The Joke's Afoot
I was up late last night watching the Cubs/Reds game. Now late is relative. For some people, going to bed after 10pm isn't late; for me, it is. I have to get up at 4am for the Evil Day Job (EDJ), so that's really shaving off my sleeping time. But I digress--as usual.
So I stayed up to watch the Cubs game. I was hoping they'd be up like 14-0 in the third inning and I could go to bed early or at least early-ish, confident in their victory. It didn't work out that way. The score was deadlocked 2-2 in the eighth inning, and when my beloved Chicago Cubs did score, it was only 1 run. Since 3-2 wasn't a safe lead, I was forced to stay awake and vigilant until they won. :-) And after such an exciting game, it was difficult to wind down.
Okay, I see the eyes glazing over as I gush about my Cubbies, but I've restrained myself all season--almost. Besides, I'm going to swing this around to my books.
All my books have inside jokes in them. Some have a lot, some have a little. Some can be figured out, some you have to know what it is I'm talking about. The most continual inside joke is my love of baseball and it's usually the Cubs.
Ravyn's Flight has Alex overhearing a discussion aboard the rescue ship between his men as they debate whether or not the Cubs curse has been lifted.
Eternal Nights has two of the bad guys discussing the All Star game and most of the secondary characters have the names of baseball players. If you know the game and who was in the playoffs in 2005, you'll be able to figure out which teams I was rooting against. Hey, it's not easy to come up with throwaway names, so having two teams with 24 players each was a treasure trove.
In the Midnight Hour has Deke pointing out to Ryne that she shares her name with Ryne Sandberg, Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame second baseman.
And In Twilight's Shadow, my June 2008 book, has more baseball references. Including the fact that Creed, the hero, has dreamed of playing for the Chicago Cubs. :-)
The two books I didn't mention (The Power of Two and Through a Crimson Veil) might have baseball references, too, but I couldn't think of them off the top of my head. Both books, for sure, do have inside jokes in them. :-) You know, I should probably write these things down as I do them because I'm already beginning to forget what I did. :-/
I know some other authors do slip stuff into their books, too. It's fun! It's even more fun when people catch it. Like with Eternal Nights when I got an email from a reader who nailed all my baseball names. I loved it! Usually, no one comments (although one person at the EDJ caught the jokes that related to that in TPOT) and I never know if that means no one caught them or no one let me know they caught them.
In other words, if you discover one of my jokes, email me and let me know! It makes my day almost as much as hearing someone tell me how much they've enjoyed my stories.
So I stayed up to watch the Cubs game. I was hoping they'd be up like 14-0 in the third inning and I could go to bed early or at least early-ish, confident in their victory. It didn't work out that way. The score was deadlocked 2-2 in the eighth inning, and when my beloved Chicago Cubs did score, it was only 1 run. Since 3-2 wasn't a safe lead, I was forced to stay awake and vigilant until they won. :-) And after such an exciting game, it was difficult to wind down.
Okay, I see the eyes glazing over as I gush about my Cubbies, but I've restrained myself all season--almost. Besides, I'm going to swing this around to my books.
All my books have inside jokes in them. Some have a lot, some have a little. Some can be figured out, some you have to know what it is I'm talking about. The most continual inside joke is my love of baseball and it's usually the Cubs.
Ravyn's Flight has Alex overhearing a discussion aboard the rescue ship between his men as they debate whether or not the Cubs curse has been lifted.
Eternal Nights has two of the bad guys discussing the All Star game and most of the secondary characters have the names of baseball players. If you know the game and who was in the playoffs in 2005, you'll be able to figure out which teams I was rooting against. Hey, it's not easy to come up with throwaway names, so having two teams with 24 players each was a treasure trove.
In the Midnight Hour has Deke pointing out to Ryne that she shares her name with Ryne Sandberg, Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame second baseman.
And In Twilight's Shadow, my June 2008 book, has more baseball references. Including the fact that Creed, the hero, has dreamed of playing for the Chicago Cubs. :-)
The two books I didn't mention (The Power of Two and Through a Crimson Veil) might have baseball references, too, but I couldn't think of them off the top of my head. Both books, for sure, do have inside jokes in them. :-) You know, I should probably write these things down as I do them because I'm already beginning to forget what I did. :-/
I know some other authors do slip stuff into their books, too. It's fun! It's even more fun when people catch it. Like with Eternal Nights when I got an email from a reader who nailed all my baseball names. I loved it! Usually, no one comments (although one person at the EDJ caught the jokes that related to that in TPOT) and I never know if that means no one caught them or no one let me know they caught them.
In other words, if you discover one of my jokes, email me and let me know! It makes my day almost as much as hearing someone tell me how much they've enjoyed my stories.
posted by Patti O'Shea at 8:40 AM
LMAO!!!!! I caught the one in "In The Midnight Hour" but missed the ones in Ravyn's Flight and Eternal Nights. LOL.
Pssssst It was just announced that you'll be participating in a workshop in Romance Divas in October. Can I just say I'm so EXCITED? I can't wait.
I'll have to pay more attention for the Cubbies reference.
And you have been restrained.
Thanks, Jennifer, I'm glad you're excited about the Romance Divas workshop! Was this mentioned on the forums? I guess I better sign up for those before October. ::blush:: I love talking about writing with people whose eyes don't glaze over. :-)
I love slipping in jokes. It's just so much fun! Do you slip stuff in your books, too?
Patti
It's being announced on the forum, but that's because the coordinator knows I'll be thrilled. LOL.
And no, I don't slip in jokes. I have no gift for that.
I'll have to try it though.
Jen, (Or do you prefer Jennifer?)
You are just so sweet! I'm glad you started visiting my blog. :-)
I used to think I was the only author who really did this until the 2176 series when Liz Maverick talked about her character's ID number--the heroine's name was Jenny and the number was 8675309. That sparked an entire discussion on the Leisure author loop about it and it turned out most of them did little things.
If you do it, you'll have to share what it is. :-)
Patti
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