Friday, March 30, 2012

Juggling Knives While Tap Dancing Can Be Such a Yawn

 Gawd. *yawns* I am...*yawns again*...sleepy. For some damn reason, my brain has been waking up about 5 a.m. every day this week, even though I've been staying up until midnight or later, and the stupid thing just won't turn off and let me get those much needed extra hours in snoozeville, no matter how much I try to bribe it with promises of sweet dreams.

Huh. Probably doesn't trust me on that after that dream I had about juggling knives--sharp ones--while tap dancing in the kitchen.



(No, I haven't upped my cocktail intake, or my caffeine intake, either. Or added any drugs to my daily regimen.)

UGH.

That ever happen to you? Not the juggling knives while tap dancing thing, the brain not letting you sleep thing.

Never mind. That's boring. In fact, this whole post is making me yawn (see above). So why not head over to The Debutante Ball and read my take on author photos instead? Heck, it has to be better than this.

In the meantime, if you have any tips on how I can get my brain to STFU* at 5 a.m., I'd be much obliged it you'd share them.


*Shut The F*** Up

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

A Revealing Hump Day!

Okay, so I have some news to share with you. 

I have a COVER!!!

 
Now, the hair may still be tweaked a bit (my MC has shorter, strawberry blonde hair when she's being herself) between now and publication, but this is basically it. Amazon and Barnes & Noble think so, anyway. Feel free to pre-order your Labor Day gifts now. 

(What? Isn't Labor Day a gift-giving occasion in your household? I'm shocked.)

But back to my cover: Is that KICKASS, or what? I kind of love it, if that's not horribly narcissistic to say about my own book. That girl has attitude. And they got the Viking helmet right! (Real Viking helmets do not have horns.)

Plus, I have cover copy (!!!): 

The start of an original new urban fantasy series starring human chameleon Ciel Halligan

Snagging a marriage proposal for her client while on an all-expenses-paid vacation should be a simple job for Ciel Halligan, aura adaptor extraordinaire. A kind of human chameleon, she's able to take on her clients' appearances and slip seamlessly into their lives, solving any sticky problems they don't want to deal with themselves. No fuss, no muss. Big paycheck.

This particular assignment is pretty enjoyable... that is, until Ciel's island resort bungalow is blown to smithereens and her client's about-to-be-fiancĂ© is snatched by modern-day Vikings. For some reason, Ciel begins to suspect that getting the ring is going to be a tad more difficult than originally anticipated.

Going from romance to rescue requires some serious gear-shifting, as well as a little backup. Her best friend, Billy, and Mark, the CIA agent she's been crushing on for years — both skilled adaptors — step in to help, but their priority is, annoyingly, keeping her safe. Before long, Ciel is dedicating more energy to escaping their watchful eyes than she is to saving her client's intended.

Suddenly, facing down a horde of Vikings feels like the least of her problems.

"A fast-paced, sexy romp with characters as original as its intriguing premise!"
          — DIANA GABALDON, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF OUTLANDER

"Linda Grimes's fast paced supernatural debut is fresh, fun, and sexy, and heroine Ciel Halligan faces both the outlandish and the deadly with a perfect balance of equanimity, irreverence, and nerve. I can't wait to see where her wild adventures lead her next!"  
          — VICKI PETTERSSON, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC SERIES


Whoa. I'm still overwhelmed at the kindness of Diana and Vicki. (If you guys haven't read their books yet, you really, really should -- they're amazing!)

Oh, and lest you think I've forgotten your Hump Day camel pic in all the hooplah, look who was spotted reading a leaked copy of my book:


Who knew camels were fans of light urban fantasy?

Happy Hump Day, everyone! :)

Monday, March 26, 2012

Monday: Good luck with that!

There's meme going around the internet--a game for writers called "Lucky Seven." The idea is to turn to page 77 of your current WIP (work in progress), go to line 7, and share the next 7 lines on your blog.

All righty. I can do that. Here's that bit from my WIP, Quick Fix, which is the second book in my Ciel Halligan, Aura Adaptor series:


"Huh?"
"The judge Billy told you was letting him go—who was it?"
"I don't know. He didn't say her name."
He looked pleased. "Her? Well, that narrows it down. Okay, what'd he have on her?"
"What do you mean?" I stalled, not wanting to admit what I knew. No point in getting Thomas even angrier. My compulsion to protect Billy was confusing the hell out of me, but it was there.  
Unfortunately, Thomas had plenty of experience reading my face. "Blackmail, Ciel ..." 


That might or might not be seven lines here, depending on the size of your screen, but it's close enough. Also, it may or may not survive the final cut, and, if it does, it probably won't be on page 77. Because, yannoh, things change.

And now, Lucky Seven has reinforced for me that I really need to go do some more work on this sucker ...

Later, gators!

Oh, wait ... before I go:  

Do you believe in luck? 

Do you have a lucky charm?

Friday, March 23, 2012

Hey, Good Lookin', whatcha got cookin'?


If we're talking about food, and you're like me, not a darn thing. Let's just say I'm not the primary apron-wearer in our family -- I prefer others to cook for me.

Believe me, the "others" around here prefer that, too. Because if it were me cooking, trust me, it wouldn't be pretty. Or especially tasty.

But I'm not going to blather on and on about food here. Why should I, when I've already done it here, at The Debutante Ball, where this week we're discussing comfort food?

OR you can click here to get a load of my husband's meat!

Your choice.

Okay, that was a trick. They both take you to the same place. 'Fess up -- which link did you click on?

Yeah, right. I thought so. ;)

So, do you like to cook?

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Sending in a Hump Day Ringer to Cover for Me

Unfortunately, I have too darn many things to do today to hang around here very long. But let me  show you this before I head off into the wackadoo world of impending deadlines:


Now, that's jewelry.

Tell me, do deadlines make you crazy? Or do you find them, um, motivating

Happy Hump Day!

Monday, March 19, 2012

What Part of Speech Are You?

One of my Facebook friends shared this:


It was a revelation! All those times I thought I had PMS? I was just being a VERB.

It all makes so much sense now.

Mostly, I'm a just a plain ol' noun. The person, not the place or the thing. (Well, maybe the thing on some days...)

Sometimes, when enhancing those around me (like when I play arm candy for TG at social events), I'm an adjective.

More rarely, I'm an adverb, spurring others on in some physical activity.

What part of speech are you? 

[Yes, I know. *sighs* But I was too caught up in The Walking Dead season finale last night to write a real post, and this is what I came up with this morning. Sue me. I'm a verb.]

Friday, March 16, 2012

On Playlists and Testy Muses...


Seems like most of the writers I know like to write to music. Their muses are inspired by songs and musical scores of all sorts, and they contrive very specific playlists to accompany each work in progress.

If I try that, my muse says "Shut the f*ck up!"

Here she is before one of our morning sessions:



Yeah, I know. She can be testy. And she likes it quiet when we work together.

Coincidentally, this is our topic over at The Debutante Ball this week. If you'd like to see me expound upon it more, pop on over here. There's also a really cute picture of an otter over there, if you need further inducement to click on that link. Adorable, I promise. You really otter check it out... (Sorry.) (Not really.)

If you like kittens better than otters, here:



So, do you like to listen to music when you write? 

Or even when you read? 

Do you make playlists?

Do you like otters? 

Or do you prefer kittens?

Do you find it quirky and cute that I'm padding out this post with all these questions?

Or is it just annoying?

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

A VERY Happy Hump Day at the Reston Zoo

You think I'm kidding?

Don't take my word for it. See for yourself:


Need a closer look? Uh-huh, I thought so, you perv. ;)


Boy, a little warm weather and those tortoises get all kinds of ideas!

(Is it my imagination, or does the lady tortoise look kind of bored?)

Made me wonder about this sign we saw:


Er, tell that to the tortoises...

Yes, there were lots of horny animals to be seen. But this guy was the horniest of all:

(Faces of kids disguised because, yannoh, they're not my kids.)


So, yeah, TG and I went to the Reston Zoo yesterday, just because it was such a nice day. TG passes it every day on the way to work, and he noticed something he thought I'd like, so he came home from work early to take me.

(Um...to the zoo. Not...never mind.)

So look who I got meet, up close and personal:



Isn't he adorable?



Hungry, too.


He's a Bactrian camel, which means he has two humps. There was a dromedary (one-hump) camel, too, but she was shy, and wouldn't come close enough for me to take a decent picture.

Seeing the two of them together, though, did make me wonder what their offspring might look like. (I mean, if they even have that sort of relationship. They might just be friends.) One and a half humps? Three humps? *scratches head*

Happy Hump Day!



Monday, March 12, 2012

What kind of shoe are you?

No, not what kind of shoe do you like to wear. I mean, if you were a shoe, what kind of shoe would you be?

(Yeah, I know. What can I say? I've been really busy, and it was the first topic I pulled out of my...um, hat. Just go with it, okay? It might grow on you.)


*Ahem* I like to think I'm stiletto heels with red soles:

Are those bad-ass or what? Pure sex, classy style, and danger, all rolled into one.

*sighs* Alas, I'm afraid I'm more like Ugg slippers:

Dependable, comfortable, a little gray...and, yes, under the right conditions, hot. ;)

(In fact, I have that very pair of slippers. They are pretty much my winter indoor shoes. They may not scream "I'm sexy and dangerous!" but they keep my feet warm.)

Now, sometimes I can be...


But I am never, ever...

(Yes, that is a goldfish in the heel of that disco shoe. No, I don't know why that was ever considered cool.)

How about you? What shoe represents your personality?




















Or maybe something else entirely?

(For the nudists among you, just go with "barefoot." Of course.)



Happy Monday! And try not to over-think it. You'll only give yourself a headache.

Friday, March 9, 2012

It's Friday and I Broke my Eyes

Friday! You know what that means: Dance Time!

Yeah, I'm over at The Debutante Ball. Today I'm pondering cabins, lust, and Sheldon Cooper. Make of that what you will. *waggles eyebrows*

I was going to write a post here today. You know, a real one. But then I ... didn't.

Sorry. My brain was fried from finishing corrections on my first pass pages. Or, as I like to call them, my Last Chance Pages.

So, IN A FIX looks like a real book now!!! All typeset and pretty, and with this page, which kind of makes my heart go pitty-pat:



Can you read that? (Sorry--it's kind of blurry. Apparently I suck at taking screen shots.)

It's the copyright page. For some reason, that makes the whole shebang--me! writing a book! getting it published!--seem more real than it has yet. 

But after that moment of cool-ocity wore off, I had to read through the whole manuscript again, very (oh-so-very!) carefully, using my nit-comb eyes, because this was my last chance to change anything.

And you know what? Even after as many times as I've gone over this sucker before, and my editor has gone over it, and the copyeditor has gone over it ... I still found a few things. Not big things, and not many, but definite things.

I strongly suspect there are still things there, things that won't be found until it's on the shelves at bookstores. Because things are sneaky like that, and I suspect they breed when you're not looking.

But, anyhoo, at least it's a tiny bit cleaner than it was before I ruined my eyes perused it closely one last time. I guess that will have to do. :)

(Well, would you looky there--seems I wrote a post after all. Huh. Imagine that.)

What's the last thing you broke your eyes over?

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Wednesday is for Winner!

Okay, let's get right down to business!

On Monday I told you about Tawna Fenske's release...um, wait...that doesn't sound quite right. I shared with you the happy news that Tawna's latest book, Believe it or Not, has been released to the buying public. In honor of this auspicious occasion, I decided to do a book giveaway to a lucky commenter. (Click here to read about it.)

There were lots of entries, so I put the names in a hat and had TG draw the winner. (I know! How unoriginal of me. Cut me some slack--it's early.)

I got out my favorite hat...


Isn't it lovely? It's teal! My darling daughter knitted it for me. No, those aren't my hands--they belong to my handy helper, TG.

TG reached in...


And pulled out a name...


Which you can't read in this picture, but I can in real life. Trust me, there's a name on that slip of paper.

Congratulations, Jennifer Shirk! You win!!

Jennifer, if you'll email me your address at linda(dot)grimes(at)gmail(dot)com, I'll have Amazon send your copy of Believe it or Not to you right away. 

Look who's happy for Jennifer:


Happy Hump Day to you all, and thanks to everyone who participated on Monday! :)

Monday, March 5, 2012

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, It's Tawna Fenske's Release Week!

So, I woke up today without a clue about what to write for a blog post (I blame a marathon of Supernatural, capped off by an episode of The Walking Dead), and then I remembered this is the week Tawna Fenske's Believe it or Not comes out!!

(If you don't know Tawna, you can read more about her at website, here, or her fantastically funny blog, here.)

Once again, Tawna saves my ass. She's one of my crit partners, so believe it or not (the opportunities for plays on the title abound!) she's used to that.

Here's the cover:


If that's not enough incentive for you to run out and buy the book (and I can't imagine it wouldn't be), let me just add that it's an amazing read. It's funny (duh) and hot (double-duh), and guaranteed to make you feel good.

Here's the book description I shamelessly lifted from a book-selling site (What? They said it so well.):

Do you believe in...accounting?
Numbers never lie, so Violet McGinn found safe haven in the most boring profession she could find. Until her renowned psychic mother lands in the hospital and Violet has to run her business. Now you can have your taxes filed and your aura read, in one convenient location.

Do you believe in...music?
Drew Watson is the jaded owner of the local hot spot next door, and doesn't need a single thing except a good crowd to dance to what he's spinning on Saturday night.

Do you believe in...love?
The only thing Violet and Drew seem to have in common is that neither believes in that psychic hoo—hah. Except Drew seems to play exactly the right song at exactly the right time. And truth be told, it makes Violet's heart dance just a little ... 

Doesn't that sound fabulous? Believe it or not (heh), it is!

But you don't have to take my word for it--I love this book so much I want to share a copy of it with some lucky commenter. Personally. As in, if you leave a comment telling me you'd like to be sucked in by Tawna the way I was, and you win, I will buy you a copy and have it sent directly to your home. 

Trust me. You want to do this. Comment! Enter! Win a fabulous book! 

Simple, huh? 

And if you don't win, you can always order your own copy from Amazon or B&N -- a totally worthwhile investment in your mental well-being. I mean, laughter is the best medicine, right?

Now, pardon me while sit over here and envy Tawna's week-long release. *sighs* Damn. That woman really knows how to live her life. ;)

P.S. Um, let's have the contest close at 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time tomorrow (Tuesday, Mar 6 -- the official release day of Believe it or Not). No point in dragging out the suspense, right?

Now, have at it!

Friday, March 2, 2012

If you can't be inappropriate on a Friday, when can you?

Wow. It's Friday again? How'd that happen so fast?

Well, today you have three choices:

1. You can click on over to The Debutante Ball, where I'm offering inappropriate advice about how to keep the flames of WIP-love alive. (Boy, doesn't that sound dirty? *waggles eyebrows*)



2. (If you're not already gone...) You can watch the following video, emailed to me by a friend of mine. I've seen it on Facebook, and maybe a few other places around the Web, too. Guess it's gone viral.

I was going to point out that it may not be entirely appropriate for work, but hell, you're here, aren't you? How much worse could it be?

Seriously, I laughed until I had tears streaming down my face when I watched it. That's almost as good as sex. Or chocolate. (Um, not to oversell it or anything...)






3. You can do BOTH!!

Personally, I think #3 is the best option. :)

Happy Friday!