Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Oh, Crappers! Did I say that out loud?


Winner! Okay...Winners.
Hubby, my cardboard stock expert, pulled three names out of the hat. Rebekah E., Sarah. Please send me your snail mail addresses to: christie (at) christie-craig (dot) come
Have you ever had that happen? When a thought ran through your brain and somehow it just fell out of your lips and it was so not the right time, or something that needed to be said in the present company?

Well, it happened to me recently. Thankfully, it was just with my hubby. Then again, it might have been better if it had been with anyone else.

Here’s what happened. I was at my desk, hand on my mouse, staring at my computer, when hubby stepped in and was telling me this fascinating piece of info about how some cardboard stock was down and how that could be a sign the overall cardboard box industry was on the fall. I mean…cardboard stock? Really?

Anyway, his riveting dialogue had me enthralled and sitting on the edge of my seat. Then a light ding announced the arrival of a new email. I had my hand on the mouse, so why not click on it, right? I mean, I could listen to cardboard stock info and click.

It was an email from my editor at Grand Central sending me photographs of the models as they posed for the my cover for my upcoming humorous romantic suspense, Don’t Mess With Texas. While my hubby continued with his electrifying dialogue, I somehow managed to pull myself away and did another click to view the images.





The pictures filled my screen. My mouth dropped open. I’ll bet my eyes widened, too. And that’s when the words just slipped out. “Wow, I got a half-naked man. I’ve sort of always wanted a half-naked man.”

A second or so after the words slipped out the did-I-just-say-that-aloud thought hit.

“What?” hubby asked, his cardboard box stock talk coming to a sudden halt.

I sat speechless for a couple of seconds and then said. “You’re the only half-naked man I really want.”

He didn’t look convinced. So I explained. “My cover. My new cover for Grand Central. The Don’t Mess with Texas cover, I got a . . . half naked man.” I pointed to the screen.

His expression grew grim. And not because I’d interrupted him, or that I just said I’d always wanted a half naked man.

“Why would they want to put a half-naked man on your cover?” he asked. “Your books are about the women.” Yes, my hubby does read my books.

“About women who fall in love with men,” I reminded him. “The books are about the men, too.” Obviously, for some reason he didn’t seem to recall the men in my books. Hmm . . .

Then I recalled that his favorite of my covers was Divorced, Desperate and Delicious. The one that was nothing more than a pair of boobs. Of course, at the time he didn’t refrain from telling me that the woman had enough room between her cleavage to park an eighteen wheeler. Not that he was complaining, mind you. It’s still his favorite cover. I guess wide cleavage isn’t all together a bad thing. LOL

But let’s move to the important part of this blog. I GOT A HALF-NAKED MAN ON MY COVER! A very hot looking, shirtless, Texan and in his arms is my very happy to-be-there heroine. And can I be honest? It’s not really the half-naked man I love. It’s the fun, flirty image. When my editor asked me to describe my dream cover,that’s what I said. I wanted a fun, flirty cover. One that was a reflection of the tone of my books. And I think this cover is pretty much near perfect.

Oh, and I also got some other riveting information in that email (and it has nothing do with cardboard boxes.) Don’t Mess With Texas is scheduled to be an August 23, 2011 release. That’s four months earlier than I thought.

I’m over the moon excited. So with no further ado, here’s my cover.
And for the record, my fabulous, sweet hubby is thrilled with the cover, too. (Yeah, I’m trying to make up for my earlier sarcasm about his exciting cardboard box dialogue.) I do love the man, seriously.

Anyway, have you ever had a thought just slip out of your mouth when you wished it hadn’t? Have you ever spoke first and thought later? Have you ever wished you could swallow up the words? And what kind of book covers do you like? Come on, let’s have some fun. Oh, and one commenter will win a bag of swag for my upcoming YA novel, Born at Midnight. (Yep, that book has a great cover, too.)

CC




52 comments:

Leslee said...

I love the cover!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So cute, fun, flirty, and best of all, makes me want that book! :) Mission accomplished!
As to your question, sometimes it is as simple as I just like the cover so I check out the book and see if I want to read it. Other times it is a mood that the cover conveys. The cover for Born at Midnight attracted me from the first. When I read the synopsis, I was intrigued as you don't see a lot of summer camps. What drives me nuts is if the cover models don't have the same color hair as the characters!
Have a great day!

krisgils33 said...

that is a way cute cover!! i can't wait for the book to release!!

for my verbal potty- i'm a delegate on a UN sub-agency and i was making an argument on the mike in a room of about 100 when i completely forgot what i was going to say. after a slight pause, i swore (i regularly talk like a sailor on shore leave) and then told everyone in the room i was having a blonde moment. even the guys who barely speak english cracked up laughing.

Kathy Bacus said...

I love, love, LOVE the cover, Christie! And congrats on the earlier release date! Can't wait to read it.

Rebekah E. said...

I always have things slip out of my mouth and think "oh no did I just say that." I always tell myself that I will not do that again but it never seems to work.

Terri Osburn said...

I love the cover! Not just for the half naked man, but he definitely makes it nice to look at. LOL!

I know I've said thing aloud I wished vehemently I could take back, but right now the details of these moments are sketchy. I may have blocked them out. Too bad I can't block out the memory of panic and horror they brought on.

Looking forward to snagging this in August! You're kicking butt, lady!

PS: Finished the MS this weekend. I did it!

Phyllis Bourne said...

I LOVE THAT COVER!!!

Hmmm... my dh would have started that cardboard box lecture all-over-again from the very beginning to make sure I didn't miss any of the important details.

petite said...

A perfect cover which would attract a great deal of attention. I monitor what comes out of my mouth. Others whom I have had the unfortunate encounter with just have no inhibitions at all.

Sandy said...

Fantastic cover, CC.

I can't count the times words pop out of my mouth before I think. lol

Anonymous said...

Have I ever said anything I didn't want to take back???

Love the cover, Christi...I'm usually not a fan of people on the covers, but I know half-naked men sell well...go with what sells!

Susan M said...

Love the cover. It has just the right feel for the book.

As to saying the wrong thing, I am the queen of foot-in-mouth. I once told a long story about my son's wierd, strange neighbors to someone who turned out to be the neighbor's mother. There are almost five milliom people in Houston and I told the story to the ONE person in all of Houston that I shouldn't have.

Sarah S. said...

I absolutely love fun, flirty covers. One of the main reasons I pick up books with those types of covers is because I think the book will make me laugh out loud, and there isn't enough of that going on in the world. Does this happen to be a sequel to Shut up and Kiss Me? Either way I can't wait to get my hands on it! Thanks for the awesome books. They are always a laugh or thirty a page! :)

Bethany said...

Christie,

I love what you said about your husband. Oh my gosh, that's hyserical. And you just up and saying "I have a half naked man on my cover." is something I would do. Of course, my husband being my husband, would tease me mercilessly about it--but that's okay. I always get him back.

I love hearing about how you and your husband interact...you just sound like you have a fun marriage!

The cover does look like the heroine is happy and having a good time--and it does look fun (I'm looking forward to reading this one, of course--that goes without saying, right?) :-)

Edie Ramer said...

I love your cover! It's certainly fun and flirty!

I say things all the time that I shouldn't. I think I spend too much time with just my cat and dogs, and when I get around people--even my husband--I forget to edit myself.

Suzan Harden said...

Um, in general, I say exactly what I mean. Often to the detriment of my companions. But then you already knew that.

Like when I told you I liked the DMWT cover better than Born at Midnight because it had a half-naked guy.

traveler said...

Sweet cover. Sometimes I am outspoken and many are offended.

AnonymousWoman said...

I like the cover. It is very cute and flirty. My favorite book covers are bright and colorful. Those tend to grab my eye the most as I am perusing through the bookstore.

Anonymous said...

Oh man, what a great cover, Christie! It's just perfect!

As for the mechanism that stops speaking at the wrong time or with words that came out not as intended - yes, sometimes that switch is faulty.

Covers...I have this image in my mind of a half naked pirate tempting the heroine, and a ship atop a glittering sea in the background. :-)

Misha Gerrick said...

Depending on the genre, I like dark and mysterious covers.

But I do like your cover. It was beautifully done.

And yes, I have many of those moments, but I usually forget about them really soon afterwards.

It's a gift.

:-)

Brandy said...

Don't enter me!

I have the date saved for my TBR list for Don't Mess with Texas! Great cover!

And yeah, I have said things inadvertently.

catslady said...

I love your sense of humor. I'm sure I've said the wrong thing at the wrong time but luckily I can't remember them at the moment lol.

It's a gorgeous cover and afterall, mostly for us women lol.

Christie Craig said...

Hi Leslee,

Thanks. I think Grand Central did a fab job. And oh, I feel the same way about hair color. At least get that much of the hero/heroine right.

Thankfully, GC did that with this cover.

Thanks for stopping in.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Krisgils33,

I'm not really a potty mouth, but there a couple of select words that slip out when I'm surprised. And yup, they have slipped out when I wasn't prepared, so I can so relate.

At least they all laughed. Humor makes anything more acceptable.

Thanks for stopping in.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Kathy,

Thanks. I loved the cover you did for Calamity Jayne.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Rebekah,

LOL. That's the problem, if we had the ability to stop ourselves from saying these things, I think we would. They just slip out. Like our filter came loose or something.

Thanks for stopping by.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Terri!!

You finished. Way to go, girl! I'm doing a little chair dance in your honor. Congrats.

And thanks for stopping by.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Phyllis,

We can't our husbands together, EVER. They would be too dangerous. LOL. Thanks for stopping in.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Petite,

I know a lot of people who slip up. The other day I went the dentist and I didn't put any makeup on. I was writing and just too darn busy. When he walked into the room he asked, "Are you sick?"

I said, "No."

He said. "Your nose is red."

I said, "I didn't powder it."

He nodded and then blushed as if he'd give anything to have not said that. I just laughed.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Hi Sandy,

I think it's human to do it. But oh...it never feels good.

Thanks so much for dropping in.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Tess,

I'm sure you are perfect girl. LOL.

Thanks for stopping in. I do love the shirtless man.

Thanks for stopping by.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Susan M.

Oh, that sounds like someothing I would do. LOL.

Thanks for giving me a laugh.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Hi Sarah,

I love a book that makes me laugh, too. And no, it's not the sequel to Shut Up. I'm still hoping to write those books. But Don't Mess With Texas has it own moments.

Thanks so much for dropping in.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Bethany,

What's funny is my hubby loves it when I tell his stories on the blog. You'd think a man would hate it, but he says if anything ever happens to me, someone on my blog to feel sorry for him and marry him. LOL.

Thanks for stopping in.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Edie,

Which is why I love spending time with my pets. They never get insulted when I say crazy things. And they listen to me. LOL.

Thanks girl.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Suzan,

I can always count on you being the one to tell me like it is. LOL. I love you, girl!!

CC

Christie Craig said...

Traveler,

Thanks. Then you are in good company.

Thanks for visiting.

CC

Christie Craig said...

AnonoymousWoman,

Thanks. I like covers that reflect a mood. And if that mood fits the type of book I'm looking for, I'll aways pick it.

Thanks for visiting.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Jbrayweber,

You might have a faulty switch, I think I sometimes have a blown fuse. LOL.

Thanks for stopping by.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Misha,

The CRS disease does come in handy sometimes. LOL.

Thanks for dropping by.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Hi Brandy,

Thanks so much girl. I love, love knowing I'm on someone's auto buy!!

Thanks.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Hi Catslady,

Thanks so much for visiting. I counting my lucky cover stars today.

CC

Unknown said...

I love the cover, so cute. I am known for putting foot in mouth. One time my mother in law was talking about her new great grand child that is one the way and she was wishing they would name it after her. I spoke up and said I wouldn't ever want to name a child Myrtle, then again I tried to smooth it over by saying then again I wouldn't stick my own name on a child. Not a good moment.

Kristi said...

I love that cover and I just added that to my TBR list. I have all your books. It's killing me waiting for Born At Midnight to come out. I love paranormal YA.

Diane Kelly said...

The cover is perfect! And, gotta agree, it's nice to have a half-naked man. : ) Can't wait to read it! And I've said way too many things out loud that I shouldn't have . . . Funny how publishers pay writers to do exactly that on paper, huh? : )

Stacey Joy Netzel said...

Great story--thanks for the laugh. :)

And the cover is awesome! I can totally understand your excitement. I have a bit of cover-envy.

Christie Craig said...

Virginia,

Ohh...it's never good when you offend the MIL. LOL. Too funny, girl. But I have to agree. Myrtle??? I don't think so.

Thanks for stopping in.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Kristi,

Oh...thank you so much. I love, love loyal readers. And Born At Midnight will be here before we know it. Gracious, time flies when you're on a deadline. LOL.

Thanks for stopping in.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Diane,

That is so true. In out books, our characters are always putting their feet into their mouths. It just makes for good drama!!!

Thanks for dropping in.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Hi Stacey,

Thanks so much girl! I'm still doing the happy cover chair dance. LOL.

CC

MiaMarlowe said...

Great cover, Christie! Enjoy your half naked man.

Christie Craig said...

Mia,

Thanks. I think you've had a quite a few half naked me. LOL.

CC

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the cover Christie!

Coolestmommy said...

Love the cover. It does capture fun and flirty!

Covers are such a weird breed. I love to look at them, but at the same time, that's not the only reason I pick up a book. But sometimes if the cover is as cute as this one, I grab it!

coolestmommy2000 at gmail dot com