Back in the USA!

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Lori Crane

Hi everyone! I’ve miss you all so much and will hop around the next week and catch up. I have been working out of town for the last eight weeks and completely out of the country for the last five. I have one thing to say about the experience: Satellite Internet is for the birds!

So, now that I’m back, here are the highlights from my last eight weeks: I’ve been working on a ship and going back and forth to Bermuda which is a lovely place. I passed the Statue of Liberty a dozen times. I watched 4th of July fireworks from a UK territory (Thought that was funny!). I had chefs and housekeepers take care of me so much that I admit I’m lazy now and a few pounds heavier. I missed my pets and my trophy hubby more than words can say. I met amazing people from all over the world and now have new and fabulous friends who have invited me to wonderful places like Honolulu and Barcelona. I lost my luggage only once (Deltas fault, not mine). In my downtime, which was constant, I finished the rough draft of my next novel “Elly Hays” and hope to release it in October.

That’s about it. Here are photos:

Oh, look, there’s the Statue of Liberty…again

My floating office

Bermuda’s Horseshoe Bay

I visited a lot of historical sites. This is St. Peter’s Church in St. George, Bermuda. It was built in 1602.

…and the Maritime Museum at Heritage Wharf. Those stone walls don’t look that big, but they were over 20 feet high.

My job

My desk

Wednesday Writer’s Corner – Book Release Day Ugh

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Lori Crane

You know what’s really strange? The feeling you get on release day.

One would think that after the effort and confusion of toiling over a story line, endless months of rewrites and revisions, editing, doubting everything including your writing abilities, correcting, changing, seeing all the red marks on the editor’s copy, more revisions, and tons and tons or proofreading, that one would feel a huge sense of accomplishment and anticipation. If nothing else, just a sense of satisfaction or relief that the project is finished.

But no…

I always feel like I just sent my kindergartner off to her first day of class without her lunch. I know she’s going to get on the wrong bus, the teacher won’t like her, and she’ll be picked on by the other kids.

It’s not a good feeling.

That being said…here’s my new release. Sigh. Pout. Whine. Fingers crossed.

Also, today I’m leaving the country until August 1st – not because of the book – I actually have a job and am going to work. So, Stuckey, play nice with the other kids until I get home. I hope to see a good report card when I return.

“The Legend of Stuckey’s Bridge” is available in paperback and Kindle at Amazon HERE.

Here’s the video trailer:

Liebster Award

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Lori Crane

A big thank you to Denise Hammond for honoring me with the coveted Liebster Award. Check out her blog here. We met during the April A to Z Challenge. She blogs, she photographs, she travels…always new and awesome things on her blog…and she’s a fellow Michigander, so we share a deep love for Michigan weather. (That was sarcasm. Do we have a font for that?)

First thing is 11 unknown facts about me, then 11 questions posed by Denise, then my 11 nominees and the 11 questions I pose to them.

11 UNKNOWN THINGS ABOUT ME:

1. I’m a work-a-holic. (That may actually be known to many of you.)

2. I’m right-handed, but I play baseball left-handed.

3. I am a certified nutritionist and a personal trainer.

4. My favorite singer is Paul Rogers from Bad Company.

5. I’m a GREAT cook!

6. I’m an only child and an orphan.

7. I’ve spent approximately ¼ of my life on airplanes, in hotels, and on tour buses.

8. I’m an eternal optimist, unless I’m tired, then I’m sure the world will end in the next thirty minutes.

9. I couldn’t survive a day without creating something.

10. I’m a numbers freak.

11. Excedrin is my best friend.

11 QUESTIONS FROM DENISE:

1. If you could receive any award in the world, what would it be? Winning a Pulitzer would be nice, wouldn’t it?

2. If you could run for any election and win, what would you run for? I wouldn’t like to run for anything; the current political arena is far too nasty for me.

3. Assuming it is raining for days on end and you are stuck at home, what would you do to wile away the time? Sleep, work on my next novel, cook something, and play dumb games on the computer.

4. Describe yourself in one word. Tired…Oh, no, wait, you probably mean in general…Organized.

5. What is the most fun you have ever had? (keep it clean) In high school, our choir sang at Greenfield Village for a holiday function. When we finished, we spent the whole day running around, goofing off, and laughing like crazy. That was the silliest day ever!

6. What place to visit is number one on your bucket list? Egypt. I’d love to visit the pyramids.

7. What food is your ‘guilty pleasure’? It’s a toss-up between chocolate and bacon. Maybe chocolate covered bacon. Yum.

8. If you could be a character in someone’s novel, which author (living or dead) would you choose? E. B. White – I would love to be the spider in Charlotte’s Web. She was wise beyond her years and had the patience of a saint.

9. The beach or the mountains for vacation? I work a lot at resorts and on cruise ships, so MY vacation is definitely the mountains.

10. If you could own any car, what would you drive? A two-door black Jaguar with the little kitty emblem on the hood.

11. I stated in a previous blog that if I won the lottery I would buy an Aston Martin DB9 (I’m drooling right now). What would you ‘splurge’ on if you won the lottery? I’d hire a cook. I love fresh, homemade, wholesome food, but don’t always have the time to put it together.

MY 11 NOMINEES:

Author Angie Skelhorn

A Hundred Years Ago

Ellis Nelson

John W. Howell

11 QUESTIONS FOR THOSE WHO ACCEPT THIS AWARD:

1. If you could do anything right now, what would it be?

2. Why aren’t you doing it?

3. What’s your favorite band or favorite song?

4. Are you a people person?

5. What was your very first job?

6. Where was the best place you ever visited?

7. If they offered free trips to the moon, would you go?

8. PB&J or BLT?

9. What one thing reminds you of high school? (good or bad)

10. What will you be doing 20 years from now?

11. What do you hope will be mentioned in your eulogy?

“The Legend of Stuckey’s Bridge”

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Lori Crane

My new book “The Legend of Stuckey’s Bridge” is due to be released June 21, 2013. It will be available in paperback, Kindle, and Nook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online retailers. Here’s the hot-off-the-presses video trailer which will give you a shiver up your spine.

In 1901, the Virginia Bridge & Iron Company began re-building a fifty-year-old Mississippi bridge. In the middle of the project, they began discovering bodies buried on the banks of the river.

Legend has it, he was so evil, he was even thrown out of the notorious Dalton Gang. Years later, he opened an inn near the river, and on foggy nights, boatmen witnessed him pacing back and forth across the bridge, waving his lantern, offering travelers a hot meal and a soft bed.

Those unfortunate enough to take him up on the hospitality were often never seen again.

To this day, eerie experiences are still reported around the bridge that now bears his name. If you travel down to Stuckey’s Bridge, be careful, for not much else is known about the man locals refer to as Old Man Stuckey…until now.

Saturday Snippet – May 25, 2013

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Lori Crane

The following is a sneak peek from my new, soon-to-be-released book “The Legend of Stuckey’s Bridge.” It is a work of Historical Fiction, but as you’ll see in a moment, it could easily be classified as a Thriller.

Set up: 1900, a foggy night in Mississippi. Old Man Stuckey has opened an inn on the river, and when visitors are unfortunate enough to take him up on his offer of a hot meal and a soft bed, they are often never seen again. On this particular evening, there are two boys staying with him. They were passing through on their way home from selling a load of cotton downriver. They have a lot of money on them, and Old Man Stuckey would like to relieve them of it. They have retired for the night, and Old Man Stuckey has set out to find the loot. If they remain in their beds, it will be a simple task, but in Old Man Stuckey’s world, things are never quite so easy.

************************************************

He staggered down to the river to inspect the boat, carrying an ax in one hand and a lantern in the other. He realized as he walked that he may have consumed one too many swigs of whiskey, for he didn’t remember the path being this difficult to navigate, and he giggled to himself as he stumbled toward the bank. The cool mist of the fog felt good on his face, but the lack of visibility made him feel a little disoriented. He wasn’t sure if the feeling was caused by the fog or the whiskey.

He reached the river, placed the lamp on the ground next to the boat, and crawled aboard. He searched around the deck, under the seats, and down in the hole, but he found nothing.

“Damn. Why do they always keep the money on them?” he mumbled.

“Hey! What are you doing there?” called the skinny boy as he unexpectedly appeared and neared the boat.

“I was just making sure your boat was tied up securely.” The words ‘sure’ and ‘securely’ came out in a slur, but he ignored them as he climbed out of the boat, back onto the bank. He still held the rusty ax in his hand.

“Why do you need an ax to check on the boat?”

“Oh,” he looked down at the ax, “Just in case I run into something out in the woods. You can never be too careful out here, you know?”

“Don’t you have a gun?”

“Well, yes,” he said as he neared the boy, “But guns make noise.”

Before the boy had a chance to comprehend the meaning behind the words, he swung the ax high into the air and brought it down squarely on the boy’s head, splitting it like a watermelon. The boy collapsed into a mound at his feet, dragging the blade of the ax down with him. He tugged on the ax, trying to pull it free, but it wouldn’t dislodge. He pulled the handle again, but to no avail. He sighed in aggravation as he placed his muddy boot on the boy’s shoulder for leverage and yanked as hard as he could. It suddenly released with a slurping sound, sending him toppling backwards, nearly into the water.

When he regained his balance, he growled at the boy, “Why can’t you people just stay where you’re supposed to? Now, I’m going to have to walk all the way back to the barn to get the shovel to bury you—oh, and kill your freckled friend.”

He heard something rustle in the trees in front of him and looked up. He caught a glimpse of the freckled boy backing into the woods. The boy turned and ran.

“You aren’t going to make me chase you, are you, Freckles?”

***

The boy couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of him, but he ran as fast as he could, feeling tree branches whipping at his face. He tripped on a fallen log, lunged forward, and nearly hit a tree head-on, but he caught his balance with his hands on the large tree trunk. He swung around behind it, leaning his back into it. He put his hand to his mouth to quiet his panting and felt the stickiness of sap from the tree trunk. He tried to wipe it off his face with his other hand, but that one was full of sap, too. He breathed slowly through his nose and listened for his pursuer. He didn’t hear anything. He was shaking uncontrollably and couldn’t stop himself. He clenched his jaw so his teeth wouldn’t chatter. Maybe he had lost the murderer. Maybe he was dreaming. Maybe this was all a nightmare. Maybe he didn’t just witness an ax splitting his friend’s head wide open. He looked up into the black arms of the tree branches but couldn’t see anything but haunted shadows. He glanced around in every direction, not being able to see more than a few feet in front of him. Where should he go? He didn’t know where he was or how long he would have to run to find safety. The nearest person could be miles and miles away. He didn’t see any place to hide. He would have to keep running. Surely the man wouldn’t follow him all night. He just needed to stay in front of him. He held his breath and listened. He heard nothing. Which way? His breathing had begun to return to normal when suddenly a twig snapped loudly behind him. He gasped.

“You can’t hide forever, Freckles,” came a sing-song voice. “Come out and let’s talk about this.”

Run! He bolted in the direction opposite the voice, straight into the dense fog, running as fast as his feet would carry him. Vines and barbs grabbed at his legs and branches scratched his arms like the claws of an unknown creature trying to rip off small bits of his skin. He ignored them. Run faster!

He instantly stopped dead in his tracks as he felt an immense pain on his forehead, but he knew it couldn’t possibly be the ax of his pursuer. The murderer was way behind him. He reached up to his face and felt something metal—something with a wooden handle. What is this? The thick fog had severely limited his visibility. The sticky, warm wetness dripping into his eyes completely blinded him. He felt his face covered in warmth. Is this blood? He moved his hands over the object stuck in his forehead. A rake? Where did a rake come from? And how did it hit him squarely in the forehead? Confused, frightened, and in pain, he dropped to his knees, and an agonizing scream involuntarily escaped his lips as the long, wooden handle of the rake reached the ground before his knees did. The tines jerked upward, ripping off the top half of his scalp. The last thing he felt was the ax on the back of his head.

***********************************************

“The Legend of Stuckey’s Bridge” by Lori Crane

Available June 2013 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online retailers.

Wednesday Writer’s Corner – May 22, 2013

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Lori Crane

Wednesday Writer’s Corner has been cancelled for this week. I apologize for any inconvenience. 😛

It’s actually my editor’s fault, not that she edits my blogs, but my new book was supposed to go to her on June 10, and she had a sudden cancellation, so it’s going to her on May 30. You wouldn’t think eleven days would make that big a difference, but HOLY COW!

I’m also recording the voice-over for the video trailer tonight and taking everyone involved out for Mexican to celebrate.

Oh…here’s the cover, designed by my fabulous designer, who also happens to be my trophy husband. I ♥ it! I added the blurb in case you’d like to see what it’s about. So excited! Okay, enough playing around…BACK TO WORK! Wish me luck.

In 1901, the Virginia Bridge & Iron Company began re-building a fifty-year-old Mississippi bridge. In the middle of the project, they began discovering bodies buried on the banks of the river.

Those unfortunate enough to take him up on his hospitality were often never seen again.

“The Legend of Stuckey’s Bridge” coming June 2013 to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online retailers.

Saturday Snippet – May 18, 2013

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Lori Crane

Saturday Snippet – May 18, 2013

Writing an intense action scene with cowboys, a drunk man, and no offensive language was a challenge, but here it is. This is part of a scene from my book, “An Orphan’s Heart.”

Set up – Alabama 1875. Ellen has hitched a ride across the state with two moonshine-hauling wagons. The four men have been gentlemen for the previous five days, but tonight is a different story. Apparently Floyd has been sampling the product.

Cast of characters:

Ellen Rodgers – twenty-five-year-old girl who hitched a ride

Floyd – old wagon driver

Earl – cook

Buck – sharpshooter

Luke – Buck’s teenage son who drives the second wagon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What are you whishpering ovah there? Are you trying to keep that pretty little girl all to yourshelf?” Floyd has risen to his feet, with more than a little difficulty, and is staggering toward us. He stops for a moment in the middle of the campfire clearing, and guzzles from the jug, throwing his head all the way back. I think he may fall backward, and I wonder if he will break open his skull if that happens.

Earl doesn’t move from his spot next to me. He sits in a relaxed pose, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, with a half-whittled piece of wood in one hand and a knife in the other.

“That’s enough, Floyd! Go sleep it off.” His stern voice doesn’t match his calm body language, but when I see his eyes squinting in Floyd’s direction and his jaw throb with anger, I think Floyd should do as he is told.

“Don’t tell me what to do, Earl. I wanna talk to the pretty girl, too.”

I don’t move. I don’t even think I’m breathing. I have never seen a person in this condition before, and I’m not sure if he’s dangerous or if he’s going to fall down at any moment.

Earl slowly rises to his feet, moves in front of me, and lowers his voice. “You’re not going to do any such thing. The lady doesn’t need to speak with you when you’re drunk.”

Floyd wildly takes a swing at Earl and hits him right in the jaw, causing Earl to hit the ground with a thud. He is out cold. Luke throws his guitar down on the dirt, runs around the outside of the circle, and grabs for my hand, but Floyd beats him to it. Before I realize what is happening, Floyd spins me around and I find myself facing Luke, pinned in Floyd’s arms.

“That’sh better, pretty lady,” Floyd slobbers. The rancid odor of whiskey and rotting teeth invades my nostrils.

Luke freezes and pushes his hands toward the ground in an attempt to calm Floyd down. “Look, Floyd, you don’t want to do this.”

“How do you know what I wanna do?” He spits down my neck as he speaks, wobbling back and forth. The motion and the smell are making me sick to my stomach.

Luke looks past me, over my shoulder. He nods, then there is a sudden noise behind me. When Floyd turns toward the noise, Luke grabs my hand and says, “Come on!”

“Hey!” Floyd hollers at us as we pull away.

“That’s enough, Floyd!” Buck yells, appearing from the woods behind us.

Floyd turns toward Buck, and moves faster than his inebriated body should be able to. Luke yanks me toward the wagon and shoves me in. Buck grabs Floyd by his outstretched arm, spins him around, and puts the knife up to Floyd’s throat. Floyd curses, demanding Buck to let him go. I assume Buck refused, for they’re soon having an all-out brawl. I hear the jug hit the ground, but I don’t know if Floyd threw it or dropped it. I also hear fists making contact with flesh. I can’t imagine Floyd is in any shape to fight off a man like Buck.

I jump when I hear a gunshot. Everything is abruptly silent. The bullfrogs stop croaking, and it seems as if time is standing still. I look wide-eyed at Luke, wondering if Floyd has been shot.

“It’s all right,” he says, shaking his head in answer to my unspoken question.

“Are you sure?” I whisper.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“An Orphan’s Heart” is available in Kindle, Nook, and paperback.

Wednesday Writer’s Corner – May 15, 20something

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Lori Crane

Wednesday Writer’s Corner

Disclaimer:

I’m a little bitchy today, so I’m standing on my soapbox with a noose around my neck.

Here are my favorite questions from self-published authors on an ebook forum:

How do I get reviews? Why isn’t my book selling? How do I get paid? What should I charge for my book? How can I get a bad review removed? How long will it take to get an agent to notice me?

Are you kidding?

I’ll just be blunt. You have not done your homework. You should stop writing immediately, sell your computer, and take up needlepoint. How many books have you bought on self-publishing? Have you had anyone proofread your blurb? How many articles have you read on marketing? Formatting? Cover Design? Let me guess. Zero.

All right…I’ll give you the short soapbox answers:

How do I get reviews? Sell books.

Why isn’t my book selling? You have no reviews.

How do I get paid? Get a real job.

What should I charge for my book? Doesn’t matter, no one’s buying it anyway.

How can I get a bad review removed? I thought you wanted reviews.

How long will it take to get an agent to notice me? Forever. Like I said, get a real job.

Julia Ward Howe – shaping words

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Lori Crane

“Arise all women who have hearts, whether your baptism be of water or of tears! Say firmly: Our husbands shall not come to us reeking of carnage for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy, and patience…
“We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.
From the bosom of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with our own. It says: “Disarm! Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.” Blood does not wipe out dishonor, Nor violence indicate possession…”
— Julia Ward Howe, “Mother’s Day for Peace Proclamation,” 1870

Pictured here in 1908.

Howe also wrote “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” in 1861, which seems to me a lot less pro-peace than the above piece. Perhaps the carnage of the Civil War softened her a bit.

“Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored. He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword. His truth is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah, his truth is marching on.”

November 18, 1861, of the writing of the lyrics, Howe remembered:

“I went to bed that night as usual, and slept, according to my wont, quite soundly. I awoke in the gray of the morning twilight; and as I lay waiting for the dawn, the long lines of the desired poem began to twine themselves in my mind. Having thought out all the stanzas, I said to myself, ‘I must get up and write these verses down, lest I fall asleep again and forget them.’ So, with a sudden effort, I sprang out of bed, and found in the dimness an old stump of a pen which I remembered to have used the day before. I scrawled the verses almost without looking at the paper.”

Monday Music Lesson – May 13, 2013

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Lori Crane

Monday Music Lesson

Confidence: The state of being certain that the chosen course of action is the correct one and the outcome will be positive.

The name of the game is confidence—not only in performance, but in all of life. Do you know why Victoria Secret models are awesome? Because they exude confidence. Have you ever witnessed a business man in a suit strutting into a room, walking with determination, smiling at others as he passes? Confidence. You watch him and wonder if you will ever be that cool. You already are. Sit up straight, walk with good posture, dress nicely, hold your head high and look around you, smile at people. Confidence.

Now, apply that to your next performance or meeting or trip to the grocery store. Watch the reactions of people around you. They actually stare at you. Cool, huh?

The number one rule of confidence: Be Prepared.

For you music majors, this means practice, practice, practice. Do the work now so when it’s time to shine, you will. Luck has nothing to do with it. Being cool has nothing to do with it. It’s all about being prepared. Then you can wow them with your talent and your confidence.