Thursday, July 7, 2011
Romance Trading Cards – The Fun Way
Okay, so my agent and publicist have been after me to put together some romance trading cards for my books…and I’ve been putting it off. Mainly because, let’s face it, I’m never going to find a picture of a hot looking 65 year old pirate to represent Captain Silvestri, let alone a 53 year old short plump pirate woman to stand if for Emily.
The world just isn’t stocked full of photos like these.
I can’t imagine why.
;-)
Now, I could have worked on some RTC for my shorts. But…really bodacious women with bright blue short hair are in short supply. As are nice hunky guys with tourmaline hair.
(What is it about me that envisions the totally non-standard H/H?)
Now, I could just go with my covers…and in fact, my publicist is working on a set for me that will use the covers while I debate buying a manipulate-a-photo bit of software so I can ‘create’ what I want.
I mean, I didn’t want to use stock photos that would misrepresent my characters. Don’t need frothing mad readers coming after me for that! (Already have a few a bit nonplussed by my use of cursing already!)
Really, are romance trading cards just a passing fancy? Or will they be around for a while? I have no idea. But I do love what the author Dakota Cassidy did. She put together an author card that is wondrous. She has a great front of a cartoon Cassidy and on the back, her standard smoking/drinking/tiara wearing/smeared mascara self. On the back? Lies. Many wonderful lies that she admits to even as he makes them. If you click on the image you can see the lettering better and read the lies...do it! ;-)I want to make an author card. I’ve already been badgering Robert Quill regarding the coloration of the one he did of me as my bartender self, asking for permission to make an author card with it. And am considering the many lies I want to tell on the back of it.
Dakota lies about her age, her weight, etc.
I want to lie about other things. Thought I’d make up some wonderful awards, ala the Tortuga Seal of Excellence for Pirate Perfection…The Kraken Prize for the use of tentacles to promote peace… Maybe a Grammy for Emily’s Cursing Sea Chanty…
So…what lies would you like to portray on your RTC/author style? It’s Friday, I’m gonna be in and out all day, let’s play!
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30 comments:
I *love* that author card, what a hoot! And I love the drinking-smoking-smudged eyeliner-tiara wearing badass picture. I totally need a picture like that!
What lies would I include on the back of my author card?
Billionaire socialite Hellie Sinclair spends her days sunning herself on her private island and dictating her next book to her young and brawny secretary Paco who can speedily type 100 words a minute and also whip up the best daiquiris you've ever tasted. When Hellie isn't writing her next NYT bestseller, she frequently teaches classes on how to channel your inner billionaire and the best small toy dogs for your Prada handbag. Her classes are typically sold out months in advance. Hellie frequently travels to "research" the places she will never write about because she is too busy making up stories that supposedly exist in America and she lives there so it doesn't count. Hellie's Deerhunter is quite proud of his billionaire socialite wife and spoils her with sex and good food.
Actually part of the last sentence is kinda true. Here and there. *LOL* The punctuation mostly, but whatever.
This was a fun one, Chance, I wish I would be around more today to play with it.
I like yer spirit, Hels! Especially now that you're channeling small toy dogs in your spare time... ;-)
Honestly, I'll be in and out all day, so we'll see how many people play along.
I adore Dakota's picture...we all need one like that!
Part of that last sentence is true? Sex and good food, I hope!
Hmmm.... this is a good question.
I'll think about it. In the meantime, I'm off to prepare to write. You know, I need to fluff my feather boa. Prepare my bon bons and my satin slippers with the little ornate rhinestones. I have a bottle of Dom Perignon in the refrigerator. I plan to pour a glass and sit down on my velvet chaise and ponder this question while the nanny takes care of my precious, well-behaved children.
After only 3 hours of horrible sleep last night I'm not firing on all creative cylinders this morning so I'll think on this.
I do love these romance trading cards though!
Love Dakota's author card and the idea of yours, Chance.
But I don't think I dare play the game. I'd begin with "A typical day in the life of thirty something Janga Brannon is and hour of excercise followed by eight hours of writing." Then, lightning would strike me for my humongous lies or I'd faint at my own audacity.
An hour of exercise and then 8 of writing? That's either my idea of heaven or hell. I'm not sure which though. Probably depends on the day.
Since I only did 30 mins of exercise last night (pilates) and now can't turn my head to the left, I don't think I'll include that in my lies. More like "She remains svelt and fit without the necessity of exercise."
I love Dakota's cards. Was fortunate to meet her a few years ago and she's just as funny as she sounds. Loving all your card ideas. Especially how Marn slipped hers in such a subtle way.
I'll have to think about this after taking my Aleve and having some tea. Wasn't kidding about the neck/shoulder pain. OUCH!
EEEK! I mean "an hour." See what happens when I post before noon.
Marn, it's my should day, what I would do if I were a better, stronger, more disciplined person. BTW, big congrats on your contest news. That's definitely worth celebrating.
Like everyone else, I'm loving the trading cards. What a great marketing idea.
Lying is second nature to pirates. That's not even a challenge. lol
As a secret operative ninja, mine will be really mundane and quaint. Like "lives in the country with her loving family, two cats and wonderful very supportive and awesome husband who encourages her to write all day." So then people can spew puke through their nose at my overall sweetness factor while I'm out ice picking people with my ninja skills.
So do RTC have to have photographs of your characters? Because I think I've seen some with illustrations/cartoons of characters that are pretty cool. Honestly? Probably because I am an artist, I prefer a good illustration to a photo. (In my brain, I see a photo and think, "model." For some reason, an illustration is actually more real.)
I like the author card idea. Too early in the morning for much creativity, but my lies would be in the order of "Evil genius," "Treasurer, Assassin's Guild," "Malevolent overlord of the Illuminati," and "loves puppies."
Ah, Sin is doing a stealth card! Exercise, writing, bon bons...all good things to lie about on a card... ;-)
I was thinking about winning a Peg Leg Award at the big Tortuga Romance Writers Banquet...
Pat - So, you're would be a mix of truth and fiction? We really should have a design your own RTC party! And I agree with illustrations as a fun way to do it. As I said, I'm gonna get Robert to color my sketch and put one of these together...
I mean, you do love puppies... ;-)
My illustration would have me standing like Captain Morgan with my pirate-boot covered foot atop a perfectly folded stack of laundry. The cats would be pushing swiffer duster sheets around in the background, and I'd be seen as the pirate Super Wench I am. With long flowing hair and an itty-bitty waist.
The caption would read, "SHE DOES IT ALL BEFORE 9AM. AND WRITES AWARD WINNING NOVELS BY NOON."
I love that idea, totally...wasp waist, eh? Let's plan a photo session at M&M.... ;-)
Good point. I guess I could amend that to "loves Precious Moments Figurines." Ugh. Oh, my eyes! It hurt to even write that. Man alive, I hate those things! They're only good for target practice on the shooting range.
Yeah, let's go with a mix of truth and fiction. :)
BTW - I'll bring the corset! We'll make it work. Can you start practice not breathing now?
Oh, we must have a pic of one set up on a target range and you with a gun...
Remember, we admit to the lies on the card, following Dakota's wonderful example!
Several years ago, my sister started the habit of buying my mom those figurines for every day occasion. She has a ton of them. I don't get it. But then it's all more "stuff" to me and I'm not a "stuff" person. Unless that "stuff" is books, which I don't count. (Mostly because counting them would take years.)
Not breathing. I can do that. Bring it on!
I admit to nothing! :)
She's right. Pirates never admit to anything. What are you trying to do to us???
I came home from RWA11 with all the RTCs I could collect. Interesting promo. Mine are on the RTC.com site, but my favorite is my fictional dog, Horace. Wish I knew how to insert it here, but trust me, it's darling. As to lies? Pirates and non-pirate writers like me make our livings telling lies. Comes naturally as breathing--which I will do and leave the corset torture to y'all. lol [But I'll be at the M&Ms if you mean GA in Sept. Not a lie.]
Megan is awake at 5 am (no lie, but I was going to bed, not getting up), cleans house and makes breakfast for her loving family (only the loving family part is true) before dashing out her twenty pages per day quota on her next bestseller. (lmao) After serving a dinner worthy of a cordon bleu chef (HAH), she shares a very private dessert with her private hero. -- That might not be a lie. ;)
Oh, and you can download GIMP for free. That's the program I used to design my cards.
Heya, Megan! Yes, Chance and I will be at M&M in Sept. I'm so excited, especially since I had to skip Nationals. I did get some Keiran Kramer RTCs in the mail and now I see what all the fuss is about. Those things are so cool. Took me back to my younger days collecting baseball cards. Only cooler. (Some of those guys weren't so hot, ya know.)
I have a pooch in the current WIP and now I want to make him a RTC. He's based on my pooch, Dozer, who has gone to the doggy park in the sky. Even has the same name. LOL! So I have the pictures ready to go!
Off to look yours up.
"I have a pooch in the current WIP and now I want to make him a RTC. He’s based on my pooch, Dozer, who has gone to the doggy park in the sky. Even has the same name. LOL! So I have the pictures ready to go!"
I wanna see! Post it. Post it! Because I do love puppy dogs.
I could easily do a kraken RTC... ;-)
GIMP? I will look for it!
Lies, creative embellishment...half a' this, half ' that! All works far as I'm concerned.
Well, look for the two pirates at M&M...though we gots another two parttimers gonna be there, too. I may bring my pirate hat...
What the hell, I'll bring my pirate hat!
Pat, really, you, a rifle or crossbow and the figurine, quivering at the center of the target...just precious!
Oh, the pictures aren't digital just yet. LOL! But I'll see if I can find some, scan them at work, and dedicate a whole blog to Dozer and other pets in books.
Of course you're bringing the pirate hat. That's a requirement from here on out. It's your "thing".
Hey everybody. *waving* I won't have a pirate hat, but hopefully y'all can find me. I'd be delighted to slug back some rum with y'all. NO lie. I'll have my RTCs there too.
GIMP was easy enough for me to figure out. It's even easier if you do the RTC tutorial first. I watched that and took notes. The tutorial is either on the RTC.com site or JeannieLin dot com.
I bookmarked the GIMP site and stared goofing off with 'lies' on a powerpoint playground... I am going to have a blast putting this together! Thanks so much for the clue into the GIMP stuff... I'll check out JeannieLin's tutorial...especially if she has it for GIMP.
Yeah, the pirate hat will come, with coodinated feathers...to wahtever I wear...
Jeannie's tutorial is how to make an RTC using GIMP. Totally worth watching, but put in earphones as the audio is clearer with them.
See y'all in GA.
Yeah, I was looking at that and can't wait to get home and play with it. I've already put together one on PowerPoint, but it's more a placement and play thing...nothing I could go to print with.
Though Bo'sun says I'm not lying, I'm just making up awards that don't exist, etc... Pirate's perogative!
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