May 27, 2008

Wedding Bells

My son is getting married to his high school sweetheart on Saturday.  Lots of excitement and last minute details going on in the Gist household (and, I'm sure, in the bride's household). 

 So, I'll pop in to visit with you, but I'm not going to have time for a full post this week.

***

Kimmy L is the final winner of our ARC contest.  She made a comment on May 23rd.

The winner of a free copy of Deep in the Heart of Trouble (from the email I sent out) is R. Westgaard from Illinois.

Congratulations to you both!  For the rest of you, thanks so much for participating and now that you're all set up to comment, we'd love to keep hearing from you!

Hope ya'll had a great Memorial Day weekend!

posted by Deeanne on 05/27/2008 - 8 comments - Post a Comment    RSS FEED

May 19, 2008

This Is The House That Jimmy Built

While I was in Corsicana for their Derrick Days Parade our hosts took us out to dinner.  For dessert, we got to see Jimmy's house.

Jimmy says he used to be just an average citizen in Corsicana until he started renovating the turn-of-the-century house across the street from him.  Then, he said he was suddenly catapulted into rock-star status.  :)

You see, the plantation home across from him was in shambles.  The roof was caving in, there was garbage all over the yard, the front balcony was being supported by 4x4s wedged between the porch and the porch's ceiling.  In other words, it was a real eye-sore.  Until Jimmy took it on.

Of course, people renovate homes all the time.  The thing that makes this one unique is that Jimmy renovated it in 8 months.  Wow.  I wish I had copies of the "before" shots they showed us.  It was unbelievable.

I've made another slideshow for you.  Take special note of the sliding paneled walls, the beautiful wooden floors, the beveled-glass front door, the widow's walk on the top of the house and the third story with wooden walls & floors that Jimmy is in the process of turning into a media room.  Jimmy is the white-haired gentleman standing on the stairs.  Such a sweetheart.

On the second floor, Jimmy has made two master suites.  One for him and one for his guests.  The whole thing was supposed to be finished by May 10th.  We were there on April 26th.  It sure was something to see. (At the end of the slideshow, I added a bit of "local flavor" from my visit.)

The people in the group photo were our hosts along with some close friends of Jimmy's.  The only person missing was Jimmy's beloved wife whom he lost a couple of years ago.  I'm sure she'd be proud of all he's accomplished, though.  I know the town of Corsiciana is and I am honored I had an opportunity to meet him and the folks who were our hosts.  It was a great trip and a real treat to be a part of the Derrick Days celebration.

***

Well, my book has started showing up on store shelves, so I'll run our contest for one last week (thus giving the book a chance to reach a store near you).  So, anyone (living in the continental US) who leaves a comment on my blog this week has a chance to win an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of Deep in the Heart of Trouble.  The computer chose Joy as last week's winner.  She posted a comment on May 15th. Congratulations, Joy!

As of today (May 19th), we start all over with a clean slate.  So, leave a comment for your chance to win!  Good luck.

(Next Monday I will announce the winner of this week's contest and our other contest--the one from the email I sent you last week.  If you didn't receive an email offering you a chance to win, just let me know.)

posted by Deeanne on 05/19/2008 - 17 comments - Post a Comment    RSS FEED

May 12, 2008

Deep in the Heart of the Jungle

As I mentioned last week, I was the Grand Marshal for Corsicana's Derrick Days Parade.  The actual event was on Saturday.  But my publicist, Carra Carr with Bethany House, and I arrived Friday night.  We had a dinner scheduled for that night.  But, I had something I wanted Carra (who's from Minnesota and had never visited Texas) to see before dinner.

I left her an urgent message on her cell phone to come straightaway to my room the moment she arrived.  She took me literally.  She checked in to the hotel at 4:30, threw her bags in her room, then jogged down to mine.  I gave her a hug and said, "Darlin', welcome to Texas.  Our first stop is going to be Carmack Watkin's trophy room.  It will confirm everything you ever heard about 'Everything's bigger in Texas.'"

It was only when we were on our way that she discovered I meant animal trophies.  But even that didn't prepare her for the "little" trophy room off of Carmack's glassed in, corner office.  Now, Carmark is an old-timer I interviewed when I was researching my Trouble books.  And I have a confession.  I think I'm in love.

He is one of the sweetest, most charming, delightful men I have ever met.  A true character from the top of his head to the tips of his toes.  And he turned his charm all the way up for the two of us.  So, without further ado, allow me to introduce you to my dear, dear friend ... Carmack Watkins of Corsicana, Texas.

See that hat he's wearing?  He got it from Austrailia.  Made a few modifications.  And it now has a fan on it that is solar powered.  Keeps him cool, he said.  Well, I say, he's pretty cool already--fan or no fan.

And now [insert drum roll] the trophy room.

Can you believe it?  I want you to see this and some other pics full screen, so I made a slide show for you below.  But the software I used goes way too fast  So, I have a couple of still shots here on the blog for you to look at more leisurely.

Before I upload them, though, let me give you a little disclaimer.  Carmack had very strict instructions for picture taking.  All pictures had to "tell a story."  So, he posed Carra and I, telling us where to sit or stand, where to place our hands, what expression to have and then he told the photographer where to stand or squat in order to get the best picture.  So cute.  Anyhoo, here we go.

Here's Carra "riding" a lion:

Here's me being "attacked" by a polar bear.  (See how he ripped my bandana right off my neck!)

Here's me and Carmack with his elephant trophy.

Here I am in a tent like the one Carmack stayed in while he was in Africa.  And I have to say, that cot was quite cozy.

I have emailed technical support to see if there is some way to slow down the slide show.  In the meanwhile, here's a quick glance at some of his other trophies.

Now, after we'd left and Carra's mind was still reeling, we passed a pasture on the side of the highway.  "That's where Carmack keeps his llamas," I said.  But it wasn't the llamas that captured her attention.  It was a NASA capsule that shared the llamas' pasture that had her putting on the brakes.

"What's that?"

"Oh, that?  That's the capsule John Glen dropped down in."

"The capsule?  The real one?"

"Yep.  It's Carmack's too."

"How did he get it?"

"Now, that, my dear, is a very long story and we have a dinner to get to."

So, she put it in drive and we headed to dinner.  I figured that this would be the highlight of the trip for her.  I mean, how could anybody top Carmack and his trophy room?  But that was before we met Jimmy and his "little" project.  I'll tell you all about that next week.

***

For those of you in the Houston area, I'll be doing a book signing this Saturday (May 17th) in conjuction with LifeWay's celebration of National Fiction Day.  I'll be at the LifeWay in the Portofino Shopping Center in The Woodlands. 9075 I-45, Shenandoah, TX 77385, (936) 321-9600.

If you aren't in the Houston area, don't despair.  LifeWay Stores all across the country are celebrating this event.  To find out what author will be signing near you, contact your local store.

***

Don't forget: We have a contest going on right now.  Anyone (living in the continental US) who leaves a comment on my blog has a chance to win an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of Deep in the Heart of Trouble.  The computer chose Emy as last week's winner.  She posted a comment on May 8th. Congratulations, Emy!

As of today (May 12th), we start all over with a clean slate.  So, leave a comment for your chance to win!  Good luck.

posted by Deeanne on 05/12/2008 - 29 comments - Post a Comment    RSS FEED

May 05, 2008

Derrick Days Parade

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, Corsicana hosted a Derrick Days Festival and asked me to act as Grand Marshal of their parade.  My publicist from Bethany House, Carra Carr, flew down to be with me for the event. 

True to their reputation, the Corsicanans welcomed us by rolling out the red carpet.  The parade was in the morning and we crawled through historic downtown while the marching band played Deep in the Heart of Texas.

Afterwards, I talked a little bit about how I incorporate my research into my books, showing examples and doing a reading.  This presentation was followed by a book signing.

Those were all my official duties.  But many things happened behind the scenes.  Carra is mailing me pictures of all our adventures.  I'll tell you more about those next week.

***

As of today (May 5), we start all over with a clean slate.  So, leave a comment for your chance to win!  Good luck.

posted by Deeanne on 05/05/2008 - 34 comments - Post a Comment    RSS FEED

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