Forever Texas Blog Tour By Christie Craig

I’m on blog tour with one of my favorite authors, Jane Graves. Grand Central is giving away books, too. Here’s a list of where you can pop over to follow the tour. And guys, if you haven’t read Jane Graves, I recommend you go order her book right now. She’s an author on my keeper shelf.

Tues., Sept 27

http://ashleysbookshelf.blogspot.com

Wed., Sept 28

http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com

Fri., Sept 30

http://bookslikebreathing.blogspot.com

Fri., Sept 30

http://tweezlereads.blogspot.com

Fri., Sept 30

http://www.tarmyblogspot.blogspot.com

And today I’m posting the Q&A from Mary Gramlich. She asked some very intriguing questions. If you haven’t checked out her blog, do so. She’s a very entertaining blogger: marygramlich.blogspot.com. (Thank you Mary for hosting us!)

1) Why do we always think of Texas as much for its over the top events?

CC: Well, Texas is special, just ask any Texan and they’ll be happy to tell you in detail, and with Texas pride, how their great state was its own country. Why, heck, there’s even talk of seceding from the union. It’s probably that pride and independent thinking that explains why we have so many things named after us. We have Texas burgers, Texas toast, and we even have a dance named after us.

You know the saying, everything is bigger in Texas? Well, they might be fudging just a bit on that. Texas, like all states, has some big people with some not so no big ideas, and that’s why we have so many over-the-top events. Murders in this state aren’t your normal, everyday crime, Texans have to get a chainsaw, a Cadillac, or big-people diapers involved. Then, there’s the little disturbing fact that you can buy a gun quicker, and with less hassle, than you can purchase Claritin D at a drug store.

In all seriousness, I’m not a native Texan, but even with all this craziness, I hang my hat here because I love this zany, over-the-top place. It’s a one-of-a-kind state and just about anything can happen in Texas. Since I try to write one-of-a-kind plots with crazy things happening, it just seems natural that all my books are set in Texas.

2) What is the most romantic gesture you have ever had happen?

CC: I guess for my hubby’s sake, I should use him as the example, huh? Honestly, I got lucky in love—the second go round. I could name numerous things my hubby, aka my true life hero, has done over the years. I moved to California to escape an abusive relationship from my-then-soon-to-be-ex. The only thing I brought with me was a five-year-old and a duffle bag of possessions. Less than two months after I met Steve, I found a brand new car parked in my parking spot at my apartment. It was a gift from him, because he deemed the clunker car I was driving unsafe for me and my daughter.

Then, there was the honeymoon cabin he rented with a fireplace in the bedroom because I’d once said that making love in front of a fireplace would be so romantic. We had to crank down the air conditioner to light that fireplace on our wedding night, but I was right. It was amazing.

However, I think the most romantic gesture he’s ever done was something he said about seventeen years after we were married. We were out having dinner and he looked at me and said, “You are not the same woman I married.” My heart stopped, I felt blindsided and didn’t think I was going to like where this conversation was headed. Then he continued, “I married a young woman; she was a little vulnerable and a lot scared to trust anyone. She was practically a girl who didn’t really know what she wanted out of life. And look at you now. You’re a writer who has a passion for what you do, one who has faced more rejection, who has shown more courage to chase her dream, than anyone I know.” See why I love this man? You know, I may not have given my fictional heroes my hubby’s abs (Sorry, Babe) but I gave each and every one of them his heart, his sense of humor, and his ability to make a woman feel loved.

3) Tell me what you would like to see when you look out your back door?"

CC: First, let me tell you what I see when I look out the French doors of my office: A patio with a motorless, slightly rusted (okay a lot rusted), faded turquoise colored 1963 Falcon Sports Coupe up on blocks. In car talk you would say it’s missing the front clip, meaning it has no fenders, no hood, no grill, and no bumpers. Behind this beat-up car, there are a couple of tires leaning against the front of the garage. Adding to the ambiance is the scorched lawnmower hubby accidentally set fire to a month ago. (I blogged about that, by the way.)

Now, since this is a fantasy of what I’d think would be the perfect patio, I’d like to see some beautiful outdoor furniture with a cold glass of lemonade and a book waiting to be devoured. I can imagine a little bird bath off the side where I could watch a couple of Blue Jays frolicking in water. And maybe a couple of planters with some brightly colored blooms draping over the edge and swaying in the breeze. Oh, in my make-believe perfect patio world, I’d change the Texas temperature that hit 109 this week, to a high of 80. Ahh, there’s nothing like a fantasy. But seriously, if I really had the magic to snap my fingers and transform my patio, I wouldn’t do it. Well, maybe for a few hours, but that’s all.

Why? Because that car is my husband’s and my son’s passion. And when I see them out there, sweaty and greasy, fighting the heat, swatting at mosquitoes, and working together to bring life back to an old, rusted car, I know it’s better than any perfect patio scene I could imagine. Real life isn’t perfect, and a lot of times, it’s not all that pretty—at least not at the Craig household and not even in a Christie Craig novel. But if we look with our hearts instead of with our eyes, we’ll probably see there’s a lot we have to be grateful for, and a heck of a lot to laugh about. And that’s what I try to deliver in my novels: a story that will bring you laughter and a lot of heart.

And I’ll leave you with my motto for a good life. Laugh…love…read.