10 Reasons to Read THE BLUEBIRD BET (Avail today!)

March 1, 2015 / Cheryl Harper / Leave a comment

10. If you read it today, you can impress the cool kids in your neighborhood. You’ll know who wins the bet, after all.

9. You need some sunshine. Instead of a solid, infuriating blanket of white, my current view, you could have green grass, warm sun, cool shade, and the joy of dipping your toes in Spring Lake.

8. Elaine Watson never loses, but it’s nice to see a guy give her a run for her money. Literally. There’s some running. This is my favorite form of exercise, reading about someone else doing it. And not for long.

7. Dean Collins has spent years dodging bullets, but his biggest struggle is in coming home. Now that he’s reached the Bluebird, he has no plans to leave. Ever.

6. Did you read A Minute on the Lips? (If not, go ahead. I’ll wait.) Of course you did! And did you love Andi and Mark? OF COURSE YOU DID! Sorry. No shouting. They’re in this one, too.

5. Do you wish you’d gotten to know a little bit more about Purl’s Place? *nodding* The Shady Ladies are there, knitting and crocheting away. Drop in for a lesson. Just be nice to Elaine. She’s struggling with her stitches.

4. This book contains one of my favorite lines that I’ve ever written. I won’t tell you what it is, but it still makes me chortle when I think about it. And I hardly ever chortle (a copy editor suggested I change laugh to chortle once. I’d rewrite the whole paragraph to avoid). I should hold a contest to see if anyone can guess it… Winner gets my undying love and admiration.

3. It would look so good on your Goodreads shelf. Here’s the link to add it (and your review). And if you really feel lucky, there’s a giveaway going until March 7.

2. Want to know what the cool kids are saying about it? Here’s an excerpt from the Fresh Fiction review. Click the link to read the whole thing, read another excerpt.

This book in the Welcome to Tall Pines miniseries is an excellent read. Grab the Kleenex one minute and laugh the next. There’s a little of everything in this read; emotion, love, the sadness of life and a heartwarming town full of witty and wacky residents always ready to put in their two cents. I have not had the pleasure of reading any of the previous stories in this series but plan to do so soon as well as the new one just out. For a short tale I found THE BLUEBIRD BET as completely fulfilling and satisfying a read as any other story. There’s a lot of wit and humor and just plain good common sense and kindness. I definitely recommend THE BLUEBIRD BET for a satisfying and beautiful experience.

1. If you’re still not convinced, here’s an excerpt. And the buy links because I’m such a savvy business woman. Also, check back this week. A massive, mondo, mega blog tour is launching on… Wednesday. Did you think I was going to say Monday? Yeah, that would have been better. Lots of good giveaways, excerpts, and fun! To make sure you don’t miss a thing, you can like the Facebook Page (just make sure to choose Notifications updates to see every post) or follow me on Twitter.

Kindle: http://amzn.to/1DHrHTZ

Nook: http://bit.ly/1Aypcja

Harlequin (ebook and print): http://bit.ly/1D82sHN

Excerpt:

Elaine refused to take a step back even though she was closer to Dean Collins than she was strictly comfortable with. She could see he had hazel eyes, a mix of brown and green that was warm and possibly too intelligent for an easy win. Getting this close to him was a bad idea for a long list of reasons. Still, she was not going to back down. Not now. He’d made his opinion of her clear. He thought she was a fragile flower. He was wrong.

When Robert coughed quietly, she and Dean both turned.

“How will you decide a winner?” Elaine asked.

Dean’s snort set her teeth on edge, and she did her best to forget her own snort of disbelief earlier. Maybe turnabout snorting was fair play.

She and Dean watched Robert think. He paced. He cracked his knuckles. He opened his mouth and changed his mind twice.

Then he said, “We’ll get judges. That’s the fairest thing. All three of us. That way, an impartial panel will decide what’s best for the Bluebird and for Tall Pines.”

“And you don’t have to disappoint either one of us.” Elaine raised her eyebrows.

“Why, I never thought of that,” Robert said and smiled. “Excellent point, Doc. I like this plan. What do you think?”

May News: 3 new books coming, RT Booklovers Convention, and MORE

May 26, 2014 / Cheryl Harper / 1 Comment

First things first: Happy Memorial Day. Please remember the service and sacrifice military men and women and their families make and say thank you if you can.

I didn’t look at the date of my last post because I had to really think, think, think to remember how to log on so that’s way too long. Thus, long post ahead!

1. I’m working on THREE more books for Harlequin Heartwarming and I AM ALL EXCITE about this. We’ll be going back to Tall Pines to visit a beautiful bed and breakfast on lovely Spring Lake, and then we’re changing scenery, going a little international, and then going to the dogs and cats and…well, we’ll have to see! I love all three concepts, so let’s see how well I can pull them off. While I’ve been away, the 2-in-1 version of A Minute on the Lips for sale in Australia arrived. SHINY! Also, “G’day, mate. Throw another shrimp on the barbie.” That’s all the Australian I know.

Here’s the whole international family: A Minute on the Lips, its British cousin, and the Australian branch.

2. I drove down to the RT Booklovers’ Convention in New Orleans at some point this month. All my days are blurred together, you know? It was my first visit to New Orleans and my first RT. Highlights: hanging with my friend Codi Gary, meeting Sara from Harlequin Junkie, peeking at Lisa Kleypas at the Avon party at Acme Oyster House, and shaking Charlaine Harris’s hand, and…there are many! After all the convention excitement and actually meeting FANS (I mean, of MY books, not just people who like to read because I love those but people who talk about my characters and are not actually named my best friend…that’s like whoa), I went to Cafe du Monde, had beignets, and this view.

3. I drove to Florida, camped out under an umbrella, and listened to the waves with the person named my best friend. It was awesome. We watched the beach attendant. We shopped. And did I mention it was awesome? Because it was. When we decided to exert ourselves, we visited the Gulfarium and I learned that I need a 13-stroke handicap to play minigolf on the pink course at the Big Kahuna. That was a sobering realization. Obviously I need to work on my putt-putt golf stroke.

4. I drove home. The ginormous yard had returned to its natural, jungle-like state, the mail was out of control, and the dog was mad. If they didn’t keep the beach so far away, I would have just jumped right back in the car. Eleven days, 1500 miles, 27 hours in the car. After I fought my way out of the paper bag that is streets I’ve driven my whole life and still managed to miss my turns, I did it flawlessly. There was some circling of the hotel in New Orleans, but I blame traffic, construction, and one-way streets for that.

5. Now I must write like the wind. Yesterday was a solid day of 5,000 words. I’m looking at my deadline and doing the math on my fingers and thinking there’s totally a chance I could still possibly make it. Maybe. Everyone keep your fingers crossed for me, ‘mkay? While I write, this song is playing in my head. The Bandit is my driving inspiration, after all. I’m just going to get in the rocking chair and put the pedal to the metal.

A Minute on the Lips’ UK version and me

March 9, 2014March 9, 2014 / Cheryl Harper / 2 Comments

On Saturday, the postman slogged through the mud to bring me copies of the UK version of A Minute on the Lips. Yes. Let’s let that marinate for a moment. The UK version. Here’s the link: A Minute on the Lips, Mills and Boon UK. This is different than the Australian version, which I have not seen yet and which will send into full-on meltdown most likely. Here’s a link just so you’ll believe me: Australian 2-in-1 Version. Don’t worry…there will be new pictures of this one too.

This, combined with the Goodreads group’s discussions on dream travel destinations, the unending snow…it’s all turned the flame up under my desire to go to London. I yearn. Like the way I yearn for whatever chocolate dessert’s on the menu that I never order but bigger. Over the past year, I’ve had a trip planned at least 3 different times but never pushed the “BOOK IT!” button. This is probably because I remember my panic on landing in the Newark airport and facing navigating New York by myself. Also, I might never want to come back. I managed New York. London could be tackled too. Right?