Tuesday, March 02, 2010

I'm No Expert...

...at anything. I realized this yesterday. In the afternoon, I sent off the second book in my "sip lit" trilogy. It's centered on a winery owned by three sisters. This book is about the middle sister, Stevie, who owns a limousine service, Napa Princess Limousine. She's the tomboy sister. ANYway... I wrote a line in the book about the heroine being familiar with carburetors--and I'm watching TV last night and there's a mention about how cars these days don't have carburetors anymore...who knew? (Surfer Guy did, he told me cars today have fuel injection systems.) Now, the heroine could know about carburetors, but it just brought home to me how little I know about a lot of things!

And how much I count on other people to help me get the details as right as I can in a book. Here's a quick rundown for the one I just turned in.

Surfer Guy: Car stuff. Any time I needed a description of distance (Me: "How far is it from here to the other side of the pool?"). Tools needed to remove a stump by hand.

Son 2: A position tomboy heroine would have played on a powder puff football team. The phrase "you crazy woman" since this is what he calls me!

People who poured for me at winery tastings: Friendly and helpful with details about their particular wines and the process in general. Thank you to the fine people at Foppiano and Bella Vineyards in particular.

Our own commenter here, Emmanuelle, who helped me get the French right. (I can now curse in French!)

That doesn't count those who inspired the story in some way or another. My college friend Marianne, who wanted to work in the wine industry and whose family hails from Luxembourg (hero in Book 2 has similar background), my BFF Cynthia, who married at a winery, my buddy Lisa who went with me on my very first wine country experience years ago.

So what do I bring to this? I suppose I'll allow myself to be an expert on describing the process of falling in love. It's what interests me most, anyway. That love thing.

Are you an expert in anything? We have Lois who knows her horses and Kathleen who has the number on cowboys... And hey, here's the cover of the first book in the trilogy. What do you think?

12 comments:

Michele Hauf said...

That is an awesome cover!

I'm like you, relying on many to help me with my facts. I don't think I'm an expert on anything, though I know a little about a lot. :-)

Cindy Gerard said...

Hey Christie. GREAT cover!! And I love the title.
As for being an expert - I know just enough about some things to be dangerous. I've learned a lot about weaponry since I've been writing my Spec Ops books, learned a lot about the military and a lot about certain countries but I'm far from expert status on any of it.
To quote the Beatles: "I get by with a little help from my friends."

Helen Brenna said...

Oh, Christie, I love that cover. It's gorgeous.

I probably know more about accounting than the average person, but I wouldn't call myself an expert in anything. I know a little about a lot. Don't know what I'd do without others to help me get things right.

Christie Ridgway said...

Thanks for the compliments on the cover. I think it's eye-catching, especially in June, bridal season.

Helen: Accounting... That's good to be expert in. Both my dad and bro are financial analyst/accountant types.

Kathleen O said...

Love the cover.. Can't wait for the book to come out..

As to me being an excpert in any one thing.. I know a little about a few things just enough not to make look dimwitted in a conversation. But thank god for the internet for looking up details.

Christie Ridgway said...

Kathleen: I always think about how much more difficult research (of anything) used to be. Even having to wait for the library to be open would be a drag today. 2 am, I can find out what a carburetor does.

Linda Henderson said...

I do like the cover. I don't know that I am an expert on anything. I do know enough about a lot of things to fake my way through though.

Christie Ridgway said...

Linda: And here's the thing, even when I do a lot of research to become "expert" for a book, I'm always amazed by how little of it really makes it into the pages.

Sarah Grimm said...

I know a lot about cars. Fast cars, slow cars, old cars and new ones. My husband is a mechanic who drag races for fun, so naturally, I learned about cars.

BTW, I, too, love the cover.

KylieBrant said...

I love the cover, Christie!

I am an expert on nothing, but I'm awfully good at finding experts on the feeding and care of dermisted beetles, SWAT cops, CIA, all sorts of law enforcement types, forensics...it's just important to know where to go for help, right?

Martha Lawson said...

That is one awesome cover! Not an expert on anything!!!

Anonymous said...

Oooooo Christie I LOVE your book cover !! It's just gorgeous (I really have a thing for beautiful covers).
It was a real pleasure to be your french curse expert, lol. Besides that I'm not sure I'm an expert on anything... maybe in a few years, I'd love to be a cookies expert ;-)
And congrats again for this new cover !!!