tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280390752024-03-07T00:12:42.439-08:00C. C. Harrison-authorC.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-18091048064481091452012-08-15T06:04:00.005-07:002012-08-17T20:31:31.936-07:00PICTURE OF LIES - WINNER! 2012 NEXT GENERATION INDIE BOOK AWARD!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAnZGdb1CLFNX9Peb5KkjaNKlVMGMxDO4EIvefZ1WsG6daRNjOhJc-5Mowz0nShNMfZrRSnH9dsUprkYzz-0zWkx7kbMCKrEmH41FgcuhcEMBYs-PFCEtIB8ERGyYKTHZNdQyH/s1600/PictureOfLiesFront_2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 207px; height: 320px; float: left;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610669930614577842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAnZGdb1CLFNX9Peb5KkjaNKlVMGMxDO4EIvefZ1WsG6daRNjOhJc-5Mowz0nShNMfZrRSnH9dsUprkYzz-0zWkx7kbMCKrEmH41FgcuhcEMBYs-PFCEtIB8ERGyYKTHZNdQyH/s320/PictureOfLiesFront_2.jpg" /></a><em><strong>DANTE COVELLI</strong></em><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Archeologist Dante Covelli is a complicated man with a complicated past he doesn't talk about. His personal philosophy goes something like this: <em>It's up to me to make things right</em>. Of course, Keegan Thomas feels that's <em>her</em> job, so it's no surprise they don't see eye to eye. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Dante thinks Keegan is nosing around and interfering in something that is not her business by asking questions about a photograph taken on the reservation fifty years before. She, on the other hand, feels she's bringing a gift of memory to young Navajos by providing them a glimpse of the faces of elderly family members they may never have seen before.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Dante questions her true intentions as a journalist, and with good reason. He came to Monument Valley in the first place to keep a low profile and avoid contact with the media. He wonders if she's there to bring up that whole mess from his past.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">He thinks Keegan is irresponsible and inconsiderate. She wants him to lighten up. He, like Keegan, tends to bury himself in his work to dull the pain of the past, a pain inflicted by people in whom they'd invested their trust.</span><br />C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-18536124986375297462011-05-23T10:33:00.000-07:002011-05-23T11:23:56.567-07:00PICTURE OF LIES - Keegan Thomas<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Wm4hdNvo_IKRiOB9TIWosXjm5asjKfQwh-Qa00AOx8cczHOmeup41jC_pE8eCfvZ8yVFVPluDgLu-xN7wahYT32Xq_qpxMv5lSEVXlBDdxDvshnd0MDS5l8PUyG60X5OzLkK/s1600/PictureOfLiesFront.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 207px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609966728669092450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Wm4hdNvo_IKRiOB9TIWosXjm5asjKfQwh-Qa00AOx8cczHOmeup41jC_pE8eCfvZ8yVFVPluDgLu-xN7wahYT32Xq_qpxMv5lSEVXlBDdxDvshnd0MDS5l8PUyG60X5OzLkK/s320/PictureOfLiesFront.jpg" /></a> <span style="font-family:arial;">While PICTURE OF LIES was in development, I put a lot of thought into my main character, Keegan Thomas. The journey on which I planned to send her required a certain temperment and personality as I wasn't going to make things easy for her. She needed to have a good amount of courage and perserverence despite some personal character flaws that could easily paralyze someone into inaction.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">As an investigative reporter, her goal in the story is to find people in a fifty-year-old photograph, and discover the whereabouts of a little Navajo girl, now an adult, who was kidnapped by missionaries and never returned. Can you imagine the determination required to do this? It's what she finds out during her inquiries that really tests her mettle. So I had to make her extremely extroverted, driven, and aggressive when it came to things she felt strongly about. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">And what I like about her most is that she is able to do her job despite the terrible pain she feels over losing her own child. In her mind, she's to blame her child went missing. She feels responsible, feels that if she'd been a better mother, it would not have happened. After all, she was right there on that same foggy beach . </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">The stress of keeping it together manifests itself in some mild OCD behaviors. In the throes of anger or stress, Keegan finds herself compulsively counting things - the number of people in the restaurant, the number of black cars that go through a certain intersection before the light turns red, the number of uprights in a wrought iron fence. This quirk does not get in her way. Strangely, it helps her focus so she can move forward. She really needs that focus later when she finds herself stranded in the wilderness, and again at the end of the book when she's at the wrong end of a gun.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Have I modeled this character after myself? Well, maybe, but it's a better, stronger, prettier, taller, thinner, more inquisitive, impulsive, and courageous version of me. Oh, and younger.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">The story thread about the missing Navajo child kidnapped by missionaries was inspired by a true event. The real kidnapped child was found and reunited with his natural family while I lived on the Navajo Indian Reservation as a VISTA volunteer.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">And if you notice the acknowledgement at the front of the book to Two Spirits - that's true, too. Watch Independent Lens on PBS on June 14 for the real story.</span>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-83087077458647218932011-05-22T14:13:00.000-07:002011-05-22T14:47:49.637-07:00PICTURE OF LIES October 2011 Release<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNwSH2us5JlwIfR3aejfcM9TAick9H66ArlroK1-Qy99IQ3vl-JKpVbA8YzstSqGT7W2H3nNPbe7hXxAmllupe5Z6erpIvTcwSXbRsf2QrchKGGBEw4SakgNTw3GeIFqdvj_G/s1600/PictureOfLiesFront_2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 207px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609652321710099106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNwSH2us5JlwIfR3aejfcM9TAick9H66ArlroK1-Qy99IQ3vl-JKpVbA8YzstSqGT7W2H3nNPbe7hXxAmllupe5Z6erpIvTcwSXbRsf2QrchKGGBEw4SakgNTw3GeIFqdvj_G/s320/PictureOfLiesFront_2.jpg" /></a> <span style="font-family:arial;">Adance Review copies of my new book, PICTURE OF LIES, went out last week. I love this book and hope you all do, too. The story returns to Monument Valley on the Navajo Indian Reservation where THE CHARMSTONE was set. Different characters, but same locale. Readers who were swept away to Monument Valley while reading THE CHARMSTONE may experience the same journey while reading PICTURE OF LIES. I hope so. I certainly was.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Investigative journalist Keegan Thomas travels to Monument Valley seeking people who appear with her grandfather in an old photograph that was found in his belongings after his death. A string of mysteries evolve from that including the search for an Indian child she is told was kidnapped by missionaries and taken to a boarding school, but never returned. This is especially heartbreaking for her as she's been </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">living a nightmare of guilt and grief since her own little girl, Daisy, was kidnapped practically in front of her eyes.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Her courage and persistence uncover a web of deception that stretches back two generations, and the truth she learns about her own family is the most shocking betrayal of all. Nothing can prepare her for the danger she encounters when she becomes the target of a powerful U.S. senator who will do anything to stop her from telling <span style="font-family:Arial;">what she finds out about the people in the picture and what they were up to. </span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;">Some of the events in the story were inspired by my experiences and the stories I heard while I lived in Monument Valley as a VISTA volunteer. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">The next book is already churning around in my head. It's called THE MISSING GIRL, and continues some of the story questions presented in PICTURE OF LIES. You'll see at the end of PICTURE OF LIES where I might be going with that.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-3740416074196653112010-11-18T06:00:00.000-08:002010-11-20T19:25:23.100-08:00REALITY OR REALISM?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59msTLOJZGSDf_U65WeEi8HhKxBOcyInhaepQ4nlD1ZFQQrWoKtiM9gshhDL0t8zPXcZbh13VuTtiMpHSHSDRuMqbPpBrAzAw6b8cWDAWKsgWnKFcfYP3dAcKEdJWWVtNSI4A/s1600/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 218px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537986445528557410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59msTLOJZGSDf_U65WeEi8HhKxBOcyInhaepQ4nlD1ZFQQrWoKtiM9gshhDL0t8zPXcZbh13VuTtiMpHSHSDRuMqbPpBrAzAw6b8cWDAWKsgWnKFcfYP3dAcKEdJWWVtNSI4A/s320/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">How much realism do readers want and expect in a novel? Authors worry about this all the time. Some go so far as to check things like sunrise and sunset time tables, and the GPS location of a certain building in the city where their story is set so their references are accurate.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I say, lighten up my fellow authors! It IS fiction, after all. That's what the willing suspension of disbelief is for.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">While I do agree we need to make the guns and explosives accurate, and I do tons of research for my own books, I don't get all bent out of shape if the author of a book I'm reading puts Tom's Tavern in Golden instead of Boulder. In fact, I can't think of a single novel I ever gave up on because the author made something like that up.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">After all, it's the story that counts. I try to make my stories compelling and fast moving even if I have to ignore reality at times. I will always put the story first. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">After all, one of the first things we learn when we begin writing fiction is that it doesn't have to BE real, it just has to SEEM real.</span>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-50832282737772173412010-11-15T07:00:00.000-08:002010-11-15T20:43:53.021-08:00BOOK TIME<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLAHxBaoU5mGoy3LM0ncj6iRitwL-6tIpWmGB1GxlltBrT_VnWuctn5EJsVFFqM_AqCxvt30i_zo4fTXeF6c9B7rqA1aJUPyGQRQ-EOxbNFiodiF27zEbvi2AZiKVNWCXkbMSG/s1600/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 218px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537971245790859666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLAHxBaoU5mGoy3LM0ncj6iRitwL-6tIpWmGB1GxlltBrT_VnWuctn5EJsVFFqM_AqCxvt30i_zo4fTXeF6c9B7rqA1aJUPyGQRQ-EOxbNFiodiF27zEbvi2AZiKVNWCXkbMSG/s320/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I recently read an interesting discussion on a writer's blog about book time - how to accomplish everything that needs to happen in the abbreviated time frame of a mystery or romance novel. Characters grow and change, travel, meetings and conversations must occur to move the the story forward, but those events aren't necessarily shown on the page. Still the reader needs to be somehow grounded in time and place to avoid confusion. Well, it's a challenge to a writer, for sure.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Book time is something I'm very aware of when I'm writing, but not so much when I'm reading except when I'm reading romance or romantic suspense. Then I have a lot of trouble with characters who hate each other at the beginning of the book then suddenly love each other. There has to be a darn good reason why she loves him after hating him, and I mean something other than a good sexual encounter. He has to do something really extraordinary to make her change her mind during the space and time limits of a 60,000 to 100,000 word book or I don't believe it as a reader.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Otherwise, when I'm reading I pretty much go with the flow of the story timeline without noticing the book time passing unless it's called to my attention by the author. To be honest, the quick 45 minute solution to most television series is why I don't watch much television. When I do watch a TV series, it's usually one that continues the story from week to week, like "The Good Wife" or "Damages" or "Rubicon" or "The Tudors" or "The Event."</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">One of the reasons I'm so aware of this challenge in my writing is that some time ago I had a previous agent tell me that the "time tags" I used, you know, those lines at the beginning of chapters giving the date or day of that chapter's events, was too distracting. I had to change it and incorporate the book time passing in the text.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Later, in another manuscript, I had an editor tell me that my book time passing references within the text was a bad habit. So I truly struggle with that in all my writing.</span>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-71589269069162884942010-06-01T00:00:00.000-07:002010-06-01T00:00:04.958-07:00Good-bye Droid, Hello LG<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OYsrSVu7c_s_ZXY_gEHIxCoC1TtatpfwMILSdpYbVfvf2X4vtxE0GoyDJkzLmlPhpubU-mriP-q4M5eTXuSUhe8vGky7_WFB13tAmk_jDsfhsHSG0ddUenHgi8lgBwx_DdRE/s1600/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 218px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476401566332805794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OYsrSVu7c_s_ZXY_gEHIxCoC1TtatpfwMILSdpYbVfvf2X4vtxE0GoyDJkzLmlPhpubU-mriP-q4M5eTXuSUhe8vGky7_WFB13tAmk_jDsfhsHSG0ddUenHgi8lgBwx_DdRE/s320/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG" /></a> <span style="font-family:arial;">I had to say good-bye to my Droid. Oh, it was a great relationship while it lasted! It did wonderful things. I could get instructions for the board games Guesstures and Pictionary. I could search Amazon for books, look up phone numbers and addresses, get driving instructions from MapQuest, find coupons for anything I wanted to purchase, check movie times and TV schedules, and so much more.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But it was a bossy little thing! And it was so sensitive! It took me to websites I didn't want, called phone numbers I didn't mean to, cut off calls I wanted to take, and pretty much had a mind of its own. So I had to let it go.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Hello, my old friend LG! Sorry I left you behind, but I'm back now to pick up where we left off. I missed you. </span>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-82378256439118439832010-05-29T11:36:00.000-07:002010-05-29T11:36:00.517-07:00SAGE CANE BOOK COLORADO BOOK AWARD FINALIST!<img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 207px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476392244274383842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5s-293-DhqFVMRefmdQS0mQgoqXkbUYCXJnU9SheRUqF9bNkovDETeCs5fBFxsJlodM-biWWCi51FjokaAM8Ckymj1kynhnCqAmMieYaFWT_dzBj7hftAitCpGES-1gGFqbQ/s320/SageCanesCOVER.JPG" /> <span style="font-family:arial;">I had some very good news recently from the lovely Jen Long at Colorado Humanities & Center for the Book. My book, </span><span style="font-family:arial;">SAGE CANE'S HOUSE OF GRACE AND FAVOR (written as Christy Hubbard) is a finalist in the 2010 Colorado Book Award!!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">I couldn't be more thrilled. It's quite an honor and I'm in very good company. The Colorado Book Award recognizes outstanding contributions by authors, editors, illustrators and photographers in multiple categories: history, literary fiction, genre fiction (historical, romance, science fiction/fantasy, mystery/thriller), general nonfiction, juvenile literature, pictorial, poetry, and young adult literature. See <a href="http://www.coloradohumanities.org/">http://www.coloradohumanities.org/</a> for the list of other finalists. It's impressive.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">SAGE CANE'S HOUSE OF GRACE AND FAVOR, written under the pseudonym Christy Hubbard, looks at the hardships faced by women in the Rocky Mountain Gold Rush towns of the Old West. It's the story of how mothers, wives, and daughters transformed their rough and tumble mining town into a family friendly center of culture and sophistication. Reviewers have called the book a "marvelous tale of hope and possibilities," and an "inspiring, well-written historical novel filled with details that are sure to please western history buffs."</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">And I am especially pleased this book is being recognized in such a presigious manner because there was someone who did not believe in it - AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. Fortunately there was only one. Now I'm not one to say <em>I told you so</em>, I only want to say - thank you Colorado Book Award judges for the recognition. I'm still walking on air.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-61325027944136940122010-02-17T07:29:00.000-08:002010-02-17T09:05:07.837-08:00DROID<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJQb2elOW58ECS9ygaUQgo4rZZ7KvRDGRe1NXvcoe7OfITO0pTJ1bbDTMAYwaYKd1lF8bRT0894_4BrGmgqzh3SYvN_fHJmIG5E_AY37m9ota2Pd3XcuaXxNoyOYzZj1M-9Vq/s1600-h/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 218px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439245792715687298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJQb2elOW58ECS9ygaUQgo4rZZ7KvRDGRe1NXvcoe7OfITO0pTJ1bbDTMAYwaYKd1lF8bRT0894_4BrGmgqzh3SYvN_fHJmIG5E_AY37m9ota2Pd3XcuaXxNoyOYzZj1M-9Vq/s320/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG" /></a><br /><div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">My comfortable, familiar LG cell phone was not holding a charge any longer, and there was no replacement battery available, so it was time for a new phone. I got a Droid, and OMG it's like giving me a 747 to go to Safeway!!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;">The Droid is a mini-computer when all I really need to do is make phone calls, and it took me a day to figure out how to do that. Honestly, at first I thought the phone had a mind of its own, dialing numbers when I didn't want it to.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;">I do like receiving and sending emails on my phone, though (and will do that as soon as I learn how.) I also like having MapQuest (I need to learn that, too.) I'm sure there are many other wonderful things this Droid will do, but - hey! - I'm writing a book! I don't have much time to spend self-learning this phone. </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">I'm waiting for a Droid for Dummies book. Will someone please write one?</span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div></div>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-32409600896356987902009-07-06T06:00:00.000-07:002009-07-07T10:28:21.415-07:00SAGE CANE'S HOUSE OF GRACE AND FAVOR - Released 7-17-09<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IlcgRj3g_80faZV1JOpFIlFDF4cyJdPgmakQLkwpZu2kmix3KHBgGyRdqc3RXgsPUeVdJ8tenKJ1wK6jtTqTJgaqhAJjMxRkOCRsBiHNf76JrtRFDWOMaYj71Ak9G04ZbS22/s1600-h/SageCanesHouseFront.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353516349208163266" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 207px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IlcgRj3g_80faZV1JOpFIlFDF4cyJdPgmakQLkwpZu2kmix3KHBgGyRdqc3RXgsPUeVdJ8tenKJ1wK6jtTqTJgaqhAJjMxRkOCRsBiHNf76JrtRFDWOMaYj71Ak9G04ZbS22/s320/SageCanesHouseFront.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">My new book comes out on July 17th. I'm very excited. It's an Old West Historical set in a Colorado mining town. It's quite a different story than I usually write, and I wrote it under a different name, Christy Hubbard. I loved writing this book. It felt like it was being channeled to me. I think I must have lived one of my previous lives in the Old West.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Here's the story of SAGE CANE'S HOUSE OF GRACE AND FAVOR:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In 1859 a woman needed guts to live in the Old West, and Sage Cane had an abundance. Penniless and in debt after the death of her father, then abandoned at the altar by a fortune-hunting scoundrel, she headed for Colorado gold country to take possession of the hotel she’d inherited from her Aunt Hannah “Honey” Wild. But the hotel is really a bordello called Wild Mountain Honey, and her plan to close it down is met with resistance from Bridger Norwood, the sexy town marshal whose job it is to keep peace in the rough and rugged mining town. Backed by the town fathers, he's convinced the miners need a nice place to go to keep them off the streets and out of trouble.<br /><br />But Sage wasn’t born to let adversity keep her down or men control her destiny.<br /><br />Fairplay Creek is a town of, by, and for men, with nothing for women. Not a slip of silk or froth of lace can be found anywhere outside the bordello. While the men mined for gold, drank in the saloons, gambled at the card tables, or visited Wild Mountain Honey, the wives were left behind to scrabble together a home in tents, huts, and dugouts. Until Sage Cane secretly teaches the women in town how to dress for adornment, whisper into a man's ear, and practice the fine art of seduction. Secrets are revealed and secrets are kept, but Fairplay Creek is changed forever. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Thank you RT Book Reviews for your 4 STAR review - <em>"...marvelous tale...Dynamic characters...captivating plot..."</em></span>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-19421549296504742652009-07-02T06:00:00.000-07:002009-07-02T21:27:09.071-07:00RE-READING BOOKS<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPaJoUJm99iBeS3Ky-hQGeFRUDOwjNoQxyTrLX_ZwlZMwKZmiiEZUCoGGsI1yxr9WM_RhP-QBxeDp7kdR5Gv0SC5emnVxHBuC8l1-Jo2FoROhsj5nDLLWAmDVu3oGgdNQkfyS/s1600-h/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353927525206698978" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 218px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPaJoUJm99iBeS3Ky-hQGeFRUDOwjNoQxyTrLX_ZwlZMwKZmiiEZUCoGGsI1yxr9WM_RhP-QBxeDp7kdR5Gv0SC5emnVxHBuC8l1-Jo2FoROhsj5nDLLWAmDVu3oGgdNQkfyS/s320/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:arial;">I’ve never understood re-reading books.<br /><br />Often I hear people say they have read a book many times, or they put a particular book on their keeper shelf to read again later. I have a keeper shelf, but it’s for signed first editions, not for books I plan to read again. I can’t think of a book I would want to read more than once. Why would I? I already know what happens.<br /><br />Plus, as the saying goes – “So many books, so little time.” That’s how I look at it. I have hundreds of books in my bookcase that I haven’t read yet, and new books are released every day that entice me. If I re-read my books, I wouldn’t have time to read all the great new ones coming out.<br /><br />I don’t buy DVDs, because I don’t even like to watch a movie more than once. Well, maybe there is a handful I will watch if they’re on television, but few enough that I can name them – <em>Shoot The Moon</em>, <em>Two for the Road, Grand Prix, La Dolce Vita, Tombstone</em>. They’re old movies. You probably haven’t heard of any of them except <em>Tombstone</em>. I have a couple of concert DVDs, but haven't watched them more than two or three times.<br /><br />Usually, I’m reading two or three books at a time, and I try to make sure at least one of them is nonfiction. Here’s what I’m reading now:<br /><br />“<em>Fire and Ice</em>” by Paul Garrison<br />“<em>Live From New York, an Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live</em>” by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller<br />“<em>The Secret History</em>” by <em>Donna Tartt</em><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Oh, and I have new music, too. Here’s what’s new in my CD collection:</span><br /><br />“Dummy” by <em>Portishead<br /></em>“Ultimate Waylon Jennings” by <em>Waylon</em><br />“The Essential Johnny Cash” by <em>Johnny</em><br />“The Essential Willie Nelson” by <em>Willie</em></span>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-54308255649148204562009-07-01T07:21:00.000-07:002009-07-01T09:11:11.297-07:00OH, MY GOSH, DAN SIMMONS!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OQ5Kg4D3vSTCb2y8zspZqepfyG4Xb5EfK5NhKcpzTE9t9PD0mmuDpmLs_fGuz6zMIywNMK8VZURBgsnclkSGZGWavpSZP2cfeFTfDOpIVfHYhm_ioSJDzZYIaA7SjoZZGpXn/s1600-h/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353505858102995490" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 218px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OQ5Kg4D3vSTCb2y8zspZqepfyG4Xb5EfK5NhKcpzTE9t9PD0mmuDpmLs_fGuz6zMIywNMK8VZURBgsnclkSGZGWavpSZP2cfeFTfDOpIVfHYhm_ioSJDzZYIaA7SjoZZGpXn/s320/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I just finished reading Dan Simmons "A Winter Haunting" and oh, my gosh, it is spooky! I ended every chapter with a cringe, a glance over my shoulder, and a nervous little laugh. </span><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;">I don't normally jump at house sounds in the night, but I did while reading this book, and in addition, I checked and re-checked to make sure the house alarm was activiated. (Not that an alarm would have scared away any of the malevolence in THIS book.)</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;">Dan Simmons has skillfully blended reality with unreality, so that it ALL seemed real. Mysterious messages appearing on the computer screen, strange lights and noises in the boarded up second story of an abandoned house, the sudden appearance and disappearance of a stray dog, an overwhelming sense of danger, and all of it overlaid with the cold and gloom of a midwest winter.</span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-65879648121671399842009-01-16T05:00:00.000-08:002009-01-16T05:00:01.094-08:00MAMMA MIA!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YRwLJlm_H8wDa6Hiqjh3u12PdCiAlZkIz9v6DeYDhh4w7awhUlPkIEiKqoVsP02HUxhBzPbKu032mpgOpnFRNVVUfJp6CT820gIDdHirD9zaSj4Wd9vc-tSLCU9s-RWClRCr/s1600-h/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290425606000838530" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 218px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YRwLJlm_H8wDa6Hiqjh3u12PdCiAlZkIz9v6DeYDhh4w7awhUlPkIEiKqoVsP02HUxhBzPbKu032mpgOpnFRNVVUfJp6CT820gIDdHirD9zaSj4Wd9vc-tSLCU9s-RWClRCr/s320/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:arial;">I didn't go to the movies to see MAMMA MIA, I watched it on DVD at home. You have to really, really like ABBA to like this movie. Meryl Streep was cute in it and she looked like she was having a lot of fun. But like I said, you have to really, really like ABBA. </span>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-55811880563798797672009-01-14T07:00:00.000-08:002009-01-14T07:00:03.177-08:00DOUBT<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNGDhBDthwHKAy58wvJSmapeP2bZ0AFV6Lc9nfw7oh0kzscSf_KWdfXC6yJy3HU_RiItQbb_8oCrLNjoHhXAhWtFYr2f_NKCfYE5s1sE4fJ7j0ma0fq7lt71DbRYfbvmnbw3W/s1600-h/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289176267822285042" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 218px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNGDhBDthwHKAy58wvJSmapeP2bZ0AFV6Lc9nfw7oh0kzscSf_KWdfXC6yJy3HU_RiItQbb_8oCrLNjoHhXAhWtFYr2f_NKCfYE5s1sE4fJ7j0ma0fq7lt71DbRYfbvmnbw3W/s320/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Ah, what a movie!</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">The movie DOUBT is worth going to see if for no other reason than the sheer pleasure of watching Meryl Streep. Oh, my goodness, she is powerful. Every movement and every muscle exudes energy and meaning. </span></div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><div>The story is bound to make most people cringe a little (if not a lot), and the ending will surprise. Listen carefully to every word.<br /></span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div></div>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-90674928513478378882009-01-12T06:00:00.000-08:002009-01-12T07:09:41.262-08:00AUSTRALIA<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18byvoTGiASZSEBBsciyvlKLEJmgekGc6fhgZjPpC1i36y_xiYVu44-I39Ne4gLgF7VsOBnf3Ihh8ZGZJqykC8jUdwi-sIwIvgttUyFqvFMIhAkvEwnK-9F4OolGz-b5OGj-u/s1600-h/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289168390629080322" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 218px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18byvoTGiASZSEBBsciyvlKLEJmgekGc6fhgZjPpC1i36y_xiYVu44-I39Ne4gLgF7VsOBnf3Ihh8ZGZJqykC8jUdwi-sIwIvgttUyFqvFMIhAkvEwnK-9F4OolGz-b5OGj-u/s320/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">AUSTRALIA.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">I walked out.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">I would have walked out an hour sooner, but the people on either side of me looked like they were enjoying it. This movie is sappy, predictable and boring, and doesn't know when to end. I've heard it compared to GONE WITH THE WIND. Don't believe it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Save your money and your time.</span><br /><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;"></p></span>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-19477817906989316632009-01-10T08:00:00.000-08:002009-01-10T08:00:00.397-08:00SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizU3A3YZD8TSQxQhKx3tOkzVl_fGKsa7PCZ7vSe2wCziDTayOySy9mj1wlos90GR3DtnQ7n-koYs6udVgL8iokPuAilkiPsZDt1a2nqaL_k6o58S_RsABQuYZwRIMFfUbDywNP/s1600-h/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289165724725929538" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 218px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizU3A3YZD8TSQxQhKx3tOkzVl_fGKsa7PCZ7vSe2wCziDTayOySy9mj1wlos90GR3DtnQ7n-koYs6udVgL8iokPuAilkiPsZDt1a2nqaL_k6o58S_RsABQuYZwRIMFfUbDywNP/s320/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE was nothing like I expected. I guess I didn't know what to expect. I only went to see it because of the rave reviews. The title did not entice me in the least, but it got two thumbs up, and is getting Oscar buzz.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">I'm not going to comment on the plot at all, but I will say (and this might be a SPOILER) it had the most feel-good ending of any movie I've ever seen. When it was over, I wanted to stand up and cheer. I did applaud.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Enough said. Go see it.</span>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-25266054797448686382009-01-08T21:07:00.000-08:002009-01-08T22:33:11.738-08:00CHANGELING<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyBeoQeNu5QhP8jKRZAmgpjv2JyeO1ep-wibz-5lwkRx097i9t5XLBsi6pHkZX-tRjumQEF3xHEt2qDH0xKs2U6z1aCfLCccxJ0qlSwqJcnD44zY35fyqMO0ABd_fM2JEPRhl/s1600-h/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289156403181919170" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 218px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyBeoQeNu5QhP8jKRZAmgpjv2JyeO1ep-wibz-5lwkRx097i9t5XLBsi6pHkZX-tRjumQEF3xHEt2qDH0xKs2U6z1aCfLCccxJ0qlSwqJcnD44zY35fyqMO0ABd_fM2JEPRhl/s320/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:arial;">I took time off from writing over the holidays to catch up on some of the great movies that are out. I love going to the movies, the whole idea of going to the theater, buying the popcorn, and settling into that cushy stadium seating. I guess that comes from living in Los Angeles, the company town of movies, where going to the cinema was always an EVENT. It's what I miss most about living there. (Besides the beach, of course.)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I usually go to the first showing of the day when there is almost no one else in the theater. Often I have the whole place to myself, and they run the movie just for me. I love it!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">The first film I went to see was CHANGELING, a movie not to be missed. Intense and dramatic, yes. Compelling story, yes. And based on a real event that took place in Wineville, California in the nineteen thirties. The events were so horrific, Wineville later changed its name to Mira Loma.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Angelina Jolie was fabulous as she is in everything. The wonderful John Malkovich, another of my favorite actors, is in it. So is Jeffrey Donovan, the cool, sexy star of TV's BURN NOTICE, but I have to say, after watching him for a season in BURN NOTICE, he didn't seem to fit the part he played in CHANGELING. I had a hard time taking him seriously in the role. </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">Jason Butler Harner played the killer and gave the most chilling performance, my choice for best actor in the film. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Clint Eastwood was the director so you know the film has depth.</span>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-81931640764682343352008-11-14T04:25:00.001-08:002008-11-14T07:25:24.813-08:00THE CHARMSTONE DREAM TEAM<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1GaeccfyeLyCehk2M4mF9WLx5Xrcbi21xCmhOPAUXyWMBSDAJrVAjysjLhd1KfR02npmhzCaUTQt5M76GSdsY-y8sq03jXiLwbxosLl1aX5SrGI9PUemLOk0H36J4lZnCVtK/s1600-h/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268494490527424930" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 218px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1GaeccfyeLyCehk2M4mF9WLx5Xrcbi21xCmhOPAUXyWMBSDAJrVAjysjLhd1KfR02npmhzCaUTQt5M76GSdsY-y8sq03jXiLwbxosLl1aX5SrGI9PUemLOk0H36J4lZnCVtK/s320/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">I'm here to tell you I have the best readers in the world!</span></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">I had a great time meeting Donna, Sherry and Sandy who came all the way from Pittsburgh to stop and say hello on their way to Monument Valley on the Navajo Indian Reservation. There were hugs and smiles all around as we settled in for a chat about THE CHARMSTONE and the book's very sexy hero Durango Yazzie. They loved him as much as I did, and were interested to know that last year he topped an Internet list of "Hero's to Die For."</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;">I suggested they stay at the San Juan Inn in Mexican Hat, Utah. That's usually where I stay when I go to the Navajo Reservation. It's on the San Juan River, a big river rafting site, and centrally located. And I meet the most interesting people when I go there. (Hi Carol and Lawrence.)</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;">So, </span><span style="font-family:arial;">I signed the Dream Team's copies of THE CHARMSTONE, and my new one, RUNNING FROM STRANGERS, which they tell me they'd pre-ordered before it was released. We laughed a lot, took pictures, and had a great time.</span></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;">Thanks, ladies. You're the best! Really!</span></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-81256109778231424932008-10-29T08:03:00.000-07:002008-10-29T08:08:44.026-07:002008-2009 SIGNING SCHEDULE<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQS6zeVWo7EFB3NPUU_TsmyO32HUkNlZ2sVyjWZyuW4OtIvQ3K56g5aHjdR_SwHkfAzsAwcN96BGR4lOQGAtu82DiAvP81MU1CcEiN3vtcJrkahZY9pmDp-CuVvM7A-K_Kv6_/s1600-h/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262591896525530690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 218px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQS6zeVWo7EFB3NPUU_TsmyO32HUkNlZ2sVyjWZyuW4OtIvQ3K56g5aHjdR_SwHkfAzsAwcN96BGR4lOQGAtu82DiAvP81MU1CcEiN3vtcJrkahZY9pmDp-CuVvM7A-K_Kv6_/s320/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>2008 SIGNING SCHEDULE<br /><br /><br />November 15 – Fall Writer’s Workshop panel – TBA<br /><br />November 21 – Sedona Public Library, Sedona, AZ – 6 pm<br /><br />November 22 – Gilbert Library author’s panel, Gilbert, AZ – 1-4 pm<br /><br /><br />December 3 – Barnes & Noble, Kierland Commons, Scottsdale – 7 pm<br /><br />December 6 – Borders , Mesa – 2 pm<br /><br />December 8 thru 10 – Arizona Library Association conference, Phoenix<br /><br /><br />2009 SIGNING SCHEDULE<br /><br />January 7 – Anthem Library<br /><br />January 12 – Anthem Book Club<br /><br /><br />March 14 & 15 – Tucson Book Festival<br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>More to come</div>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-77527246290592840872008-08-10T09:15:00.001-07:002008-08-10T10:02:47.271-07:002008 OLYMPIC OPENING CEREMONIES<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9jYFmkAARvZSkIDx5luBOcGwTRCRiCRtrJm8t2oXnN_b-KqH4t3yEvYo2PpNAMf6KBA2cE8ssIenKuegR5ftiIa15OnbE9-T_Q-N2FlyNxzkcu-jNcX7rqakFQWzoUp4z4Ms/s1600-h/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232923626593530562" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9jYFmkAARvZSkIDx5luBOcGwTRCRiCRtrJm8t2oXnN_b-KqH4t3yEvYo2PpNAMf6KBA2cE8ssIenKuegR5ftiIa15OnbE9-T_Q-N2FlyNxzkcu-jNcX7rqakFQWzoUp4z4Ms/s320/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Almost everyone I know is talking about it - that powerful Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing. Wasn't it amazing? I don't know which part I liked best - the fireworks footprints walking to the Bird's Nest Stadium, the 2000 ancient drum percussion light show, the calligraphy dancers, the dancers with the electric suits, or the airwalkers around the globe! </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">My daughter called me first thing the next morning to talk about it. I'm STILL thinking about it. Thankfully she Tivoed it so we can watch it again.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">I love to see the athletes march in, too, with their big smiles, their eyes sparkling with excitment and anticipation, their spirits so full of hope. And I'm always amazed to see countries I never knew existed. I swear they didn't exist the last Olympics. I guess I have to study up on my world geography.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">And aren't those athletes good looking? Every one of them is absolutely gorgeous. That really speaks to the benefits of a healthy lifestyle of exercise and eating well. There's a special place in my heart for those little countries who only send one or two athletes. I always hope they do well.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">I make a point to try to watch the events people don't normally pay attention to. I watched the women's fencing - wow! that sabre event was fast and exciting. I watched the rowing, the badminton, the women's beach volleyball - they said that last one is one of the most watched sports. And I know I won't get through this Olympics without shedding some tears. There are always so many inspiring moments, I can't help but well up.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">But I'm really torn with indecision. I'm addicted to the Olympics and suffer withdrawal when it's over. I like to watch everything. But I also have a book to finish. I'm so close to the end, I don't want to lose my momentum. And people are waiting for it. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">But, well, there's gymnastics and bicycle road racing today. And, oh yeah, water polo, so I think I'll just check my email and start those last three chapters tomorrow.</span>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-65260749537652724082008-08-04T06:16:00.000-07:002008-08-04T06:16:00.891-07:00Fresh Fiction Blog<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyeW66Q0Cs_GVnOolw_8c8r07vaSmQVNfzrpB0UZHXPwG8UF1-N3D2rWS4f6g4E1CZKwXBlgfR5btYbJAdtepEHdPNQZQDXwjDlFDTiP8joT6AtZ51dbAgpjBBRIwtDF8Fdtd/s1600-h/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228487794327386546" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyeW66Q0Cs_GVnOolw_8c8r07vaSmQVNfzrpB0UZHXPwG8UF1-N3D2rWS4f6g4E1CZKwXBlgfR5btYbJAdtepEHdPNQZQDXwjDlFDTiP8joT6AtZ51dbAgpjBBRIwtDF8Fdtd/s320/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I was recently invited to blog on the fabulous Fresh Fiction website. My comments are reprinted below:</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><br />STRONG WOMEN<br /><br />I admire strong women, don’t you? I’m not talking about famous women who have made important world changing contributions to science, literature, medicine or other areas of our culture. I’m talking about the young women of today who set goals, plan their lives, and make intelligent decisions for themselves. Women like Amanda, Tricia and Melissa, the three college students who were with me on the Navajo Indian Reservation as VISTA volunteers. They were smart and sharp, knew what they wanted, and deliberately set out to get it.<br /><br /><br />But I’m also talking about fictional women. My favorite is Scarlett O’Hara. I read GONE WITH THE WIND scads of years ago, but I will never forget the feeling of empowerment that came over me when time after time, Scarlett stood firm and met seemingly impossible challenges while everyone around her was going to pieces. Remember when she stood in that weather-ravaged potato field swearing she would never go hungry again? It gives me a thrill even now.<br /><br /><br />And I loved all the fictional heroines of those wonderful gothic novels of the seventies written by fabulous authors like Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart, Norah Lofts, and Phyllis Whitney. When the women in their stories heard all those creepy noises and thumpy bumps in the attic, did they slam the door and run away? NO! They went up that creaky staircase to check it out! I loved that! People joke about it, call those women TSTL (to stupid to live), but I thought then and I think now it took guts to do that. To me, courage is being afraid but doing it anyway.<br />I’m also talking about the women in my books who I hope readers find inspiring in the courage they show over the course of their story.<br /><br /><br />In THE CHARMSTONE, set in Monument Valley on the Navajo Indian Reservation, Amanda Bell leaves the comfort zone of her ordinary life in Beverly Hills when she is called upon to travel to a place she’s never been, and where she didn’t know anyone in order to fulfill her estranged father’s last wish. When she arrived in Monument Valley on the Navajo Indian Reservation, a place as foreign to her as if it were in another country, she felt uncertain, out of place, and, yes, afraid. Over the course of the story, she made mistakes that she learned from, overcame doubts and fears, faced mysterious threats, and despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles, persevered.<br /><br /><br />In RUNNING FROM STRANGERS (due out from Five Star in September), child advocate Allie Hudson finds herself running for her life with a child in her care. She raced across the country to the only person she could trust, hoping he’d forgive her for leaving him practically at the altar. Once there, she endured scorn, uncertainty, rejection, and danger, but she never backed down. She had a child to protect.<br /><br /><br />In SAGE CANE’S HOUSE OF GRACE AND FAVOR (written as Christy Hubbard, scheduled for release in July 2009 from Five Star), lack of finances propelled Sage Cane, a prim and proper city woman, to relocate to a rough and rugged mining town in a remote area of the Rocky Mountains. She had to learn to survive in a whole new — and to her, impossible — environment. It wasn’t easy, but she found a way to empower herself and the other women in town, and together they turned the entire place on its collective ear. Sort of Girl power in the Old West!<br /><br /><br />Before beginning that book, I did a lot of research on women who traveled into the historic frontier, and I am in awe of them for the colossal courage they showed in going to a place that was not only new and strange, but dangerous too. Sage Cane is my tribute to them.<br /><br /><br />Who are some of the strong women you admire, fictional or otherwise?C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-43699549267964257942008-07-29T09:40:00.001-07:002008-07-29T10:14:48.884-07:00SECRETS WORTH KILLING FOR<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJMHLHsx50XuAxe0B5Y7eJyj0tvHKSUmQBfcUVSOboMXnTp9QjR_QQthyphenhyphenHBTK5L4e0YLwDiv2CheI2aI_3boZDWh3WE6m2-ml1PNwnJKFpVwugf7jpgQ8O-oSvN2oy7Whd5_c/s1600-h/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228477061971507762" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJMHLHsx50XuAxe0B5Y7eJyj0tvHKSUmQBfcUVSOboMXnTp9QjR_QQthyphenhyphenHBTK5L4e0YLwDiv2CheI2aI_3boZDWh3WE6m2-ml1PNwnJKFpVwugf7jpgQ8O-oSvN2oy7Whd5_c/s320/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:arial;">I've been absent from my blog for so long because I've been buried in a work in progress. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I'm back to Monument Valley on the Navajo Indian Reservation in this story. This time my heroine Keegan Thomas is searching for people in an old photograph. She's a journalist and thought it would be interesting to find these people and interview them for a magazine article.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Well, it got interesting all right. She discovered secrets that had been buried for over fifty years. </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">Shocking secrets. </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">Dangerous secrets. Secrets </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">worth killing for. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">I'm almost finished. I've outlined the last three chapters, I know what's going to happen and who did what and why, but I've taken a few weeks off to let the story settle in. The ending is going to be action packed, so I need to work out the details and let them fall into place in my mind. When the final scenes are bursting out of my head, I'll sit down and put them on paper. It will only be a few more days. I still have some research to do.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">I'd like to tell more about the story, but it's so tightly plotted almost anything I say will be a spoiler. But I think you'll like this book as well as you all liked THE CHARMSTONE.</span>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-56209009497757988392008-07-29T09:04:00.000-07:002008-07-29T15:54:20.048-07:00CHARMSTONE'S A WINNER!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCbDzHQ7FBub87kb5fx2FAKZ2QIq9HRquUrOaAn7bmWpxygChCxvu2NSAcMixVSoXMyVeptVA0qv7cWgM4Yv5reAHscIVwGDmJmCBzDHOvfoYx9hOcMeXACgIe091hzNmnkqi/s1600-h/CHARMSTONE+cover+001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228468011706210690" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCbDzHQ7FBub87kb5fx2FAKZ2QIq9HRquUrOaAn7bmWpxygChCxvu2NSAcMixVSoXMyVeptVA0qv7cWgM4Yv5reAHscIVwGDmJmCBzDHOvfoYx9hOcMeXACgIe091hzNmnkqi/s320/CHARMSTONE+cover+001.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Well, so much for my New Year's resolution to keep up my blog! I haven't checked in since January. </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">But THE CHARMSTONE has won some awards so I'd like to brag a little, if that's okay.</span><br /><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:Arial;">2008 Desert Rost RWA Golden Quill - DOUBLE WINNER! Best First Novel and Best Romantic Suspense</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;">2008 Colorado Award of Excellence - FINALIST!</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;">I was so pleased and surprised to be honored with these awards. Thank you, judges. </span></p><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#ff0000;"><em></em></span></p><p></p><p></p><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#ff0000;"><em></em></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#ff0000;"><em></em></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#ff0000;"><em></em></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#ff0000;"><em></em></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#ff0000;"><em></em></span></p><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#ff0000;"><em>New in my music collection:</em></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><em>Back to Black</em> by Amy Winehouse</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><em>Debussy Nocturnes</em> by the London Symphony Orchestra</span></p>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-50461274256082616702008-01-13T12:17:00.000-08:002008-01-13T12:35:05.621-08:00Interview at Poe's Deadly Daughters Blog<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1hq4JdCweVjz6chV0sJgyRldkJw8W-Re36Z1gYyC0GQg2pKZCaXDMujP_PTrtih-J72XSKLvQAbZe9y0TaMv566cboT8oQQdZ0D_QEg4ddWzaeEE_CWgezR2bisP7uxSUNh5/s1600-h/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155057942126170162" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1hq4JdCweVjz6chV0sJgyRldkJw8W-Re36Z1gYyC0GQg2pKZCaXDMujP_PTrtih-J72XSKLvQAbZe9y0TaMv566cboT8oQQdZ0D_QEg4ddWzaeEE_CWgezR2bisP7uxSUNh5/s320/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />I was recently interviewed by Sandra Parshall for her 1/09/08 blog at Poe's Deadly Daughters. Sandra is the author of a fabulous book called, "The Heat of the Moon." With permission, I've reproduced the interview below.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Writers use pseudonyms for many reasons. Would you mind telling us why you chose not to use your real name for fiction writing?</strong><br /><br />I decided to use a pseudonym because I didn’t want my real name all over the Internet, and my reason for that would make a good plot for a suspense novel (which I will write some day.) But it’s nearly impossible to remain anonymous in this day and age, and within a month of my book’s release, a writer friend mentioned me in her blog using my real name as well as my writing name. There were some consequences as a result of that which, so far, and happily, were minor and quickly resolved. But C. C. Harrison is a registered legal trade name and I think it looks great on a book cover.<br /><br />The down side of using a pseudonym is that friends and family don’t know what to call you. My daughter now introduces me as C. C. Harrison.<br /><br /><strong>Romantic suspense is perennially popular, drawing readers of both mystery and romance. Did commercial prospects play a role in your choice to write in this subgenre, or are you simply writing what you love to read?<br /></strong><br />Basically, I’m writing what I love to read. When I was young, I loved the early romance novels full of mystery and intrigue by Phyllis Whitney, Victoria Holt, Norah Lofts, Mary Stewart. By the time I began writing my first novel, that style of romance was long, long out of fashion. But I’m greatly influenced by them, and by Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind.” Today, the female leads in those books are seen as weepy, wimpy and naïve, but I saw them as courageous. Courage is being afraid but doing it anyway. In every story, the heroine was thrown into unfamiliar circumstances to face mysterious and unpredictable events that were out of her control, but she always found a way to survive. And isn’t that what romantic suspense is today? Despite Scarlett O’Hara’s flaws and weaknesses in some areas of her life, I thought she was a kick-butt, take-charge survivor.<br /><br /><strong>You teach a workshop titled "Are You a Plotter or a Pantser?" Which are you? How did The Charmstone develop?</strong><br /><br />Oh, I’m a plotter, compulsively so! I need to know where I’m going. I don’t even leave my house without a map, and if I’m going over 100 miles, I need a Triptik!<br /><br />Seriously, I’ve always been interested in the process of writing a book, how novelists actually did it. I’d been widely published in nonfiction, but that was easy. I just took information someone gave me, did a little more research, and wrote an article. Fiction was something else. I truly thought there was only ONE way to write a novel, and I needed to find out what that one way was. I’m embarrassed to admit that misperception blocked me for a long time. At the time, I didn’t have any writer friends, didn’t belong to any writers groups, so had no one to ask. Joining an RWA chapter opened up a whole new world when I learned that every author had a different way of putting a book together, and that they pretty much made up their own process.<br /><br />My workshop on Plotters or Pantsers is geared to beginning and early career writers who may be struggling with finding a process that works for them. I talk about the many different ways published authors actually put a book together. It’s about process, not technique.<br /><br />THE CHARMSTONE developed out of my experiences living in Monument Valley on the Navajo Indian Reservation as a VISTA (now called AmeriCorps) volunteer. That was truly a life changing experience for me, and the characters and plot just sort of came together. I knew a week after I arrived on the reservation that I was going to write a book set there and pretty much what the main plot points would be. I didn’t begin the actual writing until some time later, when my assignment was over. After I left the reservation, I worked on an archaeological dig at an ancient Anasazi site (which gave me more plot ideas), bought a house in the Four Corners area and lived there for a few years. During that time I drafted three novels, one of which was THE CHARMSTONE.<br /><br /><strong>You've written many short stories, but was The Charmstone the first novel you attempted? How long did it take you to write it, from idea to finished book? Would you tell us about your road to publication, once you had a completed manuscript?<br /></strong><br />THE CHARMSTONE was my first novel. (Okay, I’ll admit I do have one in the closet that hasn’t seen the light of day, but I plan to resurrect it at some point.) The road to publication for THE CHARMSTONE was quite circuitous involving multiple lost or misplaced submissions, a change of acquiring editors, you know, the usual. But it all worked out for the best in the end because I used the time when nothing seemed to be happening to tweak it into a better book, and outline or draft two others. Life is what you make of it and things always happen in their own time.<br /><br /><strong>Both The Charmstone and your second book have Navajo characters and provide a look at life on the Navajo Reservation in Monument Valley. How were you received by the residents when you visited the reservation to do research? Has anyone there read your first book and commented on your portrayal of Navajo life? What advice would you offer to other authors who want to write about cultures not their own?<br /></strong><br />Actually my second book, RUNNING FROM STRANGERS due out in September 2008 from Five Star, doesn’t have Navajo characters, but the story is set in Durango, Colorado which is in the Four Corners area just off The Rez. It’s the story of a child advocate who finds herself on a run for her life with a child in her care.<br /><br />My work in progress, working title NAVAJO GIRL GONE, takes the reader back to the Navajo Reservation with heroine Keegan Thomas as she searches for people in a fifty year old photograph, one of them a child who she’s told was kidnapped by missionaries and never returned. In the book, she meets a lot of resistance from the Navajos for poking around in the past. They tell her that people who dig up the past end up digging their own grave.<br /><br />However, in reality, the Navajos are at heart very hospitable people. When I first went to the reservation as a VISTA volunteer, I think they were a bit leery of me, because historically, the intent of some of the white people who came to the reservation was to exploit the Indians despite their promises of help. In the end, I made some wonderful friendships that have survived over time, and I go back to Monument Valley often. And, yes, my book has been very well received there; at least I haven’t heard any complaints so I guess I got it right. My biggest fear was not getting the culture and history correct.<br /><br />I think it’s very difficult for authors to write about a culture not their own, and the only way they can do it and get it right is to live it. I could never have written about life on the Navajo Reservation if I hadn’t actually lived there and interacted with people on a daily basis. Even so, I have to spend a lot of time on research.<br /><br /><strong>Your second book was inspired by your experiences as a CASA (court-appointed special advocate) in the child welfare system. To an onlooker, this kind of work looks emotionally draining, but it must have rewards for those who do it. What have you learned from working with underprivileged and abused children? Have you seen many positive results of your work?<br /></strong><br />For me, being a child advocate was extremely emotionally draining. I had to limit the kinds of cases I worked on. I wouldn’t take any case that involved child sexual abuse of any kind. What did I learn by working in the child welfare system? Nothing good. It’s shocking and unbelievable what people do to their children. Looking back, I guess I could say there were a few moments of joy and reward, but only a few. Lack of money, staff, and effective management are huge problems in most child welfare systems.<br /><br /><strong>Has being a published novelist changed your life? Did you know what to expect, or have you had some surprises (good and bad) along the way?<br /></strong><br />No surprises, not really. It’s pretty much what I expected. The biggest change it’s made in my life is I can’t go to the supermarket in sweats and grubbies anymore. I have to dress halfway decent because people in my community now know who I am and recognize me from signings and seeing my picture in the paper. Basically, I’m living the kind of life I’d always hoped to live - a published author, living alone, secluded, surrounded by my books and papers, writing more novels.<br /><br /><strong>Your second book has the same setting as the first, but the two aren't part of a series. Do you think you'll write a series in the future, or do you have more fun with stand-alone novels?<br /></strong><br />Every book I write I think I want to be part of a series because I fall in love with all my characters and don’t want to let them go. So far, instead of writing a true series, I try to bring a few characters from previous books into my new books. In the book I’m working on now, I brought in at least one character from RUNNING FROM STRANGERS. The next book after that will be set on the Navajo Reservation and I plan to bring in several characters from THE CHARMSTONE.<br /><br /><strong>Do you plan to attend any mystery conferences in 2008 where readers can meet you?</strong><br /><br />I don’t have as much time for conferences anymore, but I will be at the Desert Rose RWA Desert Dreams Conference in Phoenix on April 4-6, 2008, and also RWA National in July. So please everyone, I’m very approachable. It’s okay to stop me to say hello. Also, check out my website at <a href="http://www.ccharrison-author.com/">http://www.ccharrison-author.com/</a> and read my blog for news and updates.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">New to my music collection:</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><em>All the Lost Souls</em> - James Blunt</span>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-74271526315722942882008-01-06T17:11:00.000-08:002008-01-06T17:39:43.702-08:00Amazon Reviews<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIOlMX9mEj3R3dYwYfs5T85V2Z1mj5qdqNVlhetErSwpYaYDjD4YslbkwtsE5JitiQFZYby3APqQaG_UoTpOCXFN2zg0nXVvY7cx-FPdyia_HiibQKRTF_toGWfHRpL4kFZqId/s1600-h/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152539132785627154" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIOlMX9mEj3R3dYwYfs5T85V2Z1mj5qdqNVlhetErSwpYaYDjD4YslbkwtsE5JitiQFZYby3APqQaG_UoTpOCXFN2zg0nXVvY7cx-FPdyia_HiibQKRTF_toGWfHRpL4kFZqId/s320/CC+Harrison+Publicity+shot+001.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">There was a lively discussion on the Five Star Authors email list recently about reviews posted on Amazon.com. How helpful they are, how accurate, how fair, and whether or not Amazon reviews influence readers to buy. I think Amazon reviews influence most reader buying decisions, but they are helpful to me in another way.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;">Here's how I use Amazon reviews:</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;">I never (hardly ever) buy a book based on good reviews. (Book covers don't persuade me to pick up a book either, but I know I'm in the minority on that.) I buy a book based on the summary of the story. If it sounds like something I'm interested in, I buy the book.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;">Then I go to Amazon for the reviews, BUT I read the one and two star reviews first. Why? Because I want to see if they are constructive reviews or merely general bashing. I ignore bashing. Then I browse the positive reviews. After that I read the book.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;">If I find myself losing interest in the book, or not liking it for whatever reason, I go back to the Amazon reviews and read them again. If the reason I am not liking the book is mentioned by at least one other reviewer, I usually don't finish the book. (If it's not, I give the book another chance and read more to see if it eventually engages me.) The reason for that is because I have more books in my bookcase, on my "to be read pile", and on my Amazon Wish List than I have time left on this earth to read them. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;">This wasn't always the case. I used to read every single word of a book out of respect for the author's hard work and effort. Then I amended that to reading at least the first 50 pages before giving up on it. Now I don't waste time plowing through any book that isn't holding my interest.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;">Here are some of the really good books I've read lately:</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"><em>The Heat of the Moon</em> by Sandra Parshall</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"><em>Half Broken Things</em> by Morag Joss</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"><em>Beautiful Lies</em> by Lisa Unger</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div></div>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28039075.post-60428295262280398212007-12-22T06:43:00.000-08:002007-12-22T07:08:24.181-08:00JANUARY 2008 SIGNINGS AND EVENTS<span style="color:#ff0000;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkXjEKmJxQyDQtfWjdFoyXYfuhv03NIB9VYCnl0VfK2Zgaf7rDone_vzmprEP-rHtW1cwkzaSZ6L8biV3GwNtdzfoYdfJNZfaDKGOULCcojv6RNArytUaX_GmHTgqhdRokMye/s1600-h/CHARMSTONE+cover+001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146811901270593490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkXjEKmJxQyDQtfWjdFoyXYfuhv03NIB9VYCnl0VfK2Zgaf7rDone_vzmprEP-rHtW1cwkzaSZ6L8biV3GwNtdzfoYdfJNZfaDKGOULCcojv6RNArytUaX_GmHTgqhdRokMye/s320/CHARMSTONE+cover+001.JPG" border="0" /></a> <strong><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><em>JANUARY 2008 SCHEDULE</em></span></strong><br /><br /><p><em>1/18/08 - BOOKMASTER, 2929 N. Scottsdale Rd, 10 am - 2 pm</em></p><p>This is a mulit-author signing, KOOL-FM will be broadcasting a remote from the location during the event.</p><p><em>1/23/08 - WORKSHOP - North Valley Library, Anthem - 7 pm</em></p><p>I'll be doing a mini-workshop called, "Are You a Plotter or a Pantser?" Do you plot your book or write it by the seat-of-your-pants? Do you outline your story or just sit down and start typing? What's the best way to write a novel? I'll talk about the advantages and pitfalls of either technique, and give some hints on how to make each method work for you, including 3 Basic Outline Formats, 7 Things Pantsers Must Do, 8 Things Plotters Must do, and What Other Authors Do.</p><p></p>C.C. Harrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08612963295091839658noreply@blogger.com1