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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.

On The Road To A New Trilogy

October 1, 2009 – 12:33 pm

Home from a whirlwind trip to San Francisco, including an intense drive up the coast to Oregon…my head is still spinning, but I’m happy. I’ve found the perfect setting for my new trilogy. I’m all set to start writing…provided my editors approve the new project!

To The Beach
To The Beach

The town I discovered was Gold Beach Oregon. The setting is wild and rugged, beautiful and mysterious. The community was built on logging and fishing, and the population triples in the summer thanks to tourism. According to the helpful woman at the visitor’s center, the best fishing to be had is on the Rogue River which cuts through the north end of town.

Of course I’m going to take a few artistic liberties with the town. Add a three-story Victorian next to the motels on the beach, invent a pub called the Linger Longer and a bookstore named Armchair Adventures…

Plus a new name. I’m thinking Twisted Cedars, in honor of the magnificant Redwoods that have reigned for so long in the Pacific North West.

This is truly the most fun, creative and exciting step in the long process of writing a book. And I’m enjoying every day of it!

Posted by CJ •• Posted in The Research Files •• Comments Off

Surprise Winner!

August 16, 2009 – 7:22 pm

I’m happy to announce that Colleen C. has won her requested copy of “Her Best Friend’s Baby.” I’ll also be sending her a second “surprise” book. Thanks for playing everyone and please watch for the next contest, coming soon…

Cheers from CJ

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Best Day Of Your Life

August 10, 2009 – 12:00 pm

Everytime I go hiking with my brother, he promises me the “best day of my life!” Thanks to him and his wife, I have had many of these days now. The latest, and one of the greatest, was our recent hike to Caldron Lake (accessed off the highway that connects Lake Louise and Banff.) This hike had it all…Glacier-fed lakes, majestic mountains, waterfalls, a raging river, views of several glaciers…

Here I am, enjoying lunch break by Caldron Lake. Little did I realize that thunderstorms would have us racing back down the trail fifteen minutes later!

After seven hours of hiking, including about 1000 meters of elevations gain/loss, I was truly exhausted by the time we reached the trailhead again.

Not many hikes begin with a view that is almost as magnificent as the one you get at the end. But this one does. Isn’t Peyto Lake stunning? I think it rivals Lake Louise and Moraine Lake.

Posted by CJ •• Posted in Hiking With Friends •• Comments (2)

Summer Surprise Contest!

August 4, 2009 – 10:20 am

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

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Blogging On EHarlequin

July 14, 2009 – 10:21 am

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

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!

Posted by CJ •• Posted in The Research Files •• Comments (0)

Surprise Contest Winners

June 3, 2009 – 1:40 pm

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!

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Surprise Contest! May 12 – 26

May 12, 2009 – 9:40 am

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.

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Writing Furiously

April 9, 2009 – 1:42 pm

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!

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Mary Balogh Is Coming To Town

March 25, 2009 – 3:52 pm

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!

First Comes Marriage

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Surprise Contest Winner

March 24, 2009 – 3:47 pm

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!

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