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!! 

Anthology out - with my ghost story!

What fun to have this anthology out! I was so honored to be invited to contribute to this (back in 2010!) It got delayed, but here it is. 

I had so much fun writing my special ghost story for it.

Now I'm sort of laughing looking at the book blurb, especially the part where it says "ghosts come to life so that lovers can be united in the flesh." Er... that's NOT what happens in my steamy little story!  Actually, it's one of my sweeter stories, though. 

---

OLD SALT...a synopsis

Cassie Nolan, snarky tour guide at a seaside tourist trap in North Carolina (‘the haunted pier’), wishes that a certain strapping young sea captain who died in 1870 had a less pathetic haunting technique. Old Salt, ghost of the haunted pier, has been the object of Cassie's ridicule for years. Imagine her surprise when she discovers Old Salt is totally hunky, and pretty fed up with her attitude toward him. 

---

Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance

A wonderful collection of stories of supernatural love by Sharon Shinn, Dru Pagliasotti, Caridad Pineiro, Jennifer Estep, Gwyn Cready, Carolyn Crane, Jeannie Holmes, Anna Campbell, Julia London, Christie Ridgway, Holly Lisle and Liz Maverick. In happy-ever-after endings, ghosts come to life so that lovers can be united in the flesh.

***

If you get it, I so hope you like it. A lot of places say it's not releasing until August 7th, but actually, it came out June 7th in the UK in paperback, and as an ebook worldwide. However, you can get it in paper in the US through the backdoor, and it's not that easy to find in ebook unless you have a Kindle or Kobo. If you're interested, here are the links I could find:    

Ebook UK: Kindle | kobo | looking for others!

Ebook US:  Kindle | Kobo |  looking for others!

Paperback UK: Amazon UK | WHSmith | Alibris | MurderOne

Paperback US: Not officially available but you can get it here:  Amazon | Alibris | A1outlet  

My visit with the Martini Club

Happy Sunday, everyone, and happy Memorial day to my American pals.

It's going to be steamy hot and humid here in Minnesota. I'm hoping to get some decent writing done, and then Mr. Crane and I are going off to our friend's home where we'll hang out and have fun and do some grilling.

But this morning I'm at the Martini Club over at the fabulous Penelope's Romance Reviews.

I'm talking about my days as a cocktail waitress and how I classified everyone by what they drank, and how I see that all differently now.

Come say hi! 

Big fun interview at Under the Covers Book Blog!

I had such a nice time chatting with the gang at Under the Covers. They had lots of good juicy questions...we talked about the Disillusionists, Gumby positions, upcoming projects and surprising fun facts about yours truly.

And there's a giveaway!

Come join me at the fantabulous Under the Cover Book Blog!

Where I remember my fave fairy tale TOTALLY WRONG

My favorite wrongly-remembered fairy tale:
the Snow Queen!

I'm over at the Word Whores today for my Saturday post - the theme this week is Fairy Tales! Where I realize I remember my favorite fairy tale TOTALLY WRONG. lol.

Come say hi!! 

Oh noooooo! Mr. Bill! My cultural references are becoming unusable!!!!

I stopped over at lovely Limecello's blog this week to talk about being a writer in my 40s, and how you just can't use some cultural references anymore...like Gilligan. Or Mr. Bill!

But, can you still use "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time?" There's only one place to find out. Come see.

Soylent green is people!!

Carolyn Crane leads a salacious double life
as Annika Martin!  

Okay, today I put up a giveaway alert for Carolyn Jewel, Amanda Carlson and Annika Martin. After thinking about this a bit tonight, I feel like I should let people know that actually, I AM Annika Martin! The erotic romance author!!

Writing my crazy little bank robber erotica romances started as a kind of secret lark of mine, and I tend to be a bashful and easily red-faced person, so I didn't link my names in public, or publicize that this is me. Also, an Annika Martin book is quite unlike a Carolyn Crane book - I wasn't sure what my readers would think.

Yet, I suppose if I'm promoting it on my own blog, or talking in public about Annika, I should rightfully claim her as myself! Because, I suppose it's just too wink-wink otherwise, or even misleading, like writing your own review under a secret name!!  And, that's sooooo not what I meant to do.

Phew! I can't believe I'm actually posting this!  But, I don't want to seem to be fooling anybody.
It's peeeeeople!!

Reader Alert: Fabulous freebies that popped up this weekend!

10 copies of FREE FALL up for grabs!

Free Fall (a My Immortals novella)

Highly recommended! Not only does Carolyn Jewel have a lovely name, but she writes some of my favorite books on the historical side and the PNR side. And, she's giving away 10 review copies of her hot and juicy PNR novella, FREE FALL. If you don't know her My Immortals series, this is a great place to dip in, and if you read it, what are you waiting for? 

What I love about the My Immortals series is the combo of great paranormal worldbuilding along with strong, steamy romantic arcs that pack meaty emotional substance.  

“dark, intensely sexy and has just a touch of kink…”

~Melindeeloo

“…the intensity between the two of them was scrumptious... 

I couldn’t put it down. With plenty of action, steam, and powerful romance, this is a wonderful introduction to the series, and a great story in its own right.”

~The romanceaholic

Free Fall: the blurb:

Attorney Lys Fensic has spent her life controlling a psychic power that kills. Her ability to lock herself down falls apart when her ex, a mage, sends enslaved demons to kill her. In a psychic free fall, she turns to tough guy Telos Khunbish for help. But is he a mage as she’s always suspected or is he something far more dangerous?

Free Fall is set in the My Immortals series world where demons and magic-using humans called the magekind are not quite getting along. Most people have no idea they’re living in what amounts to a magical war-zone. (35,000 words)

The deal: FREE epub or kindle copies available - you just have to leaven an honest review on Amazon, B&N, a blog or elsewhere.

Get it: head over the Carolyn Jewel's blog! 

Signed ARC of FULL BLOODED up for grabs!
Amanda Carlson has been making a stir with her novella BLOODED, the prequel to her werewolf series, which hits the stands on September 11th. But not everybody has to wait!! YOU could win a signed ARC! You'll have 4 whole months to make everyone jealous.

"A wild, wolfy ride that will have you howling for more!" 

~Kristen Painter, author of Blood Rights 

"Amanda Carlson's Full Blooded is full of all good things: danger, excitement, an original, LIKEABLE heroine and some great mythological mayhem. Bring on book 2!"
~New York Times and USA Today bestseller Karen Chance

"Amanda Carlson's debut novel is a fast paced tale with a cliffhanger ending that left me panting for more. Full Blooded left me on the edge of my seat from cover to cover."
~New York Times bestselling author Faith Hunter

Blooded: the blurb:
It's not easy being a girl. It's even harder when you're the only girl in a family of werewolves. But it's next to impossible when your very existence spells out the doom of your race... Meet Jessica McClain -- she just became part of the pack.

In the vein of Kelley Armstrong and Patricia Briggs, a new urban fantasy that rewrites the werewolf myth...

The deal: One lucky commenter gets a signed paper ARC. Ends Tuesday
Get it: head over to Amanda Carlson's blog!
[edited note: oops- I had this wrong in an earlier version. It's 1 and not 5!] 

10 review copies of THE HOSTAGE BARGAIN up for grabs!

For those of you in the mood to walk on the ultra wild and steamy side, you must head over to Annika Martin's blog! She's giving away 10 copies of her erotic romance, The Hostage Bargain. Fire up your fans, people! [edited to add: okay, coming clean, Annika is actually my own erotic romance author name. See this post]

“The build up to the intimate scenes was almost as hot as the actual scenes.”


~Fiction Vixen Grade: B+

“…a delicious mix of snappy humor, wicked sexcapades and on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense.”
  ~Penelope’s Romance Reviews - Grade: A.

"Ms. Martin packs a lot of wallop into a relatively short novel. There is great dialogue here and good twists and turns in both the 'crime' (...adventure, suspense) and erotica aspects."

~A lot of Reading: 5 stars

The Blurb: 

When small town girl Melinda Prescott is taken hostage by three hot bank robbers, she quickly discovers that a life of bank heists, luxury hotels, and kinky menages is way more exciting than working on the family farm. She should be scared of her dominating, fierce captors…but there’s something wicked inside her that’s craving to obey their every dark desire.

Melinda’s an all-too willing captive to three smoldering fugitives who are actually government agents…but is it all too good to be true? Will her delicious bandits overcome their own demons enough to let her in…or is she going to end up a victim of the world’s sexiest crime spree?

Warning: This book contains a sexy bank-robbers-and-their-captive sandwich, light bondage, spanking, teasing hints of domination, and a little play-time in a hot tub. Oh, and some all too delicious, villainous alpha heroes who bend the heroine to their will. (56k words)

The deal: 10 free epubs, kindle copies, or pdfs. You just have to leave an honest review somewhere: Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, a blog, etc

Get it: email Annika (aka me....) at annikamartin@ymail.com specifying file type/reader type. Details on Annika's blog. 

What kind of chocolate is your favorite villain?

Happy Friday, friends and fiends!

So, have you ever thought about the different types of villains that are out there...and felt unsure what sort of chocolate candy they are like?

Well, there's help for you. I'm over at Buckeye Girl's fun books blog this week with a post that clears it all up - it lists the kinds of villains that exist, or at least all the ones I could think of...and reveals the chocolate they are most like. And I also talk about my own villains.

And if you are nice and leave a comment telling the villain type you prefer, you might win chocolate from me!! Come say hi at A Buckeye Girl Reads. 

Five books that showed me cool writerly things!

This week She-Wolf Reads has invited five of her favorite authors to come and talk about book influences, and it meant so much to me that I was one of those five.

I'm there today!! 

So many books have influenced me - many different ones in different years - classics, children's books, nonfiction and more.

For this post I decided to talk about books that showed me very specific things that relate to what I"m writing now. Also, you can win books!! You can win one of my books, signed, and one of the books I list there!

Come on over to She-wolf! 

10 things I'll be doing at AAD

Hey friends! I'm over at the fabulous Book Faery talking about a convention I actually AM going to: Authors After Dark in New Orleans!!

I was there last year (super fun!) and this post is part about what I'll do differently, and part about what I'm looking forward to!

Drop by and say hi!

My own damn RT pictures

I know I've been griping and bellyaching about not being able to go to the RT Booklovers convention...well, please ignore all that. I was just being a drama queen. Because actually...I DID get to go after all!

Actually, I'm there right now! OMG, I am having so much fun!

I am so glad I am there, because it is the most awesome convention. I just wanted to share these photos of me having a great time there with all you  losers unlucky people who didn't get to go.

Stephanie Meyer, JR Ward, Carolyn Crane and Anne Rice on a panel at RT.

The most important part of the convention is for fans to meet us famous authors and hear what we have to say about books and things. Above, I am at at panel with other famous authors. The audience asked us tons of questions, and then the four of us authors went out for drinks, and then we went back to Stephanie's hotel room and threw our bras out the window and trashed the place! It was SO awesome! Anne Rice is incredible at doing the Irish jig, and JR Ward brought a pogo stick and sleigh bells.

 They have this jail there where they put all the rowdy girls. As you can see, Nicole Peeler and I are stuck in there. In this shot, I'm whispering to Nicole of a plan to get out and drink some booze and smash some stuff in her hotel room. Nicole is amazing. Doesn't she look great in that hat? I told her so. That is something that author friends do at conventions. 

Here I am with EC editor Grace Bradley and the awesome Jeffe Kennedy. Check it out! We all put pigtails in our hair. Well, they put pigtails, and I have braids. When we were in the hotel room doing our hair together, I was like, 'girlfriends! It's okay if our hairstyles are slightly different, because check out how great we look together, and we are having so much fun here at RT!' and they totally agreed. Please note that Jeffe and I are doing a head bump, which signifies to to other convention-goers that we are author friends.   

I suspect that it is very easy for people stuck at home to think that us authors, readers, publishers and bloggers are forming rich and wonderful lifelong bonds at RT over drinks. And the poor authors at home, I bet their imaginations are running wild, thinking that their fellow authors are all sitting together in the bar letting each other in on valuable secrets that will help each other not make terrible blunders but rather take advantage of the changing publishing landscape. And also, promo secrets. I'm here to say that if you were actually attending RT (like I am) you would realize that this is totally true! 

Uh, waiting in a line to get some swag. That's one thing I hate about conventions, all the lines we convention goers have to wait in. But, it's definitely better than sitting at home and pathetically wishing you were there, or fantasizing that you are, or pretending that you are when you really aren't. That would be just SAD! 

OMG, I'm in jail again! This time, with my galpals Jaye Wells and Suzanne McLeod, who is from the UK. The three of us had SUCH a hilarious time in the jail. Later, we sat on the floor and told each other author secrets that no other authors know. I find that, at conventions, it is the times like these that are priceless. 

I will try to post more pictures, but I might not, because it is really such a whirlwind experience, and the big signing will be held later today. I hope everybody back home is having a good time. Keep your chins up, people, there's always next year! 

Pets of Christmas past

What a packed busy day! Not only am I at RT and blogging about it, but I'm also over at Word Whores today, blogging about pets of Christmas past! Come say hi! 

**Thanks to Jeffe Kennedy, Nicole Peeler (and probably Jaye Wells and others) for the RT pictures! 

Fun and fabulousness at Simply Ali's Birthday Bash!

Ali's Birthday bash is where it's at!

I love when people do things up in a big, splashy way.

One fun example: all-around lovely Ali, who is having quite the birthday bash! Over 30 days she is interviewing 30 authors who are going to AAD as part of a blowout spotlight event, and giving away a KINDLE FIRE and one registration to the Authors After Dark conference.

Whew! Anyway, today I'm over there. We're chatting on a big, fun batch of topics and giving away a copy of Devil's Luck!

It's all happening at Simply Ali's! Come say hi!

I'm at Ask an Author!

Hey everybody! Okay this is really fun - I'm over at this fun and lively Goodreads group: Romance Readers Reading Challenges, doing an Ask an Author event. 

This is a group that anybody can join over at Goodreads - it's easy. Come check it out! I'm in the hotseat. We've been talking writing, inspiration and how embarrassing it is for people in my real life to read my sex scenes and more. 

Come check it out. Feel free to ask me a stumper! Okay, not a stumper, maybe!! And you don't have to join RRRC to lurk. 

It's all going on right here at Romance Readers Reading Challenges! 

***

Big interview time at Litstack!

Wow, my month of being featured author at Litstack has flown by!

**Crane adjusts tiara, fluffs throne pillows**

And today, I sat down with TS Tate of Litstack for a wonderful & writerly interview. We discussed rejection, characters, publishing and more.

Come visit Litstack!

Words & Music Monday! Let's rock!

I'm really excited to be over at the fabulous BOOKS MAKE ME HAPPY blog for Words and Music Monday.

Wow, who knew I had so much to say about the relationship between my writing and music. But I do, because the relationship is intense and deeply important to me.

This is a really cool feature that Jennifer runs over there. Not only did I have fun doing this post, but I loved looking through what other writers has said on the topic.

Drop by Books Make Me Happy and let's talk music!!

Sad fashion confession and a visit to the Qwillery

Yesterday, while typing away at my WIP, I heard the sound of the mailman down at the building entrance and realized I'd forgotten to send my insurance payment, which is egregiously late! I scribbled a check, all the codes, slapped on a stamp, and burst out, running down the sidewalk after him in my slippers and office clothes to give it to him.

Pictured: the sweater I wore to chase/scare
the mailman. 

And then walking back to the condo, past people waiting for the bus etc. I realized: OMG WTF am I wearing? 

The answer: rags.

I bring you exhibit A: my favorite sweater of 2008. Somewhere in my clothes-challenged mind, I still think of it the day I got it from Kohls, new. So pretty. I would also direct your attention to my generously vented favorite office pants. I do love them. The fabric is just too thin even to patch. I have two other similar pairs. It is kind of crazy, what I wear every day. The degree of decrepitude. 

Working at home is such a strange luxury. Because, it IS this luxury, but the people doing it typically wear the most un-luxurious outfits.  

These pants: holes front and back, and a sad
mixture of clownish yet obscene. And I am
wearing them as I type.

I remember when I worked at an advertising agency--it was always SO hard for me to cobble together a nice looking outfit every day, and ad agencies are way more casual than normal businesses, but still. When I was at my most uptight agency in terms of clothes, I remember this hotshot freelance copywriter came in for a meeting wearing shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, and it was this sign of prestige that he didn't have to wear something nice. I was so impressed by that. 

Now I'm the freelancer going in for meetings, (though honestly, women freelancers have to dress a little nicer). Anyway, I wear my nice clothes from 2005. Mostly, though, I have meetings virtually, which I wildly prefer. Because I don't have to think about the clothes thing. 

Though, the crazy outfit I wore to chase the postman was definitely pushing it! And, I am not even going to start on my jogging clothes. 

The other day I was going to go to the grocery store and I put on jeans and a normal shirt, just enough to get myself presentable in normal society, and I was grumbling to myself that one good thing about winter is that I can throw a coat over my ragamuffin outfit to go to the store, but when it's hot, I actually have to change--I cannot cover my pov-looking self with a giant coat. @#$@#!

Anyway, my husband looks at me surprised and goes, you look really nice! And I realized he always says that when I have any clothes on that aren't rags. It made me feel a little bit bad because, okay, it's not the 1960's, I don't have to look like Betty Draper every day, but surely I can make an effort to not wear rags! 

I should probably retire some of my clothes. Maybe I will...maybe I won't. I do love the blue sweater. It is cozy on cool mornings. I don't know. 

Over at the Qwillery!

Okay, hey! I'm over at the illustrious Qwillery today! We did a fun little interview--short but substantive, talking about books and writing, and what I find most challenging about the author life (clearly not the clothes!) and we're giving away a Devil's Luck ebook! 

Do come visit at the Qwillery!! 

The SCARIEST-EVER thing you can put in an urban fantasy novel...

Happy Monday, friends! I hope that you had a lovely weekend. It is fabulously warm here...all windows are open at Casa Crane. I have even put away my winter clothes and taken out my summer clothes...I didn't plan to, it just sort of happened. Bags were opened. A wash was done.  I have a feeling I may regret that. Well, we'll see.

In the meantime, I am over at the lovely Mama Kitty Reviews discussing - with frightening graphic depictions - the most terrifying beings ever to be found on the pages of a UF or PNR novel.

Is it a rogue WERE-BAT?
A DHAMPIR?

 Come to Mama Kitty Reviews and find out...if you dare! 

Luck: Seven random things I can tell you!

Feeling lucky to be a FWIW!!

In honor of St. Patrick's day, I'm over at the very fun and smart For What It's Worth Reviews, a blog of all things books, music and whatever else grabs Karen's attention talking about LUCK!

Character luck, book luck, my sordid past in the luck biz and more. AND if you're lucky, you can win a copy of Devil's Luck. 

Oh, you must drop by!

And best of all, you can admire Karen's feline assistant, who looks uncannily like my feline assistant. Pinky lock!

LitStack fabulousness
Also, the featured author spotlight over at LitStack continues with a review of Double Cross today. I'm double lucky right now. Stop by!

Red hot interview...upcoming snippet, fave scenes, giveaway & more!

Happy Monday everybody! I hope you had a fun weekend.

I was so pleased to be invited for an interview wtih Jen at Red Hot Books, the lively and lovely blog about all things Urban Fantasy, romance and more.

We talk about heros, secondary characters, tell our favorite scenes from the Disillusionists, and other cool stuff. Also, I dish on my story in Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance, and there's a preview snippet there.

AND if you leave a comment, you could win a copy of my stand-alone Disillusionists novella, Devil's Luck!

Stop by and say hi at Red Hot books!!

xo

Carolyn

Carolyn Crane: Word Whore!!

Hey! I have some fun Saturday news: I've joined the group blog Word Whores! This is such a fun, eclectic  group of novelists: Allison Pang, Jeffe Kennedy, Kristine Krantz, Marcella Burnard, Linda Robertson, and James Tuck. Some of this gang I already knew, others I knew only from afar. I was so flattered they invited me!

The gang picks a weekly subject, and I'm the Saturday blogger, so this is my first post. This week's topic: places we would most want to live. I know everybody has been curious about that with me, but you'll have to go visit and find out.

Come say hi to me in my new Saturday home!

So honored to be featured author at Litstack!!

I'm so honored to be featured author of the month over at Litstack, a very eclectic blog "for the love of all things wordy..."

LitStack is a place for bookworms and bibliophiles to discuss classics and recent releases, check out cool stuff for readers and get the inside scoop from your favorite authors. We’re like a cozy little bookshop without the free coffee. (Sorry, we’re working on that.)

Incidentally, I was also quite excited to discover the origins of the "Keep Calm and Carry On" sign there today, something I have long wondered about.

But not as excited as to be featured author! Festivities this month will include reviews of books from the Disillusionists world, and a fabulous lively interview and more! 

Do drop by and say hi!  

Dishing on books, conventions and more with Twimom227!!!

Stop over to the fabulous and fun That's What I'm Talking About - where Twimom and I chat it up on the Disillusionists, my upcoming series, books we're looking forward to and the AAD convention!

Also, you could win a copy of DEVIL'S LUCK in a lightning giveaway that ends Thursday!!

Come say hi and Join the fun. 

A big, fun interview - with Simon commentary - at abookandashortlatte

What is the secret history of when he and Packard first met? What are his plans for Gumby? Is there a playlist for the Disillusionists?

What is Simon's guilty pleasure? You'd be surprised...

I had such a fun time over at abookandashortlatte doing this interview! We talked about everything from book faves to series construction and more.

Come by and say hi!! 

Release day: Devil's Luck, the Simon novella!

Simon: in the wild! 

Yay! Devil’s Luck, the Simon novella, is finally available out in the wild as an ebook novella. 

I have such a soft spot for Simon, who I originally created as a messed-up villain and foe for Justine, but ended up really enjoying as a character. So, I gave him his own book. In series order, it’s 3.5, though it can easily be read without knowledge of the trilogy. (32k words, a bit over a third of a novel)

•$2.99 • 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | ARE | Diesel | Googlebooks  [As you can see, it's not up everywhere yet - I'll make these links live as soon as the book is available]

Blurb:

THERE'S A THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND DOOM
 
No wager is too outrageous for Simon Fitzgerald, the most reckless of the Disillusionists. His dark secrets drive him to take increasingly extreme risks, but he’s never lived so quite so dangerously as when he hooks up with Midcity’s most powerful prognosticator.

Fawna Brady is tormented by the destinies she sees for those around her. To Fawna, knowledge of the future is a cage she’d do anything to escape. She’s stunned to discover a taste of the freedom for which she yearns at the side of Simon, the one person in the world who despises everything she is, everything she stands for.

Simon’s defiant attitude toward destiny captivates Fawna, but will her love destroy him? And will Simon rush headlong into the delicious doom she offers?

True confession: Whenever I would edit this book, I would feel a bit teary at the very end, just because of how I love these two characters and their story. Seriously, I am such a sap!  

Join the fun! I'm over at Goldilox and the Three Weres right now...answering some crazy fun questions and more. Stop by and say hi! 

Minor reader and writer mysteries that have been on my mind lately...

The mystery of the blow-off blog post, the mystery of the pretty dresses on the book covers, the mystery of the messed up heroes, or reading formats...

In honor of Stella ex Libris's big second anniversary, I boldly explore these very mysterious items...and more! And I give things away!

Come wish Stella a happy TWO years and join the fun! 

Characters, secrets and soap operas!

I'm over at Poisoned Rationality chatting with Lexie about the pleasure of secrets, and how much of my love of characters with secrets came from a youth spent watching too many soap operas!

 Come say hi!

 And, for your viewing pleasure, the fabulous Kendall Hart! A woman with a secret. Does she look familiar to you?

Devil's Luck: cover, blurb, + a rumination!!

Here's the thing: putting out my own novella all by myself has been a very intense journey! And continues to be.

I probably shouldn't admit this here, but I've actually worked harder on this story - and with far more concern for quality - than on any other piece I've written. I don't mean it took me longer to write than a novel, but I find myself taking this new degree of responsibility, as an artist, and as a publisher. Because, I'm running the show.

It's kind of dizzying, like I'm standing on something very tall and looking down, and a lot could go wrong, but it is also exhilarating.

And also, I am in love with this character and this book, and I just want it to be perfect. And, in addition to my critique partner, Joanna Chambers, valiantly and repeatedly working it over, as well as my husband and a pass through my local writing group, I have worked with two freelance editors - a copy editor and a line editor/proofreader - as well as a professional cover artist. (Anne Cain. Do you see what she has done? That cover is SO Simony!)

This week I shall teach myself to format it, and once I do that I will proof it yet again. (Because in this blog post, Courtney Milan says that's what she did, and if Courtney Milan did it, then I must do it because she is verra knowledgeable! *shakes fist*)

Actually, I love when other writers write about their self publishing endeavors, and so many others have given me advice and directed me to resources. I learn so much from other writers, and it makes me feel less alone in my high dizzying perch.

So, this week I plan to format and proof the book. Then, I shall send out my newsletter maybe Wednesday (did you know newsletter subscribers get to download Devil's Luck for free until around Feb 28th? That is the tentative public release date.) At that point I aim to have it up on sale at places like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and so forth.

More info on the Devil's Luck  page of my site, and all the links will be there when it's up.

Devil's Luck....the blurb!

There’s a thin line between love and doom.

No wager is too outrageous for Simon Fitzgerald, the most reckless of the Disillusionists. His dark secrets drive him to take increasingly extreme risks, but he’s never lived so quite so dangerously as when he hooks up with Midcity’s most powerful prognosticator.

Fawna Brady is tormented by the destinies she sees for those around her. To Fawna, knowledge of the future is a cage she’d do anything to escape. She’s stunned to discover a taste of the freedom for which she yearns at the side of Simon, the one person in the world who despises everything she is, everything she stands for.

Simon’s defiant attitude toward destiny captivates Fawna, but will her love destroy him? And will Simon rush headlong into the delicious doom she offers?

Oh, I am so excited about this novella, and for people to read it!! And, happy Monday, friends!

Is Carolyn Crane a worldbuilding fraud?

Smash and I talk worldbuilding!

Am I a total fraud when it comes to worldbuilding? There's only one way to find out: at Worldbuilding Wednesdays over at Smash Attack Reads!

World-building Wednesdays is a fun feature where the lovely, delightful, and sadly world-building-obsessed Smash gets authors to talk about their world-building strategies.

Come over to Smash Attack Reads and say hi and talk worldbuilding with us!!!

Badass Interview!!

Happy Friday, friends! Today I'm over at the very fun and awesome Badass Book Reviews where I had a lively chat with Regina and Erika about triangles, writing sex scenes, heroes we love, the inspirations and models for different characters from the disillusionists and a whole lot more.

Also, Regina came with a great person to play Otto, and I gave the link to the page that shows how to spot the hidden Gumby image on Head Rush. And more!

Stop by and say hi! 

5 things on a Sunday

1. Awesomeness. 

I’m so excited that Pat Rothfuss and the worldbuilders team has EXCEEDED the goal of $250,000 donated to Heifer International, an incredible, fabulous charity!! There is still time to donate (it runs through the 7th). 

Not only do you give to a great cause, but for every $10 bucks you put in, you are eligible to win books and many many other mind-bendingly wonderful prizes. It’s the ultimate win-win lottery. A ton of league books are in there, and so much more. Check it out here and here. 

2. Comma freakout.
I have been close-proofing DEVIL'S LUCK, my novella about my character Simon, which I am going to self publish. I have had it professionally copyedited, but am now reading it over and changing things around and suddenly I feel like I don’t know how to use commas anymore! 

What is a comma?

Commas used to be so natural for me, but when I really think about them, then my understanding of them falls apart. It’s like that old story of the centipede, and somebody asks it how it walks with so many legs, and once he starts thinking about it, he can’t walk. It doesn’t help that I have been edited through the years by editors with different comma-using styles, the open and the closed, and my Chicago Manual of Style is possibly a few years old.

3. Website freakout.
I have been re-building my author site, a project I started a couple of weeks ago. It’s not up right now - it’s still my crappy old author site there. Honestly, I thought it would take a weekend, but that was before entering the odyssey of tutorials and crazy frustration and OCD perfectionism that is this process. I’ve been in trying to get it EXACTLY PERFECT, of course. My new site is turning out so freaking complex, but I think it looks cool. I sort of think I will get it up today, but honestly, I have thought that on many other days. Either there’s a snafu with the way-too-complicated-for-me theme I’m using, or I get a new idea for something to add or change.

4. Voodoo.
So, my new site is sitting on a development url right now, and I’m kind of scared to even look at it this morning. One morning when I looked at it, I’d changed one page the night before and all these other ones had inherited the change that weren’t supposed to inherit the change. So I changed them back, and then that changed other pages. And then I changed those others back and…etc. It was like a morning of whack-a-mole. 

My website building process

I know that right now the hyperlinks are bright purple, and I haven’t managed to change them to a better color, not for lack of trying, but I have decided to leave them as is, just to not mess with my luck, like the website gods might bite off my beggarly and shaking hand if I put it out, asking for this one last crumb of design goodness. Yes, that is the level of my mastery; it’s quite primitive!

What I’m really scared of is that it will fall apart when I migrate it to my normal URL. Actually, I’m petrified of this, even though Hostgator assures me they will help. But maybe if I leave the hyperlinks in that messed-up purple, my site will remain whole somehow.

5. Quandary.
One of my last quandaries on the site was whether to put up the home page “billboard” many authors have where there is a glowing quote or two or three about their work. I had this whole design done without thinking about that home page quote. And at that point, putting a quote on the home page would completely wreck the cool design. 

Helpful in website building

In my regular job as a copywriter, I work with designers who sometimes complain about this sort of thing, like this or that copy or subhead will mess up their design, and my feeling is often, "Screw your design, it’s the content that’s delivering the message!" But here, I was on the opposite side. Or, both sides. 

I had a discussion with blogger galpal who typically doesn’t notice the home billboard quote, and that made me feel better, and partly, my thinking was, they’re at your site, do you really need to sell them? But then I still felt uneasy. It then occurred to me that there are two main audiences/purposes of author’s site: to provide more info and resources to those who have read your work, and to build credibility and interest for those who haven’t read your work, and that’s who the billboard quote is for, that last group of people who don't know you. Who knows! It's all kind of voodoo, in a way. Anyway, I figured out a solution that wouldn’t wreck the design. Yippee!

Anyway, happy Sunday friends! I hope you're having a lovely weekend.