARK out on the 19th; info here).

Anger and freakout! 

Chocolate consumption begins early that day.

 Gratitude for my twitter friends

You guys, it was so nice to go on there and for people to be all kindness and feeling sorry for me.

Acceptance. 

I accepted the site was gone late Saturday. And there was a small thought in the corner of my mind that my site sucked anyway.  The old site was cool and all, but it was 90% geared toward ‘let’s have fun!’ and 10% geared toward…oh yeah, I have these books.

Did you ever see my old site? The front page was just my header and than a whole bunch of pictures. it was very artistic! Like:

This deer picture, above, took you to the news page. I  had a caption something like "I have something to tell you." Please note the fangs, which I lovingly photoshopped onto this deer last year. Not the best use of a writer's time, I'll admit.

This square was "where is gumby?" and if you clicked on it, it would take you to a page that told you

how to spot the gumby on the Head Rush cover. Click here for instructions if you're curious.

This is fun, but probably not really an effective way of suggesting that I am a writer of steamy and suspenseful fiction. AKA not the best branding. 

Users would click here to get to my facebook page.

So, really, I could use a new site. What is kind of amusing is that I actually am in advertising, so you'd think I'd know better about things like, oh, marketing and websites, but I'm in the part where somebody tells me to think of ideas or write this or that, and I obey. Nobody in their right mind would rely on me for an overall branding vision. And I think the above examples demonstrate why that might be. 

Silver lining:

Husband suggests we order pizza for dinner. Yay!!

Sunday

Eerie calm 
I begin to redo site. Things are not going well, as I am not tech savvy, but I still feel calm. As in, not upset. I check the calendar and confirm that, indeed, I am nowhere near PMS zone. Probably for the best.

Shock at what I have lost
Every now and then I have to write things on my new site, and I'll remember a perfected version of it on my old site, but no, it is gone. Everything must be rewritten, except what exists in some form on this blog. Oh, thank heavens I was too lazy to convert my blogger blog to wordpress. Kiss kiss, blogger, even though I complain bitterly about you sometimes!!! 

Art project zone-out

I worked way too long on my new header on Sunday. I think it still needs something else, like an explosion and crosshairs, maybe. Jeffe Kennedy suggested the crosshairs be placed over the man’s heart. Oh, cruel and evil Jeffe!!

It's not the most amazing header, but hey, it's not a deer with fangs, right? 

Monday

I only had a little bit of free time to work on the site today, and I made it way, way worse. My navigation has purple in it and it WON’T GET OFF. The terms are all wrong, too, but I can fix that. I can't fix the purple!!! I’m writing this as I wait for somebody to help me in the support forums. It is really way past my bedtime. Uh. 

Above, my impressive site nav scheme. Doesn't the purple look attractive?
It's like the spot that wouldn't come out in that Dr. Seuss book.
I am going to have nightmares about that purple tonight. 

Okay! The phases of my site! Okay, I am giving up on the support forums and going to bed. Well, check back - maybe I'll have more exciting phases tomorrow!!

EDITED to add: Thank  you Stumbling over Chaos Chris & Carolyn Jewel for alerting me to the existence of CACHES!!! I have my text back. Omg, I am so happy. Thank you!!