Crystal Green's Blog, page 20
March 11, 2013
Ghost for Hire release date and title!
I have the title for the first Jensen Murphy: Ghost for Hire book, as well as the release date!
February, 2014
ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG
We're going with the idea of older songs for titles. I can't tell you what I've submitted for the next two books, but I'm crossing my fingers they'll be approved. :)
If you didn't get a chance to read about the conception of this new series back in late 2011, I'm reposting it...with a few of the details I never got to divulge. Now that the book is on its way to the shelves, I can tell you everything. :)
"Conception of an IdeaSometimes ideas for new books/series are slow in coming. They evolve, pieced together bit by bit--a magazine article here, an experience you've had in life there...
And one day, it coalesces, and you flesh it out until it's ready to hit your editor's desk.
Then there are some ideas that run you over like a freight train.
That's what happened to me last week, while I was at the World Fantasy Con in San Diego.
As a superstitious person, I'm not going to spill the beans about just what it is. But I will tell you it's a ghost story (Whoo! Love!) and it's an urban fantasy (Double whoo!).
How did this one happen? Well, my fellow paranormal writer Linda Thomas-Sundstrom and I were having lunch with a wonderful fantasy author who shall remain anonymous when we got into a powerful conversation about the death penalty. When Linda and I were walking back to the workshop area, we exchanged thoughts, as you do, then veered into a related subject: true crime books, like the ones written by Ann Rule. I asked Linda if she had read any John Douglas books, in particular THE CASES THAT HAUNT US. I told her about the stories in it--Jon Benet Ramsey, Jack the Ripper, OJ Simpson.... Linda paused, then referred back to the title of the book as well as our main topic, saying something that jerked me toward this new idea (and, yes, I am remaining vague here on purpose. ).
I blurted out the concept of the book, because it was triggered that quickly, and Linda and I stared at each other for a second then started laughing maniacally. She said jokingly, "If you use that, you have to acknowledge me." I said I would dedicate the book to her, LOL.
Then the idea started to get fleshed out in my head. The next morning, I just happened to have breakfast with my Ace editor, Ginjer Buchanan, and I pitched the idea to her. She wants a proposal. :)
Fingers crossed, you all. I hope to have an outline and three chapters done by the end of the year!"
As it turned out, I did sell this series. I wrote the first book. Now I'm writing the second, but here are the filled-in blanks...
"As a superstitious person, I'm not going to spill the beans about just what it is. But I will tell you it's a ghost story (Whoo! Love!) and it's an urban fantasy (Double whoo!)."Here's a brief blurb of what you can expect: Twenty-three-year-old Jensen Murphy was murdered decades ago, and she has just been pulled out of limbo by a justice-seeking medium who wants to use her to haunt humans, getting them to confess to crimes d to a realm where ghosts just want to have fun, she realizes that there’s more to haunting than just scares and boos--anthey might or might not have committed. But as this 1980s SoCal girl gets acclimated that humans can be just as dark as some of the spirits who are attracted to otherworldly fresh meat like her...And this..."Linda paused, then referred back to the title of the book as well as our main topic, saying something that jerked me toward this new idea (and, yes, I am remaining vague here on purpose. )."I now have the freedom to be vague-free! After I mentioned THE CASES THAT HAUNT US book title and talked about the type of cases that John Douglas had profiled in it, Linda referred to the title and commented that people like OJ should be haunted. Immediately, I thought of a ghost who could work for an agency that sics ghosts on people who may or may not have committed a crime in order to mentally push them toward confessing or not confessing. The first book is sort of the evolution of that "agency," with the medium acting as a liaison between the "clients" and Jensen, the first ghost.
Out of one little comment a world can be born. If you're a writer, you know that you frequently inhabit a storyland, where something you see or hear or experience triggers something bigger. It could be a song. It could be an older story, like THE WIZARD OF OZ, that inspires you to twist it around and make it your own. It could be a sound you hear on TV that fleshes out your world in a direction you didn't expect. This series came out of a conversation that followed another conversation, and in addition to Linda, I plan on thanking the other author who started the discussion about the death penalty (after I contact her to see if putting her name out there is okay), too!
Ah, the writer's life. Gotta love it.
February, 2014
ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG
We're going with the idea of older songs for titles. I can't tell you what I've submitted for the next two books, but I'm crossing my fingers they'll be approved. :)
If you didn't get a chance to read about the conception of this new series back in late 2011, I'm reposting it...with a few of the details I never got to divulge. Now that the book is on its way to the shelves, I can tell you everything. :)
"Conception of an IdeaSometimes ideas for new books/series are slow in coming. They evolve, pieced together bit by bit--a magazine article here, an experience you've had in life there...
And one day, it coalesces, and you flesh it out until it's ready to hit your editor's desk.
Then there are some ideas that run you over like a freight train.
That's what happened to me last week, while I was at the World Fantasy Con in San Diego.
As a superstitious person, I'm not going to spill the beans about just what it is. But I will tell you it's a ghost story (Whoo! Love!) and it's an urban fantasy (Double whoo!).
How did this one happen? Well, my fellow paranormal writer Linda Thomas-Sundstrom and I were having lunch with a wonderful fantasy author who shall remain anonymous when we got into a powerful conversation about the death penalty. When Linda and I were walking back to the workshop area, we exchanged thoughts, as you do, then veered into a related subject: true crime books, like the ones written by Ann Rule. I asked Linda if she had read any John Douglas books, in particular THE CASES THAT HAUNT US. I told her about the stories in it--Jon Benet Ramsey, Jack the Ripper, OJ Simpson.... Linda paused, then referred back to the title of the book as well as our main topic, saying something that jerked me toward this new idea (and, yes, I am remaining vague here on purpose. ).
I blurted out the concept of the book, because it was triggered that quickly, and Linda and I stared at each other for a second then started laughing maniacally. She said jokingly, "If you use that, you have to acknowledge me." I said I would dedicate the book to her, LOL.
Then the idea started to get fleshed out in my head. The next morning, I just happened to have breakfast with my Ace editor, Ginjer Buchanan, and I pitched the idea to her. She wants a proposal. :)
Fingers crossed, you all. I hope to have an outline and three chapters done by the end of the year!"
As it turned out, I did sell this series. I wrote the first book. Now I'm writing the second, but here are the filled-in blanks...
"As a superstitious person, I'm not going to spill the beans about just what it is. But I will tell you it's a ghost story (Whoo! Love!) and it's an urban fantasy (Double whoo!)."Here's a brief blurb of what you can expect: Twenty-three-year-old Jensen Murphy was murdered decades ago, and she has just been pulled out of limbo by a justice-seeking medium who wants to use her to haunt humans, getting them to confess to crimes d to a realm where ghosts just want to have fun, she realizes that there’s more to haunting than just scares and boos--anthey might or might not have committed. But as this 1980s SoCal girl gets acclimated that humans can be just as dark as some of the spirits who are attracted to otherworldly fresh meat like her...And this..."Linda paused, then referred back to the title of the book as well as our main topic, saying something that jerked me toward this new idea (and, yes, I am remaining vague here on purpose. )."I now have the freedom to be vague-free! After I mentioned THE CASES THAT HAUNT US book title and talked about the type of cases that John Douglas had profiled in it, Linda referred to the title and commented that people like OJ should be haunted. Immediately, I thought of a ghost who could work for an agency that sics ghosts on people who may or may not have committed a crime in order to mentally push them toward confessing or not confessing. The first book is sort of the evolution of that "agency," with the medium acting as a liaison between the "clients" and Jensen, the first ghost.
Out of one little comment a world can be born. If you're a writer, you know that you frequently inhabit a storyland, where something you see or hear or experience triggers something bigger. It could be a song. It could be an older story, like THE WIZARD OF OZ, that inspires you to twist it around and make it your own. It could be a sound you hear on TV that fleshes out your world in a direction you didn't expect. This series came out of a conversation that followed another conversation, and in addition to Linda, I plan on thanking the other author who started the discussion about the death penalty (after I contact her to see if putting her name out there is okay), too!
Ah, the writer's life. Gotta love it.
February 28, 2013
Another new cover!
Here's a sneak peak of the cover for my June release!
HOOKED…BY MISS INDEPENDENT?
One glance at fiercely single Laurel Redmond, and Sawyer Fortune was a goner. It wasn’t her blond hair or her blue eyes—super-rich, super-flirtatious Sawyer could have his pick of beauties in Red Rock. No, what made Laurel stand out was her unspoken message that she just wasn’t that into him.
All Laurel really wanted was for the cocky, well-heeled rancher to leave her alone. She’d lived enough heartache to know that Sawyer was trouble she just couldn’t afford. Yet the trademark Fortune charm was slowly reeling her in. All right, she thought, what would be the harm ofjust one…little…affair? No harm at all—until Mr. I Don’t suddenly decided he wanted a bride!
Coming in June. :)
HOOKED…BY MISS INDEPENDENT?
One glance at fiercely single Laurel Redmond, and Sawyer Fortune was a goner. It wasn’t her blond hair or her blue eyes—super-rich, super-flirtatious Sawyer could have his pick of beauties in Red Rock. No, what made Laurel stand out was her unspoken message that she just wasn’t that into him.
All Laurel really wanted was for the cocky, well-heeled rancher to leave her alone. She’d lived enough heartache to know that Sawyer was trouble she just couldn’t afford. Yet the trademark Fortune charm was slowly reeling her in. All right, she thought, what would be the harm ofjust one…little…affair? No harm at all—until Mr. I Don’t suddenly decided he wanted a bride!
Coming in June. :)
January 31, 2013
New Cover!
Here's a peek at my cover for MADE IN TEXAS! It's the third book in the Byrds of a Feather trilogy that I took part in with my critique partners, Judy Duarte and Sheri Whitefeather. Can't wait for this miniseries, because there's a strong family mystery running through it, as well as the fallout when the mystery is solved... Of course, there's also plenty of romance, starting with Judy's TAMMY AND THE DOCTOR in March!
January 26, 2013
It Was A Great Week!
I had a great week. Got to visit the Knight Agency in Georgia, then went to Savannah for a fun-filled couple of days. My agents--the best in the business!--and I laid down some strategies for the year. Yup, it'll be another busy one, but I'm so excited about these upcoming projects: hot romances, my upcoming Ghost for Hire series (we'll see when the release date is), and the self-published digital book I keep talking about, THE SHE CODE.
You'll be hearing way more about that last one in the coming months, but the art work that accompanies it (comic panels and sketches...you'll see what I'm talking about) is almost done. Billy Martinez of Neko Press is doing a fantastic job on them, and I can't tell you how excited I am for THE SHE CODE to finally come out.
More news as we go along...!
January 20, 2013
Chat and Giveaway Tomorrow!
Hi!
Tomorrow, the GothicScapes Facebook page will be hosting a catch-up chat and giveaway. I can't guarantee I'll be there, but Linda Thomas-Sundstrom will be celebrating her BEAUTY & THE BEAST with some giveaways. Come on by, starting at 6pm, Pacific Time!
January Valentine Book giveaway and GothicScapes catch-up chat
Monday at 6:00pmhttp://www.facebook.com/GothicScapes
Tomorrow, the GothicScapes Facebook page will be hosting a catch-up chat and giveaway. I can't guarantee I'll be there, but Linda Thomas-Sundstrom will be celebrating her BEAUTY & THE BEAST with some giveaways. Come on by, starting at 6pm, Pacific Time!
January Valentine Book giveaway and GothicScapes catch-up chat
Monday at 6:00pmhttp://www.facebook.com/GothicScapes
January 17, 2013
Contest
Hi, all!
If you're having trouble entering the contest on the www.crystal-green.com site, I've notified my designer and we'll get to work on it! Thanks for your patience, and I'll let you know when to try again. Sorry about the inconvenience.... : (
I also wanted to congratulate the winner of the last contest: Karin Anderson. She won a $25 Amazon gift certificate. Fun stuff!
If you're having trouble entering the contest on the www.crystal-green.com site, I've notified my designer and we'll get to work on it! Thanks for your patience, and I'll let you know when to try again. Sorry about the inconvenience.... : (
I also wanted to congratulate the winner of the last contest: Karin Anderson. She won a $25 Amazon gift certificate. Fun stuff!
January 16, 2013
Fresh Fiction Blog
Hi, all!
Today, I'm guest blogging over at Fresh Fiction. I'm talking about having multiple pen names since I've got a Crystal Green release coming out in about a week and a half!
Join me here!
Today, I'm guest blogging over at Fresh Fiction. I'm talking about having multiple pen names since I've got a Crystal Green release coming out in about a week and a half!
Join me here!
January 5, 2013
March 31 seems like eons away...
Now that we're in 2013, we can count down to GAME OF THRONES, season 3? And how long until the next book, huh? Hurry, George RR Martin, hurry!
Did I ever mention that I totally think House Tyrell is full of ninjas? (Margaery!)
Did I ever mention that I totally think House Tyrell is full of ninjas? (Margaery!)
December 17, 2012
Tagged: The Next Big Thing
Check out Cheryl Howe's Next Big Thing blog! I tagged her, and this is her response. :)
http://cherylhowe.com/2012/12/17/the-next-big-thing/
BTW, she has such nice things to say about me! LOL. I think she's pretty great, too.
http://cherylhowe.com/2012/12/17/the-next-big-thing/
BTW, she has such nice things to say about me! LOL. I think she's pretty great, too.
December 15, 2012
Great party!
If you didn't make it to the all-day Facebook party for GothicScapes and STRANGE SPIRITS yesterday...damn, did we have fun! So many party favors given away, so many fun times chatting about books and movies and TV and insomnia. It was fantastic to see my reading friends and make new ones.
If you did make it, thank you so much for being there. Some of you were even there all day, which blew my mind. You all are troupers!
Happy Holidays to everyone. :)
If you did make it, thank you so much for being there. Some of you were even there all day, which blew my mind. You all are troupers!
Happy Holidays to everyone. :)
