Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
It’s the question I get asked the most. I generally tell people that I pick them up from WalMart on the clearance rack. But because it’s Christmas, because I hear that there’s a red-suited guy, (who by the way could use a membership to Weight Watchers) a man they claim knows if I’ve been naughty or nice and who they say can see me while I’m sleeping, (and that scares me a little) well, for that reason, I’m gonna tell the truth. And the truth is . . . I don’t have a freaking clue where those suckers come from. I’m just glad they come.
Sometimes they strike me when I’m in the shower. Why, just this morning, belting out tunes of Jingle Bells and lathered up with some soap that promised to reduce cellulite, I was blessed with an idea. A woman’s male poodle has been possessed by her ex boyfriend’s ghost who died from embarrassment when he got caught trying on the girlfriend’s panties. The heroine’s best friend is a pet psychic, who has an English Mastiff who pines after the heroine’s poodle. (Hey, I didn’t say all the shower ideas were usable. Sometimes they hold a kernel of a decent plot, other times they need to be spritzed with anti-bacterial soap and washed down the drain. Quickly.)
Occasionally, I believe that ideas are gifts received by those who are nicer than naughty. Which is why I went to see Santa at the mall and explained that the police did eventually drop those charges against me. The effort was worth the embarrassment. I mean, how neat would it be to wake up Christmas morning to find a New-York Times best-selling plot under the tree all wrapped up with a bow around it.
Only problem with my trip to see Santa was after I sat in the Jolly ol’ Soul’s lap explaining how I came to be crouched down in the middle of Pizza Hut, on a bad hair day, with thousands of dollars scattered around me, the would-be Santa suspiciously started looking less like Saint Nick and more something that should be chewing on some hey. But just in case plots could be delivered under the tree by a cow-impersonating Santa, I left my change of address and told him my name was Nora Roberts. Hey…she has to get those ideas some where.
However, digging deeper into my well of knowledge (which is sometimes pretty shallow) I decided ideas come from a writer’s paradigm. Sure, these stories can be sparked from a good-looking meter reader, who I’m sure is really a guy in the Witness Protective Program, to an article on the mating rituals of Black Widows—I always like a hero who attempts to beat the odds. But what makes my ideas unique is the way I view the world. And I guess that has a lot to do with the way I was raised to view the world.
And how was I raised? Well, besides just being down-right southern, meaning that I ate food that they now swear will kill you, ran barefoot during the day and caught lightening bugs in the night, I was reared by parents who looked at life a little differently. When my mother accidentally stole that car, or lost her teeth during her flight with Continental Airlines, and when my father accidentally built a bomb, we simply put on our humor glasses and got through the situations.
So my own paradigm leads me to write books that are little quirky with characters who find themselves in wacky situations—a lot like my parents and duh, even myself. And while I don’t exactly know where my ideas come from, I’m waiting for them to show up in the shower, bacterial soap in hand. I’ll be eager to see what presents arrive under my tree. And don’t worry, if one arrives with Nora’s name on it, I’ll do the right thing and return it…a beautifully ribbon-wrapped plot about a heroine and her possessed, cross-dressing male poodle. And oh heck, just in case, I’ll give those clearance racks at WalMart a good going over.
Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy my humorous stories of romance and suspense. Divorced, Desperate and Delicious, my first single title, has gotten rave reviews and has even been taken back for another printing. I feel a bit like Sally Field in her Oscar speech, “They like me, they really, really like me.”
My second book, Wedding Can Be Murder, will be out in June of 08. In December of 08, I’ve got the sister book to DDD, which is titled, Divorced, Desperate and Dating.
And because I love to hear from readers, I’m offering a prize of a Christie Craig Sexy, Suspenseful & Seriously Funny T-shirt, to one lucky poster on this blog. So go ahead, leave me a comment, ask me a question, or tell me about some of your wacky situations you’ve found yourself in. Hey, I could always use them in my next plot.
Thanks…and I hope everyone has a very merry holiday.
Christie Craig
Hey, Christie!
I thought about you when I was in WalMart this morning. Just where do I find those ideas? Seasonal items? LOL.
Great blog, girl. And congrats on hitting bookscan for your third week in a row!!
Faye
Christie,
Great post!!! Personally I think someone should invent a waterproof notebook for writers to take into the shower!
Congrats on the wonderful news about DDD!
CJ
LOL, Christie! I’m beginning to thing there was something more than cellulite reducer in those soap bubbles!
Hi Colleen,
Yep, there may have been some mint in the soap bubbles. Mint does some strange things to me.
Thanks for posting girl.
CC
Faye,
You have to find the clearance racks. They ususally hide them somewhere way in the back.
Thanks for posting.
CC
CJ,
I agree, we need something in that shower, because every now and then an idea will hit that is a keeper.
And thanks for the congrats. I’m seriously dancing on clouds of excitement about the book.
CC
Your ideas are unique and special. Congratulations on your ddd and your new release. All look appealing and the cover artwork is striking. Love the dog in the cover photo on the new release. Looks like my Maltese, Guido.
Just keep getting those ideas from somewhere. I love reading them!
A possessed poodle and a pining English Mastiff? If anyone could make it work, you could! =)
Pearl,
Thank you, Pearl. It is a Maltese on the cover of Weddings.
Hope you have a happy holiday.
CC
Estella,
Thank you for stopping by. I will keep those quirky stories coming.
Have a great holiday, girl.
CC
Hi Christie,
I enjoyed your post and I ran barefoot in the summer and caught fireflies but am from the north.
Tera,
Thanks for stopping by. Hmm…I’ll have to give that plot a another lap around my brain. Who knows….
Happy Holidays.
CC
Thanks, Maureen,
Fireflies. . . lightening bugs. Same insect different name. Did you put them in jars and watch them glow?
Ahh, I still love to run around barefoot.
Hope your holiday is filled with lots of laughter and love.
CC
Christie, your post made me laugh! Thanks for sharing a little of the “behind the scenes” for us! Your books are new to me, but now I’m intrigued and will put them on my Christmas list!
Thanks for taking the time to blog today! And congrats on your recent successes! What a thrill!
Fedora,
Thanks so much for posting.
I hope to hear from you when you read DD&D.
Have a great Christmas!!
CC
LOL, terrific post!! I haven’t read your book yet, but I’m putting it on my list…it’s gotta be a hoot!! LOL, I was ALWAYS barefoot in the summer (sometimes in the winter, but I DO live in KY) and we caught lightening bugs around here. I don’t even think I heard them called fireflies until I was an adult, lol.
Merry Christmas!!
Wedding Can Be Murder… the cover is just beautiful!!
Melissa,
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you will ask Santa for DD&D for Christmas. And I hope it brings you a lot of laughter. I hadn’t heard lightening bugs called fireflies until I was grown either. But here’s to going barefoot and catching those bright little bugs.
Merry Christmas.
CC
Lily,
I’m glad you like my new cover. I do like it, but I’m not certain it’s quite as eye catching as DD&D.
Thanks for stopping by.
CC
I have to say I don’t really like your DD&D cover… The protuberances are just too much for me 😉
Hi Christie,
I have never read any of your books… but I have to say I am intrigued!!
Thanks for blogging!
Lily,
About my cover. My husband says there’s enough room in that there cleavage to drive a eighteen wheeler through it without scraping the sides.
Thanks for posting girl!
CC
Hi Maggie,
Thank you so much for posting girl. I hope you’ll pick up one of my books and continue to be intrigued.
Happy Holidays,
CC