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Where CJ frequently takes her nose out of her own work-in-progress and sticks it into other peoples' books... thoughts about good stories, interesting research, beautiful writing, and the inspiration of the great outdoors.
Looking for a fun summer read? Contact CJ and let me know which of my titles you’d like to read next. On August 15 I’ll chose a winner at random and send them the title they asked for plus a second title of my choice.
Hope you’re enjoying the summer. I’ve been doing some hiking, as well as working on line edits and final proof reads for The Perfect Partner?, The P.I. Contest, and Receptionist Undercover. Hard to believe the books still won’t be in book stores for another six months!
Cheers,
CJ
Are any of you familiar with the Proust Questionnaire on the last page of every issue of Vanity Fair? I love them…I always flip to this page first. The celebrity of the month (an author, political figure, actor, musician, etc.) is asked twenty-one questions, such as: What is your idea of perfect happiness? What quality do you most admire in a man? What do you most value in your friends?
I love pondering questions like these.
CJ Working Hard Again
Did any of you buy the issue of Vanity Fair with Johnny Depp on the cover? (I know, rhetorical question.) If you made it to the back page, you would have discovered a very funny, wry, touching interview with Judd Apatow. Maybe you know who Judd is. Probably you do. I didn’t (I need to beef up my celebrity IQ) but now that I’ve read his Proust Questionnaire I adore him. How can you not adore someone who answers questions like this:
VF: What or who is the greatest love of your life?
JA: My wife, Leslie Mann. Don’t call her Leslie Apatow or she’ll get upset.
VF: What talent would you most like to have?
JA: I would like to be a sexual dynamo. I mean, Leslie would like me to be a sexual dynamo.
Apparently, answering a list of questions that revealed your character and aspirations was a popular entertainment among the cocktail set in the late 19th Century. (Proust was a fan of the parlor game, which explains why VF uses his name.) I say the questionnaire is useful for other things too. Like, as a tool for revealing character in an romance novel. In fact, I love the Proust Questionnaire so much I’ve used it in my novels twice.
I’ll tell you about the second time. It happens In my March 2010 book when my heroine and hero are stuck together on a long flight, with nothing much to do. The heroine (ever inventive) turns to the back of her VF magazine and starts asking the hero questions. Naturally he quickly turns the tables on her. I thought it was a fun way for my characters to learn more about each other. And I even picked up a few tips about them, too.
If you’d like to join in the discussion please join us on the Super Blog at eharlequin!
Better late than never…here are the winners from my last contest:
Emma wins a copy of The Legend, Kelli Jo wins a copy of The Fourth Child, and LaToya wins a copy of A Secret Between Them.
Thanks very much to all who entered. Please visit again soon. You never know when the next contest will break out!
Yes, it’s time! To celebrate having met my deadlines (which feels great, by the way) I am having another surprise contest. Please name the title from my backlist that you would most like to have…and why. You can enter by adding a comment to this post, or by sending an email. I’ll choose three winners…one random, and the other two based on your reasons for wanting the book.
I was doing something dangerous today. Writing in my head while operating a moving vehicle (my car). The advanced arrow was green and I wasn’t turning. Instead I was realizing that my heroine was the kind of woman who would give five thousand dollars to a stranger…a lonely old woman who puts feeding her dog ahead of buying food for herself.
Fortunately, I snapped back to the present, turned the corner and proceeded to buy my groceries like a regular, sane, human being. Now I am back in my office where I can safely tune out reality again.
21 days until deadline… My holiday in Ixtapa seems far away now!
Though I’m in “Deadline Hell” right now (an affectionate term, I assure you…) I am excited about an upcoming workshop being held by our Calgary Chapter this Saturday. Mary Balogh is coming to Calgary! There will be a booksigning at the Dalhousie Station Chapters from 4 – 6 on Friday night. I plan to stock up on some books!
Then on Saturday we have our workshop, and I’m hoping for major inspiration. I have two sets of revisions and a manuscript to complete by May 4. (See aforementioned reference to “Deadline Hell.”)
At any rate, in preparation for the workshop, I bought one of Mary Balogh’s books, which I’m reading bits of every evening. Is anyone else out there a fan of her work? I don’t usually read historicals, but I’m finding this one a lovely escape. I clipped the cover from Amazon, to show you which book I mean. It’s the first of a new series and I’m hoping to get it autographed on Friday!
Did I say there was going to be one winner? Because…surprise!…there are two! Congratulations to Marcie from Middletown Ohio, who requested a copy of The Dad Next Door, and to Tammy who has read the last two books of my Summer Island trilogy and was hoping to win You Made Me Love You. Well, guess what Tammy…you did win.
Suprise contests are fun. Stay tuned…there will be more!
For the next couple of months, I won’t be running my usual monthly contests, but every now and then I’ll post a surprise contest on my Desk Diary. Today is one of those days!
If you’d like a chance to win an autographed book & exotic bookmark, just send an e-mail to cj@cjcarmichael.com and put “CJ’s Contest” in the subject line.The winner will be selected at random two weeks from now. If you tell me which book from my backlist you’d like to receive, I’ll try to send you your prefered book (if I have any on hand).
Special…for FTHRW Members….If you participated in my on-line course on conflict for the RWA Chapter ”From The Heart”, please tell me one thing you learned from the course and you’ll have an extra chance to win.
On my return flight from Mexico, I was struck with the similarities between taking a vacation and reading a great book. Both provide an escape from everyday living, and both–when finished–leave you feeling vaguely disoriented as you attempt to return to real life.
Of course you can always combine these two pleasure…take a trip and read a book at the same time! On my recent trip to Ixtapa I picked a real winner of a book–The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.
This is a story steeped in gothic atmosphere, with a little mystery, a little romance, and a lot of beautifully written prose. It helps if you are a fan of books written by the Bronte sisters, particularly Jane Eyre, as this story is written in that tradition.
I believe it was on the Tuesday of our holiday, that I took this book, sank into a hammock, and read until the sun went down…
It wasn’t how the weekend was supposed to go. Mike and I had been invited to friends’ ski chalet in Kimberly B.C. and we were almost two hours into the trip, when Presto! The car stopped working. We were traveling at 110 km an hour, so this was quite a disorienting feeling, to suddenly have no gas, no power brakes, no power steering…nothing. Fortunately traffic was light and we were able to safely pull over to the side of the road. Where we waited, with no heat in twenty below weather, for a tow truck to come…
So much for our fun ski weekend! Back in Calgary, we regrouped and came up with new plans. We spent Saturday doing chores, then rewarded ourself on Sunday with a trip to Banff (using Mike’s car this time!). Tunnel Mountain is one of those hikes that is very accessable almost any time of the year. So although we had snow and very frosty temperatures, we decided to head up. It took an hour and a quarter of brisk walking to make it all the way, then all the way down. As you can see, the view was totally worth it.
Now…does anyone want to buy a used Audi?
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