Buy (the Heck Out of) This Book: Christie Craig's Don't Mess With Texas

One of the nicest, most supportive, and outright funniest writers I know is Christie Craig, who's become a go-to author for those looking for a fast paced, frothy, sexy romance that will leave you laughing off the day's stresses. If you're in the mood for a romp and have enjoyed authors such as Janet Evanovich, Jennifer Cruisie, and Rachel Gibson, I highly recommend my good friend Christie's latest, Don't Mess with Texas (Grand Central, $5.99).

Or if you need a better reason, do it to support an author whose state government has zero sense of fun. You see, TX DOT, the Texas Department of Transportation, which turns out to have trademarked the phrase "Don't Mess with Texas" for an anti-litter slogan years back, has filed suit against Ms. Craig, Hatchette Publishing, and even Barnes and Noble, because they fear the (oh, the horror!) naughty bits will weaken their brand. Interestingly, I've learned there are dozens of songs (not only country, but--cue another gasp--rap), books, and products that have also made use of this phrase, which most would agree has become more of a Texas pride thing than anything to do with trash collection (or "trashy" romance, for that matter. But apparently, in this case, TXDot's felt compelled to send a message by filing suit on the book's release date (rather than, say, sending a cease and desist letter earlier or making note of the fact that book and song titles are not normally held to infringe by the courts.)

I want to send a message myself. That you don't mess with Texas romance authors, especially one of the nicest in the business. That you don't let numerous male artists and authors slide, then go after a woman writing books for women. That you don't use prudery as an excuse when you're really exploiting the sexiness quotient of this story to get out the message that you're serious about defending against trademark infringements.

Those are just a few of the reasons I'm buying myself a copy of Christie Craig's Don't Mess with Texas. But mostly I'm buying it 'cause I'm in the mood for a fun read!

To read about the lawsuit, check out this eye-rolling coverage from HoustonPress.com. And the comments are pretty interesting, too!

Update: Great news! A Texas judge rules sales of Christie Craig's #DON'TMESSWITHTEXAS can't be blocked. bit.ly/nDYgic

Shut Up & Read Me: 3 Questions with Author Christie Craig

Steamy and hilarious as ever, Christie Craig is back with a new romantic suspense romp, Shut Up and Kiss Me. Today, we caught up with her for three quick questions.

BtO: First of all, Christie, happy release day to you and best of luck with the new book. Can you tell us a little of the backstory on SHUT UP?

CC: Thank you so much for having me here. Colleen is forever my go-to person when I need something, whether it’s about questions about a publishing contract, writing decisions or just sharing my good news or asking where to hide the body of that Weight Watchers attendant who told me I’d gained three pounds the last time I attended a WW meeting, and I really appreciate having a good friend in the business like that.

Now, about the backstory on Shut Up and Kiss Me. Writers get their ideas from all kinds of places. I always joke that I find mine at the clearance rack down at Wal-Mart but I have to say that with Shut Up, it was a little different. Now, I don’t think I’ve shared this with anyone and it is kind of a funny story. Years ago, before I sold my first humorous romantic suspense to Dorchester, I decided to try branching out into some more marketable sub-genres of romance. Erotic romances were really hot then, so I figured, hey, what not give it a try. I started a book called Under the Precious Sky about a Native American police chief, a photojournalist hired by the town’s mayor to promote local tourism, and the power of soul mates. I entered it in some contests and I think I even finaled but everybody told me the same thing – namely, that I had too much story in there for an erotic romance. So, I reluctantly abandoned the book but after I started making sales to Dorchester, I pulled out that proposal, redid the pages and, well, it became Shut Up and Kiss Me. And I have to say that out of all of my humorous romantic suspense novels, I think I love this one most of all.

Of course, isn’t that what a writer says about every new book?

BtO: Definitely!

I've known you for a long time -- in fact, you were one of the authors who encouraged me when I was first getting started -- but many might not realize the obstacles you faced when first breaking into print, and then breaking back into the business a second time with the kind of quirky humor, heartfelt emotion, and nonstop (sexy) action you've become known for. Care to elaborate on how you overcame rejection?

CC: Oh, boy. As anyone who has seen me do my “Rejection Dump” in workshops will tell you, I’ve been rejected a lot, especially when you add all the rejections for photojournalism assignments, freelance non-fiction to my fiction rejections. And, yep, each and every one of those little suckers stung but I didn’t let them keep me from trying again.

If I had to give two pieces of advice about overcoming rejection it would be this:
1. Dreams aren’t milk--they shouldn’t come with an expiration date. By that, I mean, it doesn’t matter how many rejections you get, they should never be enough to make you give up your dream. So what if you book got rejected by every publisher in the business? Put it lovingly on the shelf and then start a new project. Keep going, keep writing, keep submitting, keep pursuing that dream.

2. Either embrace rejection or kick its ass, nothing in between will do. Now, like I said, rejections sting, whether it’s your first or your hundredth, but how you deal with those rejections, well, that is what separates the people who achieve their dreams from those who don’t.

When I was trying to break into a new market as a freelance author, or break into romance, I did the same thing. I studied the markets and then I studied my rejections, looking for a kernel of knowledge that could make me be a better writer. Well, sometimes I found something and that is where the embracing part comes in . . . but other times, when it was just a half-page “Not for us” type of rejection, I just had to kick rejection’s ass.


BtO: Hah! Speaking of kicking rejection's tail, I used to have a special "I'll show them!" file. And I've head about one now-bestselling author who once wallpapered a bathroom with rejections - although I'm not sure I'd want to be surrounded by them at my most vulnerable!

Love your suggestions!

Can you tell us a little about your alter-ego, C.C. Hunter, and what's next for you?

CC: Yep, I’m now writing a YA paranormal series called Shadow Falls for St. Martin’s Press as C.C. Hunter. I’m really excited about the books, too. Born at Midnight is the first book and it will be released in February of 2011. The series is set at a summer camp for supernatural teenagers, and I’m having such a great time doing the books. It’s been racking up some big foreign sales for me, and I’m working on Book 2 in the series right now.

This is the first pseudonym I’ve used but it’s not the first time I’ve had an “alter ego” in writing. I mean, for years I’ve written my freelance non-fiction as Christie Craig. Right now, I’m a features writer for Houston Lifestyles and Homes and I do articles on interior design. Sometimes when I’m out in a bookstore – yes, I’m checking to see how many copies of my books they have on the shelves, I admit it. LOL – I’ll start talking with people. One woman recognized my name and said she just loved my work. I thought she meant my books but, nope, she was talking about an article I did on choosing new toilets. LOL.

I also write non-fiction books with Faye Hughes. We did The Everything Guide to Writing a Romance, which was out in 2008. In a few weeks, our next project, Wild, Wicked and Wanton: 101 Ways to Love Like You’re in a Romance Novel, will be released. I loved doing that book – it’s a humorous self-help book about what a real woman can learn about love and men from reading romance novels.

BtO: If I had a fourth question, I'd ask when do you sleep? Whew!

Thanks again for dropping by!

For our readers, here's a blurb for Christie Craig's new release. I highly recommend you check it out!

WELCOME TO PRECIOUS, TEXAS
…where fistfights serve as dinner theater and fire ants rain from the sky. The locals are usually very friendly, if a bit eccentric. No pictures please, or you may find yourself a guest of the county morgue.

Photojournalist Shala Winters already had her hands full bringing tourism to this backward, podunk little town, but her job just got tougher. Pictures can say a thousand words, and one of Shala’s is screaming bloody murder. Now she has to entrust a macho, infuriating lawman with her life—but she’ll never trust him with her heart.
Trusted or not, Sky Gomez isn’t about to let a killer get his hands on Shala’s Nikon—or any of her more comely assets, for that matter. Her mouth might move faster than a Piney Woods roadrunner, but all he can think about is how good it must taste…and how she’ll never escape true love.

CC: Thanks again, Colleen, for having me here. It’s been great.

Come Celebrate "Beneath Bone Lake"

Don't forget the release party for Colleen Thompson's chillah thrillah Beneath Bone Lake and Christie Craig's Gotcha! this afternoon from 2-4 at Read It Again, Breaswood Square in Houston. Grownup beverages, fajitas, and a guaranteed good read.

Set the Tone, Define the Audience

Yesterday, I read a terrific post on opening hooks by Jennifer Bray Weber over at Musetracks, where the writer talks about grabbing the reader's attention by beginning in the midst of quest or conflict - anything to create a lightning-quick emotional connection with the reader.

The opening lines have another function, too, to set the story's tone. Will it be sassy, whimsical, romantic? Mysterious, foreboding? When the reader flips open to the story's first page, it's an if she's seeing a contract from the author: This Is What You're in For, should you sign on for the experience.

It's a pretty good system, one that, when supported by an appropriate title, cover art, and cover or flap copy, gives the author the best chance of gaining the right audience, the one most likely to enjoy the story offered and (please, oh pretty please) go looking for more books by that same author.

For the purpose of discussion, let's take a look at a couple of opening paragraphs, both from romantic suspense novels published by the same house, same imprint.

From Christie Craig's Weddings Can Be Murder (Love Spell, June 2008):

Yesterday, Carl Hades had been shot at by a man wearing a black thong and a pink silk nightie. Even in his line of work, that was hard for a devout heterosexual male to digest.

I still laugh every time I read that. :)

Here's another, from my upcoming Beneath Bone Lake (Love Spell, June 2009):

The boatman’s paddle dug deep beneath the moss-green surface, biting and twisting like a switchblade’s killing thrust. Pulse thrummed and muscles burned as he dragged the canoe forward, threading through a swamp-dank maze of pale trees, the ghost sentries of a forest flooded years before. Above, the skeletal branches reached skyward into silver, their bony fingers veiled in Spanish moss and predawn mist.

As I mentioned, both books have the same publisher and both could be categorized as romantic suspense. But in terms of style and voice, they couldn't be more different. Christie Craig, a good friend of mine as well as a terrific writer, and I often do book signing events in tandem, and sometimes readers will pick up both of our releases. Because sometimes a body's in the mood to laugh and other times, she's looking for a good scare.

More often, however, we have very different audiences. And that's just fine by both of us. Because the best thing an author can do is give readers a well-defined, consistent, and repeatable reading experience with each book. Although Christie's books have scary moments, the overall emphasis is on romantic comedy. Although my books contain the leavening of humor (often of the dry or black variety), eeriness and emotional drama reign supreme.

So today, I challenge you to look at (or post in the comments section, if you'd like to share) the opening lines of your current work in progress. Then ask yourself, do they not only hook the reader, but offer a representative sample of the book's tone and your own authorial voice.