The Lovable Redhead, Crystal Barnes

She's one of the most lovable characters in our WOTS group. She laughs easily, turns red easily, and is so deliciously teasable. Let's face it: Crystal Barnes is just fun to have around.

Since I'm a fellow redhead, I could get away with asking her some of these questions. All of us redheads had "incidents" growing up that brunettes and even blonds don't suffer. We're different--there aren't too many of us in the world.

So in search of finding common experiences, I asked:

What's your worst "being a redhead" memory?

That would probably be acquiring a nickname my freckles afforded me. Don't ask what it is. I haven't repeated it in decades. [Yes, I can relate.]

What's your best?

Hmmm...that's a hard one. Maybe the year I went as Pippy Longstocking to a Halloween gymnastics party. We used clothes hangers to make my long hair stick out and everything. [Giggle!]

Bonus: Do you have the temper that matches the characterization of redheads being quick to anger? Or do you feel you have the flamboyance we're accused of?  

I'd say God has a lot to do with me not having much of a temper. I have been accused of being feisty though. I prefer the word determined. I don't know if anyone's ever used the word flamboyant to describe me. I think redheads become accustomed to being unique/different from early on. Maybe that's where that term comes from and maybe why God gave me red hair. I had to be used to being unique. Writers are for sure. [Yep.]

Okay, enough of that. Moving on:

You're definitely a country girl. You could write contemporary country/western novels but opt for historical. Do you feel like an anachronism?

(Ehem, excuse me while I go look up that word. LOL!)

At times, yep, I definitely feel like a girl out of my time period, but then I figure God gave me a love for knowing how to live off the land and old-fashioned things for a reason. When I was a kid I used to LOVE it when the lights would go out. To me it was loads of fun to warm water on the stove to take a bath and use oil lamps to light the house. Yep, I know I'm weird. (FYI: I love watching Little House on the Prairie.)

Where do you get your story ideas?

Um...God. He's the Master Storyteller, and I can't do anything on my own. I strive to write the stories He gives, otherwise they're just words on a page, a waste of ink, paper, and time.  

You've been doing cover design and formatting for a while. What got you into that?

I actually got into cover design and formatting with my own books. The first being Win, Love, or Draw. When others saw the quality of my work, they shocked me by asking me to do the same for them. I'm glad to help, especially considering I find it fun stuff. 

Do you have a website or something for people to find your service? (If not, how do people reach you? Are you taking clients outside WOTS?)

Currently I've been working off of referrals (some of these have been outside of WOTS), but I might be adding a page to my website soon. Folks, are welcome to contact me through my website if they're interested. 

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!!! 

Monday, Janice Thompson, Kathleen Y'Barbo, Vickie McDonough, Marcia Gruver, and Crystal are celebrating the release of a new collection of 5 Texas-style historical romances - Lone Star Love

Crystal's  contribution to the box set is Signed, Sealed, & Delighted (Marriage & Mayhem, Prequel Novella)

Be sure to join the 5-day-long celebration on Facebook. 

Bio: 

An award-winning author, Crystal L Barnes is a born-n-raised Texan and an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), her local ACFW chapter, 19th Century Writers, and her local church. She has a degree in Computing Science because she loves putting things into their proper place, and she enjoys writing because she gets to share her love of old-fashioned things and the Lord. Find out more about Crystal at crystal-barnes.com or connect with her on Facebook, Google+, or Pinterest. 

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