SPYING IN HIGH HEELS on TV

As some of you already know, my first book, SPYING IN HIGH HEELS, is in development for a TV show on the USA Network. I’m extremely excited about this, the whole experience has been a total whirlwind! Here’s the official blurb on the show:

SPYING IN HIGH HEELS follows shoe designer Maddie Springer, who realizes that her knack for fashion also serves another purpose: It makes her a great detective. Maddie's uniquely female perspective helps her pick up clues, using her designer's eye to discern tell tale shapes, colors and patterns, among other things. Along with her best friend Dana, an out-of-work actress, Maddie decides to open a detective agency operating out of her stepfather's hair salon. Producer is Larry Shuman and Executive Producer/Writer is Sara Endsley.

The production company I’ve been dealing with has been so fantastic – very into the story and wonderful about keeping me in the loop on everything. At the moment we’re waiting on script approval from the USA Network to start shooting a pilot. I haven’t read the script yet myself, but so far Maddie, Dana, and Ramirez are all apart of it, as well as a couple of fun new characters. I can’t wait to see them on the small screen!

Right now is when the USA Network execs are deciding which shows that are being pitched will draw in the biggest audience. If any of you are also jazzed about the idea of seeing Maddie and Ramirez on the small screen, there are a couple of things that you can do to help get SPYING on the air.

1. Write to the USA Network and tell them you heard about SPYING IN HIGH HEELS and can’t wait to watch it. Or, if you’ve read the book and liked it, tell them that, too!

Here’s where you can contact the programming department at the USA Network: feedback@usanetwork.com

2. Blog about it! Tell your friends, family, co-workers to write to USA. Hey, it takes a village of writers to get a book on TV, right? ;)

If SPYING IN HIGH HEELS gets network approval, the next step is to shoot a pilot! Yay! Which, of course, involves the very fun task of casting. I’ve been wracking my little brain over who I’d like to see in the role of Maddie. Blonde, bubbly, fashionista, but toally smart, too. Any suggestions? How about the hot Latin lead, homicide detective Jack Ramirez?

~Trigger Happy Halliday

P.S. I’m heading out of town to speak at a writing conference in Kansas this morning, so I won’t have Internet access until Sunday. But, I’ll check back in on you all then!

Confessions of a Recovering Junkie -- Politically Speaking

I’m outing myself here. Baring my soul. Laying it before you.

You see. I’m a junkie. But I’m trying to reform. Honest. I’m just having a devil of a time doing it. No. I’m not addicted to alcohol or drugs or sex (sigh). I’m not a junk food junkie (although there have been times in the throes of deadline hell my chocolate intake has raised questions among my family -- along with my blood sugar) and I am not a shopaholic--well, except in bookstores, that is. Yet my ‘habit’ has as much capacity to disrupt my writing regimen as a gambling bug bite you’re compelled to scratch on the slot machines or at black jack tables.

I am a political junkie. There. I said it. And acknowledging the condition is the first step in curing it, right?

I should say I’m a recovering political junkie. I’ve been interested in politics since high school government class when we conducted a mock UN session. I was the ambassador from France. Let me tell you, I learned what the word ‘abstain’ meant in short order during my brief tenure as the French ambassador. Later in college, as an idealistic freshman, I was convinced a peanut farmer from Georgia had what it took to be the leader of the free world. My major was English--not political science--but coming from the heartland I figured if you can’t trust a farmer, who can you trust? I also thought Rosalyn Carter would make a really cool first lady.

Since that time I’ve become more up close and personal with the political arena. As a trooper I provided security at the governor’s residence (I got to know the governor’s pooch and his gastrointestinal habits very well) and at the state capitol where lawmakers convened yearly to draft legislation they would invariably end up having to correct at the next session. But I was fast becoming hooked by the spectacle that politics and politicians provide.

During the last decade I found myself spending way too much time consuming political blogs, watching CSPAN and debates that put other folks to sleep and hunched over newspaper articles. At the last election I volunteered to be a poll watcher though what I would have done if a hanging chad showed up, I haven’t the vaguest idea. Nevertheless, I was hooked.

Where’s the harm, you ask? You’re one of the informed electorate, Kathy, you assure me. What’s the big deal? The big deal is the thrall current events have over me. The harm is the lure of the political sphere--its capacity to pull me away from my writing for prolonged periods of time. Not particularly beneficial when you are on a deadline.

I hear you. Just walk away, you recommend. Go Cold Turkey. No radio, TV, newspaper or internet. Sounds simple enough. Except that I live in Iowa--traditionally home of the first caucus--and, it seems, new home to a score of politicians out pressing hands and kissing babies and delivering stump speeches. Hillary (and Bill), John (and Elizabeth), Obama, Mitt, Tom, the other John, Joe, Mike, among others have pitched their tents in our state in an effort to gain momentum from the first in the nation caucus heading into primary season.
But please, tell me. How does a citizen with a long term political addiction possibly resist such in-your-face temptation this close to home? It’s like having a chocolate addiction and being given the keys to the friggin’ Hershey Factory.

Now it appears another actor turned politician is poised to enter stage left and throw his hat in the ring. The formal announcement comes this week in Iowa’s capitol city. Hmm. I wonder if anyone would notice if I played hooky from school that day. Surely Mr. Thompson (or his security detail) won’t recognize me as the same person who climbed a rather large boulder to snap his picture at the Iowa State Fair several weeks back and nearly toppled over on him as he walked by.

Oh buddy, this is going to be a long political season…!

Do you have any addictions you struggled with, any ‘can’t miss’ shows or hobbies that steal your focus from time to time?

Uh, only the legal ones please, folks.

Until next week,

~Kathy 'Bullet Hole' Bacus~

American Survivor Blogzillas

Wow. Those Monday holidays really throw me off. Now that I've realized it's Wednesday (and not Tuesday - as my addled brain would have me believe...because it's evil) I'm barely posting on time. Technically, there are 3.5 hours still left in Wednesday - so maybe I'm okay.

I've been watching a lot of reality shows lately, from Bridezillas to American Princess - among others. And it made me realize that 1) I'm a sick and twisted person, and 2) reality shows aren't reality-based. I once watched an episode of Nick and Jessica and The Osbornes (not together - that would be beyond icky)- only to realize that these celebrities' lives are like mine - beyond mundane.

Now, I'm sure you think that we, the writers on this blog, as romance/mystery writers, live thrilling, exotic lives. That every day, we awaken to the scent of fresh roses on the nightstand, put on our tiaras and pick up our magnifying glasses to have an exciting day filled with romance and suspense.

Well, here's the reality. I hit the snooze button several times, to the fresh scent of Vick's vapo rub on the nightstand. At some point I realize that I only have 45 minutes to get the kids up, fed, dressed, lunches packed and out the door. I let my dogs out, feed the cats and scoop the litter box, and wake up children who either pretend they have suddenly lapsed into a coma or hurl threats at me. At this point, I'm dressed in one of my husband's old army t-shirts and some lounge pants. Eventually I get the kids out the door and settle, still in my pajamas, to check e-mail and hopefully, come up with some brilliant writing. Lunch consists of a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich, letting the dogs out again, maybe cleaning a bathroom or two, and then hopefully, back to work.

About two o'clock, I realize I'd better take a shower before the kids get home. Then we go through all the glamour of homework (where they feign lobotomies and act like they don't know what a pencil is for), dinner (where they try to convince me that McDonald's Happy Meals hit all the food groups), baths (where two sweaty kids try to tell me they don't need to bathe) and eventually, bedtime. After that, it's whatever needs to be done for the next day.

I know, I know. You're wondering why I told you this. Well, maybe it's because watching all these reality shows had made me realize that even when you're doing what you absolutely love, there are still deadlines, a personal life, and the basic mundane activity of just working.

It's my reality show. But I'm not stupid enough to sign a contract with the networks to let everyone see it. Because in my imagination, I'm wearing a tiara and drinking fresh squeezed orange juice made by happy woodland creatures. At least - that's how it looks to me.

Yours Truly,
Leslie "The Assassin" Langtry

Another winner!

Sorry I'm late announcing our prize pack winner this week, I've been out of town all weekend!

What am I talking about? Well, as you may have read in our sidebar, we are giving away a prize pack of our books every week for five weeks to one lucky blog commenter. The prize pack includes copies of Remember the Alimony, ‘Scuse Me While I Kill This Guy, and advanced reader copies of Calamity Jayne Heads West, Unlucky and Undercover in High Heels! Plus a signed cover flat and teaser for the upcoming novel Divorced, Desperate and Delicious!

Our lucky winner for week number two is.... MsHellion! MsHellion email me privately with your contact info and we’ll get your prize off to you ASAP. (P.S. Love the thank you note in your profile. Ha!)

gemmahalliday (at) gmail (dot) com

I'm still waiting to hear from our week number one winner, Meljprincess. If you're reading this, Meljprincess, email me and we'll get your prize off to you!

We still have three more prize packs to give away, so keep the awesome comments coming! Remember the more times you comment, the more times you’re entered to win.

~Trigger Happy & the Killer Fiction Gang

Getting To Know Me...

I recently realized that I hadn’t filled in my profile for the webpage. And sure, I’ve told you guys about my dust bunnies, my husband’s spot cleaning adventures, and my troublesome friends, but in all reality you might not know much about me. So I decided that this week, I’d post an interview I was forced into doing by my web mistress.

My webmistress told me that I needed to answer some questions for my Christie's Info page. Now, this made me wonder what she'd spiked her coffee with that morning. Doesn't she know I'm Southern? Which basically means, not only am I long-winded, but I seldom tell the truth if a lie makes a better story. Nevertheless, against my better judgment, I agreed.

Web Mistress—Question: What are your goals?

Christie's Answer: (Is she kidding? Fine, I'll do it.) I have three goals in life. (Okay, that's a little white lie, I have more than three, but only three are PC enough to share.)

1. To write entertaining books that will make my readers laugh out loud and want to fall in love all over again. Readers may or may not then want to trade in their husbands for some hunky guys like my heroes or my real-life hero, my husband. (Okay that last part about my husband isn't really a lie, but I might be stretching it a bit.)

2. To help other people reach their dream of publication. (You might be thinking that's awfully generous of me, but I'm really not all that giving. I just love the high I get when I see other people meet their own goals. Plus, I figure they will be indebted to me and buy my books.)

3. To grow taller. (Let's just say that I don't get to enjoy all the rides at the theme parks.)
Now, I know that third goal presents a bit of a problem. Being like most women writers in their early thirties (the age thing is just an out-and-out lie,) I spend most of my time at the computer and enjoy working out my brain more than my body. That's why I'm considering altering the third goal to read…“To grow smaller.” Smaller, as in pants size and not in height.

Web Mistress—Question: Where are you from and where do you live now? Do you have family?

Christie's Answer: Southern from the tip of my hat (which isn't very high) all the way to my toenails, (which needs a good painting.) I was born and raised in Alabama. I say “Y'all” and “Ain't” and don't apologize for it, either.

In 1986, I was transplanted to Texas—the land of larger tales than even Alabama. I live with my husband, my teenage son—a boy who is six-two and wears a size 13 men's shoe—whom I'm convinced was swapped at birth with the baby of some professional basketball player. Also accompanying me in my abode are my four cats, one dog, and a pond of turtles. My daughter, artist extraordinaire, has already flown the nest, gotten hitched, and regularly brings my grandpuppy for lap-sitting visits. (Trust me. It's not as easy as it sounds.) My son-in-law is a nice guy. I’m pretty sure he’s only denied knowing me once. The fact that it was at the wedding stung a bit, but hey…I love him anyway.

Web Mistress—Question: Where did you go to school to get your degree?

Christie's Answer: Well, I went through Harvard. (I was in Boston and we drove right through the campus.) Actually, I graduated from a slightly less prestigious university, The College of Hard Knocks, with a degree in If-You-Want-it--Make-it-Happen and minored in the Art-of-BS—which I prefer to call fiction. Formal education aside, I'm a how-to book junkie, and an advocate of “never stop learning.”

Web Mistress—Question: Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

Christie's Answer: Actually I had my heart set on Pro Basketball. But I always was a dreamer. Writing didn't come naturally, but the art of storytelling—AKA B-S'ing—did. (It might be a southern thing.) Of course, my dad swears up and down that I inherited my talent of making up crap from him. Hey…he is a contractor.

Web Mistress—Question: When and how did you start writing?

Christie's Answer: I started writing in '84 when my husband was trying to get me to go to college to become a Spanish teacher. In addition to BS’ing, I also have a knack for languages. I can say “Where’s the bathroom in about six languages.” Any how, when husband approached about the being a Spanish teacher, I had to come up with something I wanted to do real fast or he was signing my butt up for school.) So I blurted out the first career I could think of using the Alphabet as my guide. Animal Husbandry? I skipped that one. Attorney? Nah, I'm a better person than that. “Author! I want to be an author.” How perfect was that? I get to stay home and sit on my butt and write. Write? Well, there was that little problem. I'd have to learn how to do it first.

That little problem turned into a bigger one than I anticipated. But not being a quitter, I persevered and my Silhouette Romance was published in '94. Then things happened, editors quit, and the magazine publishing business called my name. Six years later, with almost 3000 national magazine credits and tired of being a one-book wonder, I started writing novels again. Breaking back in wasn't a piece of cake. For almost six years, I kicked, screamed and bit (I profusely apologizes to that one editor, too) until I found my break.

And what a break! Four books sold in one day. Still wearing pajamas, I got off the phone with my agent that morning, and sat there and stared at the cursor blinking on my computer screen. When my husband came home seven hours later, I was still sitting there in my PJs, staring at the blinking cursor. And the only thing I could say was…”Boy, I'm glad I didn't go into Animal Husbandry.”

Web Mistress—Question: Where do you get your ideas?

Christie's Answer: Generally, on the clearance rack at Wal-Mart. I hate this question, I'd rather tell someone my weight. (Okay that's the biggest lie I've told.) The truth is my answer is sort of sappy. And the last thing a southern woman wants to be accused of is being sappy. But here it goes… My stories are gifts—little gifts that sometimes show up out of nowhere. I'm not actually saying I have a writing angel who pops in with plots, but I do notice I get a lot more ideas when I'm maintaining a full life and not neglecting my friends, family, pets, or the spiritual side of life. And, yes, I also believe in karma.

Web Mistress—Question: Have you met all your goals?

Christie's Answer: I've met some and I'm working on some. My second goal of helping other writers is in the making. My nonfiction book, co-authored with Faye Hughes, THE EVERYTHING GUIDE TO WRITING ROMANCE NOVELS, is scheduled to hit the stores in September of 2008. I also offer writing workshops that are educational, motivational and entertaining. I love to share what I've learned and if you need to know how to ask about the whereabouts of the bathroom, I’ve got you covered.

Now, for that third goal, getting taller and making the BIG team? Well, I called the Rockets and informed them not to wait up on me. I'm pretty sure that writing novels is about as good as it gets.

So . . . that’s a little bit about me—my goals, my family, and the fact that I always like knowing where the bathroom is at. And to be honest, I’m big on goals. So tell me, do you have some goals you’re working on? What do you want to do when you grow up?

--Crime Scene Christie

What Would Miss Manners Say?

Happy Labor Day!!!!!

So last week I blogged about the funny things that people say, without even knowing it. I had one of those experiences last week and thought I would share. Before I get started with my story, however, I want everyone to know - I promise I am fine. There is nothing seriously wrong and I promise you will all have to put up with me for years to come.

I had a raging respiratory infection (a common side effect of my horrible allergies) and went to my family doctor on Tuesday morning for a round of antibiotics. I had also noticed that while putting on deodorant for the last couple of weeks, my armpit seemed sensative (and I know you were all dying to know about the state of my armpits). Since this is where lymph nodes are located, I figured I better ask about that as well. Now, my family doctor is very thorough and in my opinion somewhat panicky (or adverse to a malpractice lawsuit, take your pick), so he checks everything, does a full blood workup, then wants to send me out to a bevy of specialists to "rule out" anything serious.

So my first trip is to my gynocologist who agrees with me that it's an infected hair folicle, but orders the mammogram anyway because I am going to be forty this week (a whole other discussion). That was on Thursday. On Friday, I had an appointment with an oncologist (otherwise known as a cancer specialist). Now, my experience with doctors has always been that the more specialized they are, the less personality they have. It almost seems that the more medical knowledge is shoved in their minds, the less social skills they have available. This doctor was no exception.

He studies my blood work, inspects my lymph nodes - both in the armpit in question and everywhere else. Then he steps back, looks at me and says in all seriousness, "Well, I'm not impressed."

It was all I could do not to laugh. What a thing to say to someone who is seeing you to make sure they don't have cancer. You're not impressed??????? What is the appropriate answer to that - "Yeah, I'm glad!" or maybe "I'm sorry to disappoint you."

I managed to hold it in until I got into my car to call my worried husband and give him the good news. Then I started laughing. What a nutcase! And I'm absolutely positive he didn't and never would see a thing wrong with what he'd said.

All the same, for the first time in my life, I'm really happy to have disappointed a doctor. :)

- Deadly (but nowhere near dead) DeLeon

Private Investigator Jon Hargrove

Today we’re lucky enough to have Jon Hargrove as a guest blogger. He’s a licensed Private Investigator in the State of California and in addition to being a kick butt P.I., Jon has also written numerous mystery/adventure books. You can check out his latest book, Ararat, about the search for Noah’s Ark, here, and he’s currently shopping a football themed mystery series. And all of his books feature characters who are – what else? – private investigators.
Jon’s agreed to answer some question throughout the day, so feel free to ask away. (Warning: He’s a bit of a flirt, ladies, so watch out!)

Gemma: Thanks for coming to chat with us on Killer Fiction, Jon. Can you tell us a little about how you became a private investigator?

Jon: In the state of California you can apply for a private investigator's license if you meet one of the following criteria: 1) Three years of military police experience 2) Three years of civilian police experience 3) Three years apprenticing with a licensed private investigator 4) A four year degree in criminal justice (plus two years apprenticing with a P.I.) 5) Three years claims investigation experience. I came into private investigations (California license no.: 24885) under the fifth category: I had over nine years of auto claims experience.

G: What are some of the main difference in what a private investigator can do versus a police detective?

J: Good question. One of the reasons so many private eyes are ex-cops is because a lot of the work is similar. In fact, all investigative work is the same, be it police investigations, private investigations or claims investigations. The goal in any investigation is to gather enough evidence to make a strong enough case to stand up in any court of law. Private detectives ask the same questions police detectives ask. But remember, the same people who are nervous around a police investigator might be more talkative around a private eye. To answer your question, the police have more resources than a private dick: more access to records and criminal records and access even to FBI networks. However, police detectives have less time and are often overworked (okay always overworked). Which is why you will often hear about a private investigator being hired to look into cases concurrent with the police. Why? Private investigators can devote much more time to individual cases. Hey, remember the Wendy's chili/finger incident? Wendy's ultimately hired a slew of private eyes to get to the bottom of that mystery, and it was a P.I. who broke that case.

G: Cool, I didn’t know that! Okay, as a writer yourself I have to ask - are there any common mistakes you've seen writers make when depicting P.I.'s in their books?

J: Oh yeah. Most books have P.I.'s working out of their cars. I actually fell into that same trap with my first novel. It's just not very sexy having your P.I. driving around in a clunky nondescript van. And, as you may or may not know, I'm all about sexy. Moving on...in modern private eye novels the police often give the private investigator way more respect than they get in real life. In real life, we are a serious nuisance to cops. We get in their way, question everything they do and often make them look bad when we find something they overlooked. Oh, and the reality of the private eye business is that the majority of our work is done through the internet, with only a handful of field jobs a week. The fun cases are few and far between. And often the field work consists of following cheating spouses.

G: I'm sure you've seen a lot of strange stuff working as P.I. in Los Angeles. Care to share any stories with us?

J: Every now and then something interesting does cross your desk. Last year I was hired to investigate a string of thefts at a furniture warehouse in L.A. The trouble was, nearly every worker seemed to be involved in the theft ring. In the end, I was unable to provide a satisfactory report to help the owners. Last I heard, they shut everything down and moved to another state. Probably a good idea. Recently, a woman thought her phone calls were being bugged by her boyfriend. She was right, I found the phone tapping equipment outside. I was once following a cheating wife (yes, wifes cheat too!), and she tagged me. I hate when that happens. She pulled off the freeway and into a parking lot where she was waiting for me. As I pulled in, looking for her, she came running from around a corner spitting furious, demanding to know if her husband had hired. PI's never, ever admit to being hired by a spouse if we are caught following. So I told her I had no idea what she was talking about and I got the hell out of there. I called the husband that night and ended the assignment. A tagged P.I. is not a good thing.

Final P.I. facts: the only three things that a private investigator can do that a private citizen can't are these: 1) Access proprietary personal databases 2) Photograph someone without their permission 3) Follow someone without their permission. Yes, P.I.'s can legally stalk!

Nice talking with you. Hope this helps!