Winners, and Meljean has crazy-eyes.
First, business: Thanks to the power of random.org, the winner of Laura Kinsale’s SHADOWHEART is:
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
7
#7 — RachieG!
Congratulations!
***
So.
Remember when I said a while back that “Thicker Than Blood” is a RITA finalist? Well, apparently, you have to turn in a picture to RWA. And I have an author picture, but when I got it, it was a quick, OMG I need a pic! situation, so I ran down to my parents’ house and had my sister take about 700,000 pics of me at the park.
Well, that picture doesn’t work, because although it’s fine for the web, it’s not high-resolution or anything. So, I said to my sister: Echo, I need you to take another pic, but this one has to be printable. And so we decided I’d do it when I got a chance (at the time, I was chained to my laptop, and Echo lives an hour away, so there was no pic.)
But yesterday, I had to go to my parents’ house anyway, so I took my ‘business’ jacket (the one that’s supposed to make me look all professional and shit.)
The problem is, of course, that my face doesn’t cooperate with the ‘professional and shit.’ Seriously, it is SO hard not to laugh. In practically every single picture, I’m either trying not to laugh (which, at 300 pixels/inch, manages to show every single wrinkle I’ve developed in the past couple of years (but I’ve shrunkened the pic here so that they don’t show so much, hahah) *sob*)
Or, the sun is shining in my eyes in the perfect way to cast a shadow over half of them and make it look like I’m going to kill her. I won’t post those, because I don’t want to scare anyone.
Then I had help (my favorite pics out of all that we took). First, she sneaks up behind me (I was sitting on a log that jammed a broken-off branch half up my ass):
Then attacks:
And I’m smiling, but in reality she’s choking me half to death. But, aw, she’s so cute.
Anyway, this is the best out of all of them, and I have crazy-eyes (and it was getting windy and starting to rain, and my hair* was going all over the place):
Because I have a really hard time keeping my eyes open when I’m taking pictures (they narrow down into tiny little things) simply because of the trying-not-to-laugh problem (and my cheeks bunch way up), so I make an effort to OPEN my eyes WIDE and it gives me the spacey look.
So, I dunno. I might head out to a real place where they do magic stuff with eyeballs and lights.
*Also — next time I’m not going to cut my own hair with my daughter’s safety scissors about three weeks before I get my picture taken. So maybe, hair stylist first, then professional pictures. Sigh. I hate that. Nothing was worse than picture day when I was a kid.
This isn’t even the bad crazy-eyed one.
Although — on second thought — maybe crazy, killer look would be good at RWA? Would they dare give the RITA to anyone else if I looked like I might go on a rampage after losing?
I won’t even be there, but crazy eyes go cross country.
You look lovely.
And in the one where you think you have the crazy-eyes (but you also think it’s the best of the lot), you look like Nicole Kidman. And she’s a hottie.
I love your smile when you’re being attacked and strangled though. That’s a good look.
Lol, I was about to say the same, you do look like Nicole Kidman
Trust me, 90 % of my pics have me looking like a crazed killer or a drug addict cos of my eyes
Sorry, the last picture cracks me up. The first one is nice with the flowers in the background.
I always looks dazed and confused in the pictures I take.
Nice serial killer stare
Actually the first photo’s great, except for all the shadows on your face. Better flash would have helped. Photoshop’s worth a try too.
I don’t think any of the pics turned out too bad, well, except for maybe the last one, kind of painful looking if you ask me…it’s how all mine turn out…I hate having pics taken! I’d rather do almost anything else.
I really like the fourth picture myself. Plus, you are gorgeous, curse you
Congrats, RachieG!
Meljean, all of those shots are great–you look lovely. Even the last crazy one.
The picture that I keep going back to, however, is the one where Princess is nearly choking you. You both look so happy!!! 
Too bad I didn’t live nearby. I’ve been learning how to take pictures with my fancy schmancy camera, adjusting all those little buttons and knobs, where my subject does NOT have to be facing the sun! No shadows, no highlighting wrinkles. Not that I see any on you, of course.
Great pictures and I don’t think your eyes are too crazy at all! That last picture is great!
I add my voice to the din saying you look like Nicole Kidman, pre-Botox. So, in other words, hawt! You look gorgeous, and I love the pix of you and the gal. Very sweet.
I have the same problem with my eyes/cheeks when I smile. I was at lunch with my husband and toddler the other week, and DH was making faces and getting the baby to copy them. Naturally I thought this was cute, so I was laughing and smiling. The baby looks at me, smiles real big, and then squinches his eyes closed. He thought I was making a funny face. *sigh*
(But really I thought it was hilarious.)
That crazy-eyes pic of you makes me think of Nicole Kidman getting ready to shank someone.
KIDDING!!!!!!!!! But it is reminiscent of Nicole (and I mean that as a compliment because I’ve always thought she was gorgeous for some white woman LOL)