C.J. Carmichael's Blog, page 7

Kick Off for Harts of the Rodeo Series!

Love cowboys, romance and great stories? You’re in the right place. I’m excited to announce that the first book of the Harts of the Rodeo Series is now available! Consider this your official invitation to enter the world of Thunder Ranch set in Roundup Montana. Here you’ll experience Big Sky landscapes and  meet the heartwarming and diverse cast of character we like to call the Hart family.  And the best part is, you can start with a free read: Wyatt: Return of the Cowboy written by Cathy McDavid, one of Harlequin American’s top authors.

Free Read!

Once you’ve enjoyed Wyatt and Paige’s story, you’ll be ready to dip into the series with Aidan: Loyal Cowboy. Aidan is the oldest son in the Hart family and his challenge is juggling the demands of his vet practice, holding together the family ranch and falling in love. It isn’t easy, especially when certain family members (such as the hero of my story, his younger brother Colt) are not pulling their weight.

This has been such an exciting project to be a part of. We all took the research seriously, relying on Cathy David’s horse know-how, the Internet, and, in my case, lots of cowboy magazines! Being a fan of the Calgary Stampede didn’t hurt either–I used a lot of those cowboys as inspiration for my own rodeo star: Colt Hart.

In addition to the research, we worked hard to come up with interesting characters and stories, all based on the creative inspiration of Harlequin American’s Senior Editor Kathleen Scheibling. If you want more background into the writing process please check out the Discussion on Harlequin’s website. I and the other authors who participated in this series, as well as our editors, will be chatting about our books all week long.

 

©2012 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.

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Contest Winners!

I’m happy to announce that Earlene from Leavenworth Kansas is my June contest winner! I randomly selected her entry from all those who correctly answered that when Colt tries to ride the family’s famous stallion Midnight Express, he’s bucked off in less than eight seconds. Thanks to everyone who read the sneak peek of my August book “Colton Rodeo Cowboy” and then took the time to enter my contest. I wish I could send free autographed books to all of you, but it’s Earlene’s turn this month.

Also, I ran a surprise contest on my Desk Diary page to celebrate the book trailer for the “Harts of the Rodeo” series from Harlequin American. Katie O’Conner was the winner of that contest and as soon as she sends me her mailing or e-mail address I’ll be sending her two books as well.

Next months’ winner could be you! Please visit again soon. My next contest will be out shortly.

Happy Reading!

CJ

©2012 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.

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Check out new Book Trailer–and Enter Surprise Contest!

The Harts of the Rodeo series is about to start this July. For a taste of what’s to come, please go here and enjoy!

I’m so excited I just have to give away a couple of free books. Tell me one thing you like about the book trailer and you’ll be entered. The winner will be announced on June 19.

p.s. if you’re not on Facebook, but want to see the trailer, it’s on You Tube as well.

©2012 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.

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I’m Giving Away Books Tonight

If you live in Calgary how about coming to the Chapters at 9631 MacLeod Trail tonight-Friday May 11? From 7 until 8:30 p.m. I’ll be speaking with six fellow authors (Lecia Cornwall, Pamela Yaye, Vivi Anna, Michelle Beattie and Lauren Hawkeye) about Surviving Today’s Publishing World. (Hint: it isn’t easy!) I’m bringing 25 books to give away as freebies. There will be other books available for purchase, refreshments and time for chatting and questions.

If you love books, writing, or just want a fun night out, come and visit! By the way, this gathering is in part due to our Chapter organizing for a big workshop on Saturday. We have Michael Hague speaking to our RWA Chapter and we’re all very excited.

©2012 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.

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Office Reno Stage One: Destroy!

Well, I finally moved all my furniture, files, books and stuff (so much stuff) out of my office. Today the amazing Sean came and removed the old built-ins. So now I am left with a blank slate.

Blank Slate

Boy it was tiring carting out all that stuff. Good thing I spread the work out over a week. I ended up with lots of recycling and sent some good books on for a chance at a new life!

As always, for more photos, check out my Pinterest Boards.

Next to come: Painting!

Cheers,

CJ

©2012 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.

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Office Renovation: “Before”

In the midst of all my deadlines, I’m currently embarking on a project to renovate my home office. This has been a dream of mine for ages. On my wish list: lots more storage, a comfy chair by the window for reading, a big corkboard for storyboarding, and a pretty, feminine color palette.

I’m chronicalling my renovation adventure here on my Desk Diary, starting with this “before” picture:

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Never enough storage!

If you’d like to see more “before” pictures, check out my renovation boards on Pinterest

Next to come: the rip-out phrase. Wish me luck!

©2012 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.

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Road Trip To Coffee Creek

Okay, so Mike & I were driving back from Palm Springs, which is like, only 27 hours by car from where we live in Calgary. (Should be a breeze, right?) And as we’re approaching Great Falls, Montana, I get this brilliant idea that we should detour for a visit in Coffee Creek, which is the setting for my upcoming four-book series for Harlequin American.

So we do it.

We’re getting a little grumpy, cause we’ve just added 3 hours to a 10 hour day, but we figure it will all be worth it to see this town that I decided to write about because I spotted it on a map and I liked the name.

Let’s just say that the reality of Coffee Creek did not match the fullness of my imagination. This church was pretty much the highlight of the town and it looked like a strong gust of wind would blow it over.

Little Church On The Prairie

But we kept driving. And we eventually came to some beautiful ranches, amazing valleys and spectacular mountains. I thanked the stars that I was a fiction writer and could patch all of this into my own version of “Coffee Creek” that would include the “Cinnamon Stick Cafe” and “The Lonesome Spur Bar” all with a nice little creek running right through it.
Best of all, I found the perfect location for the Lambert’s ranch. Can you imagine living with this view every day?

home on the range

©2012 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.

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Coming This Spring

Springtime to me means many things. It’s the season for tulips, my favorite flower.

It’s time for filing income taxes, too–definitely not one of my favorite things.

And for me, this year, it’s also going to mean some major spring cleaning. In fact, I’m redecorating my office, a project I hope to share with you over the next few months. Keep posted for my “before” and “after” photos.

This year spring, for me, will also mean writing deadlines. I have so many projects in the works, even I can hardly keep them straight. But this is a good thing, right? Watch for lots of sneak peeks, contests, and hopefully some new book covers coming soon!

Cheers!

CJ

©2012 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.

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Contest Winner Announced

Thanks to all the readers who participated in my Scavenger Hunt contest. It’s always fun to see responses from all across North America, and even, this time, from Australia. A random winner has been selected–check my contest page to see if it was you.

I had so much fun reading your responses. Most everyone identified the correct clue words “joy,” “mountain,” “little bundle” and “chocolate.” And about fifty percent unscrambled the words to reveal my Christmas wish for you: “Mountains of Joy and a Little Bundle of Chocolate.”

But what I hadn’t counted on when I set up the contest was that there was another, equally logical, way to unscramble the clue words. Imagine how I chuckled when I saw that some readers thought I was wishing them: “Mountains of Chocolate and a Little Bundle of Joy.”

Not that I’m going to argue about the mountains of chocolate part…

©2012 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.

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The Lure of the Scavenger Hunt

When we have family reunions with my sisters and their young children, I love to set up a scavenger hunt for the kids. I send them on a merry chase all over the property–which this year happened to be at a couple of cabins at Good Spirit Lake in Saskatchewan. The clues were planted with diabolical care: one in grandpa’s pocket, another hidden in the trunk of a car, one tucked inside the microwave, the next buried in the sand by the playground… 

I think it’s fair to say that these scavenger hunts have become a favorite event of our reunions, and I’m not sure who has more fun–me or the kids.

I wanted to bring the same sense of adventure and fun to my readers when I set up my newest contest. I’ve scattered clues everywhere: on my Facebook Page, on my Twitter Feed, and also on the C.J. Carmichael and Banit Creek Books websites. I hope you have time for a little silly fun, gather the clues and enter my contest for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate from Amazon.

You’ll find all the details on my Contest page. Ready, set…go!

©2012 CJ's Desk Diary. All Rights Reserved.

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