Crystal Jordan :: Blog

I have today off and I’m free, free, free! So neener neener. Sorry, couldn’t resist it. I actually have a lot to get done and I took today off to get a handle on all of it. I gotta get Billy-the-car taken care of. He’s getting his innards poked at, tires rotated, and getting all lubed up over the attention from his favorite mechanic.

Then I’m going shopping to get some disposable cameras to take with me. Do you think 5 will be enough? I think so, but I’ve never been to a conference before so maybe not. Hmmm…..

Lastly, I have to take Horatio Hellcat to the vet. He will not be pleased. Nuh uh, not at all. They will be poking his with sharp objects and performing other unpleasant things on him. I almost feel bad for him, but the little bastid broke another lamp last night, so bring on the needles! Want me to do it for you? I so can.

When I was younger, someone who was reeeeeeally pissed off at me said they’d snatch me baldheaded. At the time I laughed at them, knowing they wouldn’t lay a finger on me no matter how angry they were.

I went to a new stylist the other day, hoping to finally find a good one in my area and wanting to look super-cute for Nationals next week. Um, yeah. It didn’t work out for me. I wear glasses (note the pic on the left) so when I have to take off the specs for the cutting process I have no idea what they’re doing back there. None. Not until I can put the glasses back on when the deed is done. I asked for 2 inches to be taken off the hair I’d been growing out for a whole freaking year. The stylist showed me the two inches and we both agreed that this was indeed 2 inches.

Imagine my surprise when I put my glasses on an found I had no hair left! The woman took 5 freaking inches! My whole year of growth, gone. Just like that. Poof! Luckily, the style is good and I can work with it, but I ain’t happy at all.

So, I was snatched baldheaded. And I didn’t even get to harass her into annoyance first.

Oh. My. Gawd.

Cobblestone Press bought my book, In Ice, and wants the rest of my Wereplanets series too! At present there are four books in the series: In Ice, In Heat, In Smoke, and In Mist. (Kudos to Eden Bradley for helping me come up with the last two) I’ll let you stew a bit and just wonder what those other ones could be about since it’s the Wereplanets series.

Yes! Yes! Yes! You can’t see me now, but I totally doing a spastic happy dance.

I’m going to be part of their Octoberfest releases, so this one will come out sometime during a halloweenapalooza they have going on over there.

A teensy blurb:

In Ice is a futuristic were-animal story about what happens to plain Jain Roberts when her spaceship crash lands on an icy planet populated by fearsome predators and shape-shifting bears.

So, I’m one of the lucky bitches who gets to go to RWA (Romance Writers of America National Conference) this year. If (and that’s a major if at this point) everything goes according to plan I’m driving down to Atlanta on Tuesday night to parrrtay with Shawn. We have plans to hang out, order room service, and pig out on junk food. Yum.

Then Wednesday I’m going on a tour of the city with Shawn and Shelli. Can’t wait!

Thursday is conferencing all day, Friday morning is the Aquarium with Shelli, Loribelle and Shawn. THEN we get to go the Passionate Ink party in the Aquarium after that where Shelli is a finalist in the Stroke of Midnight contest. Go, Shelli!

Saturday is the Cobblestone Press lunch, so YAY, I finally get to meet everyone. And I get the Romance Divas party and pajama jammy jam where I get a makeover from Eden and pretty pictures of me from Jax. I may have a better photo over on the left soon. Like professional writer-y and less beribboned and everything.

And geesh, do ya have enough buttons to push in this post or what?

So, I recently signed on with a fantabulous group of ladies at a new blog called The Novelty Girls. The ever-talented stepmom will be doing the artwork for us, so we are without pretties over there at the moment. It’ll be worth the wait though because you know she’s making us totally custom loveliness.

The Novelty Girls:

Loribelle Hunt
Shelli Stevens
Vivienne King
Lyric James
Dayna Hart
Sara Dennis
and ME, of course

I’ll be posting a little howdy-doody intro today so come on over and say hi so I don’t feel like the chick with no date at the prom standing on the sidelines dancing by herself (been there, done that).

So, everypone seems to be joining Myspace and while I’ve had a page for a while now, I recently made it purrrty. Life is a bowl of cherries type pretty. I can’t say I’m all over the Myspace thing, but it is fun so far. Today’s quiz: Are you addicted to Myspace?

Wanna help me jones for it?

Friend me! http://www.myspace.com/crysleigh0

Our guest today in the new Saturday Spotlight is Dayna Hart, author of the recently released book “You Again.” The object of today’s interview is to grill her and drag out all the dirty details for your viewing pleasure. Welcome, Dayna and good luck. Here we go…

Inside the Writer’s Studio
(A little bit Bernard Pivot, a little bit Crystal Jordan)

1. What is your favorite word?

Anyway. I ‘leapfrog’ when I talk, and Anyway seems to be the best segue word invented. ooh. And Squirk. I love the sound of that word. It means ‘off-putting’, and it works so well.

2. What is your least favorite word?

I had an answer written out, and realised there is only one word I truly loathe. It’s the “N” word. I find it amazing how much hatred could be rolled into six letters.

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Everything has the potential to be inspiring, to get me emotionally charged and thinking in a new direction. Being in the company of certain people. Seeing that light in my kid’s eyes when they truly *get* something for the first time. The way my hubby’s eyes can change from brown to near-orange when he’s charged about something. Usually, it’s the littlest detail that gets me.

Sometimes I feel like an optimistic psychic surrounded by people with ADD. There’s the potential for a happy thought everywhere :D

4. What turns you off?

ugh. The news. Violence. Hatred…including all the ‘isms’ (racism, sexism…etc) Close mindedness. Anyone trying to stuff any belief system down my throat. That includes TV commercials.

5. What is your favorite curse word?

Damn. I know. It’s mild, but I have three kids. Phooey is a big fave, along with the word it’s generally replacing…

6. If you could live in any time period other than this one, who would you sleep with in that time and why?

Okay, I thought I knew where this was going, and then, I totally didn’t.
Honestly, I’d love to go to the sixties. Just far enough that I’d still have all my creature comforts…and…I could have John Lennon, Marlon Brando, and David Bowie while they were in their prime…AND…use the excuse later that ‘it was the 60’s…’

7. If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three books would you like to have with you?

Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay. I love this book. Every time I finish it, I tend to turn it around to start again.
I’d want a survival guide, because I”m SO not a campy-outdoors-type person. I love the country..but prefer a real roof over my head at night :)
A journal…with all that alonetime, I should be able to get oodles of writing done…

8. What is the ugliest rejection you have ever gotten from a publisher/editor/agent?

um…I haven’t gotten one yet…

9. What sound or noise do you love?

Rushing water of any kind…the surf hitting the shore, waterfalls…rain on the metal roof of my house.

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

You’re in.

Dayna Hart’s New Book:

11. The information for your most recent or upcoming release:
Currently released: You Again, with Freya’s Bower. It’s a pair of shorts, ’sweet’ romances. Contemporary, I suppose. Also billed as a ’sensual romance’. I like the sound of that :)

12. Describe the premise of your book in three sentences or less:

Two stories, each exploring the connectedness of two people who may seem to have no connection at all. How the heart is stronger than reason or pain.

13. Your website or blog:

http://www.daynahart.com
http://dayna-hart.blogspot.com

Okay, I’ve got two fabulous books to pimp for your viewing pleasure today. These ladies can write, lemme tell ya. So go buy their shit.

Shelli Stevens
First up is Shelli Stevens’ new one The Pirate’s Booty, the lucky bitch who always winds up on the good side of the cover fairy. I don’t know who she’s giving sexual favors to, but she needs to share that informtation pronto.

I believe she’s hosting a treasure hunt in the Cobblestone chat tonight, so if you wanna win some pirate’s booty go here from 7-9pm Central.

The Pirate’s Blurby:

To save her business, Renee crashes a party thrown by the descendant of a pirate. She plans to steal back a brooch taken from her ancestor centuries ago. But what she doesn’t realize is that it’s a sex party, and Devon Murray is as notorious as his pirate ancestor.

Buy Shelli’s Bootylicious book!

Sara Dennis
Our second contestant today is Sara Dennis and her new book The Dragon Undone. If you like the fantasy or shape shifter story, ya gotta pick this one up. Plus, dude has a big sword. C’mon now, you know you like that in a man. I sure as hell do!

Blurbing Undone:

In the winter just past, a dragon killed Berdhan’s brother. Now they’re back and the village looks to him to lead. When Chaia is captured, she chooses Berdhan as her unlikely defender. Will they fulfill their roles in an ancient prophecy and unite the worlds of Dragon and Man?

Buy this shit!

Get ready for the secret reveal about Saturday…I’m starting a new weekly spotlight on an author with a new or upcoming release. This will run until I have no more people asking me for an interview, but for the moment, I’m booked until early November. If you wanna get on board with this, email me. My contact link is in the sidebar.

My very first victim is Dayna Hart. Come on down, Dayna!

Well, the auspicious day has come to pass that Stealth Dater Boy left the university. He no longer works here and I believe he’s gone back to his planet in a galaxy far far away. The whole incident was rather ugly and not his fault (for once) as far as I can tell, so as much as I want to be happy, I just feel bad for him. How fucked up is it that he even managed to rob me of my victory dance? Jerk.

The day before he left, he was again trying to pressure me into seeing him. He wanted me to come over to his place so he could cook me dinner. Uh-huh. Right. And when I got there he’d be naked covered in whip cream with bow-chica-bow-bow music playing in the background. Okay, I just threw up in my mouth a little with that mental image. *gag*

So, dear readers, one of youe favorite characters from my life has passed and will not appear on my blog again. Let’s have a moment of silence for all the humor that hapless man caused you and the horror he caused me.

Okay, done now. Onward!

So, I came up with a fabulous idea for what to do with my Saturday posts. And I’m not gonna tell you what until I do the big reveal this week, but I’m loving it. (Yes, I’m a tease. You know you like it!) I’m having a fabulous time here.

In more fun and exciting news, I think I’ll have In Ice done and sent off to Cobblestone Press this weekend. How sweet is that? Yay! I hope they like it. I hope, I hope, I hope.

Wish me luck!

Here’s a little something fun from the world of the disgustingly multi-talented stepmom: