Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Writers are Funny People

WINNER! WINNERS!! The winner of the $5 giftcard is Kristi. But I've chosen two other winners to recieve some swag: Theresa N. and Blackrose 37at yahool.com please all three of you email me at Christie(at)Christie-craig(dot)com




Contest! Contest! Win a $5 gift card to either B&N or Amazon.

Writers are funny people. Not funny-funny, although some of us can be. I’m talking more funny-strange. Yeah, I know that probably sounds like a weird confession to make, since I am a writer, but go with me on this for a minute or two. Not only do writers create imaginary people who are as real to us as our own families are, we also get all wrapped up in feeling the same emotions that our characters feel. I’m talking joy. Sorrow. Exhilaration. Heartache. And even grief. We feel each emotion as intensely as our story people do. This ability to connect with our characters’ emotions helps us to create characters and write scenes that strike an emotional chord with readers.

Now, when I describe it that way, it sounds like a good thing, doesn’t it? I mean, you’d never think about sending me away for a month-long vacation in the local psych ward or anything, would you? Well, could someone please explain that to my hubby? Because sometimes I do see that look in his eyes. The looks that says, I’m a frog’s hair away from strange men in lab coats walking in and fitting me for some nice, new white, very tight jacket. Oh, sure, he denies it but when he asks, “Who were you talking to?” and I tell him, “My characters,” this look of concern crosses his face. I know what he’s thinking—Christie’s finally gone and lost her mind. Hey, it’s not easy being a writer.

And it’s probably even harder being married to one.

Anyway, the reason I’m talking about how writers connect with their characters is because I had a new book out December 20th. This is one of those books that authors refer to as “the book of my heart.” Now, all of our books are special but some are just more special to us than others. That’s the case with Murder, Mayhem and Mama.

You see, this book was actually the first book I sold when I broke my long dry spell back in 2007. I’d sold four books that day—three were humorous romantic suspense novels to Dorchester. The other one was Murder, Mayhem and Mama, and my agent sold that to a small publisher who was going to release it as an e-book first and then out in print a year later. I was walking on air back then. Four of my babies were going to be published! But as often happens in this business, the publisher went under and Murder, Mayhem and Mama went back to living only in my imagination after a much too brief foray into the world.

But one great thing about the publishing industry is this: Things never remain stagnant. And now I’m beside myself with happiness that my baby is getting another chance.

Murder, Mayhem and Mama was released in digital form for Barnes and Noble’s Nook. On Feb. 10th, it will release at Amazon and other e-retailers. And I’m feeling just as excited about it this time as I was the first time.

So, what’s MM&M about? Well, it has all the hallmarks of a Christie Craig novel. By that, I mean, it has a hot romance between a yummy cop hero, Brit, and a quirky heroine, Cali, who are the perfect fit for each other (even if they don’t realize it.) There’s a mystery for them to solve and some dangerous bad guys who are threatening the heroine, plus a feisty Mama cat and her kittens who are determined to turn the hero into a cat person. By the way, the cat succeeds big time.

And then there’s Mama. And, no, this one isn’t a cat. She’s the heroine’s mama and she’s, well, dead. But still chain-smoking and offering her advice in my heroine’s very realistic dreams. Which is pretty much freaking out Cali. As a matter of fact, the look I see on her face is the same look I see on my hubby’s when he finds me having long conversations with my characters. She’s worried she might just be losing it. Nevertheless, Cali’s mom wants to make sure her baby girl is safe, and she also wants to see her baby girl find true love, so she’s not above a little other worldly match-making.

Here’s the cover for the book:


And here’s the blurb:




Being a mama is hard. But the job's even tougher when you're dead.

Cali McKay's mama isn't ready to pass over to the "other side" yet. Her
unlucky-in-love daughter needs her now more than ever. Before Mama can
chain-smoke her way to heaven, she's gotta make sure Cali's deadbeat
ex-boyfriend doesn't get her daughter killed.

Grief Sucks. Love Heals.

Cali lost her mom to cancer. Detective Brit Lowell lost his partner to
murder. Now he's in the mood to take down some dirtbags and Cali's ex just
happens to be a dirtbag leaving a trail of dead bodies behind him. Can
Brit trust this beautiful woman to help take down her ex? Can Cali look
past this sexy cop's hard exterior to trust him with her heart? Can life
get any crazier when Mama starts meddling from the grave? Only one thing’s
for sure—none of it will matter, unless they catch a killer before the
killer catches them.



So I hope all you guys with Nooks are giving my new baby a try. If you have a Kindle, be patient, it’s coming. And if you are solely a print book reader, well, I’m hoping someday to make that happen, too. But it may be a while.

Until then guys, stay happy. Keep laughing. And take my advice: avoid talking to yourself or your imaginary friends in front of people.

Today, I’ll give away a $5 gift card to either Amazon or B&N. All you have to do is leave a post. If you want to make it interesting, tell me about a time you felt someone looked at you as if you were a frog’s hair away from being locked up in a padded room.


~CC

30 comments:

Refhater said...

I'll be one of those who are waiting for MM&M to come out in print. (Which means I didn't get an e-reader for Christmas like I thought I was.) Anyway, congrats on it's release!

I have a legit excuse for what I said that made people look at me like I was ready for the loony bin. I have small children in my life!

After a long weekend with the girls who were 2 and 4 at the time, I returned to work in the Physical therapy dept. I heard "So, what did the doctor say?" asked by one of the therapists. Before I could stop myself I blurted out "The doctor said, no more monkies jumping on the bed!" Everyone just stopped and looked at me like I was a nut and then laughed at me.

Unknown said...

Congrats on your new release Christie. I talk to myself all the time but I do try not to do it in front of people. I think we all do this or maybe we all are crazy. I think women are worse then men for talking to their self after all men don't talk much and us women have to talk to someone that no something.

Cheryl said...

Hi Christie. I'm looking forward to MM&M. Got it on my wishlist for my Kindle. Waiting patiently.
I'm another one who talks to myself all the time, especially at work. Kind of like prioritizing the tasks I need to get done and it helps me not forget anything (I'm at that age).

Unknown said...

Congrats on the new release! It sounds great. People look at me funny when I tell them that my house is haunted. A few people has seen the ghost, so it's just not me either. My cousin saw it one night. I've seen it a few times.

amysmith98 @ gmail.com

Theresa N. said...

The book sounds fun, I'm already a cat person. If you see any men in white coats give me a call and I'll get you out. :)
Theresa N
weceno(at)yahoo(dot)com

Christie Craig said...

Hi, Refhater,

You gotta love kids. They bring us joy and insanity -- equal measures, I think. lol. Thanks for sharing your story.

And I'm sorry Santa didn't bring you an e-reader for Christmas. Once we get MM&M out in print, I'll let you know.

Thanks for dropping by!

CC

Christie Craig said...

Hi, Virginia,

Hmm. You may be on to something with the men vs. women thing and how we communicate. As for being overheard when talking to myself, I try to tell the neighbors I was talking to my pets.

They don't always believe me, but I stick to my story. LOL.

Thanks for dropping by.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Hi, Cheryl,

Now, I may be the wrong person to ask but I think it's perfectly normal to talk to yourself when you're trying to get your work organized.

Of course, when I do it, people just say, "Oh, that's the writer."

Hmm. I wonder if that means they think all writers are crazy. lol.

I hope you enjoy MM&M when you get it -- it won't be too much longer now until it's up at Amazon.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Hi, Amy S.,

Ooh, a haunted house. I've spent the night in one a few times. I've also seen several ghosts over the years, even had a few conversations with them. (Unlike when I talk to myself, the ghosts sometimes answer back.)

Thanks for dropping by!

CC

Christie Craig said...

Hi, Theresa N.,

Thanks, girl. If any men in white coats show up, I'll immediately contact you. Just think of the wild adventure we could have. LOL.

Thanks for dropping by and posting.

CC

Rebekah E. said...

Congrats on your new release. People tend to look at me funny when I'm reading a really funny book and can't help but laugh out loud. They all look at like why in the world is she laughing.

Christie Craig said...

Hi, Rebekah,

Don't you just love it when you get so caught up in reading a book, that you can't help but laugh at the funny parts? I remember seeing this woman reading in line at the grocery store. She was really enjoying the book, too, and soon everybody was asking her what she was reading and then rushed over to grab a copy for themselves.

Thanks for dropping by!

CC

rhonda said...

yesterday when my twitter acct.was hacked &everyone got strange messages.

Ruth said...

My foot is tapping as I not so patiently wait for it to be released for the Kindle. How could you do this to me???? As for talking to characters and yourself, yes I am guilty. I even discovered there is a mini me, sitting at a desk, pounding away on of all things a typewriter. She sits in a small corner room of my brain. She just keeps writing, talking to characters and generating plots much faster than the physical me can work out on my computer.

Sarah S. said...

Congrats on the new release. I can't wait till Feb 10th so I can scoop it up for my kindle.

The last time I got 'the look' was when I was flying back by myself from a conference in Denver and I was reading. I started laughing at a funny part and about blew soda out of my nose. And since the look from the guy next to me was so funny, I kept laughing and had to face the window with my mouth covered. Good times.

catslady said...

Sounds like a wonderfully fun book. I like the premise of the dead mom. I always threaten my daughters with doing the same thing lol. And, yes, my husband is always asking me who I'm talking to and although sometimes it's myself, it's usually one of my many cats lol. Which sounds like another part of your story I would enjoy!

blackroze37 AT yahoo.com said...

well u know how you talk to baby that is like 20 months old, on the phone. some reason when my mom nicknames a kid ,it sticks (i tried and it didnt) so my granson is nickname, poo poo . (wouldnt SUNNEY be so much better)
my daughter just deleted the rest , said i shouldnt tell ppl .

Abigail Beal said...

Hi Christie :)

A BIG Congratulations to you on the release of the "book of your heart" & also the acceptance and publication of 3 other books!!! That's wonderful news. MM&M sounds terrific, I can't resist a book with a cat in it.

I'm a writer, so I guess I'm a bit "touched" as you mention. lol I've noticed that my cat seems to talk to me, not saying "Hi, How are you?" but that he meows as if he has something to say to me. This morning I made a telephone call, and I was amazed to discover that my cat was meowing ("talking") to me at the exact times I was being put on hold! Now if my cat does have an actual "Hi, How are you?" conversation with me, I'll be fitting MYSELF with that tight, white jacket! lol

Looking forward to seeing your book at Amazon! Congratulations again!

:) Abigail

Christie Craig said...

Hi, Rhonda,

Oh, wow. I'm so sorry to hear about your Twitter account getting hacked. I know how frustrating that can be, and I hope it's resolved quickly.

Thanks for dropping by.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Hi, Ruth,

You know, girl, I can totally see the "Mini You" sitting at that typewriter, too. LOL.

Thanks for dropping by!

CC

Christie Craig said...

Hi, Sarah S.,

You know, I've had a lot of "memorable" experiences flying. I bet that guy wondered just what book you were reading, too. LOL.

Sorry to disappoint about the delay in having MM&M available for the Kindle. It's coming, though. I promise!

CC

Christie Craig said...

Hi, Catslady,

I talk to my kitties all the time, too. My family is used to it, though, but if a neighbor were to see me . . . LOL.

I hope you enjoy MM&M!

CC

Christie Craig said...

Hi, Blackroze37,

Okay, I was nearly snorting my Diet Coke through my nose while reading this one. So you nicknamed your grandson Poo Poo? And then your daughter deleted the rest of your post because you shouldn't tell people? Love it! LOL.

Thanks for sharing.

CC

Christie Craig said...

Hi, Abigail,

Thanks for the congrats! I'm really excited about Murder, Mayhem and Mama, as if you couldn't tell.

Love the story about your cat, too. I have four kitties, all of them rescues, and believe me, I know what you mean about their "talking" to us. Right now, mine are all trying to convince me to give them some treats. LOL.

Thanks for dropping by.

CC

Brandy said...

I'm waiting, patiently-which is harder than it looks *g*- for Murder, Mayhem and Mama to be released for Kindle.
It's too late for the talking to oneself advice. And I talk to my cats.... But, in my defense sometimes I'll talk to myself when I'm alone and forget that my kids are somewhere else. Hmm, better hush now before y'all think I'm crazy. *g*

kbdmtaylor said...

I'll definitely look for this at B&N. Loved Don't Mess with Texas!

Christie Craig said...

Hi, Brandy,

Sorry you have to wait for MM&M to appear on the Kindle. I hope you love reading it as much as I loved writing it.

And I totally hear you on the talking to yourself bit when you think you're alone. Lord knows, my kids and hubby have caught me doing that more than once. LOL.

Thanks for dropping by!

CC

Christie Craig said...

Hi, kbdmtaylor,

Thanks for the kind words on Don't Mess with Texas! I hope you enjoy MM&M just as much.

Thanks for dropping by!

CC

Kristi said...

I'm waiting patiently for it to come out on Kindle. I can't wait.

I talk to myself all the time. I think it might be a woman thing, or maybe it's a Mom thing?

Christie Craig said...

Hi, Kristi,

You know, you could be right. Talking to ourselves could just be a woman thing since I know a lot of women who do it.

Hope you enjoy MM&M when it comes to your Kindle!

Thanks for dropping by.

CC